5 Questions With Dan Schawbel Episode 55: Steph Korey
An interview with Steph Korey about how traveling in her childhood impacted her life, her biggest business challenge, the person that’s helped her the most, her guiding leadership principles and her best career advice.
Welcome to the 55th episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions.
This episodes guest:
My guest today is the co-founder and CEO of Away, Steph Korey. Born in a suburb in Ohio, Steph grew up traveling to visit her family in the Middle East and Europe. After graduating college, she worked in the merchandising and buying departments at both Kate Spade and Bloomingdales. Then, Steph joined Warby Parker as their Head of Supply Chain, where she met her Away co-founder Jennifer Rubio. After leaving Warby Parker, she got her MBA, while working as a consultant for Casper, before launching Away with Jennifer. Away is a global lifestyle brand that’s transforming the entire travel experience. Away has raised over $100 million, with a $1.4 billion valuation and has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies”. I must disclose that I’m an Away customer after I was nagged by my parents to buy a navy blue carry-on suitcase last year, and I’m happy that I did. In this episode, you’ll learn more about Steph’s background, how’s she’s been able to grow her company so fast and advice that anyone could benefit from.
The 5 questions questions I ask in this episode:
- How did traveling the world as a child shape your identity, perspective and future career?
- In just 3 years your company has grown to a $1.4 billion valuation, congratulations! Despite this success, what are some of your biggest struggles that keep you up at night?
- Who has made the biggest impact on your career and how?
- Which leadership principles have you used at work that you learned in school? Can you give an example?
- What’s your best piece of career advice?
Follow Steph’s journey: