Episode 38: Cortney Jacobsen - From classical pianist to endurance athlete, product manager, and entrepreneur

Today’s guest is Cortney Jacobsen. Cortney is a passionate endurance athlete, product management veteran of the tech industry, and entrepreneur. Currently, she is the Senior Director of Product Management at Aduro, a human performance company that utilizes a combination of 1 on 1 coaching and technology to improve the lives of their corporate clients. She is also the co-founder of Gritlink, a platform that connects endurance and adventure enthusiasts with healthcare providers who are experts in working with athletes. Prior to Aduro and Gritlink, Cortney spent many years working as a product manager at companies like Amazon and Disney. As her passion as an endurance athlete grew during these years, so did her mission to help people live happier and healthier lives. As a result, while at Amazon, she launched a coaching business which she ran for about 6 years focused on helping senior-level business executives prepare for endurance events. In this interview, we get into her initial background as classical pianist, her career in product management, her passion for endurance athletics, and her current roles at Aduro and Gritlink.

Timestamps

00:02:40 Growing up as a classical pianist

00:10:18 Focus shifting to math & science

00:12:14 Biggest takeaways as a classical pianist

00:15:06 What sparked her interest in endurance athletics

00:21:22 Her hardest races

00:25:36 Career ambitions while in college

00:27:15 First job out of college

00:30:50 Passion for product management

00:34:11 Getting into coaching

00:38:59 Her focus as a coach

00:44:03 Gritlink

00:54:29 Biggest lessons about entrepreneurship that she's learned so far

00:57:43 Ultimate vision for Gritlink

00:58:53 Her role at Aduro

01:02:45 What her days look like now

01:05:34 Next big athletic goal

01:06:35 Ideal day in the life

01:07:31 Has she ever burnt out?

01:08:05 Her driving force

01:08:50 Advice around maintaining an active lifestyle for the busy professional