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:

• Thasunda Brown Duckett’s theory of living her life like a “diversified portfolio” (and why she believes the idea of work-life balance is a lie) 
• Why she and her husband Richard made the decision to have him stay at home with the kids 
• The skills and attitudes she possesses that she believes helped her climb the corporate ladder at Fannie Mae, Chase & J.P. Morgan
• How she feels her leadership style has evolved, and why she enjoys “giving power away
• What she learned working for Jamie Dimon at JP Morgan Chase
• How her father, Otis Brown, ultimately inspired her passion for amplifying the message about the importance of saving for retirement 
• Why she enjoys expressing herself through fashion

Resources:

💻  Learn more about TIAA

📸  Follow Thasunda Brown Duckett On LinkedIn

📸  Follow Thasunda Brown Duckett on Instagram

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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:

• Why Nicole Bernard Dawes is obsessed with grocery stores, and what she’s looking at that the average customer may miss
• How Nicole Bernard Dawes’ mom, who ran a health food store in the 1970’s, influenced her tastes 
• The reason she believes a store selling out of your product is not a good thing, especially in the food & beverage business 
• Why she considers herself always on the clock, but has a very different set of expectations from her team 
• The reaction she has when she sees her products out in the wild - including spotting her favorite Peloton instructor enjoying one of her beverages 

Resources:

💻  Learn more about Nixie 

📸  Follow Nicole Bernard Dawes On LinkedIn

📸  Follow Nixie  on Instagram

📸  Follow Nixie on TikTok

📸  Follow Nixie on LinkedIn

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If you’re on TikTok, Instagram, Substack, or YouTube, you’ve likely come across content creator Vivian Tu.  She’s taken her expertise learned from her time as a trader at J.P. Morgan and a sales exec at Buzzfeed to create the platform “Your Rich BFF,” which now boasts 10 million combined followers. Vivian is the CEO of Your Rich BFF and has a team of approximately 20 people working for her.  Together, they channel her social-media savvy and pithy communication style to teach her followers how to make smart money moves and grow their wealth. 

Her message is a departure from her own upbringing, during which her hardworking, Chinese immigrant parents mostly stressed about the family’s finances, with a focus on “scrimping and saving.”  Vivian’s goal with all of her work, including her podcast “Networth & Chill” and her latest  New York Times bestselling book “Well Endowed: The Secrets to Strategic Spending, Building a Financial Foundation for You and Your Family, and Creating Lasting Generational Wealth,”  is to empower her readers financially across all areas of their lives.  

 💬 In this episode, we explore:

• How Vivian has learned from her mistakes when it comes to hiring people for her team 
• What Vivian sees is the difference between hustle and grit, and why she thinks only one can be taught 
• Her thoughts about the future of Your Rich BFF and what role she might play in it
• Why owning her business influenced Vivian’s choice to undergo IVF at age 30 and freeze her embryos 
• The lasting impact her female mentor at J.P. Morgan had on her life and career, including the very generous gift she gave Vivian 
• The critical importance of discussing money with your partner, and what led to  Vivian and her now-husband having that conversation very early on in their relationship
• What her mom’s advice to Vivian was when she started making more money than her husband 

Resources:

📕 Learn more about “Well Endowed” by Vivian Tu 

📸  Follow Vivian Tu on Instagram 

📸  Follow Vivian Tu on TikTok

📸  Follow Vivian Tu on YouTube

🎧 Listen to Vivian Tu on Networth and Chill 

🎧 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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Veronica Swanson Beard’s life changed when she met her future business partner, Veronica Miele Beard, and her future husband, Jamie Beard, on the same evening. The two Veronicas, who became sisters-in-law, share a love of fashion. They explored a number of possible business ventures together (including, at one point, maternity wear) before landing on their game-changing women’s dickey jacket. 

Since they introduced their signature piece in a market set up in Veronica Swanson Beard's apartment in 2010, the company has exploded.  They now offer a complete “uniform” for women: dresses, pants, shoes, swimwear, jewelry, and more. The two Veronicas are Co-CEOs of their namesake company, which was recently named Private Company of the Year by Women’s Wear Daily.  

For Veronica Swanson Beard, their brand is the culmination of a dream that started as a young girl, and was heavily influenced by the stylish women she saw growing up in Naples, Florida, London, and Northern California.  

 💬 In this episode, we explore: 

• What Veronica Swanson Beard’s mentor taught her that frames philosophy on working in the fashion business 
• How the two Veronicas approach leading their company together
• Where Veronica Swanson Beard gets her design inspiration from 
• The very-subtle, but important, (and not often spoken-about) detail in Veronica Beard jeans that Veronica Swanson Beard absolutely loves 
• How the Co-CEOs managed some of the more challenging times faced by their company 
• Veronica Swanson Beard’s outlook on building a company while also raising three sons 

Resources:

🔗 Visit Veronica Beard

📸  Follow Veronica Beard on Instagram

📸  Follow Veronica Beard on LinkedIn

🎧 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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Gorgeous landscapes, high-stakes drama, and throw in some horses and cattle for good measure.  That’s just another day at the office when you work on a show in Taylor Sheridan’s universe.  Emmy-nominated Christina Alexandra Voros is one of the most influential female voices in Sheridan’s inner circle, having directed multiple episodes of his hit shows, including “Yellowstone,” “1883,” “Lawman: Bass Reeves,” and now, every episode of “The Madison.”   

“The Madison” stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell and explores themes of family and loss, as well as the healing power of the land. For Christina, working with Michelle Pfeiffer on the series in Montana was a career highlight, saying, “ her focus and resilience and heart through the process of making the show is absolutely remarkable.”  Christina also serves as executive producer for the series, which is streaming now exclusively on Paramount+.  

 💬 In this episode, we explore:

• Christina’s path to becoming a director, which meant veering from her original dream of being an actress
• How this NYU Film school grad and proud Brooklynite fell in love with a cowboy, and now lives on a ranch in Texas 
• Why she took a demotion to camera operator to work on “Yellowstone,” and why at first she thought it was the biggest mistake of her career
• How she approaches shooting technically challenging scenes, including working with animals and choreographed fights
• Her thoughts on the advances women directors have made in the industry, and why she is optimistic for the next generation  
• How she is preparing to direct two more highly anticipated Sheridan projects: “Frisco King,” starring Samuel L. Jackson, and the “Yellowstone” spinoff, “Dutton Ranch.”

Resources:🔗 Watch The Madison on Paramount+ 

📸  Follow Christina Alexandra Voros on Instagram 

🎧 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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Our mission at HOW SHE DOES IT WITH KAREN FINERMAN is to have meaningful conversations where high-achieving women across business, media, science, the arts, and more can share their insight and wisdom. So to celebrate Women’s History Month, we put together a collection of highlights from some of our history-making guests, spotlighting their incredible experiences and what they’ve learned along the way. 

And while many of us may never walk in space or dance on stage at the American Ballet Theatre, we know each of these women’s experiences will serve as both inspiration and a reminder of the greatness that is possible when talent, determination, authenticity, and hard work come together. 

💬 In this episode, we hear from:

• Comedian Zarna Garg, who left her father’s home in India to avoid an arranged marriage, explains how she came to the U.S. and what motivates her to keep moving forward. 
• Rabbi Angela Buchdahl is the first Asian American to be ordained as a cantor or rabbi in North America and the first female rabbi to lead New York City’s influential Central Synagogue.  She shares what she learned from one of the most challenging days of her career.
• NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams, who has spent more than 600 days in space across three missions to the International Space Station on what it’s like to be in space during a spacewalk.  
• Diana Nyad, who at age 64 became the first person to successfully swim 110 miles from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage, discusses how important her mental game was to completing the endurance feat. 
• Misty Copeland, the first black principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre, on forging her own path in the ballet world and honoring those dancers of color who came before her.  
• Ariel Investment Co-CEO Mellody Hobson, the first black woman to chair the board of a Fortune 500 company (Starbucks), discusses what her mother taught her about finances and how she is passing it down to her own daughter. 

🎧Listen To Zarna & Zoya Garg on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 60

🎧Listen To Rabbi Angela Buchdahl on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 63

🎧Listen To Sunita Williams on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 68

🎧Listen To Diana Nyad on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 7 

🎧Listen To Misty Copeland  on HOW SHE DOES IT Episode 17

🎧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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Throughout her career, Eva Pilgrim, the new anchor of “Inside Edition,” has always strived to deliver excellent journalism. It’s a mindset she traces back to her childhood, raised by her American father and, what she calls, her “Korean Tiger Mom.” Eva recalls her mother not tolerating anything below perfect grades (to the point that she once hid a paper with a grade of 98 in the trash). As an adult, she combined her determination to treat her interview subjects with care with her gift for getting people to open up, and her career in journalism took off. She rose in the ranks from an affiliate reporter to a senior correspondent at ABC News. That success led to her being named co-anchor of “Good Morning America Weekend” and later, “GMA3.” 

But some of that success came with a cost. The demanding work, which included rushing off at a moment’s notice to cover a story for weeks at a time, along with the expectations she placed on herself, was occasionally overwhelming. At one point, after covering a string of emotionally difficult stories, including several hurricanes, she hit a low point.  But Eva found ways, both during her time at ABC News and more so now at “Inside Edition”, the longest-running nationally syndicated new show, to hit the reset button. Her goal now: find fulfilling work that doesn’t drain her, pursue projects that interest her across linear and emerging media, and build a life outside of her job that allows her to spend time with her husband Ed and 4-year-old daughter Ella.   

 💬 In this episode, we explore:

• The incredible story behind Eva Pilgrim’s decision to pivot from medical school to a career in journalism 
• The role Eva’s mom played when it came to Eva dating her future husband
• Eva’s dealbreaker when it comes to who she chooses to work on stories with 
• Why she was nervous to make the leap from network news to “Inside Edition”
• Eva’s favorite part of the “Inside Edition” broadcast 

Resources:

📸  Follow Eva Pilgrim on Instagram

📸  Follow Inside Edition on Instagram

📸  Follow Inside Edition on TikTok

📸  Follow Inside Edition on Facebook

🎧 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

Music is ever-present in our lives, from our morning exercise routines until bed. And we all have a "life soundtrack” of songs that transport us to a moment or an era — one note, and you're right back there. Music is also a multi-billion-dollar business. But who runs this business? Despite so many of the biggest performers being women, the industry itself has long suffered from a lack of women and diversity — not only on the talent side but also on the executive side. 

One of the most powerful, longstanding players in this business is Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group. She’s the first woman ever to hold the position at a major music publisher, and since joining UPMG in 2015, she’s transformed the company, which has now surpassed $2 billion dollars in revenue.

At the beginning of 2026, she was named “Executive of the Decade” by Billboard Magazine, so we thought it was a perfect time to revisit this powerful conversation between Karen and Jody from season 1.

💬 In this episode:

• Jody Gerson shares how she can tell what will become a hit song
• After signing artists like Lady Gaga and Alicia Keys, Jody shares what she believes, in addition to talent, is necessary to make an artist a star
• The pivotal event that helped her find her confidence and ask for a bigger role at work, and what she did when she didn’t get it
• How growing up in a household where the family’s financial situation changed drastically when she was in college impacted her outlook on work and wealth
• What she’s doing to make the music industry more welcoming and diverse behind the scenes

🔗 Resources & Links:

👩‍💼 Learn more about Universal Music Publishing Group at umusicpub.com

📖Read Billboard Magazine's Executive of the Decade article 

📲 Follow How She Does It on Instagram: @hsdipodcast

🎧 New episodes drop every Tuesday. Hit “Follow” so you never miss a moment.

💌 Join the HerMoney community: hermoney.com/subscribe

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For Sesame Workshop CEO Sherrie Westin, there’s one question that rises above the rest.  “Is Sesame going to be here for the next generation of children?” Making sure favorites like Elmo, Big Bird, Abby Cadabby, and Grover continue their work educating kids is a responsibility she takes very seriously.  Over the past year, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind the 56-year-old global phenomenon, faced what Westin called a “perfect storm.” There were federal funding cuts, the end of a distribution deal with Discovery / HBO Max, and the need to downsize the organization.  

Westin has guided Sesame Workshop through this moment with a determination to keep Sesame’s core mission of making kids “smarter, stronger and kinder” front and center. This season of Sesame Street kicked off a new distribution deal with Netflix and PBS, along with a greater focus on its philanthropic efforts. In our conversation, Westin shared her thoughts on Sesame's past and future, how her experience at ABC News and The White House influenced her leadership style, and how becoming a mother through the adoption of her daughter, Lily, profoundly changed her life.  

 💬 In this episode, we explore:

• Sherrie Westin’s path to CEO of Sesame Workshop, and what made her finally decide to throw her hat into the ring
• The global reach of Sesame Workshop and its work to support young children 
• The impact of that famous 2024 tweet from Elmo asking, “How is everybody doing?"
• What it’s like being “co-workers” with Oscar, Grover, Bert, Ernie, and more 
• Westin’s favorite memories of celebrities who have visited Sesame Street 
• Her advice for college graduates 
• How she and her husband, David Westin, manage a busy, two-career household 

Resources:

🔗 Visit Sesme Workshop 

📸  Follow Sherrie Westin on LinkedIn

📸  Follow Sesame Workshop On Instagram

📸  Follow Sesame Street On TikTok

🎧 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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Kristin Lemkau was thriving in her job as CMO of JPMorgan Chase, a job she thought would be her last, when CEO Jamie Dimon and his leadership team threw a new challenge her way.  They wanted the company to become more competitive in the wealth management space, and offered Lemkau the job as CEO of J.P. Morgan Wealth Management.  Despite some significant hurdles that would come with building the business, Lemkau took on the role in late 2019.  

A few years into this professional challenge, she experienced a tectonic shift in her personal life.  Lemkau’s husband, who had stayed at home with their two children, passed away.  Overnight, she became a single mom.  She found herself trying to figure out all the details of the family’s day-to-day life that he had handled, from multiple school apps, household bills, her kids’ sports schedule, and more. 

After taking some time off, her two teenagers encouraged her to return to work, where she thrived.  Under her leadership. J.P. Morgan Wealth Management has grown from  $500 billion to $1.3 trillion dollars in assets, an accomplishment she confidently takes credit for.    

”What I've done over the past six years was really, really hard.I genuinely believe a lot of people couldn't have done it. We had a lot of headwinds, but we did it,” Lemkau said. 

 💬 In this episode, we explore:

• Why Kristin Lemkau said “yes” to the CEO job, despite really “loving” her marketing job and the people she worked with
• Lemkau’s approach to re-making and growing the wealth management business 
• How her personal loss has impacted the way she manages her team 
• Her secret for getting a full-night’s sleep, and why that’s been so critical for her well-being 
• Her thoughts on being the oldest of four very high-achieving siblings, and what about their upbringing may have helped them all to succeed
• Some of the perks of working at JPMorgan, including being front and center for one of the wildest US Open Women’s Finals ever

Resources:

🔗 Visit J.P. Morgan Wealth Management 

📸  Follow @JPMorgan Wealth Management on Instagram

📸  Follow @JPMorgan Wealth Management on LinkedIn

🎧 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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Kecia Steelman was a 20-year-old single mom living in government housing when she faced a realization: if she wanted a better life, it was up to her.  She became determined to find a job where she could learn and grow.  From the men’s department at Target, she buckled down, worked holidays and weekends, and transformed what started as an $8 an hour gig into something much more. She built a career path that would lead her to become one of the most powerful women in the beauty business. 

On this episode of How She Does It, Kecia opens up about her first year as CEO at ULTA Beauty, the country’s largest beauty retailer.   With 30 years of retail experience, including almost five years as ULTA Beauty’s COO, she was able to take on this new challenge and “hit the ground running.”  From expanding the brand into international markets to working closely with brand founders like Beyoncé, Kylie Jenner, Paris Hilton, and more, the company has seen growth across both their e-commerce and retail sales.  

 💬 In this episode, we explore:

• Kecia’s rollout of ULTA Beauty’s most recent strategy, from the C-Suite to the employees on the sales floor
• The approach Kecia takes when it comes to setting expectations for Wall Street 
• What her “best day” and “worst day” working in retail look like
• The three factors Kecia looks for when making a new hire
• What happens when Kecia visits an Ulta Beauty store unannounced 
• The profound way Kecia’s mother inspired her 

Resources:

🔗 Visit Ulta.com

📸  Follow Kecia Steelman on Instagram 

📸  Follow Kecia Steelman on LinkedIn

📸  Follow Ulta Beauty 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