Raised in Direct Selling & Ready to Lead
March 1, 2025 by Lisa Robertson
There is an emerging generation of powerful, influential and trailblazing female executives who were literally raised in the industry by their iconic parents. How are these second-generation leaders staying the course and where they are charting a new path forward?
March is International Women’s Month, and at Direct Selling News we strive to recognize and honor the invaluable and unique role direct selling plays in the careers of women—whether in the field or at corporate headquarters.
From the beginning, direct selling has offered a viable, powerful and flexible opportunity to millions of women around the world. It’s also an industry where women have founded and fostered amazing companies.
From legendary icons like Brownie Wise, Mary Kay Ash, Mary Crowley and Jan Day to their present-day counterparts Joni Rogers-Kante, Melissa Thompson, Mindy Lin and Nancy Bogart (to name just a few), the C-Suites of direct selling companies are filled with powerful, innovative, thoughtful and dynamic women. It’s one of our favorite things to celebrate and champion direct selling.
But when we looked at what story we wanted to tell this year in honor of International Women’s Month, we quickly realized a shift in leadership has been happening at several powerhouse companies in the channel—a shift worth noting and exploring. There is a new generation of female executives taking the lead, women who have been a part of direct selling their entire lives.
Conventional wisdom holds that when you first become a part of a direct selling company, it takes about six months to really understand what is going on. The lingo, business model, methods and cultures are unlike any other channel of distribution.
But the women profiled on the following pages were literally born to be a part of direct selling. They have been in and around the channel their entire lives. Hanging out at the corporate office. Playing with distributors’ kids at incentive events. Taking the stage at mammoth conferences under the mentorship of their parents.
These women have done and seen it all—and they are now taking center stage, leading the companies their parents founded, building on the strong foundations they’ve seen firsthand.
Words to Lead By
The legacy that I want to continue is being a change maker—helping people improve their lives, become better parents and leaders. I want to help others create generational change for their families.
Q / Do you have any special memories of visiting your parents at the office or in being involved in the business at an early age?
A / My parents always did a really good job involving me in the business. Early on in their first company, I got to be the official spokesperson for their charity. I made a speech and helped lead a fundraising effort at their national conference to help support this effort. The speech was in front of thousands and thousands of people and was my very first public speech. I didn’t know at the time that my future would be filled with many, many more speeches on stages at conferences very similar to that one!
Q / What are the biggest lessons you learned from your parents about direct selling?
A / One of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned from my parents is to always make decisions based on integrity and your core values. I have watched them walk through very hard decisions, and they’ve never wavered from their values. They always took the path that aligned with those even when it was the hardest path.
Q / Are there any particular challenges you face as a generational leader in direct selling?
A / Starting out I had really big shoes to fill. Jeff Olson, my father, is a very well-known and respected leader in direct sales. For a long time, I was worried I couldn’t live up to the reputation. But as I have grown and developed as a leader, I have created my own vision for the future of Neora. I’ve fully stepped into my own voice and feel empowered and ready to lead this next chapter.
Q / What are you most excited about for the future of direct selling and for your company?
A / I think we’ll continue to see a lot of change over the next decade in this space. I think for the companies that are set up for the future and aren’t scared to evolve there is massive opportunity unlike we’ve seen in a really long time.
