Victoria Lai has lived several careers in one lifetime: presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, entrepreneur, and now business advisor and nonprofit COO. But her biggest pivot came when she nurtured her passion for making ice cream on nights and weekends while working a serious government job. In this extra sweet episode, Victoria walks us through how a $25 Craigslist ice cream maker and a promise to herself led to Ice Cream Jubilee, the award-winning DC-area business celebrated by Food & Wine, the Washington Post, and Thrillist, and what it felt like to eventually sell the business she'd spent nearly a decade building. She also opens up about her family's Chinese immigrant history and how it shaped both her flavors and her sense of purpose, and why she considers her latest pivot back to mission-driven work the most fitting chapter yet.
Chapters:
00:00.160 Welcome to She Pivots
00:28.360 Guest Introduction: Victoria Lai
01:58.160 Childhood Memories and Family Influences
06:57.320 The Path to Law School and Government Work
10:58.576 Finding Inspiration in New York City
13:02.754 The Birth of Ice Cream Jubilee
26:36.392 Taking the Leap: From Government to Ice Cream
32:46.677 "Ice cream-preneurship"
36:07.043 Achieving Success and Letting Go
39:02.320 A New Chapter: Coaching and Personal Growth
44:18.680 Closing Thoughts and Gratitude
44:40.626 Podcast Credits
You can keep up with Ice Cream Jubilee at their website, www.icecreamjubilee.com
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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.
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She Pivots is proud to be an iheart podcast.

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