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Redefiners
Leading with a North Star: Former Decathlon CEO Barbara Martin Coppola’s Blueprint for Bold Change
00:41:57
Born in France almost 50 years ago, Decathlon has grown into the world’s largest sporting goods retailer with over 1,700 stores in more than 70 countries. On today’s episode of Redefiners, Simon Kingston is joined by our new co-host, Marla Oates, a...
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- [00:13]
Simon Kingston
Well, hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Redefiners. I'm Simon Kingston, leadership advisor here at Russell Reynolds Associates. We have a really wonderful episode in store for you today with a fascinating guest who we're going to hear more about in a moment. But there's additional very exciting news, which is we have a new co host of Redefiners who it's my great privilege to introduce. But before we do all of that, just a quick reminder to our listeners that you can find all of the episodes of Redefiners and the leadership lounge on YouTube. So if you're currently watching on YouTube and you haven't subscribed to the show, make sure you hit subscribe button just below the screen. And for our audio listeners, don't forget to rate Redefiners wherever you get your podcasts and please share your feedback on each episode with us. We'd love to hear anything you have to say to us or indeed, suggestions for other guests or ideas for the show. As I've mentioned, I'm joined today by a new co host, Marla Oates.
- [01:20]
Marla Oates
Hi Simon, it's so great to be with you today.
- [01:22]
Simon Kingston
Now, Marlo, lots of our listeners will have heard the term farm to fork in relation to restaurants and food, but you are a consultant who represents a farm to boardroom journey. Why don't you take a few minutes and tell us a bit about it?
- [01:41]
Marla Oates
You bet. Well, Simon, that's all true. I grew up on a rural farm in Canada, just north of Calgary. We had cattle, horses, chickens, cats, dogs, Indian. It was a really wonderful upbringing and taught me the value of hard work. From there I went into investment banking, was in Toronto, then went to your side of the pond, spent a number of years in London. I moved into private equity where I spent a decade, again, spent a lot of time in London, and was eventually recruited to Russell Reynolds. So here at the firm, I have the privilege of being a partner in our CFO practice and really helping our clients find excellent CFOs and finance talent. I live in Austin, have two little girls, and then also married to a Canadian, Marla.
- [02:23]
Simon Kingston
Thank you. It's going to be great fun sharing the mic with you over the next little while. So let's kick off and get down to today's episode.
- [02:32]
Marla Oates
Absolutely. Well, today we're going to dig into the global sporting goods industry, which was valued at 758 billion in 2024. It's projected to exceed 2.4 trillion by 2037. It's just a huge number, certainly is.
- [02:47]
Simon Kingston
Marla and to give us more insight today, we have a really fascinating guest who until very recently was a global leader in the sporting goods and outdoor products industry. And I'm really looking forward to hearing her talk about her experiences there and in what was an extraordinarily global experience and career prior to that. She's got a wonderfully diverse background. So if any of our listeners is into hiking, camping or any outdoor pursuits, they've probably bought one or maybe several of the products of her former company. So, Marla, tell us who is our guest on Redefiners today.
- [03:26]
Marla Oates
Our guest today is Barbara Martin Coppola. Barbara was Most recently, the CEO of French Sporting goods brand Decathlon. Decathlon, as you may know, is the world's largest sporting goods retailer and has 1700 stores in more than 70 countries. They have sporting equipment for over 80 sports. Barbara joined Decathlon as CEO in 2022 after more than a 20 year career working in nine different countries on three different continents. Prior to Decathlon, she was Chief Digital Officer at IKEA, Chief Marketing Officer at Grubhub, and served in leadership roles at Google, YouTube, Samsung and Texas Instruments. She also serves on the board of directors at Insead, which is my alma mater and one of the world's largest leading graduate business schools. Barbara, welcome to Redefiners.
- [04:13]
Barbara Martin Coppola
Thank you so much for the introduction. I'm delighted to be here with you all.
- [04:17]
Marla Oates
Well, we are so grateful to have you here today. You have had an incredible career so far. As Simon mentioned in the introduction, you've worked in nine countries. You've led leadership roles in several industries, technology, home furnishings, food delivery, consumer electronics. What haven't you done? Coming into Decathlon, you were an outsider in a family owned French sporting goods company. What brought you to decathlon and why did you shift industries?
- [04:42]
Barbara Martin Coppola
It's a great question, Marlam. The more I advance in my career, the more I'm searching for places with purpose. And I grew up doing sport and decathlon is very much about democratizing sport. I really do know how sport can be but beneficial for one's health, one well being but also creating communities and well being in societies. So I joined and I have seen how beautiful it is to be working on something that you really deeply believe in. And then the other thing is I had switched industries quite a bit and I'm a big fan actually of having impact and hopefully bringing all the best that can be brought to people, society's planet. And the role at decathlon was very much the case. So it's been actually a Privilege to be serving for three years.
- [05:46]
Simon Kingston
Barbara, thank you. We're going to spend a bit of time talking about the period when you were CEO at Decathlon. But before we do that, it would be really interesting to hear you talk a little about the formative stages of your career and the journey up to that point. Was there a redefining moment for you in the course of that or maybe several?
- [06:08]
Barbara Martin Coppola
Yes, there is one moment that I remember deeply and that taught me so much, and it was when I was based in South Korea, working for Samsung, and I remember I was minority for the first time in my life, which we were only two white people in a large department of Korean teammates. And I remember actually to not understand everything that was said verbally during that time. I started spending a little bit more time observing and feeling the emotions that I could sense around me. It actually taught me very, very important lessons on leadership through influence and also the fact of being able to do so much without completely understanding all the verbal aspects of the communication. And I also learned somehow that being different could be a positive woman. Young, I was a married back then, and somehow turning that into a positive. I was entrusted with risky projects. I had nothing to lose, and I could play by the rules in a little bit different just because of not being like everybody else. So another interesting moment of reflection on how the difference can actually be a positive.
- [07:45]
Simon Kingston
And that power of difference seems like an incredibly topical lesson for people to relearn just at the moment. How did you know when it was succeeding, that. That power of being different, how. How long did it take you to learn that lesson?
- [08:02]
Barbara Martin Coppola
I think it was more of a mental shift for me. I had back then. You know, I had been reporting, interestingly, to women in tech, which was very, very rare. Samsung, I was reporting to the first woman VP in the history of Samsung Electronics. And by observation first I had examples that I could follow, but also the mentorship that they gave me, I could understand that I couldn't actually very much compete if I was playing by the same rules, you know, not play by the rules, and still bring what I could bring, uniquely mine, to the table, you know, and giving myself permission mentally to do that was a really important shift. And so somehow it's a liberation of one's mind that allows to go and take risks. And at the end, see that it's actually very positive. And it's positive not only for me, but. But it opens the door to many other people as well.
- [09:10]
Marla Oates
I love that sentiment, Barbara. And there are many women that listen to this podcast and oh, are seeking advice, trying to move up in their career. I mean, you held a number of different C roles and leaned into, you know, cto, cmo, CEO. What advice would you give to women as they're moving up in their career?
- [09:30]
Barbara Martin Coppola
What I see is many women somehow don't give permission to themselves and are holding back to be ready one day to tackle this job. It's actually thinking, if others can do it, why not you? And somehow having the step into the unknown, taking the risk. And it's interesting because it's never how we thought it would be. Once you are walking, then you start experimenting, learning, and you verify that you are more than able to, to do the jobs and to face the different situations. By definition, nobody is ready before a new job because it's a new job. And so it's actually giving a little bit of a, okay, let's go to then have a full life, lean in and somehow having through experiences and no regrets, you know, while looking back that, oh, I didn't try because the fear prevented me from doing that.
- [10:35]
Marla Oates
No, I love that. Why not you lean in? I think that's great advice. I imagine you came into a pretty well established culture both at decathlon and Ikea. What are some of the things you focused on in your early days to better understand the company and culture?
- [10:50]
Barbara Martin Coppola
Listening deeply. For instance, at the job at decathlon, I spent a couple of months visiting different countries, different stores, warehouses, different functions, and just listening, listening to the verbal aspect, but also to the cues that were given through things that you can feel. And so little by little, you start defining not only the culture and feeling it, but also some assumptions that you have in your mind and somehow saying, okay, is this assumption right or is it not right? And somehow through that, you start drawing a strategy and starting to have a bit of an iterative process into the clarity of the strategy to then define it together with other people and thinking.
- [11:44]
Simon Kingston
About that at decathlon, quite soon after you joined as chief executive, you established a, a new North Star for the company. You talked about the mission to move people through the wonders of sport. And you've already talked about a desire to democratize sport. Decathlon colleagues are referred to as teammates. Can you unpack a little bit of the values that lay behind that and why you decided that building, as you called it, of a new North Star was important?
- [12:19]
Barbara Martin Coppola
Yes. Through this period of listening to people within the company, I realized that there was a lot of capabilities, a lot of skills, and a lot of dreams that were not being embedded into the Mission as it had been defined until now. What we did is imagine a playing field. What we did is amplify contained the mission as it was defined. But we went wider with move people through the wonders of sport. From that, we wrote the North Star. The North Star is like a manifesto, is an inspiring piece of video and narrative that will project people into the future of what decathlon can do for societies and for the planet alike. And that moment was really inspiring. I remember standing as a woman CEO, coming from the outside in, you know, in front of all the leaders of the company and present the North Star. And I knew it had resonated because the eyes were actually tingling. I don't know how you say that, but it's. There was something special. And so it was this very heartfelt moment that I very much loved. And then from that we started defining the strategy so we knew where we were going long term as a North Star. And somehow that inspired and widened actually the playing field for decathlon to start writing the strategic pillars.
- [13:58]
Simon Kingston
And what did it mean for your people? I mean, how did it inform leadership development and the shape of your team?
- [14:07]
Barbara Martin Coppola
Yeah, Northstar was widening the field. So that meant that we needed leaders that will build and create new things, that will go into the unknown, while at the same time having the ability to improve the existing. And so the leadership was somehow more demanding than before as it meant to really create new business models, a new brand identity, a new experience, circular, you know, processes and business models overall. So more demand, if you will, and also a lot of excitement as we were expressing somehow the next frontier, the next era for decathlon without losing the roots and without losing, you know, the culture and values that were so important for decathlon.
- [15:02]
Marla Oates
Did you take a similar approach and establish a North Star at IKEA and grubhub, or was that new to decathlon?
- [15:09]
Barbara Martin Coppola
I saw, you know, how different companies were defining their visions and their purpose. I had done two rebrandings prior in my experience, one at Google, and then I worked at grubhub and did another one. And every time it was important to dig deep into why do we wake up in the morning, why are we here? And what is the reason to have all the energy in the world to reinvent and transform oneself? And that is about, you know, contributing to more than a bottom line. This is about societies, this is about people, this is about a bigger sense. And that's, you know, the inspiration and experience that I brought into decathlon in order to do that. Somehow there is a rational side, but there is Also an emotional side and it's important to play with both so that, you know, people go and lean in into the new strategy and transformation with a lot of energy.
- [16:18]
Marla Oates
As we understand, I think you have a vertical business model, right? So you're managing everything from initial R and D design through customer sales and service. How is that a differentiator for you as a business, but also as a leader?
- [16:31]
Barbara Martin Coppola
It's a big, big differentiator. So imagine both at Ikea and at Decathlon, it starts with creating, designing the products and then having the materials and understanding not only the quantities, but deep knowledge on what to use to the production, the supply, the transport, the logistics and finally the stores. So the control end to end can mean a lot of different advantages if done well. The first one is time to market. We can test and go fast and understand whether the creation resonates or not. You can go and control your costs much better because of the huge volumes, being able to negotiate the prices on materials and the production. So the affordability of both Ikea and Decathlon is linked to that. But then there is the sustainability aspect because of the end to end. Then one can control the CO2 emissions in an absolute way, choose the right materials, choose the production partners and therefore control and even do the right thing. Diminishing while growing the company and doing the right thing for the planet. There is many, many advantages when the company is digitalized because now in the age of AI, imagine being able to control the end to end and putting all of this in connection to the service of creating value for the customer. Now the caveat of that is that it takes a lot of alignment. We're talking about companies, over 100,000 people plus for both examples. And so the alignment of the end to end is really important for reaping the benefits for the companies.
- [18:34]
Simon Kingston
Barbara, we've talked about the different components of your career as you were in the run up to becoming a chief executive. But what do you think really prepared you for that when it came?
- [18:47]
Barbara Martin Coppola
There's different aspects that were important to prepare for the top position at a company. I think one is about adaptability. Having worked in a mosaic of different industries and different countries, the more diversity of experiences you have, the more you can connect the dots to be able to have answers. Business models, different thinking to any setting. But I would also say there's two other aspects. I worked in digital industries for a long time and there is a philosophy of working in digital places that I think can be applied to any company. One is the fact of having cross Functional teams, having test and learn and having this agility being applied to any company, I think is really important to get to know and to use for other companies. The last part, I've been involved with two huge transformations, you know, of complex environments, both at IKEA, at Decathlon, but also at GrubHub. And the most important thing in transformations is people. So the last thing that I would say to become a CEO is there is a rational side on strategies and movement, but there is an emotional side that is equally important, the human aspect of inspiring people and creating movement so that companies as large as 100,000 people follow and create and thrive into the new era for the company.
- [20:41]
Simon Kingston
Barbara, can we talk a little bit about innovation? Because it runs as a vein through so much of your career, as we've been hearing about it. And there are obviously several dimensions to it. The first, you're a telecoms engineer by original training. So the balancing of technological innovation alongside everything else. I mean, let's start there. How, when you're needing to prove a revenue case, sustain a profitable business, how do you think about the time required to innovate and the risks to established revenue models and established approaches that are inherent in innovating? How do you balance that?
- [21:25]
Barbara Martin Coppola
It's a great question and I'm a deep believer in innovation. And I think any business that does not innovate is a recipe for failure. There's different types of innovation. There is the innovation on the everyday, the incremental innovation, if you will, and that is important. Now, AI is going to be bringing productivity, for instance, how do we get better operationally, how do we have better products, et cetera. But there is the big thinking innovation too. And the big thinking innovation is important to create budget, time and people in order to meaningfully move the lines and reap the benefits, maybe longer term, but this is the type of things that could be cut when there is cost cutting exercises or when the benefits are not immediate. And I think that's really a mistake for companies that do that is really protecting all these areas because they are diversification of revenues, because they help actually the company continue its evolution and reinvent itself. The thing that is important as well is to know the strategy and to know why we are here. Because in the big thinking, I believe companies can lose themselves into creating into areas that are completely foreign to the strategy. And that North Star that I was describing before, so there is a bit of consistency and a lot of culture as well to make sure that people dare and that are empowered to take the risks and that get into that framework of the strategy, but with the freedom to know that they can actually meaningfully create for the good of either now or the future.
- [23:25]
Marla Oates
We'll be right back with Barbara Martin Coppola. But first let's hear from Pam Fitzpatrick, Global Head of Sustainability at Russell Reynolds Association. Pam will discuss key insights from our 2024 Sustainability Report and the commitments we've made as a firm.
- [23:39]
Pam Fitzpatrick
At Russell Reynolds Associates, we believe that sustainability is everyone's responsibility. In Our recently published 2024 sustainability report titled Activating Leaders for a Better Future, we share how we're empowering each and every one of our colleagues to drive meaningful change and embed sustainability into the fabric of our firm. Some highlights from our newest report include how we're moving forward on our journey to net zero While we still have hurdles to clear, we're making progress in our commitments to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. How we're promoting Ethical AI Adoption Last year we introduced a firm wide policy principles and governance model that connects our firm values to our adoption of AI. How we're Fostering Inclusion and Belonging we piloted Unlocking Performance Through Inclusion, a workshop designed to equip all colleagues with the tools to enhance individual performance and team success. How we're Giving Back to our Communities we're sharing highlights from around the world on how we're delivering 100,000 hours of volunteer service to charities in the places where we live and work by the year 2030. We're proud of how our colleagues are coming together to create a better future with and for our clients and communities. To learn more, you can find our full 2024 sustainability report in the show notes or by visiting rra.com.
- [25:11]
Marla Oates
And now back to our conversation with Barbara Martin Coppola.
- [25:17]
Simon Kingston
Listening to you, I think it's very easy to understand how you articulate a compelling vision from the top in the businesses you lead. But as a CEO, how do you know that that space to innovate, that the safety to innovate and take some risk is being maintained further down the organization?
- [25:41]
Barbara Martin Coppola
First, the voice of the people working in the organization, both at Google, Ikea, but also Decathlon Grubhub Every quarter the voice of people would actually be heard. It will be heard through questionnaires, it will be heard through comments and there will be informal gatherings to actually voice. If within the culture everything that is empowerment and entrepreneurships is present, then that means that and people feel it. That means they can actually use it. That's a very good sign already for somehow the environment being conducive to that. The second thing is purely the budget in a very rational way is making sure that no matter what and agreed with the board, that investment will be put aside and put aside, which doesn't mean to not have accountability on the budget. So the follow up actually on this big thinking and definition of success and the metrics are really important too. And so defining that together with the board and seeing how things are coming back and it gives at the end, I believe when success comes, a lot of pride to the rest of the company is disruptive innovations that redefined sport or something incredible in terms of services, in circularity that is really growing and having benefits for the planet and for society. All of those examples are shining stars of the possibilities and energy for people to actually want to create more.
- [27:33]
Marla Oates
And thanks, Barbara. I mean, look, we've talked about leadership, we've talked about innovation, we've talked about culture, we've mentioned this in other episodes, but loyal customers are hard to find. And studies have shown that 50% of customers will switch to a competitor after just one bad experience. You've likely seen this in other consumer good companies as well. How do you think about redefining, innovating the customer experience to create really loyal customers, both online and in your stores?
- [28:02]
Barbara Martin Coppola
So I'll start with both Decathlon and Ikea, which have an advantage somehow because both companies are the first experience. For instance, when you start living on your own, many people go to Ikea. When people start doing sport, especially in Europe and Asia and other places, they actually start with decathlon. There is an emotional connection associated to that. The issue of these companies is to actually move and evolve with people through their lives. When I was single and setting up my apartment with Ikea, right then later in life, I'm a mother of two, the needs are different. And then one day I'll have different needs with my husband because we want to do different things. IKEA needs to adapt to my life, to the stages of my life. Same for decathlon. I'm starting with a sport now. I've got my kids. We need something else. So it's about personalizing. But over a lifetime, there is an important element, of course, in this relationship with the customer, which is what the company makes you feel. When you go and interact with these brands, every single touch point needs to be seamless and needs to make you feel something. The values of the company, the brand, the ethos, but also rational aspects such as I'm getting what I need at the price that I need it, and I'm getting it delivered in a flawless way. So it demands quite a bit. If you think about an iceberg from the company, the customers are going to see the tip. But there is a whole, whole thing in the company of orchestration, of excellency, digitalization, but also creative and aspects that are a lot more intangible that need to be put into place in order to have this excellent customer experience. The final thing that I would say is brands are part of people's lives today and they can give hope or not. And so I'm a deep believer of what a company does, not only rationally, but emotionally too, and going with, you know, people's lives and being actors, you know, in the society through the way they behave and the way they provide service to people around the world.
- [30:45]
Marla Oates
I love that. How exciting to have been part of two big, big organizations that, as you say, stick with people throughout their career. I think you did something really innovative with these digital stores in 2024 and you mentioned kind of deepening consumer engagement, seamless checkouts. Maybe just tell us a little bit about the thinking behind that and how that will evolve.
- [31:06]
Barbara Martin Coppola
Yes, the North Star produced a whole evolution of the brand for Decathlon, and then that was implemented into an evolved customer experience, not only through the stores online, but also innovating different business models. And one thing that we really put in place was renting equipment secondhand and a lot of different forms of, you know, creating business, but in a different way. And we've been astonished to see how successful those businesses are. The repairing equipment, the renting bikes instead of purchasing new. It's an incredible phenomenon. And when you think about it, there is a positive aspect on the de globalization of the circular business unit, but there is also a good aspect for the planet. So I'm a deep believer on circularity overall. So there's been a huge movement putting into place this new brand, this new experience, and actually seeing how positive of an effect it has been with people in different places. India, uk, Spain and France. Really great reaction to what we have implemented.
- [32:31]
Simon Kingston
Barbara, we've talked a couple of times about your commitment to sustainability in the businesses that you've led. And you've also mentioned twice now deglobalization, the context in which we find ourselves. I'm sure many of our listeners will be familiar with IKEA's commitment to sustainability at Decathlon. You talked a lot about your commitment to our shared playground in terms of the planet. But it's fairly obvious that right now there are a number of people who don't really believe in sharing their bit of the playground. What do you think the current geopolitical environment means for how businesses approach sustainability?
- [33:15]
Barbara Martin Coppola
It's a good question. I believe enough people around the world are concerned about what is happening in the planet. So beyond the governments, I think there is the movement on people consumption, you know, parents and their kids and wanting to build a better world actually for the generations to come. I believe there are many businesses that are doing the right thing, decarbonizing, investing in materials that are the right ones. I see different business models. I see innovation that is going in the right direction. Both in Ikea, at Google, at Decathlon. I found many, many people wanting to do the hard work to reinvent the business models and actually decarbonizing. But going even beyond decarbonizing into reinventing business models. I'm leaning in the side of hope and I'm leaning in the side of, of having the responsibility as a leader to carry light, carry hope not just through words, but through actions. And so what has happened recently within Decathlon? For three years we've been building the business in a positive growth trajectory while at the same time having -13% on CO2 emissions over the last years. It is possible. The question is how are we going to be scaling this? And especially how are we not going to fall into cynicism and negativity? Because this is not the moment to do that. On the contrary, it's the moment to actually bring light, hope and actions because many people around the world want this. And so I believe in the power of many people moving.
- [35:17]
Marla Oates
Let's pivot now from day to day operational leadership role to your board role. I understand that you sit on the board of directors at insead, which is actually where I did my master's in finance on the Singapore campus. You know, we've seen a little bit of this theme around, you know, new studies showing that business leaders are concerned that schools are not preparing kids with the skills they need to be part of the workforce. As you think about it, as a board member on a very prestigious school, what skills do you think are necessary today and how do we ensure that graduates and institutions are leaning in on the right skills necessary for this rapidly changing world we're living in?
- [36:01]
Barbara Martin Coppola
I deeply believe in the role of education more than ever. The way we educate might be changing, but the role of education continues to be as important as ever. We can learn the skills or the theory, if you will, as well, in different ways, but I think it's really important to put it into action as soon as we can learning a new concept, we can learn in different ways. But how do we apply it? How do we apply it through case studies, through group work, through internships? Getting actually this hands on experience I think is really important. And that's what I see in institutions such as insead. There is also another role of education which is to learn, to manage, lead people through difference. The diversity that we have in the world and preparing leaders for tomorrow, good citizens, means that there is also an education on understanding the differences, respecting them and being able to lead through that. I remember when I was in education at insead, I thought some of the truths that I had were like 100% there and nobody would actually put a doubt on it until other cultures started to speak. And I saw that my absolute truth was actually not that absolute. It needed to be interpreted through the cultures and through the history and the experiences of people. This is invaluable. Once in the real world, it's actually the ability to change perspectives, the ability to work with people that are not the same as yourself, and the ability to put into practice working with people a lot of the concepts into real life.
- [38:07]
Simon Kingston
Barbara, thank you. We've come now to a part of the Redefiners conversation about which I hope you've been warned. It's what we call our rapid fire section. So I hope you're ready. Are you? Do you think you're prepared?
- [38:21]
Barbara Martin Coppola
No, that's fine.
- [38:23]
Simon Kingston
Well, we're going to ask you a series of questions. Please respond just as quickly as you can and then we'll move on. Barbara, you've lived and worked, as we mentioned earlier, in nine different countries. But whether it's one of those or another, where in the world would you choose to live if you could live anywhere?
- [38:40]
Barbara Martin Coppola
I will come back to Madrid, my hometown.
- [38:43]
Marla Oates
Wonderful. What was your first job?
- [38:45]
Barbara Martin Coppola
My first job was in Paris, in Sejetel. I was doing an internship on quality engineering stuff. And it was a critical moment because somehow I decided that I didn't want to be a technical engineer. So I switched and pivoted into business. So it was a very important part of my life.
- [39:09]
Simon Kingston
Besides mail, phone and calendar, what are the two apps on your phone without which you can't live?
- [39:16]
Barbara Martin Coppola
Headspace about meditation. And I have decathlon coach, which is about training physically, a lot of different parts of fitness.
- [39:31]
Marla Oates
I love that. Mental training and the physical training.
- [39:33]
Barbara Martin Coppola
That's great. It's true.
- [39:35]
Marla Oates
I read in addition, you're a music lover and a pianist. I took lessons for 10 years and still can't Play well. What is your favorite song to play on the piano?
- [39:43]
Barbara Martin Coppola
My favorite part would be all about Chopin. I'm a romantic and idealistic person and I express a lot when I play Chopin.
- [39:54]
Simon Kingston
So I really like thinking about your time at decathlon. If you could be a professional athlete in any discipline, which one would it be?
- [40:04]
Barbara Martin Coppola
I played tennis quite a bit when growing up and I love actually the quickness and the strategy around that. So that will be one. But then I deeply enjoy dancing and so, you know, fitness and dance intersection I absolutely, absolutely love. And that's what I've been doing mostly, you know, for the last three years because it helps my mind and it helps my body too.
- [40:35]
Marla Oates
You have given us and our listeners some amazing advice today. But what's the best piece of advice you've been given?
- [40:41]
Barbara Martin Coppola
To just throw myself in the swimming pool without fear. Because you can learn to swim, adapt yourself and never regret not having taken an opportunity because of doubts.
- [40:57]
Simon Kingston
Final question. What does success mean to you?
- [41:01]
Barbara Martin Coppola
Success is a life well built, where I can see my kids every day, where I can contribute through my work to creating a better society and preserving the planet. It's a life where I can honor my parents and be with my friends. It's not only professional, it's actually all of it together. Having meaning and being able to be aligned with my values, with everything that I do.
- [41:39]
Marla Oates
That is such a refreshing perspective. Thank you for sharing that balance insight. Barbara, thank you so much for joining us on Redefiners 2. It was a pleasure getting to spend time with you.
- [41:50]
Barbara Martin Coppola
Thank you so much. It was a pleasure to be with you.