CMO Of Netflix: "Work Life Balance" Is BAD Advice! I Lost My Baby & My Husband!

TL;DR

Bozoma Saint John, former CMO of Netflix, Apple, Pepsi, and Uber, describes how repeated personal tragedies—her ex-boyfriend’s suicide, the loss of her daughter Eve to preeclampsia, and her husband Peter’s terminal cancer—shaped her career philosophy.

Key insights

• Power comes from influence, not titles. A title doesn’t automatically earn respect; you must convince people you have the right idea and get them to follow you.
• Intuition is a muscle that must be exercised by quieting external voices (parents, society, Instagram) and making decisions even when logic seems safer.
• “Letting go” is an active choice, not surrender. It means releasing preconceived ideas and allowing space for destiny to find you—but you cannot sit on the couch and wait.