In this episode of Boss Files, I do not think it's an accident. I'm in the investment business.

I think I was destined to be in the investment business because I desperately as a child wanted to understand money.

And that was born out of a sense of financial insecurity.

Melody Hobson. She grew up poor in Chicago and went on to become a top-ranking money manager.

She's the president of aerial investments and sits on the board of Estee Lauder and Starbucks.

At the heart of it all, she's committed to promoting diversity and wants us all to talk about race more openly.

You know, I've had so many people tell me how colorblind they are.

They say, I don't even see race.

And I say to them, but you aren't even noticing everyone around you is white.

Let's start seeing it and talking about it and embracing these differences as opposed to trying to pretend they don't exist.

The differences are to be celebrated, not to be ignored.

She says she doesn't want people to be colorblind.

Her solution? Be color brave instead.

Plus, why she credits her single mother for her strength and her independence and how she's passing that down to her daughter.

Here's my conversation with Melody Hobson.

Thank you for being here, Melody.

Thank you for having me. We've known each other for years, but this is the first time we've actually gotten to sit down together for a lengthy, meaningful conversation about your remarkable life. I was walking over here telling my mom about you. She said, who are you going to interview? And when I finished telling her your story, she was like, wow, I can't wait to listen to that.

So that's sort of how I have to live up to that. You do. My mom has high, you know, high bar.

But thank you for being here. For those who might not know you, as I do, you are a leading investment advisor,

president of aerial investments, a big contributor on network television, on the board

of Starbucks, S.A. Lodder, the chairman of the board of DreamWorks.

Was, we sold the company.

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