Driving Force Podcast

Driving Force Podcast


Episode 39: Hoby Darling - From small farming town to public company CEO

October 18, 2020

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