“By 30, I was separated from my husband, and I clearly remember sitting in my lovely office with a magnificent view, staring at a very lucrative pay stub, and bursting into tears because I was just miserable. So I had to make a decision: Keep following my plan, or be honest with myself and search for my true passion.”

American businesswoman, attorney and former government official

Valerie Jarrett is an American businesswoman, attorney, and former government official. She has led the Obama Foundation as chief executive officer since 2021, and was the longest-serving senior adviser to President Barack Obama. In the White House, she headed the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chaired the Council on Women and Girls. Before that, she served as chief executive officer of The Habitat Company and was a co-chair of the Obama-Biden Transition Project.