Masters of Scale

Rapid Response: Leading with your gut, w/Lifeway Foods CEO Julie Smolyansky

May 21, 2020

Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway Foods, shares her inspiring journey of leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. She talks about her swift actions, like stockpiling products and enhancing supply chains, while reflecting on her family's immigrant experience. The discussion covers the shift in consumer behavior, emphasizing women's vital roles in business and the importance of community support. Julie also highlights the need for mental health awareness and self-care, particularly for women navigating professional and personal challenges in unprecedented times.

28:45

Episode guests

Julie Smolyansky

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Navigating Crisis: A Food Industry Perspective

12min

Building Connections in Crisis

7min

Shining a Light on Female Workers and Addressing Domestic Violence

2min

Navigating Health Crises: Global Lessons and Personal Resilience

4min

Balancing Self-Care and Professional Demands in Challenging Times

6min

Tapping both personal experience and intuition, Lifeway CEO Julie Smolyansky has embraced action amid uncertainty. Before the pandemic reached full throttle, Lifeway stockpiled seven weeks worth of product, secured supply chains, and reached out to all their customers. Mask on, Smolyansky personally visited her Chicago warehouse, made in-person donations to the food pantry at Wrigley Field, and went to dozens of stores across the city searching for thermometers for her team. The crisis, she says, has evoked her early years in the Soviet Union and her family's fight, as immigrants, to live the American Dream.

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