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Good Bad Billionaire - Sara Blakely: Shaping the world with Spanx

Sara Blakely grew up in Florida and dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but after failing the LSAT twice, she pivoted to sales and later entrepreneurship. Frustrated by uncomfortable hosiery, Blakely cut the feet off her tights and sparked an idea that would change fashion. With no formal business training, she cold-called hosiery mills and landed her first big break with Neiman Marcus, then with the Oprah Winfrey show. Spanx went from a scrappy startup to a billion-dollar brand that reshaped celebrity style and became a cultural phenomenon.

Journalists Zing Tsjeng and Simon Jack trace Sara Blakely's journey from selling fax machines to building Spanx into a global empire. They explore how she leveraged persistence, marketing, and risk-taking to disrupt an industry dominated by men - and what her story reveals about innovation, branding, and entrepreneurship.

Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast from the BBC World Service that explores the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics and success. There are business leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility. Simon and Zing put their subjects to the test with a playful, totally unscientific scorecard — then hand the verdict over to you: are they good, bad, or simply billionaires?

To contact the team, email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com or send a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. Find out more about the show and read our privacy notice at www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire

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The Source - Kate Rogers and the Alamo

Kathy Rogers is the former executive director of the Alamo Trust. She resigned in late 2025 under pressure from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Rogers advocated for a broader historical story of the Alamo. Now she is fighting back with a lawsuit claiming First Amendment violations to reclaim her job.array(3) { [0]=> string(38) "https://www.tpr.org/podcast/the-source" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> string(1) "0" }
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PBS News Hour - World - News Wrap: Iran threatens retaliation if U.S. intervenes in protest crackdown

In our news wrap Sunday, Tehran warned the U.S. not to intervene as anti-government protests in Iran and the ruling regime's deadly crackdown on them intensified, and Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir died at age 78. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
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PBS News Hour - Health - Investigation raises concerns about lack of FDA quality testing for generic drugs

By some estimates, about 90% of prescriptions in the U.S. are filled with generic drugs. The Food and Drug Administration says that all agency-approved generic drugs "have the same high quality" as brand-name drugs, but a ProPublica investigation found that the FDA rarely tests the quality of generic drugs. John Yang speaks with investigative reporter Debbie Cenziper for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
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PBS News Hour - World - How social media lures migrants into undertaking treacherous journeys

Many people use social media to document the things we enjoy most in our lives, like vacations, meals or the latest TikTok dance. But it can also be used to influence people to seek better lives, often through dangerous journeys that can have tragic results. This report was produced by students in the University of British Columbia's Global Reporting Program and narrated by Andrea Crossan. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
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PBS News Hour - Science - Scientists use new technology to track individual monarch butterfly migrations

Monarch butterflies make one of the most extraordinary migrations in the natural world, often traveling thousands of miles across North America. Now, scientists are using new tracking technology to get a greater understanding of those journeys. Ali Rogin speaks with Dan Fagin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who teaches science journalism at New York University, to learn more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
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Newshour - Iran warns US against intervention as protesters defy crackdown

The Iranian president has said he's willing to negotiate with genuine protesters over their economic grievances after another night of mass demonstrations. Also on the programme, the president of Cuba has said they are ready to defend their homeland to the last drop of blood following a new threat from Donald Trump to "make a deal" with the US "before it's too late"; and a look at tonight's Golden Globe awards.

(Photo: Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during an interview with the state TV, amid protests, in Tehran, Iran in this screengrab obtained from a video released on January 11, 2026. IRIB/via Reuters TV/Handout via REUTERS)

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Consider This from NPR - How powerful is Stephen Miller?

As the deputy chief of staff for policy and one of President Trump’s longest-serving aides, Stephen Miller has been the driving force behind many of Trump’s core policies. Ashley Parker, staff writer for The Atlantic, explains why Stephen Miller has President Trump’s ear.


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This episode was produced by Mia Venkat. It was edited by Sarah Robbins and Rebekah Metzler. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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