Mining is quite literally a rocky industry, and Lori McClenahan has certainly encountered her share of bumps on the way to becoming chief executive of St. Elias Mines, a Vancouver-based exploration company.

Decades ago, McClenahan found herself as a single mother just out of high school. She didn’t have any employment prospects, so she took a paralegal course to prepare herself to enter the business world. Soon she was working as a corporate securities paralegal, and followed up by becoming a stockbroker. She led the initial public offering of St. Elias in 1997.

Today, the company McClenahan started is focusing on exploration efforts in Peru, and there’s never been a better time to be in the gold business: Her company’s market capitalization stands at $220 million.

McClenahan’s philosophy is to “never stagnate.” That’s one of the themes that prevails throughout FORBES’ special report on the Secrets of the Self-Made, which features entrepreneurs from Tom Gores to Jay-Z.

McClenahan recently sat down with us in our New York offices to share her life story and tips on how to get to the top.