BSJ: I thought all black girls had that, no? It happens in the airport constantly. Every time I board [business class], it’s like, “Oh, are you sitting in the right seat?” I make sure to keep my boarding pass out just in case somebody has a question.
GLAMOUR: Speaking of challenges, how did your husband Peter’s death impact your mind-set and career choices?
BSJ: We were married for 10 years. When he became ill, I was just hitting my stride. We’d just finished Beyoncé’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, which was a career highlight for me at that time. Then I came home and six months later Peter was dead. My whole life crumbled; our daughter was four at the time. My career and our lives had been built on a vision of what we wanted for the future and that did not include sickness and death, even though those things were in the vows. Who looks at the future that way? You're planning for all the great things. At the end, [Peter] made me promise I wouldn’t stop hustling. It was a beautiful gift because it gave me permission to keep going. You’ve got to make the big bets and live every single moment of it. Who cares if it scares you? What is life except risk? Because we don’t know if tomorrow is promised.
GLAMOUR: What does being a C-suite executive mean for you as a single mother? What do you hope your daughter learns by watching you?
BSJ: As a mom, I want to be an example to her that you can do anything you want to do. All of the numbers and stats would tell you that [my career] is not possible, right? But it is possible. Of course it's possible. You can be smart enough, you can be savvy enough, you can be quick enough. For me, this is a really triumphant moment. I think this is a moment that I hope she points to later in her life and says, "Well, my mom did that."
GLAMOUR: You’re an advocate for women. How important is your circle of friends?
BSJ: I love that meme: Behind every successful woman, there’s a group text hyping her up. Well, my group text is full of badass broads cheering me along!
GLAMOUR: Do you have a philosophy that you apply to your personal life and your career? What are your career commandments?
BSJ: The major one is: Bring your whole self to work. I think it's really important even now as I sit in this seat because bringing your whole self is a very human thing. This is not the resume, this is the stuff that makes you, you. It's what makes your story interesting and unique. Bringing your whole self to work is the mantra for me as I sit in my office and do the work, and it's also the mantra as I look out at the community that I'm trying to brand for Uber. It’s about the riders and the drivers and the cities and making them human.
GLAMOUR: And what advice do you have for a woman struggling to find her voice?
BSJ: Be your whole self. If there’s an opportunity to share an idea or, hell, even to dress up for the office, be your whole self. That’s the example I’m living for my daughter and other women. Being everything I am—that’s magical, and I want everyone to see it.
Speed Round! Interview Tricks From Badass Boz
Prep for the interview.“Do the research. Keep the answers short. Keep the answers honest—we can always follow up. Know the business cold.”
Psych yourself up.“Play music. Listen to a little Beyoncé. She’s gonna tell you girls rule the world, so go ahead and run it.”
Know your worth.“Give the [salary] number first and make it high as hell. You know what the range is. How can they lowball you after they know what your number is?”
Cultivate allies in the company.“Make friends. Go out with people. Talk to them about work stuff but also nonwork stuff.”
Amy DuBois Barnett is the former editor-in-chief of Ebony magazine.
