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Unlocking Optimal Performance: Leadership and Resilience Lessons from AG1’s Kat Cole

Unlocking Optimal Performance: Leadership and Resilience Lessons from AG1’s Kat Cole

At INBOUND 2024, AG1 CEO Kat Cole joined Women's Health Editor-in-Chief Liz Plosser for a powerful conversation on leadership, resilience, and the future of health and wellness. Sharing hard-won insights from her one-of-a-kind career journey, Cole offered a roadmap for aligning personal values with professional success and why true performance optimization starts from within.

THE POWER OF AN AUTHENTIC JOURNEY

Kat Cole's path from Hooters waitress to global health CEO might seem unconventional, but for her, every step was rooted in resilience and authenticity. Starting work at 15, opening international franchises at 18, and leading major brands like Cinnabon and Focus Brands by her early 30s, Cole built a career by embracing challenges head-on.

"I started being a host at Hooters at 17, then a waitress at Hooters at 18," Cole shared. "By the time I was 30, I had run all of these industries, led global enterprise and expansion."

Personal experiences ultimately guided her next chapter: navigating her mother's cancer diagnosis, her own pregnancy, and a deep dive into nutrition led her to AG1—first as a customer, now as its CEO. Cole's journey reminds us: aligning your career with your personal mission can unlock your true leadership potential.

STRENGTH ISN'T BUILD IN COMFORT ZONES

When asked about strength, Cole reflected on a pivotal moment during the early days of the pandemic: running a business that was being "decimated" while her infant daughter battled a severe respiratory illness. In the hospital, facing immense uncertainty, she thought, "I'm glad it's me."

"Strength is that place we find in a moment when we are required to be our best selves."

For Cole, strength is not just physical, but the mental and emotional fortitude to face challenges head-on. Strength, she explained, comes not from avoiding hardship, but from stepping up when it matters most. For leaders and individuals alike, the lesson is clear: resilience is a muscle built in moments of adversity.

EMPATHETIC LEADERSHIP: A SUPERPOWER (WITH LIMITS)

Cole credits much of her success to practicing deep empathy—starting with seeing situations from others' perspectives, whether customers, employees, or family. "The only way to drive change is to first start with what is the view from where they sit. It doesn't mean I have to agree. It doesn't mean it's right at a macro level. It means I must understand that that is the view from where they sit" she said.

Yet she also warned of empathy's "dark side": absorbing too much of others' pain can cloud judgment. "I can't be the leader or the mom or the wife I need to be if I'm taking in everyone's pain, I'm taking in everyone's perspective. I have to be able to take it, hold it, understand it, and then maintain my responsibility and my self-love and keep my cup with enough room so I can be there for other people." Cole shared.

Effective leaders balance compassion with clear-eyed decision-making, setting healthy boundaries while staying connected.

INNOVATING BEYOND THE PRODUCT: SETTING NEW STANDARDS IN HEALTH

In the crowded health and wellness market, Cole shared how AG1 stands apart. Rather than multiplying SKUs, AG1 focuses on doing one thing exceptionally well, and backing it up with rigorous research, quality controls, and new business models.

"Innovation is not just additional products which we will have... Innovation also comes in the area of research, quality, and safety," Cole emphasized.

From investing millions in human clinical studies to implementing security measures like holograms to fight counterfeits, AG1's approach shows that true innovation isn't just more products, but raising the bar across the entire industry.

PUTTING YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MISSION IS

Both Cole and Plosser shared insights on how they're investing resources to strengthen customer relationships, even when it means sacrificing short-term growth. For AG1, this means commissioning expensive human trials that can take years to complete, while for Women's Health, it's about redirecting efforts toward deeper coverage of women in sports.

"It's scary honestly when you're so focused on deepening the relationship and the loyalty and engagement with the reader, you also have to give up some scale to do that because it takes time and investment," Plosser noted.

Cole agreed: "Big time. You could be using those dollars and resources for something else."

Building authentic brand loyalty often requires making bold investments that prioritize long-term relationships over immediate returns.

TAKEAWAYS FOR BUSINESS AND LIFE

Kat Cole's story offers powerful lessons for anyone looking to grow as a leader, entrepreneur, or individual:

  1. Align your career with your personal mission.
  2. Embrace challenges as opportunities to build resilience.
  3. Lead with empathy, but protect your own energy.
  4. Innovate by raising industry standards, not just expanding product lines.
  5. Invest in trust and loyalty, even when the returns aren't immediate.

Ultimately, Cole reminds us that performance optimization is about purpose, resilience, and the everyday choices that move you closer to your mission.

Watch Kat Cole's full session here. 

INBOUND Team

INBOUND Team

Providing year round news, trends and inspiration from the editorial desk of your favorite immersive experience.

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