How Reese Witherspoon Is Rewriting the Narrative for Women of All Ages

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode will give you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on iTunes, and stay tuned.

It goes without saying—Reese Witherspoon is an iconic female of this generation. From actress and producer to entrepreneur and activist, Witherspoon is a dynamic creative writing her own story. Since her first film debut at just 15 years-old, Witherspoon has become one of the biggest female actresses starring in notable films such as Election, Cruel Intentions, Wild, and (a WWW favorite) Legally Blonde, and winning an Oscar for her performance in Walk The Line. In 2011, Witherspoon had her aha-moment after a phone call with her agent that resulted in frustration of the lack of dynamic roles for women, and she decided to take matters into her own hands. "I did not want to live inside an institution that did not make room for me,” Witherspoon explains to Second Life. Thus, Hello Sunshine, a media brand anchored in storytelling, was born.

On a mission to change the narrative for women, Witherspoon founded Hello Sunshine, which has produced scripted and unscripted television, feature films, podcasts, audio storytelling and digital series, all positioning women at the center of the story. Hello Sunshine produced the exceptionally successful and critically acclaimed series including Big Little Lies and The Morning Show as well as the interview series Shine on with Reese. Recently, Hello Sunshine announced the launch of its kids and animation division with the goal to create content celebrating a younger audience and start helping young girls in their journey. Aside from acting and producing, Witherspoon is the founder of apparel, accessories and lifestyle brand Draper James, inspired by her childhood in the south.

While Witherspoon's accomplishments and acclamations are monumental, they didn't just happen overnight. There is hard work in the transition from actress to producer, and Witherspoon's career in Hollywood wasn't always rainbows and butterflies. But most importantly, Witherspoon has managed to put forth her knowledge and experience toward a greater good in rewriting the narrative for females everywhere. Head to iTunes to subscribe to Second Life, and listen to this brand-new episode to hear all about how Witherspoon has used her career to make a difference for other's future.