Behind Her Empire

Ashley Merrill is a serial-entrepreneur and investor whose personal mission is to elevate and empower all women & girls.  In 2012, Ashley just started business school and in the same month realized she was pregnant with her first child. The news lit a now-or-never fire and pushed Ashley to overcome her fears and launch the company she had been thinking about for years, Lunya, a luxury sle...

Lindsey Boyd is the co-founder of The Laundress, a premium collection of eco-friendly laundry and home cleaning products.  Before starting the company, Lindsey was working in high-end fashion in NY as a manager of Chanel’s Ready-to-Wear division. While working in the industry, Lindsey noticed a real need and void in the market. Although consumers were willing to spend a lot of money on their...

Janice Bryant Howroyd is the founder and CEO of the ActOne Group, a multi-billion dollar global business providing workforce solutions.  Janice’s entrepreneurial journey started with very humble beginnings. As a temporary secretary for her brother-in-law’s company, Janice saw an opportunity in the market where other executives were looking for quick and effective clerical help. She decided to...

Kelly Rutherford is an activist and actress who has impressed audiences with her roles in Melrose Place, Gossip Girl, and most recently, Dynasty and Pretty Little Liars.  Kelly is also known for her very high-profile and public custody battle she had with her ex-husband. A California judge went on to rule that it was in the best interest of the kids to live with their father in Monaco which i...

Dr. Sabrina Kay is a serial entrepreneur, investor, fashion designer, and philanthropist. Born in South Korea, Sabrina moved to the U.S. with her family at 18. As a recent immigrant who barely spoke English, Sabrina became a janitor to help make ends meet and enrolled in a local college to pursue the education she always dreamed of. By the age of 20, Sabrina dropped out of school and was a single...

Natasha Case is the co-founder and CEO of Coolhaus, a leading women-founded and -led ice cream and frozen dessert brand creating premium cookie sandwiches and pints. After earning her masters in architecture and landing her dream job at Walt Disney Imagineering, Natasha discovered her newfound passion for creating architecturally-inspired ice cream sandwiches as a way to bring joy to her coworkers...

Tonya Rapley is a serial entrepreneur, best selling author, millennial money expert, and creator of the award-winning site, My Fab Finance which provides financial advice for modern millennial women.  Tonya launched her business based on her personal needs. She took a traumatic experience as a survivor of domestic violence and turned it into her greatest creation - the My Fab Finance platform...

Tracy Holland is the co-founder of HATCHBEAUTY Brands, a top beauty and wellness incubator that has grown to over $100 million in sales.  After leaving a career in public service, Tracy founded her first business in grad school where she went all in and invested every dollar she had to build something that would later be the foundation of her business today. HATCHBEAUTY works with top retaile...

Heidi Zak is the co-founder and CEO of ThirdLove, the fastest growing and most disruptive brand in the lingerie industry. When Heidi couldn’t find a quality bra that fit her correctly and looked great, she realized there was an opportunity in the market for modern women. In 2013, Heidi left her job at Google to pursue her dream of offering high quality, better fitting bras, and marketing them in a...

Lee Mayer is the co-founder and CEO of Havenly, an online interior design company that makes interior decorating services more accessible and affordable to all.   In 2013, Lee had just relocated from a small NYC apartment to a larger home with considerably more space in Denver, Colorado. Overwhelmed by all the furniture and decor choices to be made, Lee was frustrated by the lack of quic...

Vicky Tsai, founder of Japanese beauty brand Tatcha, had a nontraditional path to eventually founding one of the top skincare companies today. About 10 years ago, Vicky decided to leave her thriving career and travel the world in search of happiness and meaning in her life.  In her travels, when visiting Kyoto, Japan, Vicky had a life-changing meeting with a Geisha. She learned some of their...

Jaime Schmidt is an entrepreneur and the founder of Schmidt’s Naturals, a brand of natural personal care products that she started in her kitchen.  Feeling unfulfilled in her career and seeking purpose for most of her life, Jaime was exploring different hobbies with the hopes that she would find her passion. In 2010, Jaime was pregnant with her son and was experimenting with making her own na...

Elissa Goodman is a Holistic Nutritionist, Founder of S.O.U.P., Author and Lifestyle Cleanse expert.  Elissa’s early adult life was considered “successful” by her family and society’s standards: she was climbing up the corporate ladder, had her dream job, a great husband, and was financially doing very well. Her life completely changed when she was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 32. It w...

Paige Adams-Geller is the Founder and Creative Director of PAIGE, a highly successful premium denim and lifestyle brand. Paige is a true pioneer and one of the first female founders disrupting the billion dollar premium denim industry. Paige employs over 300 people from Los Angeles to London and is sold in over 80 countries.  Paige’s journey was far from easy. After navigating multiple career...

Rana el Kaliouby is an Egyptian-American scientist, innovator, author and CEO. She co-founded the artificial intelligence company, Affectiva, and has pioneered a digital software that can read & analyze human emotion in real time. Rana has raised over $50 million in venture funding and was recognized on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 List & as one of Forbes Top 50 Women in Tech.  Rana gre...

Daina Trout is the CEO and co-founder of Health-Ade Kombucha, one of the most successful and delicious kombucha drinks on the market. Although she was going up the ranks in Corporate America, Daina felt less fulfilled as time went on and had the desire to build a company on her own terms. She eventually quit her job and took the risk to develop & build the best tasting, highest quality kombuch...

Suzy Batiz is the creative visionary, founder, creator and CEO of Poo~Pourri and supernatural. She’s created an enterprise that’s worth over $500 million and made Forbes' America’s Richest Self-Made Women list without borrowing a dime or raising a single dollar of outside funding.  But success didn’t come easy for her. Suzy experienced some of life’s lowest lows — poverty, sexual and domestic...

Toni Ko is the Founder of NYX Cosmetics and Bespoke Beauty Brands. At the young age of 24, Toni was inspired to launch NYX based on her own desire to buy quality cosmetics at a price she could afford. Fifteen years later, Toni sold her company to L’Oreal for a reported $500 million and instantly became one of America’s richest self-made women.  We’ll talk to Toni about the personal sacrifices...

Nyakio Grieco is the founder of Nyakio Beauty, an award-winning skin-care brand that has been leading the clean beauty movement since 2002. While moving up the ranks in the entertainment industry, Nyakio realized that many cultures were under-represented in the prestige beauty space and saw a white space in the market. She launched her company based on beauty secrets she learned as a child while v...

Lavinia Errico is the visionary founder behind Equinox Fitness Clubs and now the Inside Out Movement. In her 20s and 30s, Lavinia built a leading Fitness Company that forever changed the way Americans think about health and wellness. At the peak of her success, Lavinia sold Equinox for millions and was instantaneously wealthy beyond her needs and dreams. Although she was living the “American Dream...

Behind Her Empire is focused on highlighting self-made women leaders & entrepreneurs and how they tackle their career, money and life. Each episode covers their unique hero's journey and what it really takes to build an empire with key lessons learned along the way. The goal of the series is to empower you to see what’s possible & inspire you to create financial freedom in your own life. W...