Julia Haart on Leaving Everything Behind and Building a New Life at 42

“Ignorance, people, is good! Jump in. Enjoy it. Ask the questions. Study. Learn. Be an eternal student. That's how you succeed.”

Most founders talk about taking risks. Julia Haart walked away from an entire life.

At 42, she left the ultra-Orthodox community where she had spent her entire life, with no formal education, no college degree, and no roadmap for what came next. Within a few years, she built a successful shoe brand, became Creative Director of La Perla, launched a Netflix series, and continued building businesses on her own terms.

In this episode of Entreprenista, we sat down with Julia Haart, the founder of +Body by Julia Haart, a body-positive, technologically advanced shapewear brand that aims to empower women to unapologetically express themselves and feel confident in their own skin. Julia is a serial Entreprenista whose inspiring journey began when she left her orthodox community at the age of 42. Now, she stars in the hit Netflix series "My Unorthodox Life," a show that documents her extraordinary departure from her Haredi Jewish community and her journey to becoming a prominent figure in fashion and business. 

Since starting her entrepreneurial journey, Julia has created a successful shoe brand, served as Creative Director of La Perla, and now her latest venture, +Body by Julia Haart. Tune in and hear about Julia’s journey escaping her former ultra-orthodox community, the story of how she pitched her Netflix TV show, and a behind-the-scenes look at how she developed her new shapewear brand with feedback from her audience.

In this Entreprenista Podcast, Julia shares what it really took to start over, why she believes ignorance can sometimes be an advantage, how she built confidence by learning in public, and the lessons she's carried through every stage of her entrepreneurial journey.

You can listen to the full episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Here Are a Few Moments From the Podcast

Julia explains why not knowing the rules became one of her biggest advantages:

"I think my ignorance was a huge help in multiple ways.

The minute you think you know all there is to know, you're going to create nothing. Because you think it's all there. You think it's good the way it is. It isn't good the way it is.

The reality is that not knowing is what makes life exciting. Because if you don't know the answers, that's when you start asking the questions. That's when you start innovating and creating.

And because I didn't know how things were done, I just went and said, 'Okay, well, this is how I think they should be done.' And then I just went and did them."

She shares what happened after leaving her community and starting over at 42:

"When I was 42 years old, I decided to walk out the door, and I left with my children.

And I started a shoe brand a month later. In nine months I made my first million. In a year and a half I was being sold in over 100 points of sale.

A year later I became Creative Director of La Perla, and then became the executive producer of a TV show, wrote a book, took over EWG, have done a few things, and here we are 11 years later."

The story behind her decision to leave is one of the most powerful moments in the episode:

"My daughter looks at my husband and she says, 'Okay, if I'm responsible for his sins, is he responsible for mine?'

And that was it.

They had convinced me that I was intrinsically flawed, that I wasn't okay with the system. No one can convince me that my seven-year-old wasn't.

The logic was so mind-blowingly simple that my seven-year-old saw through it. And so that was the day. Literally, that day I gave myself permission to acknowledge that it wasn't me."

Julia uses an unforgettable story from the San Diego Zoo to explain the limits we place on ourselves:

"The guide told us that this animal, in order to jump, it goes up to the edge of something, looks up to calculate the distance, and then jumps.

When this animal goes up to the edge of its enclosure, it looks up, it sees that half pipe, and it thinks there's a ceiling. And it never jumps.

It could walk right through. There's nothing there.

That's us. We think there's a ceiling, but it's all in here. We could literally walk right through. There's no impediment. And yet because we think there's an impediment, we create the impediment."

After a costly manufacturing mistake nearly derailed her first company, she refused to quit:

"I spent probably three days crying my eyes out and panicking and waking up in pools of giant sweat.

And then I was like, 'Julia Haart, what the hell? Get yourself off this bed and do something about it.'

Failure just wasn't possible. Failing meant I had to go back.

To me, it was success or death. That was really how it felt inside."

Her definition of entrepreneurship comes down to one idea:

"Seeing what isn't there.

That's what it is, seeing the future, and then realizing this is what's coming, and I'm going to get there first.

I like being first."

You May Also Like

• Lori Harder, Gloci: How She Turned Setbacks Into a Multi-Million Dollar Brand 
• Alexis Grant, They Got Acquired: Secrets and Strategies for Selling a Business Every Founder Should Know 
• Gwen Whiting, The Fill: What She Wishes She Knew Before Selling Her Business 
  

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Connect with Julia:

• Julia Haart (@juliahaart) 
• Website: BODY by Julia 
• LinkedIn: +BODY by Julia Haart 

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Updated on: June 26, 2026

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