What motivates some of today’s successful leaders? What person or event helped snap their futures into focus, creating a roadmap they followed with grit and resilience, determined to make it to the highest levels in business and beyond? 

Some of the most high-profile founders and CEOs have shared such moments from their lives with Karen Finerman on HOW SHE DOES IT. In this episode, we want to revisit some of these pivotal experiences: from a few well-placed words of encouragement to living through circumstances they became determined to find a way out of.  

Hearing these stories is a reminder of the power within each of us. We can inspire others through the right words and the right example, and we can shape our own course, however similar or different it may be from the one we’re currently on.  

💬 In this episode, we hear from:

🎧Listen To Vivian Tu on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 80

🎧Listen To Thasunda Brown Duckett on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 82

🎧Listen To Kecia Steelman on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode  73

🎧Listen To Debby Soo on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 50 

🎧Listen To Kendra Scott on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 64

🎧Listen To Mellody Hobson  on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 29 

💻Watch episodes on HOW SHE DOES IT on our YouTube Page 

📸 Follow the show on Instagram: @hsdipodcast🎧 New episodes of How She Does It drop every Tuesday. Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode.

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Imagine willingly opening up your life to as much A.I. as possible. Have a question? Ask A.I. first. Feeling blue? Talk to an A.I. therapist. Need a ride? Summon a Waymo. In journalist Joanna Stern’s New York Times bestseller  “I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything,” she did all of the above and more. She shares what's hopeful, what’s creepy, and how A.I. is already in your life, whether you like it or not. 

As she worked on her book in 2025, she was also facing another big question: whether or not to quit her job of 12 years at the Wall Street Journal. She was weighing the pros and cons of leaving legacy media and making the leap to the creator economy as an independent journalist - and would it pay off. She even asked A.I. for its input. For the record: A.I. said she should make the move - and she ultimately agreed. She is now CEO - Chief Everything Officer - of her new venture:  New Things. There, she does what she does best: producing humorous videos and writing (in this case, a newsletter) all about the latest in tech.

💬 In this episode, we explore:

Resources:

📸  Follow Joanna Stern on Instagram 

📸  Follow Joanna Sternn on LinkedIn

💻  Check out New Things

💻  Watch New Things Videos on YouTube 

🎧 New episodes of How She Does It drop every Tuesday. Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode.

Ready to stop worrying about outliving your money? Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, and get the roadmap to a retirement that actually pays you back.

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In our first-ever pop-up podcast in front of a live audience, Karen Finerman sits down with Karen Firestone at the CNBC Pro Event: Wealth For Women at the Nasdaq MarketSite. Karen Firestone, who goes by Kari, began building her impressive career as an investor in the early ‘80s. There were far fewer women working in finance at that time, and things were far more challenging for women in that space than they are today.   Still, Kari couldn’t have imagined taking a different path.

She was drawn to investing at a young age and for 22 years, worked her way up at Fidelity.  Kari spent a good portion of that time working as an assistant fund manager to the legendary Peter Lynch on the Magellan fund.  According to CNBC, the fund “earned an annualized return of 29.2%” under his leadership - an incredibly impressive feat.   In 2005, at age 47, she took a big risk and launched her own company, Aureus Asset Management.  She is now Chair Emerita of the firm, which manages over $8 billion in assets for families, individuals, and non-profits. She is a contributor for CNBC and the author of “Even the Odds: Sensible Risk Taking in Business, Investing, and Life.” 

💬 In this episode, we explore:

Resources:

📸  Follow Kari Firestone on LinkedIn  

💻  Check Out Aureus Asset Management 

💻  Check Out “Even the Odds: Sensible Risk Taking in Business, Investing, and Life.” 

🎧 New episodes of How She Does It drop every Tuesday. Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode

Ready to stop worrying about outliving your money? Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, and get the roadmap to a retirement that actually pays you back.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it take to create culture-defining entertainment that not only attracts loyal viewers but wins accolades as well? We’ve asked Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Programming for HBO Max. The streaming service behind shows like “The Pitt,” “Hacks,” “And Just Like That,” and the forthcoming “Harry Potter” series is once again evolving what audiences expect from premium television: high-quality entertainment delivered on a consistent basis.  

Aubrey, a Texas native, began her career as a lawyer before making the jump into film producing. Her first foray, the Billy Bob Thornton comedy “Bad Santa,” was a hit. From there, she worked with Peter Berg for many years, producing both the movie and television series “Friday Night Lights.” Now an executive, she balances managing the big picture of series and movie development with the occasional need to go deep into the details (case in point: she shared the conversation around how a particular actor’s hair should be worn in an upcoming project).   

💬 In this episode, we explore:

Resources:

📸  Follow HBO Max on Instagram

💻  Watch HBO Max

🎧 New episodes of How She Does It drop every Tuesday. Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode

Ready to stop worrying about outliving your money? Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, and get the roadmap to a retirement that actually pays you back.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brooke Shields has been famous her entire life. Now, in her early 60’s, the actress and model is using her passion to take charge and create impact. She is an executive producer on her new ACORN TV series YOU’RE KILLING ME, she was elected president of Actors’ Equity, and she is founder and CEO of her hair care line, COMMENCE.   

It’s a portfolio she’s immensely proud of. In her new series, which she developed, she plays a crime novelist who solves murders in a sleepy town in Maine; As executive producer, she insisted on including more physical comedy, which is her strong suit.   With Actors’ Equity, she admits she doesn’t love some of the politics of union work.  However, she is deeply committed to using her influence to improve conditions for performers.   

And Shields didn’t expect to become the CEO of a hair care line at this point in her life, but she saw a gap in the market. “Everywhere I looked, I was being told by marketing, by advertising, by the beauty industry… ‘Once your ovaries don't work, you've got one foot in the grave. You had a good run. If you're not the hot girl at the bar, you're in Depends. And it pissed me off, because I feel great now,” she shared. 

💬 In this episode, we explore:

Resources:

📸  Follow Brooke Shields on Instagram

📸  Follow Brooke Shields on TikTok 

💻  Watch YOU’RE KILLING ME on ACORN TV

💻  Check Out Brooke’s Hair Care Line COMMENCE  

🎧 New episodes of How She Does It drop every Tuesday. Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode

Ready to stop worrying about outliving your money? Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, and get the roadmap to a retirement that actually pays you back

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Alexis McGill Johnson was asked in 2019 to become interim CEO of Planned Parenthood, she thought it would be a short assignment.   “ I remember my famous last words to the board when I stepped in were, “‘I'll get you through 2020’,” she recalls.  Almost immediately, she found herself in the unenviable position of steering a healthcare organization through a pandemic.  

She embraced the challenge and eventually raised her hand to stay on full-time. She officially landed the job in 2020 and serves as CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the healthcare arm, and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the advocacy organization. Since then, there have been significant challenges, most notably the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court in 2022, which reversed Roe V. Wade.

In this episode, Alexis McGill Johnson shares what drives her dedication to Planned Parenthood’s mission and its almost daily battle on the front lines of the fight over legalized abortion.  That includes, as this conversation was recorded, the challenge by Louisiana designed to halt sales of Mifepristone, an FDA-approved abortion drug.  She also opens up about what the group’s “2040 plan” entails, and what she sees as the “mission hope” of the organization and the patients it serves.  

💬 In this episode, we explore:

Resources:

📸  Follow Alexis McGill Johnson on Instagram

📸  Follow Aleixs McGill Johnson On LinkedIn

💻  For more information on The Planned Parenthood Action Fund

🎧 New episodes of How She Does It drop every Tuesday. Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode

Ready to stop worrying about outliving your money? Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, and get the roadmap to a retirement that actually pays you back.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s something we’re intensely curious about: “How She Does It.”  Not only do we want to hear about our guests’ climb to the top of their professions, but also how they’ve built meaningful personal lives outside of work.   And for many of the women who join Karen Finerman on her podcast, that includes motherhood.   

So, in honor of Mother’s Day, we’re revisiting some of those conversations, along with our favorite anecdotes, advice, moments of joy, and unexpected challenges of pursuing one’s passion while also raising kids. We know it will almost always be a little messy, but it’s also incredibly worthwhile.  The women we have met on this podcast are at different stages of their journey: from welcoming an infant to watching their daughter get married.   But the throughline is evident: when children see their mom using her talents, making an impact on the world, and finding satisfaction, it is a positive and powerful life lesson they carry into their own adulthood. 

💬 In this episode, we hear from:

🎧Listen To Leigh Gallagher on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 45 

🎧Listen To Kate Gallego on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 55

🎧Listen To Renée Elise Goldsberry on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 61

🎧Listen To Leanne Morgan on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 28

🎧Listen To Jennifer Weiner on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 56

🎧Listen To Kristin Lemkau on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 74 

🎧Listen To Deborah Roberts on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 66

💻Watch episodes on HOW SHE DOES IT on our YouTube Page 

📸 Follow the show on Instagram: @hsdipodcast🎧 New episodes of How She Does It drop every Tuesday. Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PEOPLE is one of the most recognizable names in the entertainment news and lifestyle space, and at the helm of the print & digital enterprise is Editor-In-Chief and General Manager Charlotte Triggs. And if you’re familiar with PEOPLE, then you know the two big, annual tentpole issues of the 52-year-old publication are PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive and PEOPLE’s World’s Most Beautiful. 

Charlotte Triggs gives listeners an inside look at putting those issues together, including her most recent effort:  Anne Hathaway’s cover and interview for PEOPLE’s World’s Most Beautiful. Triggs spoke with the “Devil Wears Prada 2” star and shares her takeaways from their conversation. Triggs also opens up about her climb to the top of PEOPLE, where she started as an intern . She's been serving as Editor-In-Chief and General Manager since early 2025.   During her career, the media landscape has changed dramatically, and Triggs has had a front row seat.  Despite diminishing print sales across the industry, she is focused on keeping the brand moving forward.  Among those efforts: finding ways to keep their core audience engaged, including the introduction of The PEOPLE App last year. 

💬 In this episode, we explore:

Resources:

💻  Visit People.com

📲Download the PEOPLE App

📸  Follow Charlotte Triggs on Instagram

📸  Follow Charlotte Triggs On LinkedIn

📸  Follow PEOPLE on Instagram

🎧 New episodes of How She Does It drop every Tuesday. Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thasunda Brown Duckett has a seemingly endless list of honors to her name: TIME 100, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, and, most recently, Barron’s 100 Most Influential Women in Finance.  She’s marking five years as President and CEO of TIAA, overseeing $1.6 trillion in assets.   She is also one of just two Black women leading a Fortune 500 company. With women holding just 11% of CEO seats, she is passionate about seeing both numbers grow.

“ I just think there is an opportunity to add another chapter of what it means to be a CEO,” remarked Thasunda Brown Duckett in her conversation with Karen Finerman.   That means not only being an exceptional leader, but also showing the world more of her complete self.   She is a married mother who says she needs a village to make it all work.  She is also a deeply faithful person who doesn't shy away from sharing the difficult parts of her life.  Whether it’s her childhood, which was “long on love” but often short on money, or the grief she felt when she lost her brother a few years ago, she understands that showing her three-dimensional self, while still being an extraordinary leader, helps others see their own potential.     

💬 In this episode, we explore:

Resources:

💻  Learn more about TIAA

📸  Follow Thasunda Brown Duckett On LinkedIn

📸  Follow Thasunda Brown Duckett on Instagram

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creating a company with beloved products from scratch is no easy task, and Nicole Bernard Dawes has pulled it off twice. At 29, she launched Late July Snacks, which are famous for their flavored organic, non-GMO tortilla chips. When the $100+ million company was acquired by Campbell's in 2018, Bernard Dawes decided to do it all again.  This time, she set her eyes on the competitive beverage business. In 20219, she launched Nixie, a line of organically flavored sparkling water and organic zero-sugar sodas. 

Nicole Bernard Dawes had a unique entrée into the world of entrepreneurship, which led to her two gigs as a CEO. Her father was Steve Bernard, co-founder of the Cape Cod Potato Chip Company. She grew up visiting the company’s factory in Hyannis and learning the business from him. After college, she worked for her dad and launched the brand's most popular product, their reduced-fat chips. The mother of two shares how those early business experiences shaped her, why she loves brand building, and her commitment to creating healthy food and drinks that are also tasty.

 💬 In this episode, we explore:

Resources:

💻  Learn more about Nixie 

📸  Follow Nicole Bernard Dawes On LinkedIn

📸  Follow Nixie  on Instagram

📸  Follow Nixie on TikTok

📸  Follow Nixie on LinkedIn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices