Time To Get Real, with Julie Wainwright | (Fashion, Entrepreneurship, Fundraising, E-Commerce)

Time To Get Real, with Julie Wainwright | (Fashion, Entrepreneurship, Fundraising, E-Commerce)

Author: Southwestern Family of Podcasts - Southwestern Family of Companies May 19, 2026 Duration: 20:59

Entrepreneur Julie Wainwright, founder and former CEO of unicorn company TheRealReal, shares the candid story behind building a billion-dollar luxury resale company after being told at age 52 that she was “unemployable", discusses overcoming public failure, fear, ageism, and gender bias in tech, how her experience at Pets.com shaped her resilience, and the disciplined, data-driven mindset she used to create and scale a disruptive e‑commerce business. Other topics include identifying unmet consumer pain points, balancing passion with objectivity, and practical advice for founders navigating fundraising.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dr. Jeremy S. Owoh: Leading Today, Transforming Tomorrow. Click here to learn more.

Create Your Own Luck / Dr. Jeremy S. Owoh


What does it take to move from thinking to doing, from planning to achieving? The Action Catalyst is a podcast built on the premise that real progress requires more than just motivation-it demands actionable insight. Each conversation features a different top leader or accomplished achiever, but the focus remains consistently practical: extracting the hard-earned lessons they learned on their way up. You’ll hear stories not just of success, but of the setbacks and plateaus that preceded it, with guests offering concrete strategies for navigating those inevitable challenges. This isn’t about abstract theory; it’s a resource for anyone feeling stuck in mediocrity or unsure of their next step in business, personal development, or their professional journey. The discussions are designed to help you uncover a more personal source of inspiration and then translate that into a clearer path forward. Tune in for a regular dose of candid advice and proven methods to help dismantle obstacles and reach your specific goals. The Action Catalyst is produced by the Southwestern Family of Podcasts, part of the Southwestern Family of Companies, and delivers these conversations with the understanding that sustained action is the most powerful catalyst for change. You’ll find each episode centers on a transferable idea or a shift in perspective that you can apply immediately, making the podcast a tool for ongoing education and self-improvement.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Action Catalyst
Podcast Episodes
CLIP:  Double-Time Part Time for Full-Time Free Time [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:38
Angie Moss, Sales and Leadership Coach and Certified Trainer with Southwestern Consulting, shares how her coaching client adopted the productive mindset of working ON your business rather than IN your business.Hear Angie…
CLIP:  Cutting a Cruise Ship In Half [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:08
Richard Fain, the chairman and former long-term CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, explains how Royal Caribbean elevated the entire cruise industry, and why, early in his career, he literally, LITERALLY, had to cut a cruise s…
CLIP:  Creating the Creed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:26
Karla Lewis, an executive sales and leadership coach and Partner with Southwestern Consulting, and Steve Frody, co-founder of City2Shore Real Estate, share the value of aligning your business and team behind a shared cre…
CLIP:  Unstructured Data, Moore's Law, and Hallucinations [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:18
Gayathri Krishnamurthy, Head of Product Marketing at Level AI, explains how AI is beginning to use data differently from previous versions and how the rate at which it's capabilities are expanding is exponential, but how…
Thanksgiving Wishes from Stephanie Maas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:44
Action Catalyst host Stephanie Maas breaks down her favorite parts of the Thanksgiving holiday, and what it really means to have an "attitude of gratitude".