- Our next guest has shattered glass ceilings
and she has made history.
And she's someone we're very proud to call a wildflower
which is people doing incredible things
that we wanna celebrate and highlight here on the show.
When I heard her story, I freaked out.
Watch this.
(upbeat music)
- Hi, I'm Lauren Simmons.
At 22 years old, I made history
by becoming the youngest,
and the only full-time female trader
at the New York Stock Exchange.
I am a Southern girl from Marietta, Georgia.
I did not have a background in finance.
I've had no intention of making history.
I just wanted to make my mom proud
of the first job that I got after college.
I made my way to New York
and was offered a job at the New York Stock Exchange.
I just hope that my story will inspire the next generation
to help build a great future for themselves.
(audience cheering)
- Freaking me out, reading her story.
Please welcome someone they call
the Wolfette of Wall Street, Lauren Simmons.
(audience cheering wildly)
- Thank you.
- I'm so excited to meet you.
I did such a deep dive on your story
and starting out you were studying genetics.
- Yeah. - because of your brother.
- Yes.
- So you were drawn to a numbers game.
How did you find yourself in the New York Stock Exchange?
What, what happened there?
- No linear pathway whatsoever.
I went to school for genetics.
I was in my senior year writing my senior thesis
and realized, hmm, this is not something I can pursue
because I wanted to alter DNA.
And it's illegal to alter DNA, only in China.
And since I wasn't gonna move to China
and I could not speak Mandarin,
I moved to New York, which is the second best city.
No, I'm kidding but,
New York is great.
And you know, I went and I really wanted to,
numbers is a universal language.
And so I said, where can I be where I can use numbers?
And, I ended up at New York.
(audience clapping)
- What I loved,
and I really appreciated this too,
that you said somewhere, like, be open to things
maybe you haven't studied for
or thought where your life's trajectory was gonna go.
If a job offer comes your way
that wasn't necessarily in your wheelhouse, be open to it.
Is that true?
I love that.
- Yeah, be open to opportunities.
I think we get so fixated on what our plan ABC is.
And I think the most growth comes
from people just stepping outside of their comfort zone,
getting a little uncomfortable and taking a position,
taking a job that you would've never thought of.
I mean, I'm sure you have, like roles--
- I didn't think I'd end up here.
I could say that, it's true. - Which is amazing.
- At one time you were the youngest,
full-time female trader on the floor.
(audience cheering)
One of the stories I loved was that when you and the boys
would go to the bar afterwards,
how would you handle that?
- I was the only woman on a floor with 250 men.
And, you know, as a woman with no other women around me,
you have to think of yourself.
And so a lot of these meetings, a lot of deals get closed
by going out and partying, which whatever,
they would pass around rounds of tequila shots.
And I would tell the bartender after the first drink,
fill it up with water, put some salt,
add a little lime to it, make it real.
And I'd just be throwing back, you know, shots of water.
- God, (audience clapping)
I wish I had done that.
Cause then your, the second half of your sentence was
I didn't wanna be like the sloppy, messy girl.
And I was like,
(audience laughing)
oops!
I spent most of my life being that girl, life of the party.
(upbeat music)