Did you know that more women became self-made millionaires in the last five years than in any previous decade? In 2025, that momentum is only accelerating.
This year’s Top 10 Self-Made Women list shines a light on the innovators, builders, and bold thinkers who turned ambition into action without inherited wealth or shortcuts. These women have carved their own paths in industries ranging from tech and fashion to finance and social impact. What unites them isn’t just success, but the fearless way they’ve redefined it on their own terms.
If you’re looking for true stories of grit, growth, and trailblazing leadership, these are the women to watch.
Pamela G. Munoz, Esq.
Pamela Genghini Munoz is an Immigration Attorney based in the southwestern United States. With over 20 years of experience, she is attempting to demystify the world of immigration law for her clients with competence and compassion, providing them with options they may not have considered before. “For whatever reason, I tend to attract clients with complicated immigration cases, be it because of complex immigration or criminal histories, or because they aren’t what most people consider the ‘typical’ immigration client,” says Pamela, explaining that anyone, including U.S. citizens and business owners can find themselves requiring someone knowledgeable in immigration law to assess a legal matter for them. “Immigration law has always changed more rapidly than other practice areas, and these days it’s truer than ever before. It’s a challenging time to need an immigration lawyer, and I’m excited to put my knowledge to work for you!”
Wanda Knight
Wanda Knight is a seasoned sales leader with over 25 years of experience in enterprise technology sales at a Fortune 20 company. Known for her strategic approach, she thrives on planning, research, and pushing beyond comfort zones to achieve ambitious goals. While her career has been marked by consistent success, her greatest fulfillment comes from seeing her team excel. Beyond sales leadership, she is building her presence in the digital creator and influencer market, focusing on fashion, beauty, and health and wellness. An avid traveler and member of Vogue Club and Vogue Business Club, she has attended exclusive events such as Vogue World Paris and the Met Gala Viewing Party, blending her passion for fashion, travel, and bold career reinvention.
Vanessa Kahlon
Vanessa Kahlon has been supporting families for more than two decades as the Founder and Executive Director of Kahlon Family Services in the San Francisco Bay Area along with KFS School. Known for her innovative approaches to emotional wellness and behavioral support, she created YEAS YOGA for self-regulation in children and the 3R Method to foster social-emotional growth. Her work has been recognized nationally, with features in Forbes New York, Bloomberg, and the New York Journal, and her parenting book was adopted district-wide by the San Bernardino Unified School District for Tier 3 families.
Amber Berger
Amber Berger is not your average wellness expert—she’s a strategist, storyteller, and systems thinker redefining what it means to thrive in midlife. After healing herself from Crohn’s disease at just 14 using food and holistic practices, she’s spent the last three decades living and leading a lifestyle that proves: sustainable wellness starts at home. As the founder of The Well Drop podcast and The Drop newsletter, Amber offers busy, high-performing women more than just advice; she delivers clarity, trusted resources, and bio-individual strategies they can implement today. Her signature Midlife Upgrade Reset cuts through the overwhelm of information overload and guides women to reclaim their energy, optimize hormones, and feel fully alive again in just 14 days. Whether you’re navigating perimenopause or simply ready to stop surviving and start thriving, Amber is the wellness strategist you didn’t know you needed. Start your Midlife Upgrade today and subscribe to The Drop for weekly wisdom, tools, and inspiration.
Suphy Kung
From crisis to category leader, Suphy Kung has turned personal setbacks into a global lifestyle travel brand. As founder and CEO of GillyGro, she is redefining on-the-go living with award-winning, transformer-style backpacks and organizers built for versatility, organization, and effortless mobility. Her path was forged in adversity—navigating divorce, financial collapse during the 2008 recession, and a layoff that ended a 20-year corporate career with leadership roles at Tesla, Shanghai Disney Resort, and Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Refusing to be defeated, she spotted a gap in the travel market and launched GillyGro, whose Kickstarter exceeded its goal by 115% in just 24 hours, earning multiple product awards and worldwide demand. Once determined to be a “self-made woman,” her perspective shifted when everything fell apart. In surrendering control and embracing faith, she found the grace that rebuilt her life. Her greatest lesson: lasting impact begins with humility and trust in a greater force.
Janice Kephart
Janice Kephart is a national security changemaker, biometrics pioneer, and entrepreneur whose work has shaped global identity standards and border policy. As Counsel to the 9/11 Commission, her words in the Final Report—calling for systems to “assure a person is who they say they are”—helped redefine national security as border security. With 19 Congressional testimonies, she has been instrumental in linking identity assurance to the prevention of terrorist travel and fraud. Internationally respected for her work in biometrics, Kephart co-founded Identity Strategy Partners to modernize identity frameworks across government and industry. Today, she leads ZipID, an innovative platform revolutionizing employment compliance through real-time biometric I-9 authentication. From helping craft international border requirements to advancing federal identity strategy, Kephart’s lifelong commitment to protecting people through policy, technology, and law is clear. She builds where others hesitate—turning risk into resilience. Learn more: zipidapp.com | LinkedIn | Wikipedia.
Lauren Lucas
Lauren Lucas is living proof that you can come from nothing and still build everything. A small-town Ohio girl turned 7-figure entrepreneur, she’s helped over 650 families build wealth through real estate and coached thousands of agents to scale their business and reclaim their freedom. As the co-founder of the LKW Home Team, creator of the AI-powered CRM Profit Pulse, and leader of a fast-growing national community of real estate trailblazers, Lauren is on a mission to help underdogs change their family trees. Named 2025 Innovator of the Year, she’s now a sought-after speaker, AI strategist, and voice for those ready to stop settling and start building a life by design. She didn’t wait to be chosen; she built the table, pulled up a chair, and invited others to rise with her.
Jenn Kessel-White
Meet Jenn Kessel-White, powerhouse Co-Owner of The LKW Home Team and branding strategist for bold entrepreneurs ready to reignite their business. While scaling her top-performing real estate empire, Jenn uncovered a powerful truth: when you work with aligned clients, burnout fades and fulfillment returns. She ditched the energy-draining deals and built a brand framework that attracts “Hell Yes” clients before the first Zoom call. Now, she’s packaged her magic into a branding program for business owners craving clarity, confidence, and clients who actually get it. Still actively leading her real estate team, Jenn helps fellow entrepreneurs eliminate the Sunday Scaries and reclaim pride in their work. Her mission? To prove that success doesn’t require selling your soul—or your sanity.
Babita Spinelli
Babita Spinelli is a public figure, a globally recognized psychotherapist, and relationship expert dedicated to helping men and women embrace life and relationships with authenticity. A keynote speaker and SXSW presenter, she also consults on workplace mental health, high achievers, and media-related mental health topics. Featured in leading industry magazines, including Forbes, Babita has guided hundreds of clients through personal and professional transformations. Her approach is thoughtful, tailored, and deeply results-driven—ensuring clients feel safe, understood, and empowered. Drawing on years of research, learning, and practice, she blends therapeutic insight with practical strategies to create meaningful change. Whether addressing specific challenges or guiding broader life shifts, Babita helps individuals move toward a life of confidence, fulfillment, and authenticity.
Charis Michelsen
Charis Michelsen’s “contributions to the beauty and fashion industry are commendable,” according to Forbes; Huffmag wrote she’s “the Thomas Edison of fashion and beauty,” and Elle stated she’s “defining tomorrow.” Michelsen’s revolutionary invention, the world’s first science-based Universal Beauty Standard System™, facilitated the creation of an AI personal stylist and is an industry earthshaker. Charis also authored and self-illustrated the most comprehensive beauty books to date, which, like her AI stylist, guarantee to maximize an individual’s physical appeal, and she’s the creator and host of a hot new fashion and beauty-related TV show linked to a legendary Hollywood establishment. Harper’s Bazaar qualified Charis as “Hollywood Royalty,” as her former father-in-law is movie producer Robert Evans, and her former mother-in-law is actress Ali MacGraw, and she’s helping to shape the future of Hollywood with one of its most powerful new studios. Per Vogue, “She’s more than a muse—she’s the method.”
