COLD OPEN

Juliette held her playing cards close so no one else could see them. She was playing poker with a group of friends, stacks of plastic chips piled in front of each of them. Her friend shot her a sneaky look, as poker is both a card game and a mind game.
You don’t have to have the best cards to win—you just have to convince everyone that you do. Juliette’s hands remained steady as she clutched her cards and had perfected the look on her face, an expression that gave nothing away.
One by one, the players started to fold—the poker term for dropping out of the game. Everyone was out except for Juliette and one other friend. She could feel all eyes on her but she would not flinch. She was assertive and confident in the face of competition, just as her mother had taught her.
Jenny Just, successful entrepreneur and businesswoman, had shown her daughter, Juliette, what it looks like for a woman to thrive on competition, take risks and succeed. She’d taught her that at any table, women should play to win. Juliette picked up her cards and suppressed a smile. They’d never see her next move coming.

I’m Juliette Hulsizer. And this is Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls.
A fairy tale podcast about the real-life rebel women who inspire us.
On this episode: my mom, Jenny Just, entrepreneur and investor. Together we founded Poker Power, a company that teaches girls the skills to succeed at every table—from the classroom, to the boardroom, and beyond.

[SEGMENT 1]
Jenny grew up in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the only girl in a family with four brothers. Her parents raised her to take risks, push herself, and try new things: from tap and jazz dance teams to sports and art programs. Growing up around so many boys, Jenny knew that anything a boy could do, she could do too.

Jenny went to college at the University of Michigan, where there were so many paths she could pursue. She even tried studying architecture, but in the end, her open mind and love of math drove her to study finance and business—fields historically dominated by men. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in business administration.

[SEGMENT 2]
Jenny had always dreamed of moving to Chicago, “the big city,” so she knew she wanted to find a job there. The job recruitment process was intense. In one interview, she had to do complicated math problems in her head. “What’s 7,432 times 1,687?” the interviewer asked. “What’s 5,281 times 4,372?” With quick calculations and her best guesses, Jenny answered confidently. Later, she saw others exit the interview rooms in tears.

Jenny was grateful that she was able to think on her feet and keep her cool under pressure. And those skills paid off. Jenny was offered a job as an options trader, and her dream of moving to Chicago soon became a reality.
Being an options trader meant that Jenny spent long hours making strategic predictions on the value of companies, trying to make money from her bets. It was like a game! Back then, much of the work took place on trading floors or pits. These were giant halls where traders loudly called out their prices to make deals.
Jenny found herself in a room full of tall men, shouting their prices and bids, arms waving, the sound echoing around her. There were big screens on the walls that flashed prices.
A man approached her, leaning in to talk over the noise. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll protect you.”

She gave him a confused look. “Why would you have to protect me?” she said.
Maybe he assumed that a young woman like her would be intimidated, but she was not. She was exhilarated.
The intensity and competitive buzz in the air energized her. She felt like she was in the middle of all of the action, which is just where she wanted to be.
Jenny thrived in this environment and rose through the ranks. Along the way she met her future business partner, Matt Hulsizer, who would also become her husband several years later. When the company decided to move to the East Coast, Jenny and Matt knew they wanted to stay in Chicago. So, in 1997, they decided to start their own business called PEAK6.

[SEGMENT 3]
Jenny had never started a business before, but she was not afraid of taking risks.
She set a goal to take a small risk every day, getting used to the uncomfortable feeling. With practice, she began to trust herself. More importantly, when a risk didn’t pay off, she learned to get back up and try again.
Running her own company was not a straight line, but a wavy one. She learned more from the “failures” than anything else, and in fact, came to see them as important steps in her journey.
Over the years, though, Jenny and Matt were lucky to have more ups than downs. Their company grew and Jenny became one of the world’s few self-made billionaires. There aren’t a lot of women in this category— only 13% of billionaires are women, and less than 4% made the money all on their own. Jenny was proud of her accomplishments, and wanted to see more women in high power positions, especially in business and finance.
SFX:
[SEGMENT 4]
Now that Jenny had the experience and resources she needed, she started to provide leadership and mentoring opportunities for women. The more she thought about it, the more she began to see that you could empower more women by empowering girls.

One evening, Jenny, my mom, was watching my friends and me playing poker. She noticed that we were tentative, sharing our cards and chips, and shying away from making big bets. Jenny couldn’t stand to see strong and intelligent young women not asserting themselves. She had seen this in her career all the time.
Jenny believed girls could flourish in business if they could practice making “gut” decisions, taking calculated risks and bouncing back from failures. It just so happened that these skills were the same ones needed to become a great poker player. So, she also partnered up with ME, her daughter, and together we started “Poker Power.”
Poker Power is an organization that teaches girls and women how to negotiate, strategize, and play to win… instead of playing not to lose. Professional women poker players teach girls how to read other people and bounce back from losses. It’s not about winning money, it’s about learning the skills that will help them succeed in poker, AND in life.

After taking lessons and learning about poker strategy, my friends and I became more confident and started truly competing. We sat up straighter, strategized and took more risks, and started winning big.

Rebels, there is so much to gain from getting out of your comfort zone.
That day at the poker table, I decided to go all in.
I didn’t have the best cards, but I wasn’t going to let anyone know that. Instead, I stayed cool under pressure. And when the dealer showed the last card, the other player decided to fold, placing the cards down on the table. I was the last one standing. It felt good to win. More importantly, it felt good to know I have what it takes to succeed. And Rebels—you do, too.
Whether it is taking small, calculated risks, using your voice to stand up for your beliefs, or pushing yourself to get out of your comfort zone, you have the skills to succeed. Now bet on yourself and go all in!

CREDITS:
This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

This episode was narrated by ME, Juliette Hulsizer. It was produced and directed by Joy Smith, with sound design and mixing by Mumble Media.

The story was written by Sara Weiss and edited by Rebel Girls. Our intern was Arianna Griffiths. Our executive producers were Joy Smith and Jes Wolfe.

Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi.

A special thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team, who make this podcast possible! Until next time, staaaay rebel!