About this episode

Victoria Lai shares her journey from a government job to founding Ice Cream Jubilee and her family's immigrant history.

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.

People in this episode

Guest: Victoria Lai

Topics covered

• entrepreneurship
• ice cream
• immigrant history
• business pivot
• nonprofit work

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Ice Cream Jubilee, Food & Wine, Washington Post, Thrillist

Places: DC, China

More episodes of She Pivots

• Patricia Delgado: From Principal Ballerina to Tony Award Winner · June 3, 2026 · 52 min
• Heela Yang: The Unexpected Detour That Led to Sol de Janeiro · May 27, 2026 · 35 min
• Elizabeth Smart: Surviving the Kidnapping That Shook the Nation · May 13, 2026 · 53 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the She Pivots podcast page.