Leading through crisis: LifeWay Foods CEO Julie Smolyansky on gut instinct and pandemic response

Executive overview

When COVID-19 emerged, most companies waited for data. Julie Smolyansky acted on instinct — drawing on refugee family history, crisis counseling experience, and early signals from Europe to move weeks ahead of the market.

She stockpiled seven weeks of inventory, personally hunted down fever thermometers across Chicago, and wrote warning letters to retail buyers whose computer systems couldn't model panic.

Founders who've lived through personal crisis carry a pattern-recognition advantage that no inventory algorithm can replicate.

Early signals and supply chain moves

• Tracked European demand patterns and predicted U.S. would follow the same trajectory
• Stockpiled seven weeks of kefir inventory before U.S. panic buying began
• Wrote preemptive letters to retail category buyers warning of demand surges
• Buyers largely ignored the warnings — their inventory systems had no logarithm for panic
• Result: LifeWay could fulfill orders three to six times the normal quantity when surge hit

Operations under pressure

• Visited all production facilities in person throughout March to maintain morale
• Implemented mandatory masks, fever testing with infrared thermometers, and floor tape for social distancing
• Personally visited ~30 grocery stores and pharmacies to source thermometers when none were available in Chicago
• Shared emotional moments with long-tenured staff; framed safety protocols as personal care, not legal compliance

Leading with personal history

• Family fled Soviet Union in 1976; parents survived famine and bread lines — scarcity was formative
• Took over LifeWay at 27 after father's sudden death; learned to lead through disbelief and crisis
• Previous career as trauma and crisis counselor, including domestic violence work
• Pandemic mirrored the emotional arc of her father's death: initial adrenaline, then adaptation
• Self-care treated as non-negotiable, not optional — oxygen mask principle applied deliberately

Women in crisis leadership

• Argued women are historically underrepresented but disproportionately effective in crisis
• Coin the term "sheroes" in LifeWay's thank-you commercial to spotlight female essential workers
• Domestic violence surges in recessions and lockdowns; participated in RAINN Mother's Day PSA
• Called on boards to actively place women in leadership roles during the pandemic

Lessons for global health and business resilience

• U.S. global health preparedness fell short despite prior warnings; pandemic was predictable in shape
• Global health is a national security issue — weakest-link logic applies across borders
• Consumer behavior data (home cooking, immunity focus) signals durable shifts, not temporary blips
• Adapt business models to the new reality; don't wait for "normal" to return