In December 2022, for the 50th anniversary of the Bold Woman Award by Veuve Clicquot in France, journalist Sophie Fontanel interviewed Gwyneth Paltrow, Oscar-winning actress and founder of goop.
Pressing "send"
When did she first have to be bold as an entrepreneur? Paltrow points to the day she pressed "send" on the first goop newsletter. She knew people would find it strange to see an actress move into a completely different field, and that first email took more courage than anything else.
For her, artists and entrepreneurs are very alike. Both need deep self-belief, and both have to know they will succeed while everyone tells them it will never work. She felt like a businesswoman even when she was acting. Women have many layers, she says. She wanted to do something different and gave herself permission, even though the world wondered why she would step away from such a career.
A network of women founders
She doesn't feel alone. She talks often with a group of women founders and CEOs who mentor each other and have become close friends, because being a founder can be lonely. That evening, she was proud of the finalists and winners and moved by what they had built.