When Julie Smolyansky stepped into the CEO role of Lifeway Foods at just 27—following the sudden death of her father—she became the youngest female CEO of a publicly traded company. What followed was a crash course in high-stakes leadership under intense scrutiny. Years later, while navigating competitive disruption in the alternative milk space, Julie was hit by a personal crisis that tested her resilience all over again.
In this candid and galvanizing session, Julie shares the five most important lessons she’s learned about leading through uncertainty, transforming personal adversity into strategic power, and sustaining strength in the face of relentless challenge.
As women in business looking to lead with clarity, courage, and staying power, this is a must-see.
After the sudden loss of her father and Lifeway founder Michael Smolyansky in 2002, Julie Smolyansky became the youngest female CEO of a publicly traded company when she took over Lifeway Foods at the age of 27. Since then, Julie has propelled the business forward with innovative product development and marketing, bringing kefir into the U.S. mainstream, growing the company from $6 million to almost $200 million in 2024, and expanding distribution to Mexico, Ireland, France, South Africa, UAE, various regions of Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Julie has been named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40, recognized among Fortune’s 55 Most Influential Women on Twitter, featured as one of the Best Instagrammers on the 40 Under 40 list, was honored as a 2020 Champion of Wellness by VeryWell, was recently named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Female Executive of the Year – Consumer category, in the 18th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and won Gold Globee for the 17th Annual 2024 Globee® Awards for Achievement (Women in Business).
