When Daria Burke decided to write a book, she wasn’t chasing a publishing dream—she was answering an internal call. “It was really a chance to understand and articulate the story beneath the story,” she said in an interview about her bestselling debut memoir, Of My Own Making. “How trauma wires itself into our bodies and beliefs—and how, through science and soul work, we can rewire ourselves toward healing.” Plus, she said, people were curious. Her personal story of trauma didn’t fit with the curated image of herself she presented to the world.  

The process of writing the book was as layered as the story itself. It took Burke a year and a half to complete the manuscript after a year of developing the proposal—a rigorous process that included outlining chapters, drafting samples, writing a marketing plan, and identifying comparable titles. But it wasn’t just about putting words on paper. For Burke, it was about peeling back the polished layers of a successful executive to reveal the girl who had to raise herself.

Growing up in 1980s and ’90s Detroit, the daughter of parents who struggled with addiction, Burke navigated a childhood shaped by instability and deep poverty. Yet, by 30, she had become a director at Estée Lauder, leading a $350 million business. Her professional path looked enviable, but it was the hidden emotional terrain—and her determination to move through it—that forms the heart of her memoir.

Author and marketing executive, Daria Burke with her new memoir, Of My Own Making

“What we learn, we can unlearn,” she said. “And that means we can survive our emotions, even the ones that feel impossible. So much of healing is about knitting ourselves back together, especially the parts we had to let go of to survive.”

If she could speak to her 10-year-old self, Burke said she wouldn’t try to change the course of things. Instead, she’d simply say, “Hold on. I’ve got you.” She believes every painful lesson was necessary—but wants young people to know they have agency over what they carry. “You don’t choose what you inherit,” she said. “But you get to decide to be a person of your own making.”

That clarity of vision has shaped not only her personal work, but also her career. One of the most impactful pieces of advice she received early on was simple: play to your strengths. At NYU Stern, where she earned her MBA, Burke was surrounded by high achievers. “It’s easy to focus on what you don’t know,” she said. “But it’s critical to learn how to articulate your strengths and use them strategically.”

Before business school, Burke worked in marketing within the architecture and interior design industry, a path she found after graduating college at age 20 with a degree in English literature from the University of Michigan. Creative expression was always at her core—she was a theater kid, a writer, a storyteller—and marketing offered a way to tell compelling stories. But she wanted a seat at the decision-making table. That realization pushed her to pursue an MBA.

Stern was the right fit. “I wanted to redirect my marketing career into beauty,” Burke said. “New York was the epicenter for that industry, and Stern had programs and clubs focused on luxury and retail.” She was also awarded a prestigious Consortium Fellowship, a factor that validated both her potential and her purpose. “It wasn’t just the financial support—it was an investment in me and I felt welcomed.”

At Stern, Burke didn’t just study. She led. As a first year, she co-founded the Luxury and Retail Consulting Corps and helped launch the school's first luxury and retail conference during her time as Co-President of the Luxury & Retail Club. “Stern let us build,” she said. “We were setting foundations for programs that still exist today. That sense of pioneering was in the school’s DNA—and it attracted students who had that instinct too.”

The friendships she forged there remain some of her closest, with Stern alumni still showing up for her today. “They were my family then, and they still are.”

In the years since, Burke has had a career that spanned industries and platforms—from legacy companies like L’Oréal to tech giants like Meta, and most recently, board roles that allow her to stay engaged without getting pulled into the operational grind. “I thought I was taking a break to consider changing industries,” she laughed. “But six months turned into a year.” When she turned down the chance to interview for a dream job—CMO of Sephora—she knew something had shifted. “It told me everything I needed to know about where I was in my life.”

Burke is now in the middle of a cross-country book tour that includes a stop at Stern on June 24, 2025 at The Beekman Hotel. She’s barely had time to think about what’s next. For now she is taking things one day at a time and enjoying the process of sharing her story and inspiring others.