Driving Force Podcast
Episode 39: Hoby Darling - From small farming town to public company CEO
Today’s guest is Hoby Darling. Hoby is an accomplished C-suite executive and passionate athlete and adventurer. On the business side, he has been a senior leader for brands such as Nike, Converse, Skullcandy, Astro Gaming and Volcom, as well as being a board director or advisor for organizations in endurance sports, physical regeneration and recovery, and human performance private equity. On the athletic side, Hoby is a certified Crossfit coach, former personal trainer, and multiple time Ironman finisher. Today, his focus is on helping unlock human potential and extending human capabilities as a Senior Executive at Logitech, a global consumer electronics company, and as a Founding Partner at The Liminal Collective, a broader Collective of world-class human performance experts on a mission to push forward the limitless potential of humans. In this interview, we get into Hoby’s small town upbringing, his winding journey from lawyer to CEO of Skullcandy, human performance and well-being, and his current roles at Logitech and Liminal Collective.
Timestamps
00:02:48 How did he get the nickname "Hoby"?
00:04:25 Growing up in a small town
00:13:18 Park City, Utah
00:15:31 Being a product of your environment
00:17:28 College
00:19:31 Dropping out of college and moving to Mexico
00:22:02 The injury that changed his life
00:22:50 Identity changes
00:27:39 Days as a personal trainer
00:30:56 Career aspirations in college
00:32:46 Transition into law
00:41:50 Days as a corporate lawyer
00:49:15 Leaving law to go to Volcom
00:53:15 Learning everything, and outworking everyone
00:55:42 Contrast between Latham and Volcom
00:58:40 Moving to Nike
01:03:38 Role at Nike and working with the best athletes
01:06:21 Demystifying human performance
01:10:34 Becoming the CEO of Skullcandy
01:12:55 Skullcandy turnaround
01:19:02 Leaving Skullcandy
01:22:30 Genesis of Liminal Collective
01:28:08 His driving force
01:29:10 Advice for the busy professional around maintaining an active lifestyle