After making history as the youngest New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) woman trader, Lauren Simmons is back in the limelight with another project. Simmons has come out with her own podcast show dubbed “Mind Body Wealth with Lauren Simmons.”
She partnered with Spotify for the podcast show. As part of the deal, Simmons will share new episodes exclusively on Spotify. With her guests, Simmons will share money insights and talk to other leaders about their relationship with money.
According to her, people openly discuss several topics, including taboo subjects, but are reluctant to talk about money. Simmons said her podcast show is to empower the next generation when it comes to their finances.
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“I felt it was more rewarding for me to empower the next generation when it came to finances than for me to become a product of a company,” Simmons told Know Your Value.
“And here I am. We are 100 percent going to change the narrative. People can talk about sex, politics and so many taboo subjects, but people are so hesitant to talk about money. You need to know, ‘what is your relationship with money?’ It’s one of the most instrumental things if you want to change your financial circumstances,” she added.
At 23 years old, Simmons made history when she became the youngest female on the floor as well as the second-ever African-American woman working as a trader at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in its then 225-year-history.
Since her story broke in 2018, she has been featured on ABC, CNBC, CNN, Face2face Africa and Fox, to name a few. “Fearless Girl” Simmons has traveled to several countries to share her inspiring story.
Simmons graduated from Kennesaw State University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in genetics and a minor in statistics and originally aspired to go into genetic counseling. However, she made a decision to put that on hold.
What had not changed was her passion to move to New York City, where networking led her to meet Richard Rosenblatt, the CEO of Rosenblatt Securities. Beyond her many qualifications, it was ultimately Simmons’ confidence that led Rosenblatt to take her under his wing as an Equity Trader.
The job wasn’t completely hers; she still had to pass the series 19. This test has a pass rate of 20% in a class of 10. She studied the book cover to cover for a month straight and successfully passed on her first try.
“I had a month to take the exam,” she told CNBC Make It, “and when I tell you a lot of people did not think I was going to pass, they really did not think I was going to pass.”
“When I see statistics that say ’80 percent don’t get through,′ I look at the 20 percent,” she added. “So when everyone kept saying, ‘It’s a hard test. Don’t worry if you don’t pass,’ for me, I needed to pass to prove to myself that I could do this.”
In 2018, Simmons made the list of Politico’s Women of Impact. Hollywood- AGC studio is producing a film based on her life. She is the executive producer on the project and actress Kiersey Clemons will portray her in the movie. Simmons hopes the movie, upon its release, will motivate and inspire others.
“If my story motivates other young women, and women of color, then I’m absolutely honored. I want my story to do that,” she said. “I want there to be more success stories. I want to hear more women doing more things, especially being bold in male-dominated fields.”
Additionally, Simmons has received endorsements from Invisalign, Ford Motor Company, Club Pilates and LinkedIn. She is actively working on her first publication focused on women and millennials in finance.
