She Pivots

Victoria Lai: The Story Behind Ice Cream Jubilee

Victoria Lai has lived several careers in one lifetime: presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, entrepreneur, and now business advisor and nonprofit COO. But her biggest pivot came when she nurtured her passion for making ice cream on nights and weekends while working a serious government job. In this extra sweet episode, Victoria walks us through how a $25 Craigslist ice cream maker and a promise to herself led to Ice Cream Jubilee, the award-winning DC-area business celebrated by Food & Wine, the Washington Post, and Thrillist, and what it felt like to eventually sell the business she'd spent nearly a decade building. She also opens up about her family's Chinese immigrant history and how it shaped both her flavors and her sense of purpose, and why she considers her latest pivot back to mission-driven work the most fitting chapter yet. Chapters: 00:00.160    Welcome to She Pivots 00:28.360    Guest Introduction: Victoria Lai 01:58.160    Childhood Memories and Family Influences 06:57.320    The Path to Law School and Government Work 10:58.576    Finding Inspiration in New York City 13:02.754    The Birth of Ice Cream Jubilee 26:36.392    Taking the Leap: From Government to Ice Cream 32:46.677    "Ice cream-preneurship" 36:07.043    Achieving Success and Letting Go 39:02.320    A New Chapter: Coaching and Personal Growth 44:18.680    Closing Thoughts and Gratitude 44:40.626    Podcast Credits   You can keep up with Ice Cream Jubilee at their website, www.icecreamjubilee.com   Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.   She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.   Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com [https://shepivots.substack.com/]   Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast [https://www.instagram.com/shepivotsthepodcast/], and check out our website shepivotspod.com [http://www.shepivotspod.com] for resources and updates.    She Pivots is proud to be an iheart podcast. Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/ [https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Elizabeth Smart: Surviving the Kidnapping That Shook the Nation

In June 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart was taken from her bedroom at knifepoint and held captive for nine months, enduring abuse that would have broken most people beyond repair. Against extraordinary odds, she survived, and then she decided to step fully into the public eye; not in spite of what happened to her, but because of it. She has testified before Congress, helped author a Department of Justice handbook for kidnapping survivors, and founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation to dismantle the shame culture that compounds survivors' trauma. In this powerful episode, Elizabeth walks us through the night that changed everything, how she held onto hope during nine months of captivity, what justice looked and felt like after nearly eight years of waiting, and why she believes that being seen is one of the most radical things a survivor can do.   Chapters: 00:00.199 Content Warning 00:10.748 Welcome to She Pivots 01:32.239 Elizabeth Smart's Early Life 07:10.879 The Night Elizabeth was Abducted 12:08.120 Captivity and Torture 17:57.063 Elizabeth’s Will To Survive 20:16.221 A Sign of Hope 22:41.463 Why Elizabeth Didn't Run 26:17.125 The Rescue 28:45.230 The Return Home and Aftermath 35:32.764 Navigating the Justice System 41:01.070 Advocating for Change & Raising Her Children 45:22.942 The Elizabeth Smart Foundation 46:17.746 Low Point to Launch Point 49:26.239 Unasked Questions and Final Thoughts 50:58.725 Closing Remarks and Resources 51:39.187 Podcast Credits   Learn more about Elizabeth’s work at elizabethsmartfoundation.org [http://elizabethsmartfoundation.org]   If anything in today's episode brought something up for you and you need help, please reach out to someone you trust or visit rainn.org [http://rainn.org]    Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.   She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.   Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com [https://shepivots.substack.com/]   Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast [https://www.instagram.com/shepivotsthepodcast/], and check out our website shepivotspod.com [http://www.shepivotspod.com] for resources and updates.    She Pivots is proud to be an iheart podcast. Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/ [https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Laurie Tisch: My Mom

Today's guest is someone pretty special to Emily Tisch Sussman—it's her mom, Laurie Tisch. Laurie grew up as the only girl in a big, loud family full of brothers and cousins, navigating public scrutiny while quietly figuring out who she really was. She navigated the complexities to become a woman carved out an identity that was entirely, unmistakably her own.    On this special Mother's Day episode, Laurie sits down with Emily to talk about founding her own philanthropic foundation, becoming a force in New York's arts and education world, and ownership of the New York Giants.   Chapters:   00:00.160 Welcome to She Pivots 00:30.560 Laurie Tisch Guest Introduction 01:46.573 Childhood and Early Life 05:14.523 Finding Her Own Path 09:20.254 Laurie Returns to New York City 13:18.880 Laurie's Entrance to Philanthropy and Culture 17:02.562 The Impact of The Children's Museum 22:17.107 Definitions of Success 24:32.977 The Illumination Fund: A New Chapter 28:54.791 Sports and Family Legacy 34:44.022 Low Point to Launch Point 35:27.726 My Mom's Favorite She Pivots Episodes! 37:00.210 Closing Thoughts and Happy Mother's Day! 37:26.519 Podcast Credits   Check out the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund at thelmtif.org [http://thelmtif.org]   Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.   She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success. Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com [https://shepivots.substack.com/] Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/ [https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Sherrie Westin: The Woman Behind Sesame Street

Elmo, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster probably helped raise you, and the woman now leading Sesame Street traces her path there back to one transformative act: adopting her daughter Lily from China. Before joining Sesame Workshop, Sherrie Westin had already built a remarkable career at ABC News and as one of the highest-ranking women in George H.W. Bush's White House. On this episode, Sherrie shares how adopting Lily in 1995 sparked a profound pivot, and how that personal transformation shaped her 26-year journey at the helm of one of the most beloved nonprofits in the world. She opens up about leading the creation of Julia, Sesame Street's first autistic Muppet, securing a landmark $100 million grant to bring early education to refugee children across the globe, and navigating the financial uncertainty that ultimately led to a groundbreaking new deal with Netflix. Chapters: 00:00.00 Welcome to She Pivots 00:25.836 Guest Introduction: Sherrie Westin 01:58.259 Childhood and Early Life 03:28.160 Communications and the White House 09:44.959 The Transformative Power of Motherhood 12:53.840 From ABC News to Sesame Street 17:56.682 Representation and Global Impact 23:48.774 The Experiment of Sesame Street 25:20.535 The Power of The Arts on Children 27:55.460 Making a Difference To Communities in Need 31:44.265 Financial Challenges and Becoming CEO 36:00.269 What I Learned From Mom 36:53.572 From Low Point to Launch Point 37:20.029 Do You Think You'll Pivot Again? 38:09.920 Children and AI 39:20.765 Closing Thoughts and Credits   Learn more about Sesame workshop’s mission at Sesameworkshop.org [http://sesameworkshop.org]   Check out Sherrie’s new book: What I Learned From Mom: 27 Celebrated Individuals on How Mother's Wisdom Shaped Their Lives. [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/What-I-Learned-from-Mom/Jeffrey-D-Dunn/9798888451861]    Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.   She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.   Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com [https://shepivots.substack.com/]   Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast [https://www.instagram.com/shepivotsthepodcast/], and check out our website shepivotspod.com [http://www.shepivotspod.com] for resources and updates.    She Pivots is proud to be an iheart podcast. Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/ [https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Kerry Docherty: Faherty Co-Founder on Being Selfish, Her Affair, and Starting Over

Kerry Docherty has spent her life being two things at once: the good girl the world expected, and someone far more complicated underneath. Co-founder and Chief Impact Officer of beloved B-Corp clothing company Faherty Brand, Kerry had a winding path, moving through Yale, human rights law, a mindfulness business, and a beach trailer selling swimsuits before landing somewhere she never quite planned. In this episode, Kerry opens up about the tangled dynamics of building a family business with her husband and his twin brother, her struggles with motherhood, and her own affair, all of which she recounts in her new debut memoir, Selfish: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth, a book her loved ones didn’t want published. Chapters: 00:00.320 Welcome to She Pivots 00:29.680 Introduction to Kerry Docherty 02:08.319 Growing up in Buffalo 07:43.720 From Yale to Thailand, from Law to Mindfulness 15:48.960 The Birth of Faherty: A Family Affair 21:53.920 Marriage and the Business 25:20.148 The Friendship, The Letter, The Affair 32:59.905 Truth-Telling and Writing Selfish 38:11.600 Reception of Selfish 39:57.680 The Power of Writing and Self-Discovery 42:39.800 Reflecting on the Low Points of Motherhood 44:48.080 Do You Think You'll Pivot Again? 45:03.194 Closing Thoughts and Credits   If you liked Traitors, you’ll love Kerry’s book. Get a copy of it here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2242030/kerry-docherty/ [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2242030/kerry-docherty/]  You can follow Kerry on Instagram @kerrydocherty [https://www.instagram.com/kerrydocherty/?hl=en]  Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration. She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success. Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com [https://shepivots.substack.com/] Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast [https://www.instagram.com/shepivotsthepodcast/], and check out our website shepivotspod.com [http://www.shepivotspod.com] for resources and updates.    She Pivots is proud to be an iheart podcast. Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/ [https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.