September 16, 2023 • 8 mins
This special bonus episode is brought to you by Nike. Heidi O'Neill is Nike's President of Consumer, Product & Brand. In more than two decades at Nike, Heidi has been a key driver of the business in many roles, including as the instigator of Nike’s women’s apparel division.
This month, we're talking about Trendsetters: Women whose vision, style and willingness to break barriers changed culture — from what we wear to how we behave.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, and Abbey Delk. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
is Womanica. This month, we've been talking about trendsetters, women
whose vision, style, and willingness to break barriers changed culture
from what we wear to how we behave. On July tenth,
nineteen ninety nine, in sunny Pasadena, California, Brandy Chastain launched
(00:26):
a shot heard around the world. Her penalty kick earned
the US women's soccer team the title of World Cup Champs.
In her moment of glory, she took her shirt off
and spun it around her head, leaving her in an
iconic sports bra. For those of us who lived through
that moment, you can probably see it in your head.
(00:47):
That image was made possible by the woman we're talking
about today.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
I'm Heidi O'Neil, President of Consumer, Product and Brand at Nike.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
In more than twenty five years at Nike, Heidi's been
a key driver of the business in many roles, including
as the instigator of Nike's Women's apparel division. Heidi's interest
in sports developed long before her professional career. She moved
a lot growing up, but for about eight years she
and her family lived in a small town in northern Michigan,
(01:18):
where her parents owned a small sporting goods store.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
And when I say small, I mean small, not big
in fancy today style. And I strung tennis rackets in
the summer, and I wax skis in the winter. And
then my dad would want to get some publicity for
the store, so he would send me out and have
me do cross country ski clinics. And he wanted to
get even more publicity, so he would have me cross
(01:44):
country ski to school on blizzard days.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Heidie's early life was intertwined with a love of sports
and an understanding of their ability to create community. Every weekend,
her family came together to do something active.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
You know, I was never that crazy great athlete. You know.
I dabbled and I tried. I tried, but I just
I love sport through and through.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Despite not being a professional athlete, Heidi found a different
way to combine a love of sport with business acumen.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
As I was working out in San Francisco, had no
idea Nike might be part of my life for my journey.
And I was working in marketing and I was working
for a brand that was just struggling with their identity.
They didn't know who they were what they stood for,
and of course it was my job to try to
fix it.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
And I had just finished working out.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I was in the women's locker room and I took
off my sports bra and I looked at it and it
was a Nike of course, and sports bra said on
the bra engineered to the exact specifications of championship athletes.
And I thought, that is incredible. That brand knows exactly
who they are and what they stand for and what
(02:54):
they believe, and they know it so to their core
that they're willing to put it on their products.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
That was a moment for me.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
That just showed me what a powerful brand Nike is
and what powerful brands can do if they have true values.
And so that then maybe two months later Nike called.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Soon after her work at Nike began, Heidi made a
move that not only changed her trajectory at the company,
but also the future of sports for women and girls
around the world.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
As I had come in and marketing for apparel, my
job was essentially to work with the designers and the
product leaders and make sure I was telling great stories
about their product and so, you know, running around the
offices talking to all the great designers and coming from
advertising and another and a fashion brand, I thought, where
(03:45):
is the women's division.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
There's no apparel women's division here.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
So I guess I was close enough to being out
of school that I spent weekends and nights and I
wrote a white paper and the white paper said, we
need to focus on women nine to five, not five
to seven at night.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
And so this is what I love about Nike.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I brought the white paper to my boss and I said,
you know, we need to focus on women, and this
is nineteen ninety eight, and he said great.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
He said, not only.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Will we would you please be the first general manager
of North America, Hail. So that's where I flipped my
career from marketing to general management.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
It was it was a really important move.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
And you know the irony around that move and us
being here today is that was in ninety eight, and
our team created the first swoosh bra, which is what
Brandy Chastain were at the nineteen ninety nine Women's World Cup.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
In nineteen ninety nine, that moment, that victory inspired a
generation of soccer players to hit the field. This year,
a record number of viewers watched the tournament.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Once again.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
To me, why it matters most is as I think
about those viewers, and I know at least at least
I know millions of those are kids, you know, young girls,
young boys too, and you know they're watching this World Cup,
and I think it makes them dream bigger. I hope
(05:23):
it makes them think that could be me, That could
be me one day. And if this moment and this
support for our athletes could just keep a few more,
frankly girls in sport.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
That is so important.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Girls are falling out a sport faster, they can't find
their sport. So for me, I think it matters the
most for supporting the next generation of female athletes.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
From her early days at Nike to today, Heidi has
continued her advocacy for women.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
I've been in just about every division global Geo, footwear,
Harold retail. Now what I'm doing, which is essentially the
management of our full global engine of product and marketing,
but all along the way, all along the way, you know,
my advocacy for women has been at the core and
still is, which is you know why I am here.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Nike's created an athlete think tank to bring together players
and coaches from around the world to continue improving women's
sports In the past couple of years, Nike has doubled
its investment in research and development around women.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
What our ambition is is for Nike to be the
biggest champion for women and girls in sport period. Just
in the last couple of years, we've made some pretty
massive shifts that I'm proud of. In our Nike Sports
Research Lab, which is you have to come see it.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
It's incredible.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
We now are demanding that seventy percent of our participants
are women in the research lab.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
That's led to new products that cater to real wants
and needs, like a new line of walking, jogging running shoes.
It's also led to program supporting a broader view of
the core tenets of wellness. Over the past twenty five years,
Heidie's views on the subject have expanded too.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
You know, I came to Nike for my love of sport,
and my relationship with sport has definitely changed, and I
would say it's changed the way it's even changing at
Nike because I looked at Nike as an amazing brand,
but as a basketball and hardcore running and now my
(07:34):
relationship with sport has evolved the way Nike's evolving to
be about movement for sure, but about mindfulness, recovery, nutrition,
and I think we're actually moving the brand to a
beautiful place for women that is very much represents my
journey in sport as well.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
While much has changed for women in sports, it's important
to note there's work left to do.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
At Nike. We believe there's no finish line.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
And if you think about the fifty years of Nike
and five decades of supporting women and my twenty five years,
I guess I'm half Nike life. I'm so proud of
what we've done, but I also know we have so
much more to do and we have so much potential.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Special thanks to Nike for these bonus episodes and for
the opportunity to interview these amazing women in Australia at
the World Cup. Talk to you on Monday,
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
is Womanica. This month, we've been talking about trendsetters, women
whose vision, style, and willingness to break barriers changed culture
from what we wear to how we behave. On July tenth,
nineteen ninety nine, in sunny Pasadena, California, Brandy Chastain launched
(00:26):
a shot heard around the world. Her penalty kick earned
the US women's soccer team the title of World Cup Champs.
In her moment of glory, she took her shirt off
and spun it around her head, leaving her in an
iconic sports bra. For those of us who lived through
that moment, you can probably see it in your head.
(00:47):
That image was made possible by the woman we're talking
about today.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
I'm Heidi O'Neil, President of Consumer, Product and Brand at Nike.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
In more than twenty five years at Nike, Heidi's been
a key driver of the business in many roles, including
as the instigator of Nike's Women's apparel division. Heidi's interest
in sports developed long before her professional career. She moved
a lot growing up, but for about eight years she
and her family lived in a small town in northern Michigan,
(01:18):
where her parents owned a small sporting goods store.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
And when I say small, I mean small, not big
in fancy today style. And I strung tennis rackets in
the summer, and I wax skis in the winter. And
then my dad would want to get some publicity for
the store, so he would send me out and have
me do cross country ski clinics. And he wanted to
get even more publicity, so he would have me cross
(01:44):
country ski to school on blizzard days.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Heidie's early life was intertwined with a love of sports
and an understanding of their ability to create community. Every weekend,
her family came together to do something active.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
You know, I was never that crazy great athlete. You know.
I dabbled and I tried. I tried, but I just
I love sport through and through.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Despite not being a professional athlete, Heidi found a different
way to combine a love of sport with business acumen.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
As I was working out in San Francisco, had no
idea Nike might be part of my life for my journey.
And I was working in marketing and I was working
for a brand that was just struggling with their identity.
They didn't know who they were what they stood for,
and of course it was my job to try to
fix it.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
And I had just finished working out.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I was in the women's locker room and I took
off my sports bra and I looked at it and it
was a Nike of course, and sports bra said on
the bra engineered to the exact specifications of championship athletes.
And I thought, that is incredible. That brand knows exactly
who they are and what they stand for and what
(02:54):
they believe, and they know it so to their core
that they're willing to put it on their products.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
That was a moment for me.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
That just showed me what a powerful brand Nike is
and what powerful brands can do if they have true values.
And so that then maybe two months later Nike called.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Soon after her work at Nike began, Heidi made a
move that not only changed her trajectory at the company,
but also the future of sports for women and girls
around the world.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
As I had come in and marketing for apparel, my
job was essentially to work with the designers and the
product leaders and make sure I was telling great stories
about their product and so, you know, running around the
offices talking to all the great designers and coming from
advertising and another and a fashion brand, I thought, where
(03:45):
is the women's division.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
There's no apparel women's division here.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
So I guess I was close enough to being out
of school that I spent weekends and nights and I
wrote a white paper and the white paper said, we
need to focus on women nine to five, not five
to seven at night.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
And so this is what I love about Nike.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I brought the white paper to my boss and I said,
you know, we need to focus on women, and this
is nineteen ninety eight, and he said great.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
He said, not only.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Will we would you please be the first general manager
of North America, Hail. So that's where I flipped my
career from marketing to general management.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
It was it was a really important move.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
And you know the irony around that move and us
being here today is that was in ninety eight, and
our team created the first swoosh bra, which is what
Brandy Chastain were at the nineteen ninety nine Women's World Cup.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
In nineteen ninety nine, that moment, that victory inspired a
generation of soccer players to hit the field. This year,
a record number of viewers watched the tournament.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Once again.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
To me, why it matters most is as I think
about those viewers, and I know at least at least
I know millions of those are kids, you know, young girls,
young boys too, and you know they're watching this World Cup,
and I think it makes them dream bigger. I hope
(05:23):
it makes them think that could be me, That could
be me one day. And if this moment and this
support for our athletes could just keep a few more,
frankly girls in sport.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
That is so important.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Girls are falling out a sport faster, they can't find
their sport. So for me, I think it matters the
most for supporting the next generation of female athletes.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
From her early days at Nike to today, Heidi has
continued her advocacy for women.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
I've been in just about every division global Geo, footwear,
Harold retail. Now what I'm doing, which is essentially the
management of our full global engine of product and marketing,
but all along the way, all along the way, you know,
my advocacy for women has been at the core and
still is, which is you know why I am here.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Nike's created an athlete think tank to bring together players
and coaches from around the world to continue improving women's
sports In the past couple of years, Nike has doubled
its investment in research and development around women.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
What our ambition is is for Nike to be the
biggest champion for women and girls in sport period. Just
in the last couple of years, we've made some pretty
massive shifts that I'm proud of. In our Nike Sports
Research Lab, which is you have to come see it.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
It's incredible.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
We now are demanding that seventy percent of our participants
are women in the research lab.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
That's led to new products that cater to real wants
and needs, like a new line of walking, jogging running shoes.
It's also led to program supporting a broader view of
the core tenets of wellness. Over the past twenty five years,
Heidie's views on the subject have expanded too.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
You know, I came to Nike for my love of sport,
and my relationship with sport has definitely changed, and I
would say it's changed the way it's even changing at
Nike because I looked at Nike as an amazing brand,
but as a basketball and hardcore running and now my
(07:34):
relationship with sport has evolved the way Nike's evolving to
be about movement for sure, but about mindfulness, recovery, nutrition,
and I think we're actually moving the brand to a
beautiful place for women that is very much represents my
journey in sport as well.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
While much has changed for women in sports, it's important
to note there's work left to do.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
At Nike. We believe there's no finish line.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
And if you think about the fifty years of Nike
and five decades of supporting women and my twenty five years,
I guess I'm half Nike life. I'm so proud of
what we've done, but I also know we have so
much more to do and we have so much potential.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Special thanks to Nike for these bonus episodes and for
the opportunity to interview these amazing women in Australia at
the World Cup. Talk to you on Monday,
Host
Jenny Kaplan
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