339. Leading With Purpose: Strava's Chief Business Officer Zipporah Allen On Intentionality, Owning Her Mornings & Picking Up Running Later In Life
Hurdle with Emily Abbate
iHeartPodcasts
5 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 20 January 2025
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Zipporah Allen has a big job. Overseeing business and new ventures at Strava, she loves the opportunity to stay curious and travel the world inspiring folks to live their best active lives. For episode 339, we talk abut the how: How she got here, how she finds the time to move despite her busy schedule, and how Strava's working to empower their consumer to live their best active lives. Plus: Best-practice business and leadership advice, how she feels about picking up running in her 40s, and the importance of owning your "no."
IN THIS EPISODE
(3:37) Zip shares what her most recent Strava activity was
(6:00) Zip talks about her work experience before becoming the Chief Business Officer at Strava, specifically time in restaurants at Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and McDonald’s
(8:26) Emily and Zip swap their go-to Taco Bell orders
(9:47) Why learning is so important to Zip in business, and how she firmly believes you can learn from anyone regardless of title
(10:08) Zip talks about moving internationally for work
(12:32) What happens when you’re on a board of directors for a company, what that looks like for Zip, and what she hopes to get out of being an independent board member at a few different private companies
(14:30) Zip shares what it was like for her to start running when she joined the team at Strava in order to better understand the product — and she’s now a two-time marathon
(20:57) What Strava is doing specifically to cater to female-identifying customers, including safety features
(23:00) What self-care looks like for someone who is constantly traveling
(25:48) How to become a morning person
(30:22) Zip gets the invite to join Pastry Run Club in New York
(35:10) Why Zip thinks it’s important never to be the smartest person in the room, often telling her team: “I reserve the right to get smarter and take in new information and change my mind.”
(36:06) What Zip’s role as a mom has taught her about being a leader
(38:00) Why it’s important to respond instead of react
(42:05) Why it’s important to create the conditions as a leader to empower your employees to bring their full expertise to the table
(55:55) What Zip sees when she looks in the mirror.
SOCIAL
@emilyabbate
@hurdlepodcast
OFFERS
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ASK ME A QUESTION: Leave me a voice message, or email [email protected], to ask me a question!
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | You can't be it if you can't see it. |
| 0:01.7 | And I want to be the person that other people can see and say, oh, if she can do that, I can do that too. |
| 0:39.9 | Hey, hey, Emily, Abadi here. You're listening to Episode 339 of Hurtle, a wellness-focused podcast where I talk to inspirational people about everything from their highest, highs, and toughest moments to essential tips on how to live a healthier, happier, more motivated life. We all go through our fair share of hurdles. My goal through these discussions is to empower you to better navigate yours and move |
| 0:45.7 | with intention so that you can stride toward your own big potential. And of course, |
| 0:50.8 | have some fun along the way. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. 339. I could not be more |
| 0:58.7 | elated to bring my conversation with Zippora Allen to the feed. Zip, as her friends call her, |
| 1:07.4 | is the chief business officer over at Strava. I am an active user of Strava for many years now. |
| 1:17.1 | I had the honor of hosting their annual camp Strava last year as their official head camp counselor. |
| 1:24.3 | And this is a conversation that has been in the work since well before then in today's |
| 1:32.8 | episode zip and I really get into it we talk about the journey that led her to Strava and what |
| 1:38.2 | it was like to work at brands like McDonald's and Pizza Hut and Taco Bell believe it or not |
| 1:43.7 | before landing in the health and |
| 1:46.3 | wellness space. Naturally, when I have the opportunity to talk to anyone with a title like Zips, |
| 1:52.6 | I love to get their best practice business advice. Zip and I talk about what it's like for her to |
| 1:58.3 | be a leader, what her leadership style is. |
| 2:01.2 | We also talk about the importance she places on learning as she progresses within her career |
| 2:06.4 | and what it's like to be on the board of directors for a company. |
| 2:11.5 | Naturally, we also talk about running. |
| 2:13.5 | Zip shares her relationship with the sport and how she actually really got into lacing up herself upon taking this role at Strava and now proudly calls herself a two-time marathoner. |
| 2:26.5 | Plus, she offers advice that she'd give her younger self and why she feels that it is so, so important to respond instead of react. |
| 2:37.5 | Love, love, love, love this conversation. |
| 2:40.3 | And again, so thankful that we were not only able to make it happen, |
... |
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