The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Most Replayed Moment: A Guilt-Free Way to Handle Work and Life

September 25, 2026 · 32 min

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Show notes

What if the right work-life balance looks completely different at every stage of your life

Nicola Kilner is the Co-Founder and CEO of DECIEM, the company behind The Ordinary, one of the world’s most disruptive and successful beauty brands.

In this moment, Nicola Kilner reveals what the earliest days of building DECIEM really looked like, why the traditional rules of work-life balance didn’t always apply, and how an intense startup culture helped shape the company it became. She also explains why knowing exactly what you’re not good at can be one of a leader’s greatest strengths and the lesson she learned when the skills that helped build a startup were no longer enough to lead it at scale.

Listen to the full episode here! Spotify: https://g2ul0.app.link/qzeuYcCBF6b Apple: https://g2ul0.app.link/uzyOKKoBF6b

Watch the Episodes On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDiaryOfACEO/videos

Nicola Kilner: https://theordinary.com/en-gb/about-us/our-founder.html

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