From Soviet Struggles to Kefir Success: Building a Gut Health Empire with Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway

Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff

More and more research is being conducted around the gut microbiome than ever before, proving what generations of Julie Smolyansky's, CEO of Lifeway, ancestors already knew. The secret to good health and nourishing yourself from within is to drink their sacred recipe of kefir, a cultured dairy product, which has been passed down for over 2000 years.

A child of Soviet immigrants, Julie and her family immigrated to Chicago where Julie's father founded Lifeway in 1986, becoming the first Soviet immigrant to take a company public. After the sudden and tragic death of her father at the age of 55, Julie took over the company at just 27 years old. When she was forced to prove herself over and over again and stand up to those who didn't believe in her, Julie held her head high and knew it was her job to carry on what her father had started. With Julie's leadership, Lifeway grew from $6 million to just under $200 million and is the leading kefir brand in the United States today.

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