Missiles to Mascara is the story of a young American businesswoman’s experience helping multi-billion-dollar U.S. companies navigate the wild west capitalism of the chaotic post-Soviet time period—from the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

From being forced to drink Armenian cognac with old Bolsheviks in order to successfully negotiate her first warehouse contract to having to set up her own security company to protect her life and property from Russia’s burgeoning mafia, she places the exuberant, chaotic, and corrupt post-Soviet time period into the historical context of 1,000 years of Russian and Soviet history.

Hailed and harassed in turns, Julie Rasmussen was both the youngest member and only woman on the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, voted Businessperson of the Year, and was the country manager of the fastest-growing, largest, and most profitable international subsidiary of a major U.S. direct selling company.

She was its first and only female regional President until she retired at age 37—exhausted from burnout and stress—and was succeeded by a young woman she hired and trained herself.