I Will Teach You To Be Rich

A few months ago, I got in trouble with some of my readers. In my Ramit’s Brain Trust program, where I interview one of my mentors/advisors/confidants and share the video with the group every month.

When I asked who else they wanted me to interview, I started getting a bunch of notes from Brain Trust members asking why I hadn’t interviewed any women yet.

They had a point. In fact, there are so many top-performing women in RBT, there’s even a sub-group called “Women of RBT.” (It’s so private, even I’m not allowed in.)

It took me about 5 seconds to know who I wanted to interview. I definitely wanted to interview Pam Slim, whom I introduced a couple months ago. And Gretchen Rubin, whom I introduced in April.

And I knew I also had to bring Elizabeth Weil into studio. Not just because I was looking to fill a quota of women, but because she’s one of the best examples of top performers that I know.

I’ve known Elizabeth Weil since 7th grade. And she’s mastered the balance of high performance and creativity.

A little bit about her:

• She’s a partner at a top-tier venture-capital firm in Silicon Valley. Before that, she was an executive at Twitter

• On the side, she runs Paperwheel, a letterpress (high-end stationery) company

• Oh, btw, she’s also an ultra-marathon runner

• And she also has a family and stays in touch with her friends all the time.

HOW?? How does she do it all?

That’s exactly what I wanted to ask her when I brought her into my studio for an hour-long interview. We talked about it all — the tradeoffs, where to cut corners, how to stay in touch when you’re pulled in different directions by different people.

Truthfully, Elizabeth admitted that she doesn’t have it all figured out. But she does have a few “tricks of the trade” she uses to stay on top of these demands…and ways to recharge when it becomes overwhelming.

SPECIAL NOTE: This interview will be especially interesting to the 100,000+ women in the IWT community, but it’s not just for women. If you’re curious about how top-performing women navigate the field of traditionally male-oriented industries and manage it all, we cover it in this interview.

Unfortunately, it’s become politically incorrect to talk about the differences between men and women — even though we clearly think and act differently. So in this interview, you’ll see Elizabeth and I try to unravel how to highlight our strengths and figure out the best way to live a rich life.

Does that mean making sure you’re home at 7pm every night to eat dinner with your family?

Or setting an example for your boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse by putting your work away and spending quality time together?

Or maybe temporarily saying, “Work is the most important thing right now,” and committing to being the best at your job?

What are the unique challenges that women have to think about…(that men don’t)?

Crafting a balance between your career and personal life can be one of the most challenging parts of being a top performer, especially when everyone wants a piece of you.

How do you create an environment where you can succeed — and stay involved in the lives of the people you care about?

To answer this question, I invited Elizabeth Weil into my Brain Trust studio to ask her how she does it. This is a rare opportunity to see a top performer pull back the veil and talk candidly about work-life balance, careers, and the demands of being a top performer.

Here’s a sneak peek:

In the full interview, you’ll learn:

• What to do when you feel “stuck” in your job and know you need to get out

• How to attract healthy relationships with people who will bring the best out in you — both personally and professionally

• The unique challenges that ambitious women have in male-dominated industries

• A simple system to keep in touch with the people you care about (never let a relationship go “cold” again)

• A simple way to say “no” to things that you don’t want to do without feeling guilty

This interview is part of my Brain Trust program, where each month I unveil a new interview with my personal mentors, advisors, and confidants each month. Each month, you get access to these private interviews, plus a community of 1,000+ top IWT students. Find 1-on-1 accountability partners, meet other IWT readers in your city, and stop consuming information…and start taking action.

The Brain Trust program is closed right now. If you’re interested in getting on the wait list and getting the full interview, add yourself here:

Ramit’s Brain Trust