Today we’d like to introduce you to Yasmin Nouri.
Hi Yasmin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always been fascinated with business and entrepreneurship. Ever since I was a kid, I was hustling to create things and make money – whether it was making handmade jewelry, starting an online magazine (who remembers zines?!), or creating a “salon” in my grandparent’s living room. I joke that my most successful businesses were all launched when I was under the age of 10. As I look back, I realize my flair for wanting to build things has a direct correlation to my parents – both first-generation immigrants who moved to the US from Iran to create a better life.
My father is a serial entrepreneur, and I give him substantial credit for instilling the same spirit in me and our family. Both my parents are business-owners, enabling me to witness firsthand their experiences working tirelessly for hours, the risks they shouldered, and the dedication and resilience required to weather the ups & downs of entrepreneurship (as my dad says, the “sky never falls.”) They taught me at a very young age that truly anything is possible and instilled confidence within me that made me believe I could do anything with focus & hard work. However, my love for entrepreneurship was put on hold when I graduated from college and focused on a path that society considered to be “successful.” I entered the world of finance & investment banking, moved to NYC, had an incredible salary, and was living the proverbial “dream.”
After several years of working in my “coveted” positions, I found myself feeling unexpectedly unfulfilled and miserable in my career. Wanting to make a change, I moved back home to LA and spent a few years in the tech & start-up world in search of my purpose and passion. This was also the first time I truly tapped into my sense of what brings me personal joy and happiness versus what other people’s expectations of me were. On my quest to find my passion, I sought out successful, self-made women, entrepreneurs & mentors who I admired and who could help inspire me on my own journey. These conversations played a powerful role in my own personal and professional life, giving me the tools and confidence to build my own empire. It was at this point that I felt inspired and motivated to share the same experience with more women around the world, and that’s when the “Behind Her Empire” podcast was born.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh, I’ve hit many bumps along the road and I am sure I will continue to hit them 🙂 Starting out – the most challenging hurdle I had to overcome was myself. I was terrified to leave my career and the reputation I had built for myself over the years. So much of my identity was tied to my work and the financial success I created for myself, but in my gut, I knew I had to make a change because my heart wasn’t in it. I also knew I didn’t want to let my fear of criticism or judgment hold me back…and most importantly, I didn’t want to live a life of regret. So, I took the plunge: I left my career and committed to only working on things that aligned with my mission of empowering women to feel great in their lives – I’ve done this so far through my podcast, Behind Her Empire, and a new company focused on women’s health, Biya (set to launch early next year). Do I have self-doubt? Do I get scared? Do I deal with imposter syndrome? Yes, all the time! But the one thing I’ve learned is not to let those thoughts get in my way and to quickly redirect them to only focus on the positives. After leading more than 50+ interviews with self-made women, I realized that negative self-talk is the greatest enemy to success. The ability to control your thoughts and confront them head-on is *required* to succeed in the world of entrepreneurship.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m the Founder/Creator of the Behind Her Empire podcast, a weekly interview show focused on highlighting self-made women leaders & entrepreneurs and having vulnerable conversations around how they tackle their career, money, family, and life. I’m passionate about elevating women’s voices and stories from all different backgrounds since there is a major lack in what women see as possible and what’s highlighted in the press. We often focus on the glamorous side of success and entrepreneurship without spending enough time speaking to the challenges, failures, and key lessons learned along the way. What’s fascinating about the interviews I’ve done to date is that most of the women started their business during the last major recession or after a serious moment of adversity. These entrepreneurs defied incredible odds including multiple bankruptcies, being single mothers without a support system to dealing with rejection daily to get their “crazy” idea off the ground.
Some of our inspiring guests include Lavinia Errico (founder of the high-end luxury fitness chain, Equinox), Janice Bryant Howroyd (founder of the billion-dollar company, ActOne), Toni Ko (founder of NYX Cosmetics which sold to Unilever for a reported $500 million), Heidi Zak (founder of ThirdLove, a lingerie brand valued at over $750 million), and more! It’s important that we have these real conversations to not only inspire but also to give women the confidence they need to create the life they want & deserve. I’m so grateful and proud of the community we’ve built at Behind Her Empire over the past six months. I’m a firm believer that women are capable of accomplishing amazing things when we support and lift each other – we can truly change the world.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/behindherempire
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindherempire
