It’s NOT Too Late To Reinvent Yourself, Do This NOW with Julie Wainwright, Founder of The RealReal

Earn Your Happy

Lori Harder

Business, Entrepreneurship

4.6 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if your biggest reinvention came after your biggest failure? In this episode, I sit down with Julie Wainwright, the founder of The RealReal, who proves that resilience and reinvention have no age limit. We talk about the realities of risk-taking, why timing matters, and how setbacks can set the stage for your next breakthrough. Julie also shares what it means to “rebirth” yourself in midlife, why resilience is more valuable than a safety net, and how women can expand their vision by daring to think bigger. Remember, your second half can be your strongest half if you’re brave enough to believe it. Check out our Sponsors: SKIMS - I finally tried SKIMS and I get all the hype. Shop SKIMS Fits Everybody collection at SKIMS.com and let them know we sent you in the dropdown after checkout. Brevo - the all-in-one marketing and CRM platform designed to help you connect with customers and grow your business. Get started for free today - go to www.brevo.com/happy Blinds.com - Blinds.com makes it easy to get the designer look without the showroom markups. Get an exclusive $50 off when you spend $500 or more with code EARN at checkout. Shopify - Try the ecommerce platform I trust for Glōci, Sign up for your $1/month trial period at Shopify.com/happy Headway - the #1 daily growth app that delivers key insights from the world’s best non fiction books in bite sized 15 minute reads and audio. Save 25% off when you go to makeheadway.com/happy. Airbnb - Start making money by listing your home on Airbnb with an experienced Co-host, find a co-host at airbnb.com/host HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 Meet Julie Wainwright, founder of The RealReal. 04:45 How early responsibilities build resilience and self-trust. 10:00 How continual learning and adaptability opened doors even after major setbacks. 15:15 What was your first big risk? 20:00 Lessons from Pets.com and navigating the sting of public failure. 24:00 How Julie started The RealReal from her house with one employee. 30:30 Why fewer than a dozen women (non-celebrities) have built billion-dollar businesses. 35:30 Advice for women entering male-dominated industries. 42:00 Why so many women get stuck in the “negative loop” of entrepreneurship. 48:45 What Pharrell’s sweatshirt taught Julie about reinvention. 51:15 Amazon named this as one of the Best Books of 2025. RESOURCES Grab your copy of Julie’s new book Time to Get Real HERE! Learn more about The RealReal HERE! Join the Audacity Challenge HERE! Join the most supportive mastermind on the internet HERE! Check out our FREE 90-Day Business Blueprint HERE! Listen to my free SECRET PODCASTS SERIES - Operation: Rekindle This B*tch Get glōci HERE Use code: HAPPY at checkout for 25% off! FOLLOW Follow me: @loriharder Follow glōci: @getgloci Follow Julie: @realrealjulie

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is sponsored by Shopify.
0:04.4	Try the e-commerce platform I trust for Glosi.
0:06.3	Sign up for your $1 month trial period at Shopify.com forward slash happy.
0:11.0	Bravo.
0:11.5	Head over to bravo.com forward slash earn and use the code earn to get 50% off starter
0:16.5	and business plans for the first three months of an annual subscription.
0:19.6	Blinds.com.
0:20.7	Blines.com is giving our listeners an exclusive $50 off when you spend $500 or more.
0:25.6	Just use code to earn at checkout, limited time offer.
0:29.1	Rules and restrictions apply.
0:30.7	See blinds.com for details.
0:33.0	Being in your 40s is scary because you do feel like I should have made it by now.
0:38.4	I should be this.
0:43.9	You know, there's all these tapes you run in your head. It is a lot because you just think you're supposed to be somewhere else and so much is changing. You're faced with a big choice of how you're
0:49.7	going to live out the second half of your life. Like if you're disappointed with things, are you going to
0:53.0	continue on and be sad and depressed and think that this is it? Or you're going to give yourself
0:57.7	a rebirth? Those are the only choices.
1:04.2	Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Earn Your Happy Podcast. I can't wait for you to listen to
1:10.3	this one today because I'm Julie Wainwright on the episode.
1:13.5	She's an entrepreneur and e-commerce pioneer
1:15.3	with over 20 years of experience,
1:17.1	building and growing technology and consumer business.
	...

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