Crop Tops & $210M Exits: Anne Mahlum on Radical Responsibility and Winning on Your Own Terms
About this episode
Jess Ekstrom interviews Anne Mahlum about authenticity in business and her journey to building a $100M empire.
Have you ever felt like you had to mute your personality, change your style, or "fit the mold" just to be taken seriously in business? What if the very things people told you to tone down were actually your greatest superpowers for building a $100M empire? Welcome to the premiere episode of Making It with Jess Ekstrom . This week, Jess sits down with Anne Mahlum , the visionary founder of [Solidcore] and Back on My Feet. Anne famously raised $210 million from private equity while wearing see-through crop tops, proving that authenticity isn't just a buzzword—it’s a high-stakes competitive advantage. In this raw and uncensored conversation, Anne pulls back the curtain on her $100 million exit, why she refuses to be a "one-hit wonder," and how she transitioned from a "starving founder" to a fitness mogul. They dive deep into the "hustle muscle" fueled by early pain, the importance of "happy endings" in business, and the biological shifts of entering her next big chapter: motherhood. Tune in for: The story behind the see-through crop tops and why Anne refused to change her hair or style for private equity partners. Why "fake it till you make it" is bad advice and how trying to fit in…
Topics covered
- authenticity
- entrepreneurship
- business success
- personal branding
- fitness industry
More episodes of Making It with Jess Ekstrom
- Making it to...raising Jess Ekstrom with Jess's Mom, Laurie Ekstrom
- The Power Pause: Why Stepping Back Might Be the Most Ambitious Thing You Ever Do
- From the Locker Room to Oprah's List: How Cookie Society Built a Cult Following on Grit, Data, and Really Good Cookies
- The Power of Four Words: "Have a Nice Life"
- The SNL Exit Strategy: Lindsay Shookus on Trust, Fame, and Receiving the "Motherfing Data"
- New Name, New Season Coming March 11th - Making It with Jess Ekstrom!
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Making It with Jess Ekstrom podcast page.