Grede explained that she has relied on annual planning since her 20s to organize both personal and professional objectives. She emphasized that during that period she had the vision boards, the hustle, and the ambition, but lacked a "plan," which she identified as essential for making goals stick and achieving change.
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Recurring Shark Tank investor Emma Grede shares how she turns small, consistent actions into lasting success
Emma Grede shares her step-by-step system for turning goals into results, emphasizing planning, small consistent actions, habit stacking, accountability, and progress tracking for lasting success.
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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 12: Emma Grede attends the 2022 Baby2Baby Gala presented by Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on November 12, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Baby2Baby)Emma Grede, a recurring Shark on ABC's Shark Tank and CEO of Good American, outlined her method for turning goals into tangible results during her podcast Aspire With Emma Grede on September 23, 2025.
Highlighting how to create a plan that turns dreams into reality, Grede explained,
"I built a system. It's simple, it's practical, and it works. And today, I'm going to show you the exact framework I use to map out my life and my goals step by step so that you can use it, too."
She emphasized the need for consistent action rather than relying solely on ambition or vision boards.
Recurring Shark Tank investor Emma Grede’s framework for turning goals into measurable results
Planning with purpose
Her planning system begins on a significant date, often her birthday, allowing her to structure a year around achievable targets. She also referenced research, stating,
"There's actually a lot of science that links why habits work when they're tied to specific landmarks or moments in time."
Grede organizes her goals into major categories and limits their number to avoid overextension.
She explained that having a list with four major categories, each containing "three stepping-stone goals" that complement each other, allows the plan to be achievable and structured.
She also prioritizes writing goals down in accessible formats, such as digital notes, which she checks weekly or daily.
She keeps a note titled with the year, ensuring her "goals" are easily referenceable and continuously tracked.
Breaking goals into actions
The process of transforming large objectives into daily actions is central to Grede's approach.
She shared a practical example regarding learning to swim, explaining that she adjusted her workout schedule to include a swim lesson alongside her children's two-year-old swimming lessons, effectively combining her lesson with theirs to simplify the process.
She emphasized that significant outcomes result from small, repeated actions, highlighting that the "big changes" in life rarely come from dramatic moves but rather from consistent, incremental steps.
She also referenced research from BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits and James Clear's Atomic Habits, noting that small actions reduce resistance and compound over time.
Grede advises connecting new habits to existing routines, a technique known as habit stacking. She described another instance at work:
"After every big team meeting, before I move on to the next thing, I take five minutes to jot down the top three priorities that I need to act on immediately."
Accountability and reflection
Accountability and feedback are key components of Grede's framework. She recommended involving a partner and advised finding someone you trust to serve as an "accountability partner" while working through the questions together.
She also suggested evaluating trade-offs when pursuing goals, emphasizing that achieving something new requires taking actions that have not been done before.
Tracking progress enables consistent evaluation of success. Grede highlighted that one of the most important steps in making plans stick is the ability to track your "progress," as tracking makes behavior visible and "reinforces momentum."
She encourages regular reflection on both achievements and setbacks to adjust plans as necessary, concluding,
"Reflection is where the learning and the growth really happens."
Stay tuned for more updates.
TOPICS: Shark Tank investor Emma Grede, ABC, Shark Tank, Emma Grede