Shelley Zalis: Chief Troublemaker

Female Quotient founder Shelley Zalis grew up assuming she'd be a stay-at-home mom, just like her own mother. Then a job interview she thought was at an ad agency turned out to be for market research—and she took the job anyway. That accident launched a career that put her decades ahead of her industry, dragging market research onto the internet before most people had email and building a company she'd eventually sell for $80 million. On this episode of She Pivots, Shelley shares the 2 a.m. idea she had while feeding her newborn, the boardroom moment where every man in the room got picked for her own project, and why she turned down money from her family when she needed it. She also shares how inviting five girlfriends to walk the floor at the Consumer Electronics Show sparked The Female Quotient, now a community of 8.5 million professionals with lounges from Davos to the Super Bowl. Keep up with Shelley on Instagram @shelleyzalis and see what the Female Quotient is doing at @femalequotient, and on their website www.thefemalequotient.com Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration. She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success. Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates. She Pivots is proud to be an iheart podcast. Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.