October 2, 2025 • 47 mins
In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk with entrepreneur and Peloton head instructor Robin Arzón about how she built her own brand while also growing Peloton’s. In this conversation, Arzón tells the hosts why she decided to leave her law career to dive into the world of fitness, how she decides which deals to pursue as one of the top fitness influencers and why she thinks it’s important to treat every day like she’s re-auditioning for her job.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to the DL. I'm Jason Kelly, I'm Alex Rodriguez.
All right, today we've got a banger of an episode,
Robin Arson. She is not only a top Peloton instructor,
she's a top executive at the company. Plus she's building
this whole empire outside of Peloton.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Jason, She's a force of nature.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
I mean, she went from being a corporate litigator to
being one of the top influencers in the country. And
I'm really interested to know how she's transferred some of
those skills from being a corporate litigator to being one
of the most influential people in sports.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Absolutely, she's talking about investing in teams. There is nothing
she can't do, and she is full of energy. Coming up,
Robin Arson, robinar Zone, we are so happy to you.
(01:00):
Welcome to the deal. I mean, I've known you a
little bit. I feel like I know you really well,
which is part of the reason that we're going to
get into this amazing brand you built and this connection
you have with people. But I have to say, Alex,
we've been talking about the fact our phones have been
blowing up, about the fact.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
That we're sitting here with yes, yes, Well, first of all,
no one's more excited than Jason, And as a result,
I'm also very excited because my phone's been blowing up,
my girlfriend Jack, my daughters who love Peloton, but they
love you. But like I thought, we were interviewing like
Taylor Swift.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Today, I mean it's really exciting. Yeah, but you also
a corporate lawyer.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
First of all, I do want to know, like, how'd
you go from being a lawyer to where you are now?
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Well, I was a corporate litigator and my dad was
a lawyer growing up, and I used to sit on
his blue books. He was also a law professor, a
real estate law professor in Philadelphia. He taught a Temple,
went to and taught at Temple, and so I kind
of grew.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Up with the law.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
When I was ten years old, you asked me back
to school, what am I going to be? It was
I was a lawyer. So I did practice law for
eight years. I was a corporate litigator, and I was underwhelmed.
If you asked me if I hated it, I wouldn't.
I didn't hate it. I actually it was a malaise
that I think is pretty pervasive, frankly in a lot
of industries, but especially law, and I fell in love
with running. So I started running when I was in
(02:19):
law school. I really started running to run through a
really traumatic incident that happened when I was in college,
and I wrote about that in my first book, shut
Up and Run, and that actually used to be my mantra.
It was like, stop the chatter, let's shut it up,
let's lace up and run. And I started doing marathons
and ultra marathons while I was still practicing law, and
I had this moment where I thought, I can't count
(02:42):
down to only like twenty minutes in Central Park that
were my release throughout the week. And I had such
admiration for athletes who made this their lives, and I thought,
how can I pay my rent with something that I love.
I quit law two weeks before the London Olympic Games,
and with a cracked iPhone, I went and slept on
my friend's couch and just quote reported from the games.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
And so this is kind of an influencer.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Marketing was like just becoming a thing, and I kind
of hit lightning in a bottle like at that time,
really recording and documenting my athletic experience as an as
a person who's not a professional ated I.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Have a quick follow up on that because you worked
at one of the most respected law firms. So explain
to me, like, when is the moment that you look
in the mirror and say, I'm at a great law firm,
I have a great career, great trajectory.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Young lawyer doing well.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
I want to go do something else. Yes, most people
would think that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Well, especially like I don't know. I come from a
refugee immigrant family. My dad, you know, grew up in
the Bronx and was born in Puerto Rico. My mom
is a Cuban refugee. And to think that I would
leave something that was so secure to.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
Do question mark, question mark question. I didn't even know.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
I was like building the rocket ship as it was
leaving the station. The fact that they supported me was amazing,
not supporting me financially but emotionally. Right. I told my
mom and my dad, you are never going to have
to pay a time. I'm going to figure this out myself.
And I lived below, well below my means when I
was a lawyer, and it just saved, safe, safe, safe, saved,
and it was actually at a crossroads of buying an
(04:18):
apartment or leaving law. It was like am I going
to be all in or am I going to give
myself like financial freedom?
Speaker 5 (04:25):
And thank goodness that I did, because I was able.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
To take really big bets on myself that if I
were tethered to, you know, a mortgage, trying to aspire to,
you know, live like the Jones Is in New York City,
Like that's a pretty high bar.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Do you remember the moment you've made the decision, when
you're like this is happening.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I think it's iterative right that there are lots of
different inflection points. So it was probably a two year
slow burn where I was like I really love this
other thing, this.
Speaker 5 (04:50):
Thing is just okay, and it would come home.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
I was still working like eighty hour weeks, you know,
I still had billable hour requirements and partners that I
that I really respected actually and learned a lot from.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
But it was this malaise that I mentioned.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
So would I remember coming home one night from the
office seamless it was called seamless web at the time,
was like my best friend or or whatever on the
client's time, but like still working right through dinner and
I got home at eleven nineteen and I opened up
the notes app on my phone and I just made
a list of the things that I thought I was
(05:23):
good at and that I wanted to be able to
showcase in the world. There was no wrong answer, and
it was literally be able to show my tattoos, be
able to use my oral advocacy skills on a wider scale,
be able to you know, talk about sports as somebody
who was not an athlete historically, and you know, literally
it was like be able to run, be able to sweat,
(05:43):
and it's what my job is now at Peloton and
beyond to the letter, Yeah, you could call it business planning,
manifestation mumbo jumbo. It worked because I was able to
clarify with with specificity, how I wanted to feel in
this new life. And then it was like, Okay, I
got a marry skill set with opportunity and now I
(06:05):
at least know what to look for.
Speaker 5 (06:07):
And that was probably six months before I quit.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
And then two weeks before the London Olympic Games, I
just pulled off the band aid and I was like,
I just need to be around these athletes. I need
to be around the people who are talking about sport
and living it, and I just wanted to be in
their orbit, like breathe the same air, not obviously as
a fan, but as somebody who could like engage in
conversation with these people. And that was the objective. And
(06:31):
I remember going to one of the track practices and
talking to the USATF, the USATF PR person, and like
I was like, I just want to ask the Felix
one question and you know, now you know we're you know,
she's my friends, your girl.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
So it's just amazing how you know, you peel the
layers of the onion and like there's always more there.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
I think about being a Yankee for a long time
and playing baseball for over twenty five years, some of
the virtues and characteristics that I've taken from sports to
bring to the boardroom. I'm curious talk about lawyer. You
have to be buttoned up, you can't show your tattoos,
you can't really show any motion opposite of what you're
doing now. But it was there anything you took that
you learned in law that's helped you be such an
a great communicator and connected to people.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
For sure.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
As a storyteller, I think if you can make a
legal brief interesting, you can do a lot with more
interesting topics. But the billable hours model that I lifted
from my law career directly impacted my ability to see
movement and my ideas around storytelling within the Walldless umbrella
(07:37):
as a business because during these the beginning of these
influencer marketing days, it was a lot of gifted products
and like pr packages, which are still obviously relevant now,
but back then it wasn't really you pay an influencer
for a campaign. It was like, I'm going to give
you shoes, and you're just going to be so grateful
(07:57):
that I gave you shoes that you're not really going
to know the value the marketing dollars of what you
just gave me. And obviously we're so deeply grateful to
receive product. I still am, but that's not going to
pay my rent, Like my landlord was not gonna be
like thanks for these nikes, you know. And so I
adopted a billable hours model and I just said no,
(08:18):
you can't pick my brain.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
I'm a consultant.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
And some brand said no, but enough said yes, And
then I was being booked not only as talent but
also as a consultant for these marketing agencies.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
How do you discover Peloton? So twenty twelve, you're talking
about Peloton is what Pelton was.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Probably it's like co founders plus a few initial leadership folks.
They hadn't opened the studio yet, and I read about
Peloton in an article and then I reached out to
the company.
Speaker 5 (08:48):
Cold cold email.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
So during this time I was I was teaching cycling
at a local SPIN studio, I was working on my
first book, and I was.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
About to publish my first book.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
When I started a Pelton, I was one of the
first instructors hired, and we had our original studio on
twenty third Street.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
So, Robin, one of the great advantages to being a
lawyer is being a supreme great writer like this guy, Jason.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
What did that emao say?
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Well, I wanted to sell the vision, the passion, and
a little bit of the skill set. And I was
a new or Spin instructor, right, so I couldn't say like,
I've been in this industry X amount of years. But
I told them that I saw how disrupted this technology
could be, and I wanted to light fires like I
want to light fires in people's lives and that is
(09:33):
still one of my core mandates for all of my businesses.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
It's got to light fires.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Yeah, and they kind of believed the passion of the email,
and then it was followed up two days later with
an audition and then you're seeing like can you walk
the walk?
Speaker 5 (09:49):
And thankfully they accepted.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
And so how do you prepare for an audition? Like
you're teaching classes, so you know what you're doing, but
I assume you know you have to get used as
someone who taken a lot of peloton class. You're speaking
to a camera. I mean you're speaking to me, but
I'm in my basement, Like, how do you like lock
in to communicate like that? How do you develop that skill?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Well, for me, it definitely started as a lawyer, Like
I used to walk around my apartment and pretend that
I was speaking to you know. Really it was more
it was less courtroom stuff, a lot of deposition stuff,
and I would practice that Q and A and kind
of the mental gymnasis of like if they say this,
I'm going to say this. And obviously when you're presenting
a class or a speech or something, it's different. It's
(10:31):
not usually like a volley back and forth. I almost
visualize it like I'm writing it on a board, And
those are the things that end up coming into my
notes really.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah, like when you're on the bike.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
No before oh, always prepping my class plan at my
playlist beforehand, right, and then I'm usually listening to the
playlist as I'm going into the studio, okay, And the
things that I want to say in class are kind
of embedded, like I visually see it.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, and it's sometimes it's for myself talk and then
sometimes it's imagining Jason, you know across who is.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
That red light?
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Yeah, there's enough of a feedback loop with our members
you'd be a social media sometimes.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
Obviously if they're in the studio, then I kind of
have a.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Sense of what the conversation is around certain types of movements,
certain types of classes and Robin.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
When you get off I mean, obviously in baseball when
you have a good game, the score, but it will
tell you if you have a good game or not, right,
So it's very easy when you get off that bike.
Do you know was this a ten? Was it a nine?
Was it a five? Do you know if you had
a great class and if you hit all your points?
Speaker 1 (11:33):
I mean, energy is currency, right, Like there's just a
moment where you're you know, whether you hit it and
whether you were in a flow state. Right Like if
I'm in a flow state in most of my classes.
When I'm not, it's just life. It's distraction, it's my kid,
it's whatever. It's life. And my job is to refocus myself.
And I have tools and tactics to do that like
(11:54):
any athlete would. But that is the interesting thing is
that we're maybe more like a TV network and that
I might get I'll get like the numbers and things
like that with my producers later and I'd be like, oh,
this class was Gangbusters, And I'm like, really that twenty.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
Minutes to bottle class was like this, right?
Speaker 1 (12:14):
But I really And then this is what I say
to the other instructors, Like we have the responsibility to
walk into every class like it is an audition to
be there.
Speaker 5 (12:22):
And if you do not.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Have the appetite to treat every class like it's an
audition to be there, then you don't belong on the
team anymore.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
And that's truly the standard that I try to hold
to myself, not saying every class is a ten out
of ten but I do approach the work ethic with
that respect.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Well. And it's interesting too, because you know, pretty quickly
you get to a point because you know, you and
I first met when I was anchoring the Bloomberg Business
Week show. We came out to a homecoming event. Homecoming
is that? Yes?
Speaker 5 (12:50):
Well it was homecoming okay, maybe.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Back in the day, right back in the day. And
I mean at that point, you know, this is ten
years ago, probably eighteen years ago. You know, you were
already in a position where you were the lead instructor.
So how does it get to the point where you're
not just an instructor, but you know, John Foley, co
founder and then CEO like gives you the responsibility to,
like essentially to your point, sort of run the network
(13:14):
in terms of the talent side.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, well, our chief Content officer has the C level
role of like quote, running the network, and I report
to them. You know, our current c CEO is Jen Cotter,
and I've worked with her for a number of years.
But when I was promoted, it was you know, earlier
or pretty early days in Peloton.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
I do think that my law degree helped.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I was able to uniquely sit in meetings and kind
of understand like business KPIs and also understand the talent needs.
Sometimes I'm wearing talent hat, sometimes I'm wearing like an
executive hat. Yeah, and it could be one meeting. I
might swap those hats many many times. But it's you know,
championing the instructor's points of view, because I mean it
(13:56):
didn't always Pelton didn't go into the talent business. But
it's now out in the talent business. Oh yeah, but
that wasn't initially. That perspective wasn't always appreciated, especially when
group fitness was a lot more common back in those days.
With other competitors, it was like, yeah, I'm here to
teach a cycling class, but I'm a business right, And
it took some iterating on that concept.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
So Broban, when you think about wearing different hats when
you look at talent, what are the first two or
three things you look I mean, obviously, when I look
at a baseball player, I'm looking for speed, I'm looking
for a great arm, I'm looking for a great body.
Someone's going to age. Well, what are the things that
you look for in a great talent?
Speaker 1 (14:34):
I think at this point we're really proud of the
diversity and the breath that we have in with our
instructor team, and we scale obviously, right, so we don't
need five of the same exact type of instructor or musicality.
I want a point of view, right, so it's there
is a physicality obviously to what we do. Like you
(14:55):
have to be an athlete, clearly, you have to have certifications,
you need to be a subject matter expert.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
But that's like dime a dozen.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I want somebody who has a point of view that
can translate that to after thousands of hours of doing it,
because somebody can audition and bs something for twenty minutes. Yeah,
you can't really do that when you're sprinting, when you're
on your you know, thousandth class. Like there is just
something that is very raw and real, and that is
(15:23):
where you get to the kernel of somebody's point of view.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Well because you also, i mean, what's also clear and
you know, you have an incredible following. We want to
talk about sort of how you build your brant. But
like as you look at you know, who's resonating numbers
don't lie, you know, and like you see the views
and you also see the you know, to use a
marketing term. You know, those classes or those instructors who
have a long tail. So how do you think about,
(15:48):
you know, growing your own community but also sort of
growing these complementary communities as you again create that right
mix of instructors.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Right, I mean we want to we've always to members
first organization, So we want to meet our members where
they are in their various life stages, right, And so
from a content perspective, we're considering, you know, what are
people doing, how are they moving, and how can we
meet them there or even widen the aperture of like
what it means to be have wellness offerings including non
(16:19):
class content. So we introduced nutrition content with some of
our instructors. I'm coming up with a cookbook next year
based on my plant based philosophy and point of view
on eating and those recipes. So it's important to meet
members where they are, but also honor the life stage
and the evolution, like I am not the same person
that I was, you know, twelve thirteen years ago when
(16:41):
I joined the company, And so it included creating prenatal content.
Speaker 5 (16:46):
You know, it's obviously.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Entering the longevity conversation with something that is purposeful and
having content that pairs with it, but also having a
roster like we do want younger instructors, yeah, you do.
We want instructors that are going to meet growing demos
as well as honoring our core. And then we do
look at demos for certain instructors and you know, it's
(17:09):
where's their crossover, where's their expansion opportunity, where is their
business as usual? Where we just know it's working, and
we don't want to you know, mix the drinks too much.
It's like some folks kind of have their core, yeah,
and then some folks are more expansive to demos that
we do want to explore.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
It is funny, I mean to think about it. And
Carolyn Tish Watchet, who you worked with obviously back in
the day, she was on the show as well, and
you know, obviously was a key voice and sort of
a lot of the branding and sort of growing you
guys as brands. You know, one of the deals that
you did early on is Adidas. You know, you established
a relationship. How does that come about? I mean, clearly
(17:48):
you had your eye on the prize of like building
your own brand. Tell us about Adidas.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
So I started to understand that there were marketing dollars
in these deals. From initially working on the agency side
and Nike Women was my client, so I was doing
their social media and I started to get a little
bit of visibility into like how these campaigns are kind
of run and funded.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
You were consulting.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
I was consulting.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
So I was on the agency side with the agency
called Team Epiphany, and Nike Women was their client. And
this was literally three weeks after the London Olympic Games.
It was like my first job out of law. I
was like, heck, yeah, I want to do this, and
then I realized six months later, oh, like I want
to be the talent that they're booking. And it was
kind of the wild West too, like where marketing dollars
was like, oh, maybe we don't need a million dollar commercial,
(18:37):
We're gonna splice it.
Speaker 5 (18:38):
Up this other way.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
That became my first foray into even the terminology, like
I didn't know that world at all. And then in
the early days of joining Peloton, my first book came
out and that book got me on the radar of
an agent, so I joined WME. I was with WM
for a number of years. I'm now with more recently
(18:59):
with U but then I was like, oh, I have
an agent, this is a business like this, There are
ways for me to structure these conversations. And of course
lean on folks who know this stuff, and they were
used to endorsement deals with you know, the.
Speaker 5 (19:12):
A Rods of the world.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
And I was one of the first brand sponsored deals
with Adidas for somebody who's not a professional athlete. Wow.
And it was pretty purely based on like brand recognition
of the regular person and social media KPIs and then
of course you know the services that were built in there.
(19:35):
It was you know, event appearances and photo shoots. And
I remember I had done some modeling before my Adidas steal,
but I remember being on set for my very first, huge,
massive Adidas campaign and they had like a body double
for me and they were like asking me if is
this okay?
Speaker 5 (19:52):
Would you wear this? And I'm like, oh, like you,
my opinion is relevant here.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
And then I realized, right, I'm representing myself as well
as the brand and in the marketplace. And that was
when I was like that synergy has to exist, and
whenever there isn't that synergy, then I know that it's
probably not the right place for you.
Speaker 4 (20:09):
Yeah, so then the light goes up. Then you go,
oh my gosh, so I'm a brand. Yeah, I also
represent Peloton and Adidas things. I'm pretty cool. How do
you think about scaling that opportunity?
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Well, I was with Adidas for I think almost five years,
and then I started thinking, like, what do I already
use and consume and experience that makes sense?
Speaker 6 (20:31):
You know.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I think I've worked with over forty brands in like
the twelve years since I've had these deals, and now
I'm definitely at the place where it's like I want
to go deeper with fewer brands. You know, back then,
I think it was very common for like I'm just
going to post this one social media thing and it's
a lot of like a lot of little smaller stuff,
and that was very much part of the game back then.
(20:53):
But I think it's now more curated for sure, at
least from my perspective, it's much more curated.
Speaker 5 (20:58):
And I don't really do social media only deals ever anymore.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
It's usually a hybrid ownership stake or some kind of
advisory thing that is more than just you know, a
brand deal. It really opened my eyes to different categories,
different verticals, so it wasn't just things that were adjacent
to movement and athletics. It was, for example, when I
had my first child, it was a toy line. And
then that was you know, a royalty deal that was
(21:24):
a toy line, babe, that was based on ip from
my children's books. That were, you know, in walmarts all
across the country. These are things I could not even
have imagined, but my life stage and the opportunities met.
Speaker 6 (21:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
So as you're speaking, I'm thinking about the NBA and
the WNBA, and I'm involved with the Minnesota Timberwolves and
the Lynx, and I'm very passionate about this. And my
background is baseball, so come from a little bit different world,
but some things crossover. And what I'm thinking about is
the culture you've created inside the four Walls. I'm thinking
to myself as you're speaking, how do we create that
(22:11):
culture and energy and light the fire inside the four
walls or Targets Center where both teams play. I know
you're a consultant, but it's free advice. I can pay
you later. What kind of things will you be thinking about?
You know, when you have twenty thousand people, there's a
lot of heat in the room. Teams are doing well,
how would you think about it?
Speaker 3 (22:30):
High level?
Speaker 1 (22:30):
I mean, I think it's storytelling and ritual. I think
that's what's ritual ritual. I think that's what's so cool
about fandom.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
What do you mean by that?
Speaker 1 (22:39):
So there's the story that we all understand, and is
that like what the media is capturing conversations like this?
I think, especially with social media, it's like user generated
content of the fandom. That is what I think is
so interesting about seeing what members post because there's like
things that you can't plan, like curiosity is around yellow
for example, Like yellow became a thing because I was
(23:02):
just yellow is kind of my power color, and I
would naturally wear that for tough classes like to botom classes,
interval sprints, race day, and now that's a thing, like
people wear yellow for these classes and it is associated
and now it's going to be incorporated into some products
that I have coming out athletic products because there's a
thing about that. So that's what I mean about what's
(23:24):
the story and then what's the ritual? And can you
kind of pair those things? You know, from a product
perspective or even a storytelling perspective. You know, before the
games after the game.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
Yah.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
And then of course there's like the adjacent things like
fashion and stuff where there's just little hooks that you
kind of have to marry like the details with the
larger story, and it's finding the right people who can
like notice the details, like, oh, fans are kind of
doing this weird thing, whether they spot it in the
venue or on social media, and then you make it
(23:55):
a thing and then that becomes a snowball kind of.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
In the dots kind of thought.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
The ritual point is really interesting too, because the ritual
of classes, I mean that met Calotop for eight years.
It is ritual based, you know, it is like it's
a routine in the same way that like showing you know,
showing up to a game or watching a game being connected.
I mean, you know better than anyone the rituals of baseball, Oh.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Yeah, and as superstition, like right, fans were the same colors.
If you win, if your fair player Anthony Edward scores
forty to post about it and like do something weird
about it or they drank a certain thing, right, And
the idea is how do we guess connect those dots?
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Yeah, and spotting what's already naturally happening and then communicating
what the players and what the teams are doing, because
people just love understanding, like what's the morning routine, what's
the ritual?
Speaker 5 (24:44):
What what do you do pre show?
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Like and unpacking that and like telling that story in
a way that is appropriate for the brand. So I'm
really curious, alex As, how do you choose the teams?
You know you entered sports teams ownership group troops that
are not baseball, So how did you do that? Because
I just recently invested in a football club, women's football
(25:09):
club in Europe. I can't announce the name, the team
name yet, but I was a little trepidacious because it's
I'm not like a soccer expert, but I'm so passionate
in this opportunity to come across my desk, and it's like,
how do you toe that line of like I can
offer something here? Because for me, it's not just the dollars,
it's like I also want to be able to sit
and see it's like this and be like this, I.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
Believe in this.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
So Rob, that's a great question. So for me, Magic
Johnson was kind of like my north star. He was
one of my heroes, someone that I just loved so
much going back to the Laker days. I showtime with
pat Riley, and it's interesting he went from the hardwood
to the boardroom. He also went from the court to
baseball ownership with the Dodgers, and I've gone from baseball
to basketball.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
And with Magic and I talk.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
We often are advising each other, him on the Timberwolves
and the Links, and me for the Dodgers. But in
a weird way, I think sixty percent you have a crossover.
You still want great character, well conditioned athletes, create a
great culture, create heat inside those four walls we spoke about.
And I'm a firm believer of just go out and
hire the best people in the world and get the
hell out of the way.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
And I think not everyone does that.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
And because I don't know, I'm not an expert in basketball,
I actually think that works in my favor. I don't
know if I would be such a great baseball owner,
to be honest with you, because I maybe know too
much and I will probably get more frustrated. But with basketball,
I'm in all of all our players, the man and
the women, and they're incredible, and they're young, and I
get to talk to them about all the mistakes that
I've made and hopefully they can avoid those mistakes. And
(26:37):
I have a great partner, Mark Glory. So I actually
love it, and I love learning. I love planting seeds.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Every day.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
I study five or six hours every day about basketball,
whether I'm asking Jason questions or I'm reading or I'm
listening to podcasts.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
So I've enjoyed it.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
And I wish you the best of luck. And they're
very lucky to have you because you bring something that
I wish we had from a partner's point of view,
because you see the world from a different less than
all of us do. So yellow's the color.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Well, I appreciate that. I'm inspired.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
I'm really inspired, and so help us understand. And and
I know Alex has you know, sort of done this
same balancing act. You run a team, you work for
a company, you run a team, and yet you're a
brand in your own right, You're you're you know, you're
doing your own deals. How do you how do you
balance that? How does it work? How do you approach it?
(27:26):
It seems like this was the plan from the beginning,
but how has it evolved?
Speaker 5 (27:32):
So it used to be there, used to be one
off conversations. It was just like hey, I'm hey, I'm
publishing a book next week.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Oh okay, great, Now there's a pro an internal process, right.
We have fifty plus instructors globally and you know, there
are there are lots of conversations that are happening within
the walls of Poloton and outside of it, but they
have to run in parallel tracks, you know. It like
whether I'm whether the p on my chest is outside
(28:00):
of my clothing or underneath my clothing. It's always there,
just like the players are always you know, part of
the organization. You know you're you're part of that organization,
and so they there are things that are wellness adjacent
that are obviously much more We talk about that with
much more specificity, and there's stuff, you know, like my
children's book or like, you know, things that kind of
(28:21):
were outside of the scope that I would never do
within the Peloton walls anyway, and so usually that's a
green light. But they are conversations, for sure, and it's
with our leadership team, you know, and obviously our marketing
team you know, has has points of view on it,
but our CEO is really integral to that.
Speaker 5 (28:38):
Conversation.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
And now we're at the place where our agents and
our managers and our external teams have a relationship with
the stakeholders at Peloton, right, So it's really like one
big conversation.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
So following up right on that, I mean kind of
wearing two hats again, right, Like you're the team player
for Peloton, one of the great leaders, and you're also
running your own kind of family off Yeah, so when
you think about your family office, how does your team look,
and how do you kind of vet deals and where
do you see yourself in three to five years.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
I mean, hiring the team is the most crucial thing
in the world, especially because I want I'm really at
the juncture where I need to understand what scales beyond
my physical presence, and now it's thinking of, for example,
my Well, the short answer is I work with my husband,
who serves as my manager and he's also my business partner.
(29:30):
He has a history in business, so it's really he's
a subject matter expert in a lot of this stuff.
And then we in the deal details, we obviously lean on,
you know, my agent and our legal legal team. We
have a PR team, you know, so there's lots of
spokes to the wheel, but the core of the strategy
is my internal team, right, So like you know, we
(29:52):
have you know, a chief strategy officer, and it's important
that we all align and.
Speaker 5 (29:57):
They keep me kind of.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
I know, I'm and very I think one of my
superpowers is being incredibly decisive. So I know whether I
want to do something, but ninety percent of the time
the answer is no, and the no's usually come from
leaning on you know, business advice from people who actually
understand trends and.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
Dollars.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Right, So that's that's what we consider three to five years.
You know, I want to continue to build in the
lifestyle space, so whether that's food or beauty or fashion,
I personally am still going to be continuing to compete
(30:40):
and get strong.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
You know.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
I want to continue to be strong and be an
athlete and model that for women and girls especially, So
on a personal level, like I will continue to be
moving my body, but on a professional level, I want
to widen the apture of how I'm seen. Right, So
it's not just Robin who teaches peloton classes. I also
you know, on the speaker circuit. I also you know,
(31:03):
I published five books and now I want to get
into beauty and fashion as well.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Right, And so it feels like, you know, you look
at IP very closely and in the deals that you're doing.
And I mean it's interesting. You know, we started off
talking about your your history as a as a lawyer.
You're still a lawyer. I mean it feels like that
still plays a really big part in sort of how
you do your deal making. Is that fair every day? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Yeah, there's a strategy, there's a I think as a
lawyer there are puzzle pieces that you're always trying to
fit and the overarching thing is you're, at least as
a litigator, I think even as a corporate attorney, you're
understanding narrative. And that was when I understood narrative a
little bit more specifically, and narrative as a tool. And
obviously now as a creator on social media, that's deeply relevant.
(31:54):
But in creating Swagger Society with my husband, we initially
co found I initially co found it Swag Society in
the web three days as a membership club and then
we were like, okay, well, clearly the landscape is changing
there and it migrated into a media company. So under
that under the Swagger Society umbrella. We have a holy
owned podcast that will launch a newsletter and a production
(32:17):
company that and these are conversations that were like seeds,
and I was like, oh, let's pull on that thread
a little bit. Let's look at titans in the industry
like g Reece and Eva and Shonda and just learn
from them.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
And they are my Greese Weatherspild, Eva Angoria, Shonda Rhimes, Yes,
just like you.
Speaker 5 (32:33):
And they are obviously I mean, iconic.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
And I'm just learning and watching and understanding and then
unders and then trying to see, like, Okay, if I
took a literal, not even a page, I just took
a paragraph out of that book, what would it look
like for me? And what would infuse joy? And that
is a threshold that I'm not willing to sacrifice on,
Like if I'm not filled with joy, and I get
(32:59):
joy from hard work, by the way, so it's not
like it's all right walking through lily pads, but if
there's not joy in it for me, it's just a no.
Speaker 6 (33:07):
Right.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
I really like how you articulated earlier ninety percent no
and being super disciplined about what you say yes too,
I call it. I used to go wide and shallow
and now I go narrow and deep and it's been
a lot more productive for me. When it comes to
deal flow, does your team go out and try to
find deal flow or if you like a company that
(33:28):
identifies to your soul, do you kind of cold call
and say, hey, can we take a meeting? Or are
you just inbounding? And whatever comes in you get the
best of what's coming in.
Speaker 5 (33:36):
It's both.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
I think now I'm at the point where I could
be a little I want to be more strategic, Like
I want to say, like I love this product or
I love this vertical and let's go for it. That involves,
you know, strategic conversations like who do we know at
this place, in this place, what are the top three?
What would be the dream collab or licensing deal or
(33:59):
whatever it is, or what would the deal look like?
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Right?
Speaker 1 (34:01):
So, like I think before I was so stuck in
how many social posts, how many appearances, how many photo shoots?
Speaker 5 (34:07):
And now it's like, no, no, no, let's play the
long are we talking about? Is this a board seat?
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Is it?
Speaker 5 (34:12):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 6 (34:12):
Like?
Speaker 1 (34:12):
These are different conversations now, Yeah, and that's exciting, but
it's also really daunting. Because it's like it could be anything. Yeah,
and it's not just about a liquid dollar amount.
Speaker 5 (34:23):
It's different now.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Yeah, we'd be remiss we didn't talk a little bit
about Peloton speaking of narratives. If we were sitting here
in front of our respective Bloomberg terminals, we'd look and
we'd be like, WHOA, that was a big high and
now it is not where it was. It has been
quite a journey, to say the least, you're still there,
like you have stuck through it.
Speaker 5 (34:43):
Why, oh gosh. I have always believed. I still believe.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
I think that I have the unique privilege of seeing
I'm not exaggerating millions of comments over the years of
people whose life are changed.
Speaker 5 (35:01):
And if you don't know, you don't know.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
And it's our job to widen the group of people
who know how special the fitness experiences, the wellness experiences.
And when that light bulb goes off and somebody understands
the quality of fitness content that they have at their fingertips,
there is nothing.
Speaker 5 (35:20):
It is unparalleled.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
And you know, we continue building, we continue iterating, and
I'm willing to ride the wave because I.
Speaker 5 (35:29):
Look at my core.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
You know, I mentioned that in recruiting instructors, they have
to have a point of view. My point of view
is that I will light fires globally in the tens
of millions, and Peloton will be a key to doing
that because we are going to move the needle and
make people healthier. I want to add years to people's lives,
but I also want to add life to their years,
(35:51):
and we're doing that at Pelton every day to millions
of folks.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
I mean, you know, you're a leader inside the company.
How do you how do you sort of galvanize the troops?
Because I have to think, you know, in in the
four walls as of your company, people are looking to
you for belief, for you know, for that sort of thing,
and and you laid out a very good case for
for what it's doing. How hard has it been at
(36:17):
times though, to be like listen, guys, we're doing this
like it's happening. Like I know, we had this high
high but now we're you know, like we're grinding it out,
We're doing the work. What how do you how do
you keep people motivated? I mean, we're all in a
position where we have to motivate people who work with us, right.
Speaker 5 (36:31):
I mean, leaders do that every day, Right.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
It's interesting to be on a team where lots of
I mean, there's lots of public figures that you're dealing with, right, Yeah,
and so and they're they have their ear to the
ground too, right, Like it's not just what the street
is saying, it's like, what what are you seeing in
your inbox, in your comments on social media? What conversations
are you having in the marketplace?
Speaker 5 (36:55):
I think, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
I don't I don't ride really high highs or let
the low lows, Like I just have to have a
really even keeled mentality. And it does come back to that,
like was the class I just filmed my audition tape?
Like what if it all boiled down to that one class?
Would I be proud of it? And I think keeping
it that granular and keeping myself that like checked and
(37:21):
then communicating that obviously to the team. And it's interesting
because I am, yes, I have like executive function, but
I'm also the rules apply to me.
Speaker 5 (37:31):
I'm still doing the same job they're doing.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
So I think that there's a credibility there because it's
like we're just truly in this together and we have
successfully created camaraderie in a bubble amongst our team globally
that it's like like I will rep my people and
they will rep me. And that's how I think the
(37:54):
team really. I think the team really respects that.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
I feel like you need to bring her in for
a motivational idea. This thing you're upping me on, reving
you world. I feel that way about the deal. I
mean like we should say that we're in it. I
learned it exactly. I'm repping you, You're repping me, bro.
So you know, Alex talked about the the next three
to five years. You know, I guess what I would
love to ask is like the right now and sort
of as you assess and look around, you're clearly at
(38:19):
I mean, maybe you've had multiple catalytic points in your career.
This feels like what I mean, it feels like you
are in in a mode where you are leveling up.
You're talking about ownership, you're talking about you know, all
these you know kind of I think Alex would agree,
sort of next level athlete things. Does it feel like
that to you? Does it feel like this is this
(38:40):
is another one of those like leaps forward.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
It definitely does strategically and financially, I understand that, like
I'm having conversations that I would have only dreamed about.
But also I have such a day one mentality that
it's hard for me to sometimes like.
Speaker 5 (39:02):
Make those things match right, Like you know, it's like
have you made it?
Speaker 1 (39:07):
What's your most No, of course I haven't made it,
like none of us have if you really think about it,
Like we're out here like grinding and that I love that.
So I'm having different conversations now, and the stakes have changed, especially.
Speaker 5 (39:20):
When my own money is involved.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
But it also I'm a student, and so it's just
finding the places where I am confident and leaning into
that and then admitting when I don't know something and
that being okay too. And sometimes I'm in these conversations
where I am known, but around the table, I'm.
Speaker 5 (39:39):
Like, what are they talking about?
Speaker 1 (39:40):
Like I don't need this deal like this these financial
terms are like beyond me, and I'm okay asking questions.
Speaker 4 (39:47):
I think the three as I listened to you, I'm
so inspired, Robin, because I think the three of us, well,
we've done a few things in our lives. I think
all of us feel like we're in the super early
endings of our career.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (39:56):
I mean many days I feel like I'm in the
bottom of the first thing in business, especially because you know,
I had I was busy playing baseball for a long time,
and now I'm in my pivot right, which is business,
and you're the same thing. And you know, Jason's made
some wild pivots too. I think it's exciting. I think
having that thirst and curiosity is the one common theme.
I mean, we're all very curious. And some of the
(40:17):
great mentors that I've had, they all have that same characteristics.
They want to ask questions and they listen more than
they talk.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
You know, well, and I am sitting here, you know,
thinking about where you are in this stage, and I'll
ask a question. You know, this is a guy, you know,
my partner here, who you know, was a standout athlete
from an early age and was getting a lot of attention.
You know, goes to the mid to the major leagues
right out of high school. You had a different journey
and so basically people knew who he was. He's on
(40:44):
the cover of Sports Illustrated with Derek you know, like
we all know that story. For you, it was a
very different journey. What was it like and what is
it like where you can't walk down the street without people,
I mean people must shout at you across the street. Like,
what is that like for someone who you know when
to NYU, you know, corporate litigator with Paul Hastings, Like
(41:07):
you're doing your thing. It's a different world you live in. Now,
what does that feel like?
Speaker 5 (41:11):
I mean, it's an honor.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
It is an honor, Like that's beyond and usually the interactions, Yeah,
it'll be like, oh, Robin whatever, you know. At the
US Open it was like literally it was such a
it's so charming and exciting still when somebody's.
Speaker 5 (41:26):
Like, oh, hey, I know you just took your whatever class.
Speaker 1 (41:28):
Yeah, but what's overwhelming sometimes are the moments when I
have a few more minutes or I'm stopped, and it's
like this intense outpouring of like you changed my life.
The breast cancer, the divorce is the and it's not
always like a SOB story, but they're intense and I'm
in somebody's living room and like over hundreds of thousands
(41:50):
of classes like early mornings, late nights, like there's a
parasocial relationship that is.
Speaker 2 (41:57):
Super legit, that's very intimate.
Speaker 1 (41:59):
Very and I am being myself, right, So I have
a class plan, I have notes, but I'm me, and
every instructor is that that's who That's who they are, truly,
and that's I think the special sauce. And that's why
it's replicable over thousands of classes, because it's not an
act and it's not a script and we're not wearing
any ears of somebody saying, hey, next up, say da
(42:20):
da da da. We're not scripted, I understand, just different
production environments. And I have so such deep respect for
the authenticity of peloton.
Speaker 2 (42:26):
I mean, I do think that it's easy to take
for granted how how intimate an interaction it really is
and how you And we talked with Carolyn Tish Bladgwin,
who she was here about. You know, it's a it's
almost like a Worshach test of like a right, who's
your instruction? You know, like when you're in you know,
like and it says something about sort of your personality
(42:48):
or even like the mood that you're in on adecubately and.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
We all do that.
Speaker 5 (42:52):
It's like what mood am I in today's.
Speaker 2 (42:54):
I mean, I will tell you I only take your
classes when I'm like ready to get my ass kicked.
So when I needed this would be.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
A good one. There's a lot of that.
Speaker 2 (43:13):
All right, we're gonna do a rapid fire. So it's
ten questions, just the first thing that pops to your mind.
Don't need to think about it too hard. All right,
I'll start, and then now it's.
Speaker 3 (43:25):
So pick up ready.
Speaker 2 (43:27):
What's one word to describe your deal making style?
Speaker 5 (43:30):
Decisive?
Speaker 3 (43:31):
What's more important to you? Gut or data?
Speaker 5 (43:33):
Gut?
Speaker 2 (43:34):
Who's your dream deal making partner?
Speaker 1 (43:36):
Oh gosh, there's so many. I would love to work
with Dwayne Johnson. I think what he's done at seven
Bucks is genius.
Speaker 4 (43:42):
And of course, what's the best piece of advice you
ever received on deal making or business?
Speaker 5 (43:49):
The best advice, it's either yes or no, thank you.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
What's the worst advice you've been given?
Speaker 5 (43:56):
Stay in your lane?
Speaker 3 (43:57):
What's a deal you wish you had done? Oh?
Speaker 5 (44:01):
I don't regret it.
Speaker 1 (44:02):
But after I left Adidas, I was negotiating with another
athletic brand.
Speaker 5 (44:05):
And the reason I left Adidas is because the like.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
I really wanted to do a capsule collection or something
that had you know, it was a creative, something that
was creatively inspired by myself and the brand, and we
were really really close to signing a deal that would
have involved that, but I still felt like the financials
weren't there. It was kind of like, I will throw
you a bone, you'll have a capsule collection, but it
felt I felt undervalued. And it went a few years
(44:29):
without an athletic partner, and then you know, now having
conversations with Noble, it feels like, oh right, that door
closed because it created this one.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
What's harder running an ultra marathon or writing a book?
Speaker 1 (44:43):
I think writing a book because there's so many other
players in that process.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
This one is going to be a tough one. What
is your hype song before you go into a big
meeting or negotiation?
Speaker 1 (44:53):
I mean, listen, MP Annie Up was on my labor
playlist for the hospital, so clearly I have play for
everything if I'm really trying to get into a groove.
Beyonce's homecoming live performance like Front to Back really inspires me.
It's obviously the music is dope, but the symbolism of it,
you know, a PERBT, a black woman headlining Coachella just
(45:15):
really inspires me. And then keeping it in the family.
Jay Z's my first song. It goes to that day
one mentality. Yeah, and it both pumps me up but
also keeps me round it because it's like it's day one.
Speaker 5 (45:28):
We're still hustling, hustling.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
This maybe the first time you said hustle. I was expecting,
like hustle throughout this whole thing. You can only watch
one sport for the rest of your life.
Speaker 3 (45:38):
Which one is it?
Speaker 5 (45:40):
Watch one? I think it might be track and field. Actually,
I like love track and field.
Speaker 3 (45:46):
If one team can win a championship, which one would
that be?
Speaker 1 (45:51):
I think my husband might be very upset if I
don't say the Jets, because good God they need it.
Speaker 2 (45:58):
Well, oh, that's the saddest answer we've had to that question.
I was. I was not expecting that one at all. Robin,
you continue to surprise on so many levels.
Speaker 3 (46:11):
What a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (46:11):
Thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 5 (46:13):
To be here, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 7 (46:26):
The Deal is a production from Bloomberg Podcasts and Bloomberg Originals.
The Deal is hosted by Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly.
This show was produced by Anamazarakis, Stacey Wong, Lizzie Phillip,
and Eden Martinez. Original music and engineering by Blake Maples.
Matt Medulla was our sound operator. Our booker is Paige Keffer.
(46:51):
David E. Ravella is our managing editor. Our executive producers
are Jason Kelly, Amy Keene, Jordan Opplinger, Trey Shahrn, Regina Delia,
Kelly Laferrier, and Ashley Hoenig. Sage Bauman is our head
of podcasts special thanks to Rachel Carnivale, Elena Los Angeles
(47:11):
and Nick Silva. Joshua Devaux is our director of photography.
Rubob Shakir is our creative director. Art direction is from
Jacqueline Kessler. Camera operation by Suma Hussein, Ryan Cavtero and
Holly Fisher. Our gaffer is Julia Geweski, and our grip
is Emily Wolowski. Taja Smith is our video editor. You
(47:36):
can listen to The Deal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or
wherever you get your podcasts. You can also tune into
The video Companion on Bloomberg Originals and on Bloomberg TV.
Thanks for listening.
Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to the DL. I'm Jason Kelly, I'm Alex Rodriguez.
All right, today we've got a banger of an episode,
Robin Arson. She is not only a top Peloton instructor,
she's a top executive at the company. Plus she's building
this whole empire outside of Peloton.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Jason, She's a force of nature.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
I mean, she went from being a corporate litigator to
being one of the top influencers in the country. And
I'm really interested to know how she's transferred some of
those skills from being a corporate litigator to being one
of the most influential people in sports.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Absolutely, she's talking about investing in teams. There is nothing
she can't do, and she is full of energy. Coming up,
Robin Arson, robinar Zone, we are so happy to you.
(01:00):
Welcome to the deal. I mean, I've known you a
little bit. I feel like I know you really well,
which is part of the reason that we're going to
get into this amazing brand you built and this connection
you have with people. But I have to say, Alex,
we've been talking about the fact our phones have been
blowing up, about the fact.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
That we're sitting here with yes, yes, Well, first of all,
no one's more excited than Jason, And as a result,
I'm also very excited because my phone's been blowing up,
my girlfriend Jack, my daughters who love Peloton, but they
love you. But like I thought, we were interviewing like
Taylor Swift.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Today, I mean it's really exciting. Yeah, but you also
a corporate lawyer.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
First of all, I do want to know, like, how'd
you go from being a lawyer to where you are now?
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Well, I was a corporate litigator and my dad was
a lawyer growing up, and I used to sit on
his blue books. He was also a law professor, a
real estate law professor in Philadelphia. He taught a Temple,
went to and taught at Temple, and so I kind
of grew.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Up with the law.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
When I was ten years old, you asked me back
to school, what am I going to be? It was
I was a lawyer. So I did practice law for
eight years. I was a corporate litigator, and I was underwhelmed.
If you asked me if I hated it, I wouldn't.
I didn't hate it. I actually it was a malaise
that I think is pretty pervasive, frankly in a lot
of industries, but especially law, and I fell in love
with running. So I started running when I was in
(02:19):
law school. I really started running to run through a
really traumatic incident that happened when I was in college,
and I wrote about that in my first book, shut
Up and Run, and that actually used to be my mantra.
It was like, stop the chatter, let's shut it up,
let's lace up and run. And I started doing marathons
and ultra marathons while I was still practicing law, and
I had this moment where I thought, I can't count
(02:42):
down to only like twenty minutes in Central Park that
were my release throughout the week. And I had such
admiration for athletes who made this their lives, and I thought,
how can I pay my rent with something that I love.
I quit law two weeks before the London Olympic Games,
and with a cracked iPhone, I went and slept on
my friend's couch and just quote reported from the games.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
And so this is kind of an influencer.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Marketing was like just becoming a thing, and I kind
of hit lightning in a bottle like at that time,
really recording and documenting my athletic experience as an as
a person who's not a professional ated I.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Have a quick follow up on that because you worked
at one of the most respected law firms. So explain
to me, like, when is the moment that you look
in the mirror and say, I'm at a great law firm,
I have a great career, great trajectory.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Young lawyer doing well.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
I want to go do something else. Yes, most people
would think that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Well, especially like I don't know. I come from a
refugee immigrant family. My dad, you know, grew up in
the Bronx and was born in Puerto Rico. My mom
is a Cuban refugee. And to think that I would
leave something that was so secure to.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
Do question mark, question mark question. I didn't even know.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
I was like building the rocket ship as it was
leaving the station. The fact that they supported me was amazing,
not supporting me financially but emotionally. Right. I told my
mom and my dad, you are never going to have
to pay a time. I'm going to figure this out myself.
And I lived below, well below my means when I
was a lawyer, and it just saved, safe, safe, safe, saved,
and it was actually at a crossroads of buying an
(04:18):
apartment or leaving law. It was like am I going
to be all in or am I going to give
myself like financial freedom?
Speaker 5 (04:25):
And thank goodness that I did, because I was able.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
To take really big bets on myself that if I
were tethered to, you know, a mortgage, trying to aspire to,
you know, live like the Jones Is in New York City,
Like that's a pretty high bar.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Do you remember the moment you've made the decision, when
you're like this is happening.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I think it's iterative right that there are lots of
different inflection points. So it was probably a two year
slow burn where I was like I really love this
other thing, this.
Speaker 5 (04:50):
Thing is just okay, and it would come home.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
I was still working like eighty hour weeks, you know,
I still had billable hour requirements and partners that I
that I really respected actually and learned a lot from.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
But it was this malaise that I mentioned.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
So would I remember coming home one night from the
office seamless it was called seamless web at the time,
was like my best friend or or whatever on the
client's time, but like still working right through dinner and
I got home at eleven nineteen and I opened up
the notes app on my phone and I just made
a list of the things that I thought I was
(05:23):
good at and that I wanted to be able to
showcase in the world. There was no wrong answer, and
it was literally be able to show my tattoos, be
able to use my oral advocacy skills on a wider scale,
be able to you know, talk about sports as somebody
who was not an athlete historically, and you know, literally
it was like be able to run, be able to sweat,
(05:43):
and it's what my job is now at Peloton and
beyond to the letter, Yeah, you could call it business planning,
manifestation mumbo jumbo. It worked because I was able to
clarify with with specificity, how I wanted to feel in
this new life. And then it was like, Okay, I
got a marry skill set with opportunity and now I
(06:05):
at least know what to look for.
Speaker 5 (06:07):
And that was probably six months before I quit.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
And then two weeks before the London Olympic Games, I
just pulled off the band aid and I was like,
I just need to be around these athletes. I need
to be around the people who are talking about sport
and living it, and I just wanted to be in
their orbit, like breathe the same air, not obviously as
a fan, but as somebody who could like engage in
conversation with these people. And that was the objective. And
(06:31):
I remember going to one of the track practices and
talking to the USATF, the USATF PR person, and like
I was like, I just want to ask the Felix
one question and you know, now you know we're you know,
she's my friends, your girl.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
So it's just amazing how you know, you peel the
layers of the onion and like there's always more there.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
I think about being a Yankee for a long time
and playing baseball for over twenty five years, some of
the virtues and characteristics that I've taken from sports to
bring to the boardroom. I'm curious talk about lawyer. You
have to be buttoned up, you can't show your tattoos,
you can't really show any motion opposite of what you're
doing now. But it was there anything you took that
you learned in law that's helped you be such an
a great communicator and connected to people.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
For sure.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
As a storyteller, I think if you can make a
legal brief interesting, you can do a lot with more
interesting topics. But the billable hours model that I lifted
from my law career directly impacted my ability to see
movement and my ideas around storytelling within the Walldless umbrella
(07:37):
as a business because during these the beginning of these
influencer marketing days, it was a lot of gifted products
and like pr packages, which are still obviously relevant now,
but back then it wasn't really you pay an influencer
for a campaign. It was like, I'm going to give
you shoes, and you're just going to be so grateful
(07:57):
that I gave you shoes that you're not really going
to know the value the marketing dollars of what you
just gave me. And obviously we're so deeply grateful to
receive product. I still am, but that's not going to
pay my rent, Like my landlord was not gonna be
like thanks for these nikes, you know. And so I
adopted a billable hours model and I just said no,
(08:18):
you can't pick my brain.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
I'm a consultant.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
And some brand said no, but enough said yes, And
then I was being booked not only as talent but
also as a consultant for these marketing agencies.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
How do you discover Peloton? So twenty twelve, you're talking
about Peloton is what Pelton was.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Probably it's like co founders plus a few initial leadership folks.
They hadn't opened the studio yet, and I read about
Peloton in an article and then I reached out to
the company.
Speaker 5 (08:48):
Cold cold email.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
So during this time I was I was teaching cycling
at a local SPIN studio, I was working on my
first book, and I was.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
About to publish my first book.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
When I started a Pelton, I was one of the
first instructors hired, and we had our original studio on
twenty third Street.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
So, Robin, one of the great advantages to being a
lawyer is being a supreme great writer like this guy, Jason.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
What did that emao say?
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Well, I wanted to sell the vision, the passion, and
a little bit of the skill set. And I was
a new or Spin instructor, right, so I couldn't say like,
I've been in this industry X amount of years. But
I told them that I saw how disrupted this technology
could be, and I wanted to light fires like I
want to light fires in people's lives and that is
(09:33):
still one of my core mandates for all of my businesses.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
It's got to light fires.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Yeah, and they kind of believed the passion of the email,
and then it was followed up two days later with
an audition and then you're seeing like can you walk
the walk?
Speaker 5 (09:49):
And thankfully they accepted.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
And so how do you prepare for an audition? Like
you're teaching classes, so you know what you're doing, but
I assume you know you have to get used as
someone who taken a lot of peloton class. You're speaking
to a camera. I mean you're speaking to me, but
I'm in my basement, Like, how do you like lock
in to communicate like that? How do you develop that skill?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Well, for me, it definitely started as a lawyer, Like
I used to walk around my apartment and pretend that
I was speaking to you know. Really it was more
it was less courtroom stuff, a lot of deposition stuff,
and I would practice that Q and A and kind
of the mental gymnasis of like if they say this,
I'm going to say this. And obviously when you're presenting
a class or a speech or something, it's different. It's
(10:31):
not usually like a volley back and forth. I almost
visualize it like I'm writing it on a board, And
those are the things that end up coming into my
notes really.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah, like when you're on the bike.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
No before oh, always prepping my class plan at my
playlist beforehand, right, and then I'm usually listening to the
playlist as I'm going into the studio, okay, And the
things that I want to say in class are kind
of embedded, like I visually see it.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, and it's sometimes it's for myself talk and then
sometimes it's imagining Jason, you know across who is.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
That red light?
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Yeah, there's enough of a feedback loop with our members
you'd be a social media sometimes.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
Obviously if they're in the studio, then I kind of
have a.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Sense of what the conversation is around certain types of movements,
certain types of classes and Robin.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
When you get off I mean, obviously in baseball when
you have a good game, the score, but it will
tell you if you have a good game or not, right,
So it's very easy when you get off that bike.
Do you know was this a ten? Was it a nine?
Was it a five? Do you know if you had
a great class and if you hit all your points?
Speaker 1 (11:33):
I mean, energy is currency, right, Like there's just a
moment where you're you know, whether you hit it and
whether you were in a flow state. Right Like if
I'm in a flow state in most of my classes.
When I'm not, it's just life. It's distraction, it's my kid,
it's whatever. It's life. And my job is to refocus myself.
And I have tools and tactics to do that like
(11:54):
any athlete would. But that is the interesting thing is
that we're maybe more like a TV network and that
I might get I'll get like the numbers and things
like that with my producers later and I'd be like, oh,
this class was Gangbusters, And I'm like, really that twenty.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
Minutes to bottle class was like this, right?
Speaker 1 (12:14):
But I really And then this is what I say
to the other instructors, Like we have the responsibility to
walk into every class like it is an audition to
be there.
Speaker 5 (12:22):
And if you do not.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Have the appetite to treat every class like it's an
audition to be there, then you don't belong on the
team anymore.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
And that's truly the standard that I try to hold
to myself, not saying every class is a ten out
of ten but I do approach the work ethic with
that respect.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Well. And it's interesting too, because you know, pretty quickly
you get to a point because you know, you and
I first met when I was anchoring the Bloomberg Business
Week show. We came out to a homecoming event. Homecoming
is that? Yes?
Speaker 5 (12:50):
Well it was homecoming okay, maybe.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Back in the day, right back in the day. And
I mean at that point, you know, this is ten
years ago, probably eighteen years ago. You know, you were
already in a position where you were the lead instructor.
So how does it get to the point where you're
not just an instructor, but you know, John Foley, co
founder and then CEO like gives you the responsibility to,
like essentially to your point, sort of run the network
(13:14):
in terms of the talent side.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, well, our chief Content officer has the C level
role of like quote, running the network, and I report
to them. You know, our current c CEO is Jen Cotter,
and I've worked with her for a number of years.
But when I was promoted, it was you know, earlier
or pretty early days in Peloton.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
I do think that my law degree helped.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I was able to uniquely sit in meetings and kind
of understand like business KPIs and also understand the talent needs.
Sometimes I'm wearing talent hat, sometimes I'm wearing like an
executive hat. Yeah, and it could be one meeting. I
might swap those hats many many times. But it's you know,
championing the instructor's points of view, because I mean it
(13:56):
didn't always Pelton didn't go into the talent business. But
it's now out in the talent business. Oh yeah, but
that wasn't initially. That perspective wasn't always appreciated, especially when
group fitness was a lot more common back in those days.
With other competitors, it was like, yeah, I'm here to
teach a cycling class, but I'm a business right, And
it took some iterating on that concept.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
So Broban, when you think about wearing different hats when
you look at talent, what are the first two or
three things you look I mean, obviously, when I look
at a baseball player, I'm looking for speed, I'm looking
for a great arm, I'm looking for a great body.
Someone's going to age. Well, what are the things that
you look for in a great talent?
Speaker 1 (14:34):
I think at this point we're really proud of the
diversity and the breath that we have in with our
instructor team, and we scale obviously, right, so we don't
need five of the same exact type of instructor or musicality.
I want a point of view, right, so it's there
is a physicality obviously to what we do. Like you
(14:55):
have to be an athlete, clearly, you have to have certifications,
you need to be a subject matter expert.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
But that's like dime a dozen.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I want somebody who has a point of view that
can translate that to after thousands of hours of doing it,
because somebody can audition and bs something for twenty minutes. Yeah,
you can't really do that when you're sprinting, when you're
on your you know, thousandth class. Like there is just
something that is very raw and real, and that is
(15:23):
where you get to the kernel of somebody's point of view.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Well because you also, i mean, what's also clear and
you know, you have an incredible following. We want to
talk about sort of how you build your brant. But
like as you look at you know, who's resonating numbers
don't lie, you know, and like you see the views
and you also see the you know, to use a
marketing term. You know, those classes or those instructors who
have a long tail. So how do you think about,
(15:48):
you know, growing your own community but also sort of
growing these complementary communities as you again create that right
mix of instructors.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Right, I mean we want to we've always to members
first organization, So we want to meet our members where
they are in their various life stages, right, And so
from a content perspective, we're considering, you know, what are
people doing, how are they moving, and how can we
meet them there or even widen the aperture of like
what it means to be have wellness offerings including non
(16:19):
class content. So we introduced nutrition content with some of
our instructors. I'm coming up with a cookbook next year
based on my plant based philosophy and point of view
on eating and those recipes. So it's important to meet
members where they are, but also honor the life stage
and the evolution, like I am not the same person
that I was, you know, twelve thirteen years ago when
(16:41):
I joined the company, And so it included creating prenatal content.
Speaker 5 (16:46):
You know, it's obviously.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Entering the longevity conversation with something that is purposeful and
having content that pairs with it, but also having a
roster like we do want younger instructors, yeah, you do.
We want instructors that are going to meet growing demos
as well as honoring our core. And then we do
look at demos for certain instructors and you know, it's
(17:09):
where's their crossover, where's their expansion opportunity, where is their
business as usual? Where we just know it's working, and
we don't want to you know, mix the drinks too much.
It's like some folks kind of have their core, yeah,
and then some folks are more expansive to demos that
we do want to explore.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
It is funny, I mean to think about it. And
Carolyn Tish Watchet, who you worked with obviously back in
the day, she was on the show as well, and
you know, obviously was a key voice and sort of
a lot of the branding and sort of growing you
guys as brands. You know, one of the deals that
you did early on is Adidas. You know, you established
a relationship. How does that come about? I mean, clearly
(17:48):
you had your eye on the prize of like building
your own brand. Tell us about Adidas.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
So I started to understand that there were marketing dollars
in these deals. From initially working on the agency side
and Nike Women was my client, so I was doing
their social media and I started to get a little
bit of visibility into like how these campaigns are kind
of run and funded.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
You were consulting.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
I was consulting.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
So I was on the agency side with the agency
called Team Epiphany, and Nike Women was their client. And
this was literally three weeks after the London Olympic Games.
It was like my first job out of law. I
was like, heck, yeah, I want to do this, and
then I realized six months later, oh, like I want
to be the talent that they're booking. And it was
kind of the wild West too, like where marketing dollars
was like, oh, maybe we don't need a million dollar commercial,
(18:37):
We're gonna splice it.
Speaker 5 (18:38):
Up this other way.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
That became my first foray into even the terminology, like
I didn't know that world at all. And then in
the early days of joining Peloton, my first book came
out and that book got me on the radar of
an agent, so I joined WME. I was with WM
for a number of years. I'm now with more recently
(18:59):
with U but then I was like, oh, I have
an agent, this is a business like this, There are
ways for me to structure these conversations. And of course
lean on folks who know this stuff, and they were
used to endorsement deals with you know, the.
Speaker 5 (19:12):
A Rods of the world.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
And I was one of the first brand sponsored deals
with Adidas for somebody who's not a professional athlete. Wow.
And it was pretty purely based on like brand recognition
of the regular person and social media KPIs and then
of course you know the services that were built in there.
(19:35):
It was you know, event appearances and photo shoots. And
I remember I had done some modeling before my Adidas steal,
but I remember being on set for my very first, huge,
massive Adidas campaign and they had like a body double
for me and they were like asking me if is
this okay?
Speaker 5 (19:52):
Would you wear this? And I'm like, oh, like you,
my opinion is relevant here.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
And then I realized, right, I'm representing myself as well
as the brand and in the marketplace. And that was
when I was like that synergy has to exist, and
whenever there isn't that synergy, then I know that it's
probably not the right place for you.
Speaker 4 (20:09):
Yeah, so then the light goes up. Then you go,
oh my gosh, so I'm a brand. Yeah, I also
represent Peloton and Adidas things. I'm pretty cool. How do
you think about scaling that opportunity?
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Well, I was with Adidas for I think almost five years,
and then I started thinking, like, what do I already
use and consume and experience that makes sense?
Speaker 6 (20:31):
You know.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I think I've worked with over forty brands in like
the twelve years since I've had these deals, and now
I'm definitely at the place where it's like I want
to go deeper with fewer brands. You know, back then,
I think it was very common for like I'm just
going to post this one social media thing and it's
a lot of like a lot of little smaller stuff,
and that was very much part of the game back then.
(20:53):
But I think it's now more curated for sure, at
least from my perspective, it's much more curated.
Speaker 5 (20:58):
And I don't really do social media only deals ever anymore.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
It's usually a hybrid ownership stake or some kind of
advisory thing that is more than just you know, a
brand deal. It really opened my eyes to different categories,
different verticals, so it wasn't just things that were adjacent
to movement and athletics. It was, for example, when I
had my first child, it was a toy line. And
then that was you know, a royalty deal that was
(21:24):
a toy line, babe, that was based on ip from
my children's books. That were, you know, in walmarts all
across the country. These are things I could not even
have imagined, but my life stage and the opportunities met.
Speaker 6 (21:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
So as you're speaking, I'm thinking about the NBA and
the WNBA, and I'm involved with the Minnesota Timberwolves and
the Lynx, and I'm very passionate about this. And my
background is baseball, so come from a little bit different world,
but some things crossover. And what I'm thinking about is
the culture you've created inside the four Walls. I'm thinking
to myself as you're speaking, how do we create that
(22:11):
culture and energy and light the fire inside the four
walls or Targets Center where both teams play. I know
you're a consultant, but it's free advice. I can pay
you later. What kind of things will you be thinking about?
You know, when you have twenty thousand people, there's a
lot of heat in the room. Teams are doing well,
how would you think about it?
Speaker 3 (22:30):
High level?
Speaker 1 (22:30):
I mean, I think it's storytelling and ritual. I think
that's what's ritual ritual. I think that's what's so cool
about fandom.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
What do you mean by that?
Speaker 1 (22:39):
So there's the story that we all understand, and is
that like what the media is capturing conversations like this?
I think, especially with social media, it's like user generated
content of the fandom. That is what I think is
so interesting about seeing what members post because there's like
things that you can't plan, like curiosity is around yellow
for example, Like yellow became a thing because I was
(23:02):
just yellow is kind of my power color, and I
would naturally wear that for tough classes like to botom classes,
interval sprints, race day, and now that's a thing, like
people wear yellow for these classes and it is associated
and now it's going to be incorporated into some products
that I have coming out athletic products because there's a
thing about that. So that's what I mean about what's
(23:24):
the story and then what's the ritual? And can you
kind of pair those things? You know, from a product
perspective or even a storytelling perspective. You know, before the
games after the game.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
Yah.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
And then of course there's like the adjacent things like
fashion and stuff where there's just little hooks that you
kind of have to marry like the details with the
larger story, and it's finding the right people who can
like notice the details, like, oh, fans are kind of
doing this weird thing, whether they spot it in the
venue or on social media, and then you make it
(23:55):
a thing and then that becomes a snowball kind of.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
In the dots kind of thought.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
The ritual point is really interesting too, because the ritual
of classes, I mean that met Calotop for eight years.
It is ritual based, you know, it is like it's
a routine in the same way that like showing you know,
showing up to a game or watching a game being connected.
I mean, you know better than anyone the rituals of baseball, Oh.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Yeah, and as superstition, like right, fans were the same colors.
If you win, if your fair player Anthony Edward scores
forty to post about it and like do something weird
about it or they drank a certain thing, right, And
the idea is how do we guess connect those dots?
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Yeah, and spotting what's already naturally happening and then communicating
what the players and what the teams are doing, because
people just love understanding, like what's the morning routine, what's
the ritual?
Speaker 5 (24:44):
What what do you do pre show?
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Like and unpacking that and like telling that story in
a way that is appropriate for the brand. So I'm
really curious, alex As, how do you choose the teams?
You know you entered sports teams ownership group troops that
are not baseball, So how did you do that? Because
I just recently invested in a football club, women's football
(25:09):
club in Europe. I can't announce the name, the team
name yet, but I was a little trepidacious because it's
I'm not like a soccer expert, but I'm so passionate
in this opportunity to come across my desk, and it's like,
how do you toe that line of like I can
offer something here? Because for me, it's not just the dollars,
it's like I also want to be able to sit
and see it's like this and be like this, I.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
Believe in this.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
So Rob, that's a great question. So for me, Magic
Johnson was kind of like my north star. He was
one of my heroes, someone that I just loved so
much going back to the Laker days. I showtime with
pat Riley, and it's interesting he went from the hardwood
to the boardroom. He also went from the court to
baseball ownership with the Dodgers, and I've gone from baseball
to basketball.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
And with Magic and I talk.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
We often are advising each other, him on the Timberwolves
and the Links, and me for the Dodgers. But in
a weird way, I think sixty percent you have a crossover.
You still want great character, well conditioned athletes, create a
great culture, create heat inside those four walls we spoke about.
And I'm a firm believer of just go out and
hire the best people in the world and get the
hell out of the way.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
And I think not everyone does that.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
And because I don't know, I'm not an expert in basketball,
I actually think that works in my favor. I don't
know if I would be such a great baseball owner,
to be honest with you, because I maybe know too
much and I will probably get more frustrated. But with basketball,
I'm in all of all our players, the man and
the women, and they're incredible, and they're young, and I
get to talk to them about all the mistakes that
I've made and hopefully they can avoid those mistakes. And
(26:37):
I have a great partner, Mark Glory. So I actually
love it, and I love learning. I love planting seeds.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Every day.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
I study five or six hours every day about basketball,
whether I'm asking Jason questions or I'm reading or I'm
listening to podcasts.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
So I've enjoyed it.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
And I wish you the best of luck. And they're
very lucky to have you because you bring something that
I wish we had from a partner's point of view,
because you see the world from a different less than
all of us do. So yellow's the color.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Well, I appreciate that. I'm inspired.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
I'm really inspired, and so help us understand. And and
I know Alex has you know, sort of done this
same balancing act. You run a team, you work for
a company, you run a team, and yet you're a
brand in your own right, You're you're you know, you're
doing your own deals. How do you how do you
balance that? How does it work? How do you approach it?
(27:26):
It seems like this was the plan from the beginning,
but how has it evolved?
Speaker 5 (27:32):
So it used to be there, used to be one
off conversations. It was just like hey, I'm hey, I'm
publishing a book next week.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Oh okay, great, Now there's a pro an internal process, right.
We have fifty plus instructors globally and you know, there
are there are lots of conversations that are happening within
the walls of Poloton and outside of it, but they
have to run in parallel tracks, you know. It like
whether I'm whether the p on my chest is outside
(28:00):
of my clothing or underneath my clothing. It's always there,
just like the players are always you know, part of
the organization. You know you're you're part of that organization,
and so they there are things that are wellness adjacent
that are obviously much more We talk about that with
much more specificity, and there's stuff, you know, like my
children's book or like, you know, things that kind of
(28:21):
were outside of the scope that I would never do
within the Peloton walls anyway, and so usually that's a
green light. But they are conversations, for sure, and it's
with our leadership team, you know, and obviously our marketing
team you know, has has points of view on it,
but our CEO is really integral to that.
Speaker 5 (28:38):
Conversation.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
And now we're at the place where our agents and
our managers and our external teams have a relationship with
the stakeholders at Peloton, right, So it's really like one
big conversation.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
So following up right on that, I mean kind of
wearing two hats again, right, Like you're the team player
for Peloton, one of the great leaders, and you're also
running your own kind of family off Yeah, so when
you think about your family office, how does your team look,
and how do you kind of vet deals and where
do you see yourself in three to five years.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
I mean, hiring the team is the most crucial thing
in the world, especially because I want I'm really at
the juncture where I need to understand what scales beyond
my physical presence, and now it's thinking of, for example,
my Well, the short answer is I work with my husband,
who serves as my manager and he's also my business partner.
(29:30):
He has a history in business, so it's really he's
a subject matter expert in a lot of this stuff.
And then we in the deal details, we obviously lean on,
you know, my agent and our legal legal team. We
have a PR team, you know, so there's lots of
spokes to the wheel, but the core of the strategy
is my internal team, right, So like you know, we
(29:52):
have you know, a chief strategy officer, and it's important
that we all align and.
Speaker 5 (29:57):
They keep me kind of.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
I know, I'm and very I think one of my
superpowers is being incredibly decisive. So I know whether I
want to do something, but ninety percent of the time
the answer is no, and the no's usually come from
leaning on you know, business advice from people who actually
understand trends and.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
Dollars.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Right, So that's that's what we consider three to five years.
You know, I want to continue to build in the
lifestyle space, so whether that's food or beauty or fashion,
I personally am still going to be continuing to compete
(30:40):
and get strong.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
You know.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
I want to continue to be strong and be an
athlete and model that for women and girls especially, So
on a personal level, like I will continue to be
moving my body, but on a professional level, I want
to widen the apture of how I'm seen. Right, So
it's not just Robin who teaches peloton classes. I also
you know, on the speaker circuit. I also you know,
(31:03):
I published five books and now I want to get
into beauty and fashion as well.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Right, And so it feels like, you know, you look
at IP very closely and in the deals that you're doing.
And I mean it's interesting. You know, we started off
talking about your your history as a as a lawyer.
You're still a lawyer. I mean it feels like that
still plays a really big part in sort of how
you do your deal making. Is that fair every day? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Yeah, there's a strategy, there's a I think as a
lawyer there are puzzle pieces that you're always trying to
fit and the overarching thing is you're, at least as
a litigator, I think even as a corporate attorney, you're
understanding narrative. And that was when I understood narrative a
little bit more specifically, and narrative as a tool. And
obviously now as a creator on social media, that's deeply relevant.
(31:54):
But in creating Swagger Society with my husband, we initially
co found I initially co found it Swag Society in
the web three days as a membership club and then
we were like, okay, well, clearly the landscape is changing
there and it migrated into a media company. So under
that under the Swagger Society umbrella. We have a holy
owned podcast that will launch a newsletter and a production
(32:17):
company that and these are conversations that were like seeds,
and I was like, oh, let's pull on that thread
a little bit. Let's look at titans in the industry
like g Reece and Eva and Shonda and just learn
from them.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
And they are my Greese Weatherspild, Eva Angoria, Shonda Rhimes, Yes,
just like you.
Speaker 5 (32:33):
And they are obviously I mean, iconic.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
And I'm just learning and watching and understanding and then
unders and then trying to see, like, Okay, if I
took a literal, not even a page, I just took
a paragraph out of that book, what would it look
like for me? And what would infuse joy? And that
is a threshold that I'm not willing to sacrifice on,
Like if I'm not filled with joy, and I get
(32:59):
joy from hard work, by the way, so it's not
like it's all right walking through lily pads, but if
there's not joy in it for me, it's just a no.
Speaker 6 (33:07):
Right.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
I really like how you articulated earlier ninety percent no
and being super disciplined about what you say yes too,
I call it. I used to go wide and shallow
and now I go narrow and deep and it's been
a lot more productive for me. When it comes to
deal flow, does your team go out and try to
find deal flow or if you like a company that
(33:28):
identifies to your soul, do you kind of cold call
and say, hey, can we take a meeting? Or are
you just inbounding? And whatever comes in you get the
best of what's coming in.
Speaker 5 (33:36):
It's both.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
I think now I'm at the point where I could
be a little I want to be more strategic, Like
I want to say, like I love this product or
I love this vertical and let's go for it. That involves,
you know, strategic conversations like who do we know at
this place, in this place, what are the top three?
What would be the dream collab or licensing deal or
(33:59):
whatever it is, or what would the deal look like?
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Right?
Speaker 1 (34:01):
So, like I think before I was so stuck in
how many social posts, how many appearances, how many photo shoots?
Speaker 5 (34:07):
And now it's like, no, no, no, let's play the
long are we talking about? Is this a board seat?
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Is it?
Speaker 5 (34:12):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 6 (34:12):
Like?
Speaker 1 (34:12):
These are different conversations now, Yeah, and that's exciting, but
it's also really daunting. Because it's like it could be anything. Yeah,
and it's not just about a liquid dollar amount.
Speaker 5 (34:23):
It's different now.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Yeah, we'd be remiss we didn't talk a little bit
about Peloton speaking of narratives. If we were sitting here
in front of our respective Bloomberg terminals, we'd look and
we'd be like, WHOA, that was a big high and
now it is not where it was. It has been
quite a journey, to say the least, you're still there,
like you have stuck through it.
Speaker 5 (34:43):
Why, oh gosh. I have always believed. I still believe.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
I think that I have the unique privilege of seeing
I'm not exaggerating millions of comments over the years of
people whose life are changed.
Speaker 5 (35:01):
And if you don't know, you don't know.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
And it's our job to widen the group of people
who know how special the fitness experiences, the wellness experiences.
And when that light bulb goes off and somebody understands
the quality of fitness content that they have at their fingertips,
there is nothing.
Speaker 5 (35:20):
It is unparalleled.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
And you know, we continue building, we continue iterating, and
I'm willing to ride the wave because I.
Speaker 5 (35:29):
Look at my core.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
You know, I mentioned that in recruiting instructors, they have
to have a point of view. My point of view
is that I will light fires globally in the tens
of millions, and Peloton will be a key to doing
that because we are going to move the needle and
make people healthier. I want to add years to people's lives,
but I also want to add life to their years,
(35:51):
and we're doing that at Pelton every day to millions
of folks.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
I mean, you know, you're a leader inside the company.
How do you how do you sort of galvanize the troops?
Because I have to think, you know, in in the
four walls as of your company, people are looking to
you for belief, for you know, for that sort of thing,
and and you laid out a very good case for
for what it's doing. How hard has it been at
(36:17):
times though, to be like listen, guys, we're doing this
like it's happening. Like I know, we had this high
high but now we're you know, like we're grinding it out,
We're doing the work. What how do you how do
you keep people motivated? I mean, we're all in a
position where we have to motivate people who work with us, right.
Speaker 5 (36:31):
I mean, leaders do that every day, Right.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
It's interesting to be on a team where lots of
I mean, there's lots of public figures that you're dealing with, right, Yeah,
and so and they're they have their ear to the
ground too, right, Like it's not just what the street
is saying, it's like, what what are you seeing in
your inbox, in your comments on social media? What conversations
are you having in the marketplace?
Speaker 5 (36:55):
I think, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
I don't I don't ride really high highs or let
the low lows, Like I just have to have a
really even keeled mentality. And it does come back to that,
like was the class I just filmed my audition tape?
Like what if it all boiled down to that one class?
Would I be proud of it? And I think keeping
it that granular and keeping myself that like checked and
(37:21):
then communicating that obviously to the team. And it's interesting
because I am, yes, I have like executive function, but
I'm also the rules apply to me.
Speaker 5 (37:31):
I'm still doing the same job they're doing.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
So I think that there's a credibility there because it's
like we're just truly in this together and we have
successfully created camaraderie in a bubble amongst our team globally
that it's like like I will rep my people and
they will rep me. And that's how I think the
(37:54):
team really. I think the team really respects that.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
I feel like you need to bring her in for
a motivational idea. This thing you're upping me on, reving
you world. I feel that way about the deal. I
mean like we should say that we're in it. I
learned it exactly. I'm repping you, You're repping me, bro.
So you know, Alex talked about the the next three
to five years. You know, I guess what I would
love to ask is like the right now and sort
of as you assess and look around, you're clearly at
(38:19):
I mean, maybe you've had multiple catalytic points in your career.
This feels like what I mean, it feels like you
are in in a mode where you are leveling up.
You're talking about ownership, you're talking about you know, all
these you know kind of I think Alex would agree,
sort of next level athlete things. Does it feel like
that to you? Does it feel like this is this
(38:40):
is another one of those like leaps forward.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
It definitely does strategically and financially, I understand that, like
I'm having conversations that I would have only dreamed about.
But also I have such a day one mentality that
it's hard for me to sometimes like.
Speaker 5 (39:02):
Make those things match right, Like you know, it's like
have you made it?
Speaker 1 (39:07):
What's your most No, of course I haven't made it,
like none of us have if you really think about it,
Like we're out here like grinding and that I love that.
So I'm having different conversations now, and the stakes have changed, especially.
Speaker 5 (39:20):
When my own money is involved.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
But it also I'm a student, and so it's just
finding the places where I am confident and leaning into
that and then admitting when I don't know something and
that being okay too. And sometimes I'm in these conversations
where I am known, but around the table, I'm.
Speaker 5 (39:39):
Like, what are they talking about?
Speaker 1 (39:40):
Like I don't need this deal like this these financial
terms are like beyond me, and I'm okay asking questions.
Speaker 4 (39:47):
I think the three as I listened to you, I'm
so inspired, Robin, because I think the three of us, well,
we've done a few things in our lives. I think
all of us feel like we're in the super early
endings of our career.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (39:56):
I mean many days I feel like I'm in the
bottom of the first thing in business, especially because you know,
I had I was busy playing baseball for a long time,
and now I'm in my pivot right, which is business,
and you're the same thing. And you know, Jason's made
some wild pivots too. I think it's exciting. I think
having that thirst and curiosity is the one common theme.
I mean, we're all very curious. And some of the
(40:17):
great mentors that I've had, they all have that same characteristics.
They want to ask questions and they listen more than
they talk.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
You know, well, and I am sitting here, you know,
thinking about where you are in this stage, and I'll
ask a question. You know, this is a guy, you know,
my partner here, who you know, was a standout athlete
from an early age and was getting a lot of attention.
You know, goes to the mid to the major leagues
right out of high school. You had a different journey
and so basically people knew who he was. He's on
(40:44):
the cover of Sports Illustrated with Derek you know, like
we all know that story. For you, it was a
very different journey. What was it like and what is
it like where you can't walk down the street without people,
I mean people must shout at you across the street. Like,
what is that like for someone who you know when
to NYU, you know, corporate litigator with Paul Hastings, Like
(41:07):
you're doing your thing. It's a different world you live in. Now,
what does that feel like?
Speaker 5 (41:11):
I mean, it's an honor.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
It is an honor, Like that's beyond and usually the interactions, Yeah,
it'll be like, oh, Robin whatever, you know. At the
US Open it was like literally it was such a
it's so charming and exciting still when somebody's.
Speaker 5 (41:26):
Like, oh, hey, I know you just took your whatever class.
Speaker 1 (41:28):
Yeah, but what's overwhelming sometimes are the moments when I
have a few more minutes or I'm stopped, and it's
like this intense outpouring of like you changed my life.
The breast cancer, the divorce is the and it's not
always like a SOB story, but they're intense and I'm
in somebody's living room and like over hundreds of thousands
(41:50):
of classes like early mornings, late nights, like there's a
parasocial relationship that is.
Speaker 2 (41:57):
Super legit, that's very intimate.
Speaker 1 (41:59):
Very and I am being myself, right, So I have
a class plan, I have notes, but I'm me, and
every instructor is that that's who That's who they are, truly,
and that's I think the special sauce. And that's why
it's replicable over thousands of classes, because it's not an
act and it's not a script and we're not wearing
any ears of somebody saying, hey, next up, say da
(42:20):
da da da. We're not scripted, I understand, just different
production environments. And I have so such deep respect for
the authenticity of peloton.
Speaker 2 (42:26):
I mean, I do think that it's easy to take
for granted how how intimate an interaction it really is
and how you And we talked with Carolyn Tish Bladgwin,
who she was here about. You know, it's a it's
almost like a Worshach test of like a right, who's
your instruction? You know, like when you're in you know,
like and it says something about sort of your personality
(42:48):
or even like the mood that you're in on adecubately and.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
We all do that.
Speaker 5 (42:52):
It's like what mood am I in today's.
Speaker 2 (42:54):
I mean, I will tell you I only take your
classes when I'm like ready to get my ass kicked.
So when I needed this would be.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
A good one. There's a lot of that.
Speaker 2 (43:13):
All right, we're gonna do a rapid fire. So it's
ten questions, just the first thing that pops to your mind.
Don't need to think about it too hard. All right,
I'll start, and then now it's.
Speaker 3 (43:25):
So pick up ready.
Speaker 2 (43:27):
What's one word to describe your deal making style?
Speaker 5 (43:30):
Decisive?
Speaker 3 (43:31):
What's more important to you? Gut or data?
Speaker 5 (43:33):
Gut?
Speaker 2 (43:34):
Who's your dream deal making partner?
Speaker 1 (43:36):
Oh gosh, there's so many. I would love to work
with Dwayne Johnson. I think what he's done at seven
Bucks is genius.
Speaker 4 (43:42):
And of course, what's the best piece of advice you
ever received on deal making or business?
Speaker 5 (43:49):
The best advice, it's either yes or no, thank you.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
What's the worst advice you've been given?
Speaker 5 (43:56):
Stay in your lane?
Speaker 3 (43:57):
What's a deal you wish you had done? Oh?
Speaker 5 (44:01):
I don't regret it.
Speaker 1 (44:02):
But after I left Adidas, I was negotiating with another
athletic brand.
Speaker 5 (44:05):
And the reason I left Adidas is because the like.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
I really wanted to do a capsule collection or something
that had you know, it was a creative, something that
was creatively inspired by myself and the brand, and we
were really really close to signing a deal that would
have involved that, but I still felt like the financials
weren't there. It was kind of like, I will throw
you a bone, you'll have a capsule collection, but it
felt I felt undervalued. And it went a few years
(44:29):
without an athletic partner, and then you know, now having
conversations with Noble, it feels like, oh right, that door
closed because it created this one.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
What's harder running an ultra marathon or writing a book?
Speaker 1 (44:43):
I think writing a book because there's so many other
players in that process.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
This one is going to be a tough one. What
is your hype song before you go into a big
meeting or negotiation?
Speaker 1 (44:53):
I mean, listen, MP Annie Up was on my labor
playlist for the hospital, so clearly I have play for
everything if I'm really trying to get into a groove.
Beyonce's homecoming live performance like Front to Back really inspires me.
It's obviously the music is dope, but the symbolism of it,
you know, a PERBT, a black woman headlining Coachella just
(45:15):
really inspires me. And then keeping it in the family.
Jay Z's my first song. It goes to that day
one mentality. Yeah, and it both pumps me up but
also keeps me round it because it's like it's day one.
Speaker 5 (45:28):
We're still hustling, hustling.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
This maybe the first time you said hustle. I was expecting,
like hustle throughout this whole thing. You can only watch
one sport for the rest of your life.
Speaker 3 (45:38):
Which one is it?
Speaker 5 (45:40):
Watch one? I think it might be track and field. Actually,
I like love track and field.
Speaker 3 (45:46):
If one team can win a championship, which one would
that be?
Speaker 1 (45:51):
I think my husband might be very upset if I
don't say the Jets, because good God they need it.
Speaker 2 (45:58):
Well, oh, that's the saddest answer we've had to that question.
I was. I was not expecting that one at all. Robin,
you continue to surprise on so many levels.
Speaker 3 (46:11):
What a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (46:11):
Thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 5 (46:13):
To be here, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 7 (46:26):
The Deal is a production from Bloomberg Podcasts and Bloomberg Originals.
The Deal is hosted by Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly.
This show was produced by Anamazarakis, Stacey Wong, Lizzie Phillip,
and Eden Martinez. Original music and engineering by Blake Maples.
Matt Medulla was our sound operator. Our booker is Paige Keffer.
(46:51):
David E. Ravella is our managing editor. Our executive producers
are Jason Kelly, Amy Keene, Jordan Opplinger, Trey Shahrn, Regina Delia,
Kelly Laferrier, and Ashley Hoenig. Sage Bauman is our head
of podcasts special thanks to Rachel Carnivale, Elena Los Angeles
(47:11):
and Nick Silva. Joshua Devaux is our director of photography.
Rubob Shakir is our creative director. Art direction is from
Jacqueline Kessler. Camera operation by Suma Hussein, Ryan Cavtero and
Holly Fisher. Our gaffer is Julia Geweski, and our grip
is Emily Wolowski. Taja Smith is our video editor. You
(47:36):
can listen to The Deal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or
wherever you get your podcasts. You can also tune into
The video Companion on Bloomberg Originals and on Bloomberg TV.
Thanks for listening.
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