Influential Woman · Fitness health wellness sports
Carolyn Moos Hardin
Board Member, Legends of Basketball
MO
Her Story
About Carolyn
My mission is simple: how can I help people live better, longer, and optimize their lifestyle choices? I see a direct correlation between nutrition, fitness, and quality of life and longevity, and that gives me the biggest sense of fulfillment. Whether I'm helping a pregnant woman have a successful pregnancy through nutrition and fitness, helping a student athlete get stronger and earn a scholarship, or helping a type 2 diabetic go off insulin and live another 15 years insulin-free, I work across all kinds of demographics. I've had a ton of clients in Los Angeles and DC, ranging from actors and actresses to pro athletes to young student athletes. I've been in this field for 27 years, and I've evolved my approach to leverage technology and scalability. I started using virtual platforms years ago when Skype first came out, and now I focus heavily on pre-recorded content that allows anyone, anywhere in the world to benefit from what I offer, at any time that works for them. I don't want time constraints or geographic barriers to be obstacles to someone's commitment. About 90% of what I do right now is self-operating virtual content, though I still love speaking to kids and student-athletes in camps. As a former pro athlete, former Stanford grad, and yoga instructor at 6'4", I bring a rare combination of experience to this work. Knowing that I'm adding value in someone's life that is going to permanently change the trajectory of how they live and hopefully how long they live is what drives me every single day.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Carolyn
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Clearly identify your why. I know that's kind of Simon Sinek-ish to say that, but why do you do what you do, and what drives you emotionally to have motivation every day? In my industry, if you are in person, it can be very demanding. When you have clients at 6 and 7 a.m. four to five times a week, and then you get a little break in the middle of the day, and then you have clients again at 4 or 5 o'clock, you have to love what you do. When you identify the passion that you have to help people, the rest will take care of itself. Don't worry about how many people am I working with, you know, what are my numbers? But if you're driven to literally bring your value into other people's lives, the rest will take care of itself. Be completely present. Don't always be thinking about what's next. Be completely present in that moment, because in my industry, let's say you're working with somebody for one hour, you're giving them the best hour of their day. They might have a super stressful workday, and they're just excited to wake up and come work out with you, and then handle whatever comes after that. Make it the best part of their day to share that time with you. You want to turn it from a have-to to a want-to.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
If you look at the billions of people in this world that need to change their lifestyle choices, or they need your services and your help, the opportunities are endless. If you just take one demographic, it could be pregnant mothers, or student-athletes is a huge bucket, and now with NIL being in place, there's endless opportunity to help student-athletes optimize their performance. I think the key thing is continuing to scale while optimizing accessibility, and not compromising personal touch. That's something that I continue to think about: how do you reach even more people, and make sure that it's very personalized, yet replicable?
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