From Soviet Struggles to Kefir Success: Building a Gut Health Empire with Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway

Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff

Rebecca Minkoff

Society & Culture

4.8 • 543 Ratings

🗓️ 13 August 2024

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

More and more research is being conducted around the gut microbiome than ever before, proving what generations of Julie Smolyansky's, CEO of Lifeway, ancestors already knew. The secret to good health and nourishing yourself from within is to drink their sacred recipe of kefir, a cultured dairy product, which has been passed down for over 2000 years. A child of Soviet immigrants, Julie and her family immigrated to Chicago where Julie's father founded Lifeway in 1986, becoming the first Soviet immigrant to take a company public. After the sudden and tragic death of her father at the age of 55, Julie took over the company at just 27 years old. When she was forced to prove herself over and over again and stand up to those who didn't believe in her, Julie held her head high and knew it was her job to carry on what her father had started. With Julie's leadership, Lifeway grew from $6 million to just under $200 million and is the leading kefir brand in the United States today. Thanks for listening! Don't forget to order Rebecca's new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Do you ever see a successful woman on your feed or in a magazine and think, wow, it must be
0:05.6	nice to have it so easy. Well, think again. Behind that glossy cover or smiling face is a ton of hard
0:12.2	work, countless failures, and endless learning experiences. I'm Rebecca Minkoff, and I'm here to tell
0:17.6	you that success isn't a walk in the park. It takes grit, resilience,
0:22.4	and a willingness to take risks. That's why I created Superwoman, a podcast that peels back
0:27.7	the varnish and gets into the nitty gritty of what it takes to make it as a woman in today's world.
0:32.5	From luminaries and game changers to women you've never heard of but should, this podcast is here to inspire
0:38.3	you to take your next leap, no matter how daunting it may seem. We'll explore the sacrifices
0:43.8	these women have made, the highs and loaves they've experienced, and the lessons they've learned
0:48.1	along the way. So if you're ready to be inspired and learn from some of the most successful
0:52.7	women out there, join me on
0:54.6	superwomen. Together, we'll uncover the stories behind the successes and prove that with hard
0:59.9	work, determination, and a little bit of luck, anything is possible.
1:04.9	Hey, everyone, you're listening to Superwomen. Today's guest is a woman I met at the Fortune's
1:10.5	Most Powerful Women Summit back in 2018.
1:13.9	I was so impressed with her, not only because I am a huge fan and passionate about her products,
1:19.0	but everything she's built, the challenges she's overcome.
1:21.9	Julie Smolianzki, the CEO of Lifeway, she's taken this company from 6 million to almost 200 million after her father
1:30.2	tragically passed away and she was given the reins to this company at the young age of 27
1:35.5	and fought against the odds of people trying to oust her. Take a listen. Welcome, Julie, to the
1:41.1	podcast. This has been years in the making and I'm so happy we finally get to do it.
1:45.8	Yes, I'm so excited too. It's been so fun watching you launch this podcast. It's good for you.
	...

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