I'm a CEO-turned-professor. I start my day with a daily affirmation and end it by reading fantasy romance.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sima Sistani, an entrepreneur, adjunct professor at Duke University, and former CEO of WeightWatchers. Before that, she joined the senior leadership team at Epic Games after selling her startup, Houseparty, to the video game company. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her husband and two children. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

After I parted ways as CEO of WeightWatchers, I called Oprah for advice. She was no longer involved with the company, and she's a friend.

She told me, "Give yourself a year to say no to everything. Take this time to be with yourself and your loved ones."

And so I did that.

It was really good advice because it would have been easy when the calls started — "Hey, do you want to think about this role or that role?" — to move on to the next thing. Then I could answer the question, "What do you do?"

One year later, I'm now an adjunct professor at Duke University, my alma mater, teaching a new course on women's leadership. I sit on the board of Best Buy. I invest in startups and funds.

My husband likes to say I'm the busiest unemployed person he knows.

Here's what my day looks like.

I wake up at 6 a.m. to an alarm clock

When I was at WeightWatchers, I got into the habit of using an alarm clock. It's a way for me to set boundaries.

I realized I was chained to my phone. My instinct is to get on top of things. So when my alarm went off, I would look at my phone and get sucked in.

I read a daily affirmation. I'm reading from "The Book of Awakening" by Mark Nepo.

Once I get out of bed, I put on my Beyond Yoga athleisure and Goop under-eye patches and tie my hair into a ponytail. Then I go downstairs and pour the coffee.

I take mine with half-and-half, cinnamon, collagen powder, and a couple of Brazil nuts to mitigate the acidity on an empty stomach.

My mom cooks breakfast for her grandchildren

I wake up my youngest child with a song, usually a pop diva track. Right now it's "Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift.

Then it's pandemonium for an hour.

My parents live four houses down, and so most mornings, my mom short-order cooks for the kids. They'll have French toast, eggs, popovers, or something pretty exciting compared to my Cinnamon Toast Crunch when I was growing up. I know. It's amazing.

My husband, Alex, takes the kids to school on his way to work.

I read an actual newspaper

I drink my coffee and read, usually sitting outside on the patio.

I get The New York Times delivered because that was another mental health hack. I no longer let the algorithms decide what I should be reading.

Yoga has changed my life

At 8:30, I'll either do yoga or attend a class at Orangetheory Fitness.

This past year, I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training and certification.

I don't want to be dramatic, but it was a life-changing experience. I didn't grow up in a religious home, and so yoga has given me a spiritual framework.

When, suddenly, you no longer have a way of saying what you do for work — "I'm the CEO" or "I'm the founder" — you have to figure out who you are and what your identity is outside work.

Thankfully, I've reached a point of financial security where I can take the time to think about what I want to do — and make sure I do it in a way that is good for me and good for others.

I prepare my talking points for class

I eat a breakfast of yogurt topped with granola and berries, and tackle some work at my computer in the kitchen.

Some days I have a board call or meetings with founders. I'm incubating some new brand ideas in the consumer packaged goods space, which is a departure from my comfort zone of 0s and 1s.

Wednesdays are dedicated to preparing my talking points for class.

Last year, I spoke to a group of students in Duke's Innovation and Entrepreneurship program. I noticed there were a lot of guys.

Professor Jamie Jones, who runs the program, asked if I would be willing to teach a class. I said yes, if I could teach one that was geared toward women.

I wanted to show students that entrepreneurship can look a lot of different ways and doesn't just mean that you're coding and eating ramen in a studio apartment somewhere.

Entrepreneurship means writing new rules, and we need the next generation of women to write the new rules.

I take my guest speaker on a campus tour

Each week, I bring in a guest speaker. They're peers in my life who I've learned from, who have amazing stories.

Kat Cole is the CEO of AG1, but she dropped out of college and rose through the ranks of Hooters. Jeni Britton built an ice cream business, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, after being an art major and living out of her car. Hannah Chody was a Goldman Sachs vice president who left to join her family business, then fell into becoming a social media influencer.

Around 2 p.m., I usually meet the guest, or sometimes the person stays with me. It's about a 12-minute drive through the Duke Forest from my house to campus.

I usually give the guest speaker a campus tour. Duke Chapel is a highlight.

I teach from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The class meets for two and a half hours every Wednesday. The first half is a discussion of what we learned the week before, and the other half is a Q&A with the guest. Students ask questions, too.

I bring a portable speaker to play the guest walkout music. I was inspired by Jennifer Hudson's "spirit tunnel."

Most of it is the stuff that they won't say on a podcast. It's a moment for them to really engage with these 44 women.

I ask them, "What do you wish you knew when you were 20?"

After class, I take the guest to dinner, usually Little Bull or M Sushi in Durham.

I escape with fantasy romance books

When I get home, I snuggle up with the kids and hear about their day.

I used to escape my day with TV, and then I would stay up late. I'm watching less TV now that I don't work. When you're feeling pretty chill throughout your day, you don't need to wind down.

I'm in my bed by 10:30 p.m. I'll grab my Kindle and escape into a good book.

Actually, Jenni and I talked about our enjoyment of romantic fantasy books. I just finished "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series and started "Fourth Wing."

It's too bad that out in the world we call it 'smut,' but when it's "Game of Thrones," it's fine for everybody.