Season 3 - Ep. 5 | From Server to COO: Kat Cole’s Journey to the Top

Kat Cole went from restaurant server to VP within seven years. Forging her own path is something that’s built into Kat’s DNA. The first person in her family to be admitted to college, she had the vision and courage to drop out in order to follow bigger opportunities. The risk paid off. Kat Cole saved Cinnabon from the ashes of a post-recession economy and went on to a leading role at the parent company overseeing 7000 operations and over $1billion in annual sales. Always choosing opportunities based on her passions and ability to make change, Kat is now President and COO at Athletic Greens.

In this episode of Redefiners, Kat spells out her formula for success which centers around three key things: ask, answer, and act. From salary negotiations to navigating the unknown waters of operating through a pandemic, listen in as Kat tells her story of working through what seem like incapacitating difficulties with enthusiasm, refreshing honesty, and wit.

Clarke Murphy is joined by guest host Jenna Fisher, a managing director in Russell Reynolds Associates’ Palo Alto office and author of To the Top: How Women in Corporate Leadership are Rewriting the Rules for Success.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:

• Unreasonable Hospitality: Will Guidara’s Recipe for Greatness

• From Gillette to Jamba Juice: How to Lead Iconic Brands with Empathy, Purpose & Integrity

• Digital Transformation and the Power of Listening with Microsoft’s Jacky Wright

Kat Cole 
President & COO, Athletics Greens

Kat Cole is an inspiring leader and operator known for leading through change, high growth andturnarounds and building brands, teams, and businesses over two decades.Kat invests in andadvises high-growth businesses, funds, and brands with a focus on food and beverage,wellness, franchises, SMB tech, and web3. As President & COO at Athletic Greens, Kat leadsthe company w/ Founder & CEO Chris Ashenden, and focuses on driving organizational scale,accelerating business growth and global expansion, innovation, and more. During Kat's 10-yeartenure at Focus Brands, most recently as President & COO, she led the company’s eight brandsincluding Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s, Moe’s, McAllister’s, and Jamba with over 7,000 operationsglobally as well as the multi-brand licensing and CPG business with over $1Billion in annualsales.Prior to Focus, Kat was Vice President at Hooters,leading the company’s global growththrough franchising, training, and operations. Kat was on CBS Undercover Boss, named toFortune's 40 Under 40, and is on the Board of Directors of Slice, MilkBar, and HumanCo SPAC.