more than a binge watch
CEO Club, perspective, and what stayed with me
Can you believe we’re already halfway through May? I just shared a bit about how I’m showing up for myself this month and somehow… it’s already the 20th.
How are you doing? How’s May treating you? Tell me everything.
As for me, a little mid-May update:
I’ve been shrinking myself a little less and speaking up more, so honestly? Yay for that.
I’ve been eating more iron-rich foods, which feels like a small but meaningful win. I have no idea where my actual levels are yet, but TBD at my post-op appointment, so we’ll revisit that.
I haven’t had a chance to make the whole dinner table / supper club idea happen yet, but I have had lunches and dinners with loved ones, and I’m counting that because community doesn’t have to be perfectly curated to matter.
Pilates? I miss her terribly.
I cannot wait to get the green light to get back into class, but in the meantime, I’ve been walking a little more and honestly, that has felt plentiful in its own way.
I was browsing for something to watch last week when I landed on CEO Club and, somehow, ended up binging the whole thing. More than once, I found myself reaching for my Notes app. What I expected to be a classic girlboss, CEO-type show turned out to be far more layered than I anticipated. Beneath the ambition and business conversations were themes of community, grief, visibility, motherhood, women’s health, and the very human things we all carry in different ways.
What I Took From CEO Club
For context, the show was filmed in 2024 and executive produced by Serena Williams, who also appears throughout the series as we get glimpses into her brand, WYN, and her own experience balancing business, ambition, and motherhood.
I went into CEO Club expecting founder stories, business conversations, and the usual ambitious-women-building-things energy. And yes, it absolutely delivered that. What I didn’t expect was how emotional parts of it would feel.
A theme I kept noticing throughout the series was motherhood, community, grief, resilience, and hope. Maybe because of the season of life I’m currently in, those themes landed differently than they might have a year ago.
Winnie Harlow said something that made me pause:
“What’s life if not to be lived?”
Simple, but honestly, one of those reminders that lands exactly when you need it. And yes, her proposal absolutely brought tears to my eyes. Congrats, sis!
Another moment that stayed with me came from Thalia, who said:
“Pain doesn’t disappear, you carry that pain.”
Oof. That one sat with me for a while. Not in an overwhelmingly heavy way, but in that honest human way where you hear something and immediately understand exactly what it means. Especially knowing she was navigating the loss of her sister while filming.
Loren Ridinger was another story that stayed with me. I had never heard of her before watching the show, and honestly, my heart broke for her. To watch someone navigate the sudden loss of a partner while also stepping into a new chapter in business, all while trying to figure out how to keep moving forward, felt incredibly brave.
Of course, it’s a show, and I know editing exists to tell a story and keep us watching, but overall, I thought there were genuinely some nuggets worth holding onto.
What I appreciated most was seeing conversations around identity, visibility, self-worth, motherhood, resilience, and women’s health woven into a space that could have easily been about business and entrepreneurship.
And sure, many of these women have access and privilege that most of us don’t. Money. Nannies. Freedom. Established careers. I’m not ignoring that. And still, so much of what surfaced felt familiar.
But I also found myself stripping all of that away while watching and just seeing them as women navigating very human experiences.
I think we spend so much time as a society glorifying celebrities and public figures that we forget they’re still human, too.
I honestly didn’t know much about Winnie Harlow before this, and I’m glad I got to learn more about her story and about vitiligo. Seeing how she’s built community, awareness, and parts of her business around something that makes her uniquely her was genuinely inspiring. I can’t wait to purchase her upcoming children’s book - Simply Winnie.
I’ve been familiar with Hannah Bronfman’s work for years, mostly because we’ve both occupied wellness corners of the internet for what feels like forever. I remember her earlier Instagram days, HBFIT, and watching her evolve through wellness, entrepreneurship, and now motherhood. She also shares more of her story on Substack through Hanna’s List, which feels especially fitting for this little corner of the internet.
What I admired most was her openness around her journey to conceive and ultimately going through IVF. That kind of vulnerability brings much-needed visibility to maternal wellness and women’s health, and as you can probably imagine, that deeply resonates with me.
Her willingness to share something so personal likely reached thousands of women, and somewhere in that, someone felt seen, heard, and a little less alone.
I have close friends who have gone through IVF and fertility treatments, and I truly believe these are conversations we need to have more openly.
In the show, Hannah and her partner Jamie are raising $40 million for their venture fund, Conteur Capital, which is no small feat in this economy. But beyond the business side of it, what really stood out to me was the heart behind the idea. It was born from a very real gap in women’s health and maternal wellness, and I deeply respect that they’re intentionally focusing on supporting Black-owned businesses through that work.
Truth be told, I almost didn’t continue the series, but I’m glad I did.
Because while some of the heavier conversations stayed with me, there were lighter moments too, and I appreciated that balance.
Which brings me to a completely unserious confession: I absolutely hate the idea of a push gift. Please don’t come for me. And yet… somehow, I may have casually hinted to my husband about the perfect gift I expect (if). Aside from the baby, of course. Lol.
Isabela Grutman was also featured on the show, someone I didn’t know before watching, and I was genuinely in awe of the jewelry empire she’s built. Seeing her passion for creating, sourcing, and bringing each piece to life was really cool to watch.
It was also clear that motherhood is her number one priority, pride, and joy. A complete non-negotiable.
Back to the gift… I am slightly obsessed with this 14k “mom” necklace from her collection. Husband, if you’re reading this, I’ve got a link for you. :)
A thought i’m sitting with…
I think we underestimate how much what we consume shapes us.
Not just food, but content. Conversations. Media. The voices we listen to. The stories we internalize.
I went into this show expecting ambition, founder stories, and a little aspirational escapism. What I didn’t expect was to walk away thinking about grief, motherhood, women’s health, and the very human things we all carry in different ways.
Maybe that’s the point.
The things we consume don’t just entertain us. Sometimes, they reflect something back to us. Sometimes, they make us think differently. Sometimes, they remind us of conversations we need to be having more openly. And if nothing else, this little binge watch gave me just that.
x, holy
really thoughtful read. also adding CEO Club to my watchlist. thank you for sharing your reflections <3