Second Life

Andrea Lieberman knew that she was meant to work in fashion ever since she moved to Manhattan at age 13. "I realized at a very early age that I just found what I was meant to do," she tells Hillary Kerr in episode 21 of Second Life. Lieberman parlayed her passion for the fashion industry, an education from Parson's School of Design, and over 10 years experience as a celebrity stylist to eventually launch her own line A.L.C.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Not everyone is lucky enough to stumble upon a career they're passionate about early in life. For April Gargiulo, the founder of skincare company Vinter's Daughter, it took three college degrees, stints in the design world, and time spent working for the family wine business for her to truly find her calling, and she's just getting started. Despite her untraditional path, she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 20 of Second Life, "There's nothing I would have done differently." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lauren Conrad ended up on one of the world's first major reality TV shows at the tender age of 17. Since then, she's grown into the cunning, experienced entrepreneur you know today. According to her, she wouldn't be where she is now—a New York Times best-selling author eight times over, designer of her own fashion line LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl's, and philanthropist behind the non-profit The Little Market—without the mistakes she made along the way. “I believe in mistakes," she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 19 of Second Life. "I think that everything I know is because of a mistake I made.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When you grow up in Ohio with dreams of moving to Los Angeles, becoming a TV host, and owning a Range Rover, people don't always take you seriously, according to Marianna Hewitt. However, with a bit of luck, perseverance, and the skills to turn her dreams into reality, Hewitt moved to L.A. and not only became a TV host but parlayed her experience into a career as a YouTube star, blogger, influencer, and now skincare brand co-founder. "My mentality is someone out there is doing the thing you want to do. Why can't it be you?" she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 18 of Second Life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you asked Jen Gotch in her 20s what her career might be like today, she'd have had absolutely no idea. "I'm a late bloomer," she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 17 of Second Life. The businesswoman and founder of the stylish gifts and accessories brand Ban.do spent college studying literature and philosophy with the goal of becoming a lawyer, only to realize that wasn't the path for her. Little did she know it would be a career in food styling that would ignite her creativity and lead to the beginning of her own brand then, later, a podcast about mental health. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From an early age, Cassandra Grey understood that you have to work for the things you need in life. It's part of what motivated her to not only work at a children's store in high school but eventually go on to manage said store and become a buyer. It's also part of what drove her to create her own, nontraditional PR business in both San Francisco and New York City and what, ultimately, led her to draft the business plan for what's now a multiplatform beauty empire by the name of Violet Grey. "I'm still on the day-to-day hustle," Grey tells Hillary Kerr in Episode 16 of Second Life, where she explains how her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for people guided her through multiple career paths. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The fast-paced world of advertising couldn't seem more opposite to vintage furniture shopping. However, after pressing pause on a career in marketing to raise her quickly growing family, Anna Brockway found herself using her advertising know-how to start her own website for selling vintage furniture. Brockway explains how she turned a little website called Chairish into the curated online marketplace for vintage home goods that it is today on episode 15 of Second Life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There are two ways to tell Mandy Moore’s career story. While we’re familiar with the highlight reel—Moore was a breakout singer at just 15 and is a Golden Globe nominee—the real story is far more complex. In episode 14 of Second Life, Moore opens up about self-doubt and setbacks and how they helped shape the woman and actor she is today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sophia Rossi's résumé is filled with accomplishments, but there's one achievement you won't find on there: graduate. The fiercely successful CEO of women's lifestyle website HelloGiggles skipped college to dive straight into full-time work after high school. In episode 13 of Second Life, Rossi talks about working as a producer on The Hills, learning from startup mistakes, and what it takes to be a great manager. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tracy Sun may be at the helm of the impressive fashion-tech startup Poshmark, but she doesn't consider herself a "fashion person." She studied biology and psychology in college with the intention of pursuing a career in neuroscience. Little did she know that she would trade medical school for business school and leave behind New York City for the tech mecca that is Silicon Valley. Sun explains how she made the transition from science to startup in episode 12 of Second Life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Having a successful career might seem like the goal for many actors, but for Jessica Alba, it was a foundation to try something entirely new: building a business. The founder of The Honest Company shares the most powerful lessons she’s learned along the way, including letting go of ego, recruiting the right people, and the most important quality you can possess. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Few people would consider dropping out of college at age 19 to be a pivotal first step toward an impressive career, but that's exactly what Raina Penchansky did. Now co-founder and CEO of digital talent management company Digital Brand Architects (BDA), Penchansky left college during her sophomore year and began building a wildly impressive career in public relations. She explains how her natural instincts for hustling and winging it catapulted her PR career and gave her the courage to launch her own startup in episode 10 of Second Life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Making the decision to change careers isn't always clear-cut, but holistic nutritionist Kelly LeVeque can pinpoint the moment she realized she was on the wrong path. In episode nine, LeVeque talks about her leap from pharmaceutical sales to nutrition as well as the advice to heed if you’re thinking of starting a business. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Architecture and ice cream may sound like an unlikely combination, but bringing these two concepts together created a recipe for success for Natasha Case, co-founder of the original hipster ice cream truck, Coolhaus. After landing what many would consider a dream job as a Disney Imagineer straight out of graduate school, Case couldn’t shake the idea that she could use architecture for something bigger. For her, that meant blending her love for architecture with food, she explains in episode eight of Second Life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Emily Current and Meritt Elliot have achieved something that most friends only ever dream about. What started as a college friendship blossomed into a wildly successful business partnership built on mutual respect and admiration. After going their separate ways following graduation, Emily and Meritt took a leap of faith, parting from their lives as freelance stylists and writers to join forces and create what would become multiple successful fashion brands together. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.