When you have the opportunity to ask some of the most interesting people in the world about their lives, sometimes the most fascinating answers come from the simplest questions. The Thrive Questionnaire is an ongoing series that gives an intimate look inside the lives of some of the world’s most successful people.
Thrive Global: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Sophia Amoruso: Make a cup of PG Tips Tea.
TG: What gives you energy?
SA: Poodles, naps, winning.
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
SA: Casting the line beyond the horizon.
TG: Name a book that changed your life.
SA: The Richest Man in Babylon.
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
SA: Yes, sadly. And it wakes up with me as well.
TG: How do you deal with email?
SA: I use Boomerang to pop stuff back into my inbox—great way to remind myself to follow up. I live in my inbox, and I’m trying to find ways to block time that is more intentional.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
SA: Walk to the coffee shop!
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
SA: It’s week by week—but after a ton of travel, both personal and business-related, I felt pretty burned. Air travel takes its toll, no matter how recreational the trip.
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
SA: Oof. Well, my last business filed for Chapter 11 just a year ago. I overcame it by starting another one that has done so much that I’m proud of just a year later.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
SA: “You are fine, and you are well.”
Sophia Amoruso is the founder and CEO of Girlboss, which connects women to explore success on their own terms through content, community, and experiences. Her 2014 New York Times Bestseller #GIRLBOSS, which chronicled her early life as well as her experience as the CEO and founder of fashion empire Nasty Gal, was adapted into a scripted TV series that premiered on Netflix in 2017. Sophia is also the author of Nasty Galaxy and the Girlboss Workbook.