Hi! I'm Julia Collins, the founder of Girls Like You and Me. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a book editor, then a judge, then a professor... then by the time I was in college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I ended up working in jobs that I didn't love, all the while wondering what I should be doing with my life. I spent a lot of years feeling like I was in a holding pattern, waiting for my real career to start, even though I had several jobs and even a graduate degree all in the same field. When I heard people talk about how much they loved their work, I thought, "What are their secrets? How did they find something they love so much?"
In the spring of 2014, I fulfilled my lifelong dream of appearing on Jeopardy!, the long-running quiz show. I had the time of my life and won 20 games, taking second-place on the all-time winners list. I got a lot of media attention (something I never would have imagined when I tried out for the show) which made me think about how we talk about smart women doing cool stuff. I concluded that a) we don’t talk about them enough and b) there are way too many women doing cool things for it to seem out of the ordinary.
The unexpected result of being on Jeopardy! was being able to start something new! I took a while to enjoy my Jeopardy! whirlwind and think about what to do next. I still wasn't sure what I'd like to do, and became even more curious about how people found something great. I was inspired to start Girls Like You and Me to learn how those smart women found careers they love. I'm delighted to have found a reason to ask cool women lots of questions. (Because of my abundant curiosity or nosiness about other people, depending who you ask.)
Before Jeopardy!, I worked in supply chain, helping companies have the right things in the right place at the right time. I have a Master's of Engineering in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, which means that I know how to set up and operate a supply chain. I also have a BA in American history and art history from Wellesley College. I love history because you get to think about why people do the things they do, and art history brings history to life with visual imagery. Before that, I spent a lot of time reading, participating (but not excelling) in a bunch of sports, playing the flute, and being a Girl Scout. Growing up, I was pretty awkward and very shy, which surprises people who know me as a very talkative adult.
