Your Wall Street & Silicon Valley Big Sisters Tell All

In partnership with the

What if your big sisters had worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, LinkedIn, and Snap… and gone to Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and Dartmouth… just to hand you the playbook?

In this episode of Hot Smart Rich, I sat down with Tiger Sisters, Jean and Cherie Brooke Luo — two powerhouse siblings with Wall Street and Silicon Valley résumés who made elite career advice actually relatable. Jean went to Dartmouth for undergrad and Harvard for her MBA, and built a $300M business at Snap. Cherie went to Columbia for engineering, Stanford for her MBA, and scaled products at LinkedIn. They spilled the tea on everything — from hacking Ivy League admissions and overcoming imposter syndrome to dating as successful women and whether a $250K MBA was actually worth it.

We talked about what it was like growing up with a Tiger Mom, how they cracked their way into the Ivies (and why you don’t have to), what it really felt like to be women in male-dominated industries, and how to stop doing free work and start owning your narrative. This episode was packed with tactical gems, big sister energy, and real talk about money, identity, ambition, and building a life that feels just as good as it looks.

♡ 01. Story-Driven Mindset ♡
We get our biggest mindset shifts from books—especially memoirs and fiction. Pachinko, Americanah, The Glass Castle, and Tiny Beautiful Things taught us more about storytelling, empathy, and human nature than any business book ever could.

♡ 02. Grounded Mornings ♡
Starting the day with affirmations on Spotify keeps us clear and calm. Cherie listens to these tracks to stay centered before a busy founder day.

♡ 03. Daily Matcha Ritual ♡
Our morning matcha comes from a family-owned tea farm in Wazuka, Japan. After interning there, Cherie made it part of her daily routine—not just for energy, but for intention and community support.

♡ 04. Red Light Mask ♡
My 36 year old skin looks 26 thanks to this red light mask.

♡ 05. Signature Scents ♡
Jean rotates between Oud Maracuja, Vanille Riviera, and Lys 41, layering perfumes to create scent memories tied to different seasons of life.

♡ 06. Blowout Reset ♡
This Glam Team is Jean’s favorite recent discovery—on-demand blowouts at home or while traveling are her go-to confidence boost. Use code JEAN for $25 off your first appointment and JEAN15 for $15 off a follow-up.

♡ 07. Smart Listening ♡
For laughs and clever culture takes, Jean listens to this podcast that makes her feel like she’s in on the smartest conversations in the room.

♡ 08. AI Co-Founder Hack ♡
This AI completely changed our meeting flow—live summaries, searchable notes, and even vibe checks help us lead our startup with more clarity and less chaos.

♡ 09. Cozy Nightcap ♡
Jean’s evening wind-down is a collagen milk mocktail: organic whole milk, ice, a little honey, and frothed water for that soft, comforting end-of-day treat.

♡ 10. Slippers ♡
These slippers are always on when we’re at home.

♡ Hot Hack ♡

Okay, I’ll say it — your hair is the outfit. I used to treat my hair like an afterthought, but once I got into styling it with the Dyson Airwrap, I became that girl. It’s wild how much a fresh blowout changes your energy — you don’t even need makeup, your whole look feels elevated. And on days I don’t have time to style, I focus on feeling strong: I’m obsessed with my workout stack right now… barre pilates, TRX, reformer pilates, glute strength classes, tennis. Feeling good shows up in how you carry yourself. Never skip the hair, it’s the high-impact cheat code. — Jean Luo

♡ Smart Hack ♡

Wealth is a vibe — and a system. I automated my savings and investing years ago and it’s been my favorite form of passive power. It’s like this quiet confidence of knowing you’re building in the background. Also, health is wealth. When Jean and I launched Sisters Matcha, we wanted it to be a luxury ritual that makes you feel good every single day. And honestly? It’s the best matcha we’ve ever tasted, and we literally hand-picked the leaves in Japan ourselves. Wealth is feeling aligned in your body and your bank account. — Cherie Luo

♡ Rich Tip ♡

We always remind ourselves that you become the sum of what you’re around — people, content, conversations, energy. A few years ago, we both realized we were being way too rigid about “luxury” being limited to fine jewelry, and it was actually a limiting belief. Now, we love mixing in high-quality fashion pieces like Melinda Maria that make us feel playful and experimental without waiting for “someday.” It’s about staying surrounded by things — and people — that make you feel inspired and abundant. When your environment is expansive, your mindset follows.

I loved the part where we talked about personal finance and got vulnerable about budgeting, mindset, and investing. It was such a candid conversation. I walked away feeling genuinely excited to implement Jean and Maggie’s suggestions and advice.

I’ve tried a bit of everything…from pottery to podcasting to pole vaulting, even starting an apparel company and a cooking instagram account. Some stuck, most didn’t. But I don’t see that as failure. I see it as training. My superpower is saying yes, figuring it out, and just doing the thing. I believe in accumulating experiences, not perfect outcomes. You never know which “random” decision will matter later, like how a spontaneous matcha farm internship in Japan led to founding Sisters Matcha a year down the line. — Cherie Luo

I first learned how to invest as a child in the 90s by buying and flipping penny stocks on the Neopian Stock Market (on the website Neopets.com). How else did you think I could afford all those Uber Faeries?? — Jean Luo