'Baby Einstein' Founder Julie Aigner-Clark Fires up TEDxDetroit Conference With Inspiring Story

The founder of the popular Baby Einstein video series, Julie Aigner-Clark, fired up the crowd in today's TEDxDetroit conference with a tear-jerker tale of beating Stage 4 cancer, coming up with a life-changing idea whilst sitting at home and running a multi-million dollar company in her pajamas.

Almost all of the important work I've done in my life, I've done in my pajamas, Aigner-Clark told the audience at the technology-focused conference, sporting a bed-ready oufit consisting of a white T-shirt, plaid pajama pants and slippers. She told the receptive crowd of coming up with the idea for the series of educational videos because she could not listen to the sound of Barney every day. The success of her start-up, she says, has now helped her raise her three children.

As part of her keynote address, Aigner-Clark also lectured the crowd on the importance of self-confidence, something she claims helped her not only succeed in business, but battle against recurring Stage 4 cancer. Had I not believed in myself and what I was doing, it never would've happened, she said, Believe in yourself.

The TED conferences (TED stands for Technology Entertainment and Design) are a series of global symposiums that bring together speakers in various fields to talk about what organizers call ideas worth spreading. This year's Detroit iteration runs all day today.

The Baby Einstein brand is a series of educational videos and toys that targets parents of children under 3. The company behind the original brand was founded by Aigner-Clark and her husband from their suburban Georgia home. Aigner-Clark later sold a majority stake of the company to the Walt Disney company in an undisclosed transaction valued in the tens of millions.