Julie Smolyansky was born in Kyiv, Ukraine to Jewish parents. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1976 where her father founded the Kefir company, Lifeway Foods in 1986. Smolyansky joined the company in 1997 after graduating from University of Chicago with a degree in psychology.
After her father died of a heart attack in 2002, Smolyansky became the youngest CEO of a publicly traded firm in the history of our country. She then transformed Lifeway Foods into a multinational conglomerate, growing its annual revenue from 12 million to over 130 million in 2015.
Even more impressive than her tenure as a corporate executive, is her service as a board member to organizations like the Anti-Defamation League, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.
Additionally, Smolyansky has been very active in the conversation on sexual violence of women and girls, both as an advocate and a survivor. In 2015, she served as an executive producer or the award winning documentary, The Hunting Ground, an award winning exposé of rape crimes on U.S. College campuses.
Smolyansky is yet another powerful woman that has made a difference with her outreach and involvement, and why I feel lucky to have her join me on the show.
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