Women of Thirdshift- Amanda

Introduction

Bhavika: Welcome to our series Women of the Third Shift, where we talk about the multiple shifts that women juggle between work, home, and womanhood. The time spent maintaining ourselves, the pressure to optimize, the mental load of beauty, of showing up prepared, polished, and high-functioning all the time—it is the unseen third shift that runs parallel to ambition.

Today I’m joined by Amanda Emanuel. Amanda is a product leader and operator who has built across enterprise, fintech, and high-growth D2C, and has helped build a nine-figure beauty business embedded as a strategic operator. She is now building her own company and has built a following around helping women think differently about building businesses.

Amanda lives at the intersection of performance and ambition. She’s absolutely killing it in her career—honestly, a career we can only dream of. So today we’re talking about high performance, what it actually costs, how women carry invisible operational load, and what it means to build without burning out.

Amanda, I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you so much for joining us.

Amanda: Hi, thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited to chat with you—and that was such a wonderful intro. I don’t even always see myself that way sometimes, so it’s really lovely to hear it reflected back. Thank you.

Bhavika: Yeah, no, absolutely—that’s how I feel, and I totally look up to you. I think we often hear things like “women can do it all,” but women generally tend to have more responsibilities and roles.

On Hustle Culture & Narrative

Bhavika: You’ve been in a lot of demanding roles, moved in and out of careers, worked with MNCs, and now you’re building your own business. What are your thoughts on hustle culture, specifically—and the idea that women can do it all?

Amanda: I love this question. I’m now in my 30s, and I feel like I’ve been trying to build businesses for the last 15 years. I went through a lot of reflection before I started this company because I sort of knew what it took.

I was faced with this reckoning of—is that what I want for myself? Because the narrative I had given myself was: I have to suffer, I have to erode myself, and I have to sacrifice the things that really bring me joy in order to pursue a career the way I want to.

And this time, I think maybe there’s some maturity involved, but I realized I don’t have to do that.

I can choose my narrative, my anchor, my joy. That can look like carving out two hours to go get my nails done or do my hair—and I don’t have to feel guilty about it.

That was the biggest thing I had to teach myself—I don’t have to feel bad about wanting both: huge, audacious goals and a life I enjoy.

I used to be that person who would be out with friends but mentally still thinking about work. Now I try to be kinder to myself—embracing all parts of me and giving myself permission to enjoy them.

I wouldn’t say I’ve figured it all out, but that shift in perspective has made a huge difference. It feels like it’s mine now—even if nobody else understands it.

On Pressure Across Ages

Bhavika: Thank you so much for spelling that out because there is a lot of pressure—especially in mid-20s, mid-30s, even mid-40s. Women at every stage feel this pressure to show up how the world expects them to.

And it’s so hard to move away from that narrative—that you can do something at 30, or 40, or even build a business at 55 or 60—and that it’s okay.

That pressure is definitely very real.

On Invisible Labor & Expectations

Bhavika: From your perspective—do ambitious women carry a different kind of invisible labor than men in similar roles?

Do high-achieving women feel pressure to not just optimize work and personal life, but also show up pretty, polished, and in a certain way that people expect?

Amanda: That’s a great question. I would be lying to myself if I thought there was no difference.

But I also think as women, we naturally see expectations and don’t question them—we just go with them.

And the unfortunate reality is that if you are more put together, public perception of you is different.

At first, that was frustrating. I wanted people to value my brain, not what I look like. And I struggled with embracing my femininity while also being ambitious—it felt like oil and water.

If I’m being honest, I felt like embracing femininity meant I wouldn’t be taken seriously.

But now, I sort of see it as armor.

And I’ll say—there are inherent abilities that come with being a woman that actually help in your career. I used to think being emotionally perceptive was a weakness. Now I realize it’s an advantage.

It took me a long time to see that.

And one of my biggest learnings—especially working behind the scenes building consumer brands—was how many massive beauty businesses built for women are run by men.

They hire women to understand women. But why aren’t we in those positions, building for ourselves?

On Women Building Despite Constraints

Amanda: I have a really good friend—she’s a mom of three, all under seven or eight—and she built a natural hair shampoo business from her bathtub, in between feedings and taking care of her kids.

She got that business to six figures a month, by herself, on Amazon.

That’s insane.

People juggling all of that are not getting the credit they deserve. Moms are doing incredible things.

There’s this invisible expectation that they have to run their household first, and then prioritize business—and she still did both.

Even for me, without kids, building something is a huge endeavor. So what she’s doing is on another level.

On Changing the Narrative

Amanda: I do think there are implicit biases, but I also think the younger generation is doing a tremendous job at highlighting them.

And it’s up to us to change that narrative—while also being honest about the support we need.

Like, making kids’ lunches and running a business is a lot. We need to be able to say that. 

Bhavika: That’s so true. And I think to your point—yes, both men and women need to look polished to be taken seriously.

But for women, it just takes more effort.

It takes me 30 minutes to wash my hair—it takes a man five.

Amanda: Exactly! You have to mentally prepare for hair wash day. It’s a whole event.

Bhavika: Yeah, it’s literally a chunk of time.

Amanda: And that’s where I think we get creative—multitasking, finding smarter routines, better products.

It sometimes feels like a “cover charge” to get into the room—you have to look a certain way.

I don’t want to believe that’s true everywhere, but I also wouldn’t be naive to say it doesn’t matter at all.

Bhavika: I also feel like when I’m put together, I’m more confident. I show up differently.

Amanda: Same. And I enjoy that part of it too—it’s not just for others, it’s for me.

On Skincare, Haircare & Routine

Bhavika: Let’s get personal—tell me about your skincare, haircare, and body care routine. And how much time do you think women spend maintaining this baseline?

Amanda: I used to think I had to cut all of that out to be successful.

But when I reflected on when I feel good—it’s when I feel groomed and put together.

So I started building routines that fit into my life instead of feeling like extra work.

My mom always emphasized simple, natural routines—washing your face twice a day, minimal products—and that stuck with me.

I still keep skincare basic—Dove soap, some newer additions like niacinamide, vitamin C.

For hair—I love a big blowout look, but I cannot manage a round brush and dryer. So I switched to heatless curlers—cheap and amazing.

“The uglier you go to sleep, the prettier you wake up”—I fully believe that.

I also get my nails done once a month. That’s kind of my routine.

On Product Overload

Bhavika: There’s so much clutter—products, brands, trends. Sometimes it feels like we have 10 things doing the same job.

How do you deal with that?

Amanda: It’s inevitable—we all get sucked into trends.

I try to focus on core ingredients and simple routines.

But honestly, sometimes I don’t feel like an expert enough to know what’s right—so I rely on friends too.

I also lean toward drugstore and simpler products unless something is universally recommended.

And I think it’s important to understand your own priorities—otherwise you get swept up in consumerism.

On Multi-Use Products

Bhavika: For me, I just want fewer products—like one thing that does everything.

We actually have a product called the “Everything Balm”—you can use it on your face, body, hair, flyaways—everything.

Amanda: That sounds incredible. Honestly, that makes so much sense—why do we need separate products for everything?

Bhavika: Exactly. And it’s non-greasy, so it works across uses.

Amanda: I love that. And it solves the problem of carrying multiple things or dealing with product buildup.

On Time Management & Advice

Bhavika: What’s one piece of advice for women juggling everything?

Amanda: Be kinder to yourself.

That doesn’t mean being less ambitious—it means recognizing when you’ve done enough and giving yourself time.

That might mean asking for help or taking 20 minutes for yourself.

We prioritize everything else first—but like the oxygen mask analogy, you have to fill your own cup first.

And it’s not a weakness—it’s a strength.

Bhavika: That was beautifully said. I completely agree—you need to feel fulfilled yourself to show up for others.

Amanda: Exactly.

Bhavika: Thank you so much, Amanda. This was such a lovely conversation, and I hope everyone listening sees that you can juggle multiple roles and still show up for yourself.

Amanda: Yes, exactly. Thank you so much for having me.