Morgan Stewart McGraw Knows You’re Underestimating Her

In ELLE’s series Office Hours, we ask people in powerful positions to take us through their first jobs, worst jobs, and everything in between. This month, we sit down with Morgan Stewart McGraw, the 37-year-old influencer who pioneered early reality TV fame from Rich Kids of Beverly Hills into hosting jobs on E! News, the fashion brand Renggli, and, starting today, a podcast from SiriusXM called The Morgan Stewart Show with guests like Khloé Kardashian and Tinx. “The way I view it is that every internal conversation that I have had with myself over the last five years, I am now getting to get out,” says Stewart McGraw. “It’s finally going to be like my inner voice is connecting with my audience.” And that audience is growing—1.6 million on Instagram, another 283,000 on TikTok, and, as of press time, 200,000 subscribers on a YouTube channel that has yet to post a single full-length video. Here’s how McGraw is prepping for her next on-camera act, and what kind of mentor she’s hoping will find her at the top.

My first job

I worked at a clothing store on La Brea when I was 16. I couldn’t tell you the name of it now if you paid me! My parents made me do it—they said I couldn’t do nothing all summer. Looking back, I think it’s a rite of passage. Everyone should have some sort of responsibility at 16! It was great, just not my destiny. I was very meticulous about spacing the racks and making sure everything looked great when it was hanging up. I was also good at the social side because I loved talking to customers. I might have been too honest, though. I would tell people, “That doesn’t look right on you; don’t buy it.”

My worst job

That was also my worst job, because I made zero money. I would spend everything I made buying clothes. The lesson there is: Save your money and don’t just put it back into the business you’re working for.

The best business advice I’ve ever gotten

Trust your gut. Especially when you’re promoting something that’s emotionally tied to you, you cannot second-guess yourself. If you feel something strongly, don’t let yourself get talked out of it.

My most important mentor

I try to be my own mentor, but my mom has been incredibly influential in how I think, how I approach things, how I handle situations. There was a period when I was in my twenties where she was like, “Morgan, what are you going to do? We can’t just keep paying for you.” My parents always knew I was smart and influential; they just wanted me to channel it into something with results. Then I started my blog, and that’s when things started to click. Now that I have kids, my mom has shifted to asking if I’m working too much. But I love it. It’s good for kids to see their moms really going for it.

My dream advisory board

Joan Rivers, honestly! And I love Chelsea Handler—when Chelsea Lately came out, I watched that and thought, that is my destiny; that is who I am. I love that Chelsea has stayed true to herself and never changed who she is.

Why it’s time to have a podcast…

I’m an obsessive person—I have a tight-knit group of friends I constantly talk to about the same things. The podcast lets me purge all of it—the anxieties, the insecurities, the thoughts, all the noise—to the people I haven’t been in constant contact with, my followers, and fans. I go into what my life has been like over the last three years since Nightly Pop went off the air. I’ve had a lot of family trauma, a lot of loss, and also a lot of gain with having children. I really delve into my mental and emotional state to give people a clear picture of what I’ve been through.

…and to expand my clothing line

Renggli is my baby. It drives me, I’m protective over it, I’m passionate about it. It gives me the ability to learn something every single day, to put my creative vision into something real—what I want to see people in, what feels right. I stand by it completely, and it’s exciting to see other people standing by it, too. We’re able to expand because people love it. That’s the most exciting thing to me as a founder…I put everything I possibly can into it. I just want it to grow.

How I deal with cynics

You know, there are people—especially in the fashion world—who are like, “Oh, she’s just that girl from that TV show.” Those are the people I like to prove wrong. The reality is, I’m going to be in this space a lot longer than they will. And it’s always important to be nice to people early on. Being not nice is extremely uncool! Kindness is very attractive.

What I wish I’d known earlier

I had a sportswear line called Morgan Stewart Sport and I carried it about two years longer than I should have. The lesson: Know when to walk away. Be able to read all the data in front of you and read the room. When something is over, it’s over.

What I hope other women know about being a boss

You do not need to be friends with the people who work for you. You can be friendly while still having a boundary. And you shouldn’t feel bad about asking people to do their job—holding people accountable is actually what they want. People want to know they’re hitting the standard. I’ve learned to be as direct, clear, and informative as possible.

How my life has changed with small kids

My day is now very structured into work hours and mom hours. I recently got an office outside of the house, so when I go home, I get to be fully present as a mom. Mornings are for me to be a mom, evenings are for me to be a mom, and I try to schedule all my Zooms and work things around pickup and drop-off times. It’s hard—especially when I travel. My daughter definitely gives me the side-eye when I’m gone over a weekend, but that’s just because she misses me. She’s five, so she understands more that I might be gone sometimes because of work. But neither of my kids fully understands what a “podcast” is, yet. I’ve jokingly asked them to come on and they’ve looked at me like, “Mom, you’ve lost it.”

Why I never read the comments

I’m a very anxious person. I want to put good into the world, make people feel good, make people laugh—and then completely disassociate from the response to that. Other people’s opinions of me are not my business. I’ll put out my product, people absorb it, they form their opinions, and they can give their opinions. I don’t need to see them. The proof is, are people wearing these clothes? Are people watching this show? That’s it.

Why my mantra is a work in progress

I just had Khloé Kardashian on the show. This woman gets up at 4 o’clock in the morning, and she prays, and she channels positive energy, and she has mantras. She was telling me about them and I was like, “Oh gosh, I cannot imagine this.” I wake up and I’m lucky if I think anything, because I’m in the middle of being scattered, of running late to something. I was like, “Maybe I can wake up and say, ‘Today’s going to be a great day.’” And I could, I guess. But to me, what feels real is to stop for a second, not necessarily in the morning but at some point, and just remind myself, “Morgan, you’re so lucky to be doing what you’re doing.” But it’s not going to be at 4 A.M.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.