Why Karina Kogan May Be the Reason You Purchased a Peloton Bike This Year

It’s the exercise (and now media) company taking over the globe. And if you’re one of the millions who was inspired to purchase a Peloton bike, tread, or even just downloaded the app in the past year, you have Karina Kogan to thank for that. Karina has always been at the intersection of media and technology. From video games to influencer networks (even managing the Kardashians’ early social media presence before they skyrocketed into fame), she can be found in roles that bridge great content and great tech for memorable experiences. So it is no wonder that, as the svp and head of global product marketing at Peloton, Karina is in charge of working with their teams around the world to bring their products to market. As a Peloton consumer herself, Karina firmly believes the product’s success is attributed to the connection between the hardware, software, content and community all coming to life at once. Her passion and expertise for delivering “compelling, sticky and dynamic experiences” is ultimately what makes Karina such a perfect fit for the role at the rapidly-growing fitness company. For more on the innovative mind behind the global takeover of Peloton products, read on to find out about Karina’s take on the role of fitness in her life, the three game-changing steps her team has taken to promote work-life harmony and who had a big hand in shaping her career. ADWEEK: Tell us about what you are doing now. I work with our teams around the world on how we bring our products, bikes, treads, digital memberships and the app, to market. We operate against the classic Four Ps of marketing: product, price, place(ment) and promotion. In addition to leading a team of product marketers, I also oversee our media planning and buying practice, lifecycle strategy/CRM and marketing analytics. What’s one way you’ve invested in yourself that’s had the most impact over the course of your career? What about within the past year? Ironically, I had always under-invested in fitness in my life. Then I started to work at Peloton and it changed my relationship with exercise. It’s funny to think how much I have experienced Peloton as a consumer, not just an executive. It makes approaching my work with a deep and personal connection to our target audience really gratifying. It is categorically true that better fitness in your life leads to better outcomes in other areas, like your career and personal life. How do you foster strong professional relationships as you grow in your career? I think having fewer strong and authentic relationships is better than several shallow ones. For those in my close network, I try to be a good friend, colleague and professional resource. Having people you genuinely care about in your network makes being of service and staying connected fun and rewarding. The “how” is both formal and informal. I use social media but also try to reconnect in person or over the phone. And like any genuine relationship that gets stronger over time, I don’t foster it with the aim of receiving some sort of benefit. Peloton’s Dara Treseder Reveals New Community Campaign Showcasing the Power of 3 Million Members and Growing! How do you view work-life integration, especially now, and what advice can you share with others who may be struggling with it? I’m always learning about and evolving my approach to work-life-harmony. Three actions we’ve taken on my team include: Use of schedule-send feature on email to avoid sending messages (other than urgent ones) outside of normal working hours.Meeting-free Friday afternoons have been great at allowing me to catch up on anything that’s piled up during the week and helps with heading into the weekend worry free.Calendar blocks—many of us use scheduled blocks to create little breathers between meetings. Sometimes I use these [blocks] to go for a walk without my phone and then get back to my workday. Can you recall a situation where you've dealt with typecasting in the workplace? And what advice do you have for other women on how to overcome typecasting at work? I will always remember a comment made by a male superior when I informed him that I was pregnant. His immediate response was, “are you coming back?” He clearly associated my pregnancy with a pause or end to my career. Don’t regret. Correct. One of the most powerful things we (both men and women) can all do to transform the workplace into a more equitable environment is to stop using labels that perpetuate the very stereotypes that hold women back. To rid the workplace of “typecasting,” we should rid it of certain words that conjure negative stereotypes like “ice queen,” “b---” and “diva,” to name a few. Let's just purge those terms from our workplace vocabulary. What’s one tip you can share or something you’ve learned on how to handle salary negotiations or raises? A raise is associated with performance. When negotiating for a raise, get out of the habit of only talking about your performance once a year during an annual review and when a raise is on the table. Performance discussions should be happening year-around. That way, when it comes time to discuss money, you and your manager will already have a mutual understanding of where you are in terms of performance and—therefore—salary potential. Who has helped you in your journey and how did they help shape your career? My parents have had a big hand in shaping my career. They instilled a strong work ethic in me and always encouraged me to be tenacious, to never give up. I have also had the opportunity to work with a few great leaders who have influenced me. I’ve also experienced leaders who are fiercely loyal to their team. I once had a manager back me with his superiors on a very risky business decision. He believed in me more than he believed in the idea. It worked out great (for both of us) in the end, but the thing that stood out to everyone was his courage, loyalty and that he was willing to back his teammate. What’s the single best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Don’t regret. Correct. What does success mean for you? I think success is loving what you do. After all, life’s a journey not a destination.