How She Does It

Talk about a tough day at work. NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were the first to fly the Boeing Starliner into space in June of 2024. The plan for the test mission was to pilot the new spacecraft into orbit, dock with the International Space Station for 8 days, and return home. But when the two astronauts first attempted to approach the ISS, five of the Starliner’s critical thru...

Carla Hall is a force. Her effervescence is a welcome ingredient in the many shows she has fronted, including “The Chew,” Fox’s “Next Level Baker,” and Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Challenge” and “Worst Cooks in America.” But what might surprise you is that she began her professional career as an accountant after being rejected from her chosen college and a dream of studying theater.   In her co...

Women often have a blur of busy days — especially this time of year - going from meetings and important phone calls to the grocery store or soccer practice. It often feels like the day goes by in the blink of an eye. This, of course, leaves many of us feeling drained at the end of the day, or inspired to push off our most important tasks to next week — or we forget about them completely.  So how c...

Deborah Roberts is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning journalist.  She has graced our television screens for 30+ years, from her early days at stations in Columbus, Knoxville, and Orlando to one of the most coveted jobs in the business: co-anchoring 20/20 at ABC News.   That rise has come with its share of lessons and shifting priorities, but Deborah is now clearly at the top of her game.    The Ne...

Dr. Kavita Patel is the definition of a high achiever.   She holds multiple demanding jobs: a primary care physician, a venture partner at New Enterprise Associates, a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and a medical contributor for NBC News. And those are just the roles she has right now.  Previously, she served as a director of policy in the Obama White House and a deputy staff...

How does one go from being a college dropout to the CEO of a billion-dollar company with a role on “Shark Tank?” If you ask Kendra Scott, the answer would be a determination to understand her customer, a hunger to keep learning, and a grateful attitude. It’s been nearly a quarter century since Scott, then a new mom, started a small jewelry business in her spare bedroom. The focus was quality, styl...

Anglea Buchdahl has been leading one of NYC’s most influential Reform Judaism congregations since 2014.  Not only is she the first female leader of Central Synagogue in its more than 185-year history, but she is also changing the expectations around what it can look like to be a senior rabbi.  In this episode, Rabbi Buchdahl joins Karen Finerman to discuss her memoir “Heart Of a Stranger: An Unlik...

BLUEY is a bona fide global phenomenon. In 2024, the animated show about a delightful Australian dog and her family saw more than 55+ billion minutes streamed in the U.S.  When you add in the first six months of 2025, it’s more than 80+ billion minutes total streamed.  That kind of success is rare, and it’s Nicki Sheard’s job to shepherd the brand and its beloved characters beyond the screen: from...

It was the role of a lifetime: Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway phenomenon “Hamilton.”  But Renée Elise Goldsberry turned down the audition. Not just once, but multiple times.   As she explains to Karen Finerman in this episode and in her new documentary “Satisfied,” it was at that same moment that the family Renée had fought so hard to create was finally coming together.  She and husband Alexis...

“My whole life, people have been saying you're funny,” recalled Zarna Garg. “But if you are an Indian person, what do you do with that? That means nothing to us. Like if you are good at math, you become an accountant. What do you do with funny?” Lucky for audiences, Zarna figured it out and has become one of comedy’s hottest acts.  She’s mined her upbringing in India and a say-exactly-what-she’s-t...

Being an elite athlete like Chelsea Sodaro requires a unique level of commitment. It’s about training full-time, year-round, for a handful of marquee races. None is bigger than the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaiʻi, a grueling 140-mile triathlon (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race, plus a full 26.2-mile marathon). In 2022, her rookie year, Chelsea not only outperformed her professional...

Ballet’s biggest superstar, Misty Copeland, will be stepping off the stage as the Principal Dancer for the American Ballet Theater this fall after 25 years with the company.  So we thought this was a good time to revisit the conversation Misty and Karen Finerman shared during season 1 of the podcast.   To be a ballet dancer, you must be a dancer, an athlete, and a performer all at the same time. I...

Julia Boorstin thought she might take a year after graduating from Princeton and have some fun working at a magazine in New York City before going to grad school. As she shares with Karen Finerman on this episode of HOW SHE DOES IT, she was hired as a reporter at Fortune magazine (despite never having taken an economics class), fell in love with the world of business news, and never looked back. ...

In an engaging and revealing conversation, Bonnie Hammer opens up to Karen Finerman about her decades-long career in media: from “surviving” Barry Diller, to greenlighting “Suits” and overseeing a hugely successful portfolio of networks that prompted The New York Times to proclaim her the ”Queen of Cable TV.”   She recently wrapped up her time as vice chair at NBCUniversal and is set to take on a...

Jennifer Weiner has a slew of bestselling novels to her name, including Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, Big Summer, and Mrs. Everything. The Breakaway and most recently, The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits. Her stories are filled with complex women and vital female relationships (think sisters, best friends, mothers & daughters, etc.). And she is on a mission to give her plus-sized protagonists “main ch...

We’re revisiting one of our favorite conversations from Season 1, Karen’s unforgettable sit-down with comedian and actress Leanne Morgan, who proves it’s never too late to chase a dream. Leanne’s career didn’t just bloom; it exploded in her late 50s. At 57, she went viral, landed a Netflix comedy special that racked up millions of views, and took the stage across the country. Since we first aired...

Kate Gallego was in her mid-30s, and her life, on paper at least, seemed to be going perfectly: she was serving on the Phoenix city council, married to a congressman, and newly pregnant after having tried for some time. But within a matter of months, as she recalls, “ my life just fell upside down all at once.”   Her marriage broke up, and her mother was diagnosed with late-stage cancer.  Meanwhil...

If you’re a Sex & The City fan, you know Lisa Todd Wexley (“LTW”), the stylish, accomplished New Yorker played by Nicole Ari Parker in And Just Like That. But here’s the real-life plot twist: Crystal McCrary McGuire — bestselling author, award-winning filmmaker, entrepreneur, and mom to NBA star Cole Anthony — inspired the character. Crystal joins host Karen Finerman to share how she left a top Ne...

At 16, Pritika Swarup was planning to go into medicine. Then, on a family trip to Disney World, a modeling scout changed the course of her life. What followed was a whirlwind career walking runways, starring in global campaigns for Fenty Beauty, Ralph Lauren, and Athleta, and building an Instagram following of 1.2 million. But even as her career soared, Pritika stayed focused on school, graduating...

Paris Hilton may have started as a reality star and tabloid fixture, but today she’s a powerhouse entrepreneur with one ambitious goal: to build a next-gen "Disney.” And at the center of that mission is Rachel Webber, Chief Commercial & Brand Officer of Paris Hilton's 11:11 Media. In this candid and energizing conversation, How She Does It host Karen Finerman sits down with Rachel to talk about he...

“I’d rather fail as a writer than succeed as a lawyer,” says bestselling author Gretchen Rubin — a realization that struck while she was clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. In this deeply honest and often humorous episode of How She Does It, Gretchen shares how chasing what she was truly interested in — power, money, fame, and sex — unexpectedly opened the door to a successful...

Whether it’s brunch with your crew, a romantic anniversary dinner, or a buzzy new opening downtown, chances are you’ve tapped OpenTable to lock in that perfect reservation. This week on How She Does It, host Karen Finerman sits down with the woman behind the platform that seats 1.8 billion diners a year: OpenTable CEO Debby Soo. In a wide-ranging and refreshingly candid conversation, Debby opens u...

We’re kicking off Season 2 of How She Does It with a powerhouse first guest: none other than Jenna Bush Hager, co-host of TODAY’s fourth hour, bestselling author, and founder of the new production company and publishing imprint, ⁠Thousand Voices⁠. For nearly six years, Jenna and Hoda Kotb brought laughter, honesty, and heart to morning television. But when Hoda announced she was leaving the show,...

It’s time for another great season of How She Does It with Karen Finerman, full of insightful conversations with a diverse group of women leaders.  Each week, Karen brings her perspective as a CEO and mother of four (and not to mention, a big WNBA fan) to these discussions about women, money, and power.   We’ll hear from influential women across business, entertainment, and sports, who share their...

Host Karen Finerman, longtime Wall Street investor, mom of four, and familiar face on CNBC, returns with another inspiring season of conversations spotlighting extraordinary women at the top of their fields. 💬 This season, Karen sits down with powerhouse guests, including: Jenna Bush Hager - TODAY Host & Founder, Thousand Voices Debby Soo - CEO, OpenTable Gretchen Rubin - NY Times Bestselling Aut...