CNBC Changemakers and Power Players

CNBC

The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast delivers candid, in-depth interviews with trailblazing women in business. Hosted by CNBC Senior Media & Tech Correspondent Julia Boorstin, the series spotlights women from the CNBC Changemakers list and other female innovators who are redefining leadership, breaking barriers, and transforming industries. From tech and finance to sports and design, these visionaries tackle today’s toughest challenges, creating lasting impact. Follow and listen to discover the strategies behind their success.

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20 episodes
Updated May 26

Episodes20

Newest first

Standout leadership lessons from the CNBC Changemakers Summit 5/26/26
Recorded at the third annual CNBC Changemakers Summit in New York City, this episode of Changemakers and Power Players features candid moments with some of the most influential women in business. The episode features Oscar-winning actress and producer Sandra Bullock alongside Warner Bros. co-chair and CEO Pam Abdi on finding the right moment for Practical Magic 2, how Warner Bros. bets on filmmakers, and what it means to embrace social media and AI-powered fan culture. Then, Naomi Watts shares t
May 26 · 33 min
She says motherhood in America is "impossible by design," Reshma Saujani on fixing childcare, paid family leave, and the culture wars dividing moms 5/19/26
Moms First and Girls Who Code Founder Reshma Saujani joins Julia Boorstin to talk about her documentary 'No Country for Mothers' and why she believes motherhood in America is "impossible by design." Saujani argues that the 'trad wife vs. girl boss' debate is just the latest version of a long-running culture war that distracts from practical solutions like affordable childcare and paid family leave. They also discuss the growing "power gap" for women in AI, and how she uses AI tools in her own wo
May 19 · 40 min
She doubled U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s revenue and turned the Olympic organization into a lifestyle brand 5/11/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC’s Julia Boorstin sits down with Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and a 2026 CNBC Changemaker. Goldschmidt shares how she reinvented the Olympic sports organization through innovative partnerships, more high-profile events, and a broader lifestyle strategy. She also breaks down leadership lessons from elite spo
May 12 · 36 min
She turned a personal diagnosis into a fast-growing women's health company 5/5/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC’s Julia Boorstin sits down with Rachel Blank, founder and CEO of Allara. Blank shares how her own experience as a patient led her to build a new model for women's healthcare and scale it nationwide. She also talks about how to raise capital in a skeptical market, why data matters more than storytelling, and how she's evolved as a leader.
May 5 · 25 min
She worked with Michelle Obama and Selena Gomez — now she's reshaping mental health in business 4/28/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, culture, and policy. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin sits down with Rare Beauty Chief Impact Officer Elyse Cohen, who is redefining what corporate impact can look like. From her time in the White House to working with Selena Gomez at Rare Beauty, Cohen shares how she's putting mental health at the center of a global brand. She talks about people-first leadership, the power
April 28 · 30 min
She's a 4-time CFO who took 3 companies public — here's how she did it 4/21/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC’s Julia Boorstin sits down with Amy Butte, a four-time CFO and Wall Street veteran who has taken three companies public. Butte talks about building her career in high-pressure moments — from IPOs to major market swings — and why discipline, preparation, and storytelling are central to how she leads. She shares lessons from her time on Wal
April 21 · 30 min
She partnered with Kim Kardashian to build SKIMS into a $5B brand — and now she's reinventing retail 4/14/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin sits down with Emma Grede — co-founder and CEO of Good American, founding partner of SKIMS, and an influential entrepreneur in modern retail. Grede opens up about how growing up in East London shaped her hustle — and her relationship with money — and why early failure ended up being one of her biggest advantages. She shar
April 14 · 37 min
She's a hedge fund manager teaching women to take control of their money—and their power 4/7/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC’s Julia Boorstin sits down with Karen Finerman, co-founder and CEO of Metropolitan Capital Advisors. Finerman shares how she built a hedge fund career on Wall Street, the lessons she learned from early risks and failures, and why mastering risk is key to success. She also explains her mission to help women take control of their finances,
April 7 · 44 min
How Elena Gomez became one of the most powerful women in tech 3/31/26
Julia Boorstin speaks with Elena Gomez, president and CFO of Toast, about her path from the daughter of immigrants from El Salvador to one of the most influential women in tech and finance. Gomez reflects on the work ethic her parents modeled, the career risks that helped her grow, and the leadership principles that guided her through roles at Charles Schwab, Visa, Salesforce, Zendesk, and Toast. They discuss what it takes to become a CFO, why women still face major barriers in corporate leader
March 31 · 37 min
She's building a company to solve America's caregiving crisis 3/24/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin sits down with Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, founder and CEO of Wellthy and a 2026 CNBC Changemaker. Wellthy founder and CEO Lindsay Jurist-Rosner talks about how nearly 30 years of caring for her mother inspired her to rethink how families navigate care — whether it's for kids or aging parents. She explains what it's like build
March 24 · 31 min
How this CEO rose to lead a $1.7 trillion financial giant 3/17/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin sits down with Jenny Johnson, CEO of Franklin Templeton and a 2026 CNBC Changemaker. Johnson reflects on growing up in a family business, building her career across nearly every part of Franklin Templeton, and stepping into the CEO role just before the pandemic. She shares the leadership principles that guide her — people
March 17 · 37 min
She's the world's youngest self-made female billionaire 3/10/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin sits down with Luana Lopes Lara, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Kalshi and a 2026 CNBC Changemaker. Kalshi co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Luana Lopes Lara talks about how her path — from growing up in Brazil and training in ballet to studying at MIT and working on Wall Street — shaped her discipline and
March 10 · 34 min
This "accidental CEO" is helping power America's energy future 3/3/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC’s Julia Boorstin sits down with Mary Powell, CEO of Sunrun and a 2026 CNBC Changemaker. Powell shares her unconventional path to leading the nation's largest residential solar and battery storage company. She also opens up about leading with intuition, why culture "eats strategy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner," and how to help solve Ame
March 3 · 30 min
The pharma executive working to end HIV in our lifetime 2/26/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin sits down with Johanna Mercier, Chief Commercial & Corporate Affairs Officer at Gilead Sciences and a 2026 CNBC Changemaker. Mercier discusses Gilead's groundbreaking HIV prevention innovation (a twice-yearly injection with 99.9% efficacy) and how her team moved within months of U.S. approval to expand access across Sub-S
February 26 · 37 min
She's the youngest woman to have led a Fortune 500 company and now running a $100B+ healthcare giant 2/17/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin sits down with Sarah London, CEO of Centene Corporation — the youngest woman to lead a Fortune 500 company and now at the helm of a $100B+ healthcare giant. London shares how a competitive mindset shaped her leadership, why she believes a CEO should "get all of the blame and none of the credit," and what excites her most a
February 17 · 46 min
The founder who turned $30,000 in life savings into a beauty empire 2/10/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features candid conversations with leaders shaping business and culture. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin sits down with Cassandra Morales Thurswell, founder and CEO Kitsch. Thurswell shares how she turned $30,000 in life savings into a global beauty brand without venture capital or outside investors. She discusses trusting her gut instincts over data and market research, why she deliberately avoided seeking advice from mentors and advisors
February 10 · 47 min
The billionaire teaching women to take risks through poker 2/3/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features candid conversations with leaders shaping business and culture. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin sits down with Jenny Just, co-founder of Peak6 and one of America's self-made female billionaires. Just started as one of the first women on the Chicago Options Exchange floor — where there wasn't even a women's restroom. In 1997, she co-founded Peak6 with $1.5 million. Today, her fintech empire powers the trading platforms millions use d
February 3 · 41 min
Parker Institute CEO Karen Knudsen on the race to cure cancer 1/27/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin speaks with Karen Knudsen--CEO of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and a 2024 CNBC Changemaker--about her professional journey from becoming the first female CEO of the American Cancer Society to leading the charge in turning all cancers into curable diseases. She discusses how the Parker Institute's unique mo
January 27 · 29 min
Lead Bank CEO Jacqueline Reses on disrupting fintech and the power of diversity 1/20/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin talks with Jacqueline Reses, a 2024 CNBC Changemaker and the co-founder, chair & CEO of Lead Bank. Reses discusses her ambitions to transform fintech, managing decisively, creating critical lifelines for small businesses during the pandemic, the role of DEI, and invaluable business lessons from growing up on the Jersey Sho
January 20 · 30 min
Clear CEO’s no-fear formula for massive growth 1/13/26
The CNBC Changemakers and Power Players podcast features conversations with leaders shaping the future of business, policy, and culture. In this episode, CNBC's Julia Boorstin talks with Caryn Seidman-Becker, a 2025 CNBC Changemaker and the CEO of Clear. They discuss how Caryn transformed Clear from a bankrupt travel company into a secure identity platform serving more than 30 million members, expanding beyond airports into enterprise partnerships with DocuSign and LinkedIn, combating AI-driven
January 13 · 27 min

CNBC Changemakers and Power Players

Standout leadership lessons from the CNBC Changemakers Summit 5/26/26

She says motherhood in America is "impossible by design," Reshma Saujani on fixing childcare, paid family leave, and the culture wars dividing moms 5/19/26

She doubled U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s revenue and turned the Olympic organization into a lifestyle brand 5/11/26

She turned a personal diagnosis into a fast-growing women's health company 5/5/26

She worked with Michelle Obama and Selena Gomez — now she's reshaping mental health in business 4/28/26

She's a 4-time CFO who took 3 companies public — here's how she did it 4/21/26

She partnered with Kim Kardashian to build SKIMS into a $5B brand — and now she's reinventing retail 4/14/26

She's a hedge fund manager teaching women to take control of their money—and their power 4/7/26

How Elena Gomez became one of the most powerful women in tech 3/31/26

She's building a company to solve America's caregiving crisis 3/24/26

How this CEO rose to lead a $1.7 trillion financial giant 3/17/26

She's the world's youngest self-made female billionaire 3/10/26

This "accidental CEO" is helping power America's energy future 3/3/26

The pharma executive working to end HIV in our lifetime 2/26/26

She's the youngest woman to have led a Fortune 500 company and now running a $100B+ healthcare giant 2/17/26

The founder who turned $30,000 in life savings into a beauty empire 2/10/26

The billionaire teaching women to take risks through poker 2/3/26

Parker Institute CEO Karen Knudsen on the race to cure cancer 1/27/26

Lead Bank CEO Jacqueline Reses on disrupting fintech and the power of diversity 1/20/26

Clear CEO’s no-fear formula for massive growth 1/13/26