Hi everyone, I'm your host Hillary Kerr and this is Second Life, a podcast spotlighting

women who have truly inspiring careers. We're talking about their work journeys, what

they've learned from the process of setting aside their doubts or fears, and what happens

when they embark on their Second Life. Today, I am so excited to speak with Carrie O'Brien

– the founder and CEO of Commando, which is now a luxury-basics business, but started

as the first brand to make truly invisible, elastic and seem-free underwear. The brand

is beloved by fashion designers and Hollywood stylists alike, not to mention women everywhere

who shopped the brand in over a thousand retailers around the world. As you might have guessed,

Carrie wasn't always an underpinnings mogul far from it, actually. In her previous life,

she actually worked in financial PR, specializing in media relations for mergers and acquisitions,

IPOs, corporate and CEO positioning, and working with huge Fortune 500 companies. It's a pretty

far cry for manufacturing underwear in Vermont to put it mildly. I am so intrigued by her

career and can't wait to hear all about it. Now, on Second Life, it's Carrie O'Brien.

So, Carrie, we love to start this podcast by always asking the same question first, which is,

what did you study in school and what did you think you were going to be when you grew up?

I studied business communications, and I thought that I might be either a reporter

or a teacher, but I never imagined I would be an underwear designer. I can tell you that.

That wasn't on your short list of things you drew in third grade. No, even no, not even a little bit,

not even a little bit. The good news is I did grow up thinking I could be anything I wanted to.

That's great. And that's really important. But I, yeah, I'm a designer with not on the list, no.

So, tell me about your first proper job, like the first thing where you actually got a pay chest.

Yes. In terms of actually submitting hours and getting a paycheck and not working for neighbors

...