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The Game Changing Attorney Podcast with Michael Mogill

388. From Hooters Hostess to $600M CEO: Leading With Grit, Humility, and Urgency with Kat Cole

The Game Changing Attorney Podcast with Michael Mogill

Michael Mogill

Business, Entrepreneurship, Management, Marketing

5.0539 Ratings

🗓️ 12 August 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

She went from serving wings at Hooters to leading one of the fastest-growing wellness brands in the world — and she’s just getting started. In this episode of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, Michael Mogill sits down with Kat Cole, former President of Cinnabon, current CEO of AG1 (formerly Athletic Greens), and living proof that grit, humility, and relentless urgency can change everything. From her start as a teen working to help her family make ends meet to leading a $600M global brand, Kat shares hard-won lessons on leadership, scaling with purpose, and never settling for “good enough.” Here’s what you’ll learn: Why doing every job in the building creates exponential career growth and earns real leadership credibility What it takes to lead through influence instead of force and build true commitment across your team How the Hotshot Rule helps high performers stay self-aware and take immediate action when it matters most Kat Cole doesn’t just believe better is possible. She proves it. If you’re ready to lead with more courage, clarity, and conviction, this episode will show you how. ---- Show Notes: 00:00 – Introduction 07:47 – Saying Yes to Everything: How Kat Built a Career Without a Map 11:49 – Leaving Hooters: Knowing When Your Work Is Done 19:28 – Earning Trust Through Crisis: Leading Cinnabon Out of the Recession 28:00 – Franchisees, Fear, and the Innovation They Tried to Hide 34:19 – From Fan to CEO: Why Kat Joined AG1 41:35 – Leading with Urgency: The New Rules of Wartime vs. Peacetime 44:19 – The Hotshot Rule: A Weekly Habit That Transforms Leadership ---- Links & Resources: Kat Cole TED Talk - The “Hot Shot Rule” To Help You Become a Better Leader AG1 (formerly Athletic Greens)  Undercover Boss - Cinnabon Episode Hooters Air Roark Capital ---- Do you love this podcast and want to see more game changing content? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. ---- Past guests on The Game Changing Attorney Podcast include David Goggins, John Morgan, Alex Hormozi, Randi McGinn, Kim Scott, Chris Voss, Kevin O’Leary, Laura Wasser, John Maxwell, Mark Lanier, Robert Greene, and many more. ---- If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like: 362. The Secret Weapons for Outpacing Your Competition 366. How to Transform Your Business with Military Precision and Strategy with John Berry 384. Break the Mold: The Blueprint for Radical Reinvention With Todd Herman [Encore Edition]

Transcript

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0:00.0

I'm finding that the lines are blurring between peacetime and wartime now because things change so much.

0:12.2

That's Kat Cole, CEO of AG1.

0:15.4

So I have found over the years, my leadership has evolved to have a more always-on intensity that would be reflective

0:25.8

of what used to be called wartime CEO, but is an always-on intensity.

0:43.8

I'm Michael Mogul, founder and CEO of Crisp, the nation's number one law from growth company.

0:46.4

I've built my business through practice, not theory.

0:50.8

Crisp started with just $500 to my name and has grown to over eight figures in revenue over the last few years, earning a spot on the Inc. 500 list of the

0:54.4

fastest growing private companies in America. Our approach has been to take everything we've

0:58.4

learned about generating massive growth within our own organization and help the country's

1:02.4

most ambitious and committed law firm owners do the same for theirs. In each episode of this

1:06.5

podcast, I sit down with innovative market leaders from the legal industry and beyond to learn from those who thrive in the face of adversity, challenge the status quo, and define what it means to be a true game changer.

1:17.9

I sat down with Cat Cole to discuss how staying obsessively close to the customer can unlock hidden growth potential, how to balance wartime intensity with long-term cultural sustainability, and why asking better questions unlocks faster, more relevant innovation.

1:31.7

The reality is you kind of know the ten things you could and should be doing,

1:36.4

but other things are taking precedent.

1:38.1

So if you just give yourself the discipline and the expectation to do one of those things,

1:44.0

each week, I get that years' one of those things each week.

1:44.5

I get that years worth of weeks, things done that maybe I would have never done or I would have not done as well.

1:51.8

So it makes me an absolute beast in leadership and in business.

1:57.9

That's coming up on the Game Changing Attorney Podcasts.

2:15.1

Before we begin today's episode, I want to remind you that we aren't beholden to any sponsors or run any ads on this podcast.

2:35.1

This allows us to present all of our episodes raw and unfiltered. I'm not going to push any made-to-order meal services on you or try to save you any money on your car insurance. That being said, I have one small request. If you receive any value from this podcast, please give it a five-star review. Pay the fee so we can keep this podcast free. All right, Kat, welcome thanks for having me so excited to have you here because last november you were our mystery speaking at the

2:40.5

game changes summit and absolutely crushed it so just thank you looking forward to having you on

...

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