Life, Deconstructed

Patricia Sexton spent a decade in banking, from Wall Street to Singapore to Tokyo, racking up a roster of major clients. 6:30am on the trading floor, making the kind of money to support the sort of New York lifestyle you see in sitcoms. But her path to fulfillment meant saying no to a coveted job at Goldman Sachs, leaving it all behind, and - wait for it - interning at a TV news station in Mongolia. She's since anchored a talk show on pursuing passions for Sinovision, authored the book "Live from Mongolia," and launched an incredible project called The Happiness Idea. Her path has been filled with surprising moments and emotional stories, from a pivotal week alone in Tibet, to turning down a massive check from her finance boss, and a party in Hong Kong that changed the direction of her life. 

Amanda Gunawan was born in Indonesia and grew up there until the age of 6, when her family had to abruptly flee the country. She ended up following a creative itch into architecture, and at just 26 co-founded the high-end architecture & design firm OWIU, leading massive projects from the U.S. to Asia. She opens up about being shaped by her unusual childhood, her recipe for figuring out her ideal career, how a side project on Instagram ended up becoming a huge platform, and what we can all do in this crazy Covid reality to make our living spaces fit our new lives. 

Miri Eisin was born in California, raised in Israel, and spent 20 years in the military - serving as Deputy Head of the Combat Intelligence Corps, and retiring as a full colonel. In each position along the way, she was the only woman in the room - and the very first woman to do her job. She later also became the first woman in the country's history to serve as foreign media advisor to the prime minister. In a thoughtful conversation, she reflects on why she loved working in intelligence, the biggest mistake she ever made, and how over the years her definition of success has changed dramatically.

Emmy-award winning journalist and filmmaker Yael Lavie has covered some of the biggest events of our lifetimes, from 9/11 on the ground in New York City, to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, and the Arab Spring. In a funny and emotional talk, she explains why her life path was forever changed by her sister smoking a joint, why she had to twice pull herself away from 'chasing bullets,' and how having kids gave a fearless war reporter more courage than she ever had before. 

By age 29, Daphny Bravo had climbed quickly through the executive ranks at Macy's, promoted 8 times in 9 years and managing $300 million dollars in annual retail sales. On paper - a major success straight out of business school. But it took her body shutting down, a hurricane, and ultimately pregnancy to confront what she knew deep down: she wasn't in the right place, and 'success' wasn't exactly what she'd been sold.

In a deeply introspective conversation, Daphny takes us through the process of becoming a dramatically different, fulfilled version of herself - mentally, emotionally, and physically. On the way: long aimless walks, an unexpected yoga guide, and...paper. Lots of paper.

Today she's the founder and creator behind DLaurenB Paperflorals: gorgeous paper flower creations sold around the world. She also recently co-founded Moguls of Infinite Opportunity: a community of women created to elevate each other in their personal and professional lives.

By age 29, Daphny Bravo had climbed quickly through the executive ranks at Macy's, promoted 8 times in 9 years and managing $300 million dollars in annual retail sales. On paper - a major success straight out of business school. But it took her body shutting down, a hurricane, and ultimately pregnancy to confront what she knew deep down: she wasn't in the right place, and 'success' wasn't exactly what she'd been sold.

In a deeply introspective conversation, Daphny takes us through the process of becoming a dramatically different, fulfilled version of herself - mentally, emotionally, and physically. On the way: long aimless walks, an unexpected yoga guide, and...paper. Lots of paper.

Today she's the founder and creator behind DLaurenB Paperflorals: gorgeous paper flower creations sold around the world. She also recently co-founded Moguls of Infinite Opportunity: a community of women created to elevate each other in their personal and professional lives.

Alana Karen started working at Google back when no one had ever heard of that strange word, way before it turned into the world-changing giant that it is. She's an award-winning leader and speaker who's spent 20 years in tech, today as a Director at Google. Her new book is “Adventures of Women in Tech: How We Got Here and Why We Stay.” In it, advice, a lot of insight, and interviews with over 80 women, who all followed very different paths to get to where they are. We go in-depth on everything from learning how to be a great leader, to her way of figuring out what to do next in life, and what she would tell her 20 year-old self.

Just about 9 years ago, Stephanie Mark began turning a passion project into a major force. With two good friends, she co-founded Coveteur as a way to peek into the lives of the fashion set and global tastemakers – influencers, way before influencers were a thing. It exploded overnight – and ever since, Coveteur has become a massive, award-winning brand. We talk about how she went from being an intern carrying a ladder on the subway, to founding, running, and selling a multi-million dollar business, partnering with some of the biggest brands in the world. Plus, learning things the hard way. A lot.

Mary Beth Long spent 13 years in the CIA as an operations officer, then moved on to the Defense Department where she became the first woman confirmed by the Senate to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense. She later went on to found the defense firm Metis Solutions - and by the time she sold it in 2016, it had been dubbed by Inc. Magazine as one of America's fastest growing companies 3 years running. She talks about everything from hostage training, to how being a woman has helped her be a great negotiator, and the advice she got from her first CIA boss that's guided her whole life.

Join us for candid conversations with inspiring women on how they got to where they are, the debates, decisions, and doubts along the way, and what success even means. We go in depth with female leaders from all fields and backgrounds - from an ex-CIA operative, to CEOs, founders, fashion moguls, designers and journalists.