Who we are:
Scarlet Batchelor, founder and CEO of COEO Fitness.
My company:
We’re a fitness network that recognizes that instructors are the powerful nucleus of the booming boutique fitness industry.
Our sports hero:
Brandi Chastain. Because not only is she a 2-time olympic gold medalist, but in 1999 when she scored her penalty kick, took off her jersey and fell to her knees in a sports bra she showed that woman can be incredible, badass, female, beautiful and make a powerful, positive statement all at once. All that in one instant. It still inspired me today.
Our favorite and least favorite Super Bowl ads:
My favorite is last year’s Audi “Daughter” commercial. The images are aspirational and the voice is both honest and aspirational. AND as a mom, fighting now to set my daughter ahead when she is in the workforce is the #1 thing that sparks my hunger to drive change. I have come of age in this #metoo era and the sexism albeit no longer overt, has been ever present in my career. I appreciate this commercial as a rallying cry to avoid complacency and push to enact change not just for ourselves, but for our daughters.
My least favorite ad, especially as the CEO of a tech company, is Best Buy’s 2012 “Innovators” spot. Not only are the innovators highlighted all male, they come across as stale, homogenous and uninspiring. When the spot closes and the female Best Buy employee boasts her teams’ “unbiased advice” the irony is almost comical. As business leaders and entrepreneurs we have the opportunity to CHANGE THE SCRIPT and project a positive vision of what CAN BE. This spot is anything but that.
Advice to female athletes:
I am incredibly saddened by the fact that by age 14 according to the Women’s Sports Foundation girls drop out of sports twice as often as boys. In an era where our girls need all the confidence, camaraderie and self love they can get, it is ironic that their participation in sport is going down. As a leader in the fitness industry and a mom of a girl and boys, I encourage us all to take it upon ourselves to encourage our children to move and to participate in team sports. Let’s not focus on competition, as very few of these young children will ever go on to be college or professional athletes, but instead focus on community, positivity and self confidence. This will drive more successful leaders, more powerful women and more community oriented citizens.
