How I define success
“When I graduated from Cornell, I worked in investment banking for two years. During my first year, 9/11 happened, and my office was across the street from the World Trade Center. On that day, two people in my office died, and it was the first time in my life that I slept through my alarm clock. It was a wake-up call that something in the universe is looking out for me. I saw that the mystery of life is that you never know when it’s going to end, so you have to make it count. I want to solve problems and help people and not have to answer to anybody. Financial freedom and living to my full potential is my definition of success. It is our duty to use the knowledge and resources we have to change the world as much as we can.”
Solve a problem that’s not yours
“On a trip to South Africa in 2010, I met a young girl on a weekday who said she wasn’t in school because it was her ‘week of shame.’ She explained that when she has her period, she uses old dirty rags or leaves. They would fall and boys would make fun of her, so eventually she stopped going to school. I was enraged. I discovered that over 100 million girls in the developing world are missing a week of school when they have their periods, and many are dropping out of school entirely. These are girls who are likely to get HIV/AIDS or get pregnant at a young age. So, in January 2014, we officially launched Thinx. For every pair of underwear sold, we fund seven reusable cloth pads to a girl in the developing world through our partnership with a Ugandan company called Afro Pads.”
Be bold and inspire change
“One of the big things I talk about is dissatisfaction with the status quo. If people are dissatisfied and sit idle, then that is a problem. To be able to see a problem and solve it is empowering. It inspires others to do the same.”
How I get people onto my team
“I look and act young, and new people I meet wonder who this little, short girl is, but I think when they hear the passion behind my words, that changes them. I am authentically myself and really passionate about what I do. When I meet with people, within a few minutes, they realize I don’t fuck around. You have to go around with that attitude, and people will realize they want to be on your team, not against you. My great, great, great, great grandfathers were samurais, so maybe that was imparted onto me.”