Emma Chamberlain On Building Chamberlain Coffee, Burnout & Walking Away From YouTube

Emma Chamberlain started posting videos at 16, before anyone fully understood what the creator economy would become. Within a couple of years she’d become one of the most watched people on YouTube with over 12 million subscribers, ambassador deals with Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Lancôme, and a Spotify-exclusive podcast. She helped define a new kind of fame, built one of the most recognizable personal brands of her generation, and turned an authentic love of coffee into Chamberlain Coffee, now sold in over 8,000 retail doors across Walmart, Target, Costco and Sprouts. 

Now, at 25, she’s asking a more complicated question: what happens when the business, and the person, need to grow beyond the identity that made them successful? Today, she’s answering why, after years of relentless momentum, she’s giving herself permission to step back and rediscover what actually fulfills her.

In this episode, Emma shares:

• Why she moved into the co-CEO seat, and the fear that came with it
• The real business story behind choosing profitability over growth
• What she’s learned about running a brand built around one person
• Why she stepped away from her podcast at the height of it
• The personal cost of giving an audience constant access to your life
• Why she believes influencer culture is approaching a major shift