Jul 23, 2020
Julie Smolyansky is a mother, author, activist, humanitarian, and is the youngest female CEO of a publicly-traded company as she became the CEO of Lifeway Foods at the age of 27. Grounded in mindfulness, Julie is passionate about empowering the mind-gut connection through making healthy food choices, community and business innovation. Julie joins Yola to talk about her family's journey of turning an ancient superfood, Kefir, into a multimillion-dollar sensation loved by so many Americans. Once Julie took over as company CEO she was able to take the company valuation from $12 million to over $120 million in a few short years. Yola and Julie also discuss her advocacy work with sexual assault and abuse victims including her latest documentary "On The Record."
About Lifeway Foods: The Lifeway story begins in 1986, when
Russian immigrants Michael and Ludmila Smolyansky began making
Kefir in the basement of their Skokie, IL home. The cultured dairy
drink had been popular in Eastern Europe for centuries, but the
Smolyansky family was determined to share
their delicious health secret with their newfound home. Two years
later, they took the company public and it debuted on the NASDAQ
exchange under the ticker symbol LWAY. Since its humble basement
beginnings many years ago, Lifeway Foods has now grown into the
largest manufacturer of Kefir in the United States and has brought
the delicious taste and probiotic health benefits of Kefir to a
whole new generation. Visit Lifewayfoods.com to learn more
about Kefir.
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