[NOISE] It's not really about what happens at the end of the race,
it's really having the courage to show up and to start.
And to look at something that seems really impossible, but to break it down and
not only do it, but also enjoy it and find a new part of what I'm capable of.
[MUSIC]
I worked at a hedge fund on Wall Street for
five years and I realized at one point that I really needed an outlet.
I felt like I was in a job where,
you know my passion really started in the morning when I was out riding my bike or
running or talking to people about it later in the day.
For me, my definition of balance, is that there really isn't balance.
Because I like to be 100% driving toward what I find most fulfilling, and
where I feel like I can make a difference.
[MUSIC]
I am the Women's Product Manager at Specialized, so
my mission is to bring more women into the sport of cycling.
At the core I'm responsible for
really managing our women's product lines, all designed to fit women and
give women the most enjoyable experience possible out cycling.
When I meet women who are curious about cycling,
one of my biggest tasks is just to really spark that curiosity, and
to bring them into a sport that has really defined my life in so many ways.
And is a passion that I love every single day.
[MUSIC]
I was the youngest woman to run a marathon on all seven continents.
So that included 26.2 miles across the Gold Coast in Australia Florida
in North America, Brazil in South America, Dublin in Europe, Mount Kilimanjaro in
Africa, the Beijing Marathon in Asia, and then of course, the pinnacle experience,
which was the Antarctica Marathon, way down at the bottom of the earth.
Ultimately, I think, when I finally got the record, it had been a quest for
over two years.
And I was so excited about it, and so passionate about it.
And I remember getting the certificate, and being like, oh, that's nice,
and what I was really excited about were the people that I met along the way,
the sort of memories I had of these places.
And, it just really opened up my world view in a way where,
when I got to the end of that road, the record was a nice piece of paper, but
the process was really where a lot of the learning happened.
I thought that was one definition of challenge.
And, the Ironman opened up a whole new world.
And Ironman is a journey that takes you from a lake
to a bike to a run and every high and low in between.
And there is something in the suffering of Ironman, and
the communal suffering, that's really pushed me forward.
It's been a goal that I trained for
and it's also been something that's defined my life.
It's a way that I like to live.
It's more then a race, it's an experience and a lifestyle for me.
I don't think I could do it unless I really enjoyed the process.
Hello, greetings from the top of the Blue Nile Course.
One of the things that I ask myself a lot is, what's next?
I decided to apply to Stanford as a way to transition into
a fitness-focused career that was based more around my core passions.
I had four months before I had to be at school.
and what better way to fill four months than to
ride a bicycle from Cairo to Cape Town?
So I entered the longest bicycle stage race in the world.
I left a great job, great apartment, great life in New York City,
got on a plane to Cairo, almost walked out and
asked the pilot to turn the plane around, and I didn't wanna go.
But as the plane was descending into Cairo,
I realized that I was embarking on something really special.
[MUSIC]
I took a different route out of the GSB than many of my classmates.
My opportunity at Specialized was very unexpected.
I came into this wonderful place with all these bikes and people who loved to bike
and after five years in finance, it's been just a really exciting new challenge to
work on products, and to work on products that I'm personally very passionate about.
>> What's great for us is people that are passionate about cycling.
Right?
Not just they like to bike, they love to bike.
[LAUGH] And know how much of a life changer it can be for people.
So, when we met Erin, that passion for cycling, but
more importantly her drive and determination,
in everything that she had done in her life, it was like wow, she's fantastic.
>> I don't think I could do my current job without the two years I spent at the GSB.
Coming into an environment where feedback is very direct,
it comes from all over the world.
I feel like the GSB empowered me to prioritize my time to listen
to feedback and to really have the ability to step into leadership.
I think I've followed a very unusual path.
I think it's just a part of my philosophy which is always asking, what's next?
And always striving toward whatever is around the next bend.
And not being afraid to step into something very uncomfortable.
[MUSIC]
For me it's the next Ironman, the next bike ride, it's just sort of
moving forward, constantly, and in every possible direction.
[MUSIC]