I'm a French CEO in NYC. I say 'no' to 80% of emails, take two-hour lunches, and don't compare myself to others.

Julie Chapon, the CEO of Yuka, lives in New York City.

Adélaïde Chantilly This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Julie Chapon, the 39-year-old CEO and cofounder of Yuka, who is based in New York.

The app rates food and cosmetics based on their ingredients and campaigns for bans and reformulations.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Some CEOs have very strict agendas, but I don't like my day to be too defined.

I used to work at a consultancy firm where I had no choice in what I did.

When I started Yuka in France around 10 years ago, I thought, "OK, now no one's going to tell me what I have to do." Yuka grew very quickly, and I learned to say no, in a very polite way, to 80% of the emails I receive .

Yuka has a yearly road map that I'm in charge of.

If I spend my time doing other things, I can't deliver.

I also used to put up barriers because I didn't feel like the right person for certain opportunities, even if I was.

Now I just act, and legitimacy comes.

Otherwise, you can get easily crushed when you're up against big companies with a lot of money and resources.

I used to live in Paris, and I moved to New York three years ago when Yuka started growing in the US.

I live in Brooklyn with my husband and my daughter, who is 4, and my son, who is 5 1/2.