How Sara Blakely Built Spanx and Found Her Next Big Purpose
What happens when a self-made billionaire steps away from the company she built and faces the big question: What’s next?
In this inspiring episode, the founder of Spanx opens up about her journey from door-to-door sales to creating a global brand, the emotional challenges of selling her company, and how she’s redefining success, purpose, and identity in midlife. It’s a raw and uplifting conversation about reinvention, intuition, and finding meaning beyond business.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:56 Family background and kids
03:47 Childhood struggles and early mindset shift
06:32 Discovering Wayne Dyer and self-growth
09:00 Letting go of law school plans
09:46 Intuition and coping mechanisms
13:25 Selling fax machines and rethinking her path
14:17 The idea for Spanx is born
18:40 Building Spanx and landing Neiman Marcus
22:37 Growing Spanx without advertising
25:30 Selling Spanx and facing an identity shift
31:51 Midlife change and grief
34:44 Creating Sneaks brand
43:54 Psychology behind the second venture
47:32 Perimenopause, health issues, and PMDD
50:19 Modern Elder Academy experience
53:37 Focusing on presence and meaning
55:42 Introverts, extroverts, and integration
58:17 Feminine energy as a superpower
59:42 Wisdom bumpersticker
1:02:26 Chip’s final thoughts
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