Guests

Bikram Choudhury is the founder of Bikram Yoga, a series of 26 yoga postures practiced in a room that’s roughly 100 degrees. Bikram started practicing yoga in India when he was four years old, and there are now over 2000 Bikram Yoga centers across the globe, including in South Africa, China, England and the United States. Bikram refers to his class as a torture chamber but insists that 90 minutes of suffering is better than 90 years of suffering.

Bikram explains how he launched a popular—and controversial—yoga brand, from scratch.

Prior to founding Badger, Bill Whyte was a carpenter who wanted to find a remedy for his dry, cracked hands. While tinkering with different botanical and natural ingredients like olive oil and beeswax, he discovered that he had a knack for creating natural solutions to common skin conditions. Bill and his family started Badger in 1995, and the New Hampshire based company sells its expansive line of natural body care products—including sunscreen, lip-balm, body oils and soap—worldwide.

Bill speaks with Jessica Harris about how he and his family launched a leading natural skin care company, from scratch.

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There are more and more students graduating from college looking to become entrepreneurs. But where do they start? What kind of business should it be? Where will they get the funding without a track record? Jessica speaks with two pioneers who launched their natural food company when they were recent college grads. Kelly and Brendan started Bear Naked, a line of granola and cereal that’s available across the United States. They explain how they managed to build a multi-million dollar food company, from scratch.

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(Photo Courtesy of Nicole Haley Photography.) Phil and Erin Stead are husband and wife, and author and illustrator of A Sick Day for Amos McGee, an award winning children’s book. A Sick Day for Amos McGee received the Caldecott Medal in 2011 and was listed as one of the 10 Best Illustrated Childrens’ Books of 2010 by The New York Times.

Phil and Erin speak to Jessica Harris about creating their first book together, from scratch.

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Jessica Harris speaks with the founder of TUMI, Charlie Clifford. TUMI is a leading travel accessories company that has been making high-end, durable travel bags since 1975. The company has over 50 retail stores worldwide, with locations in Tokyo, London, NY, Paris and Chicago.

Cupcakes have been a staple of American culture for generations, but lately they’ve experienced a “gourmet renaissance.” They are over sized, stuffed with just about anything you can imagine, and are priced to match. Mia Bauer left her career as an attorney and started a bakery in Manhattan that made gourmet cupcakes. A few years later, she and her husband had a successful cupcake franchise on both coasts.

Jessica Harris speaks with Mia about how a lone shop became one of the leading gourmet cupcake businesses in the country, from scratch.

Pat Helding left her Wall Street job to start her brownie bakery in 1991, my pretty… Fat Witch is a mail order company with a retail shop in Manhattan’s Chelsea Market. The logo, packaging, and yummy treats make Fat Witch a favorite destination among tourists and locals. Pat tells Jessica the story behind Fat Witch, from scratch.

When you’re preparing for a job interview, you want to put your best foot forward. But sometimes there’s a catch 22 when it comes to what to wear: How do you afford a suit if you don’t have a job, and how do you get the job if you’re not wearing professional clothes? Jessica speaks with Nancy Lublin, founder of Dress for Success, an organization that provides clothes to unemployed women for job interviews.

Nancy describes how she launched Dress for Success and helped thousands of women get jobs, from scratch.

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Growing up in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Greg Mortenson was raised by a family of humanitarians. After his sister died from a struggle with epilepsy, he decided to climb K2 in her memory. While descending K2 after a failed attempt at the summit, Greg accidentally stumbled into Korphe, a remote Pakistani village. Nurtured back to health by the community, he made a promise to return and build a school for the girls.

Greg is the founder of the Central Asian Institute, an organization responsible for establishing schools, mostly for girls, in Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. Greg’s story is captured in the New York Times best-selling book Three Cups of Tea.

Jessica Harris recorded her interview with Greg in May 2010, prior to the allegations that surfaced against him a year later, in April 2011. He is charged with fabricating stories in his books and misusing the Central Asian Institute’s funds to promote his books. Greg tells his story in this interview, from scratch.

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Baby bottles come in various shapes that aren’t necessarily “baby friendly.” But there is one company, Adiri, that makes a bottle that most closely simulates a mother’s breast and makes feeding easier for parents and baby. Jessica Harris speaks with Adiri CEO Jennifer Morrill, as we learn the inspiring story behind this innovative baby-feeding company, from scratch.