From Small-Town Kid to Everest, Equinox & IRONMAN CEO | Scott DeRue
About this episode
Scott DeRue shares his journey from a small-town kid to the CEO of The IRONMAN Group, discussing personal challenges and mountaineering experiences.
Scott DeRue has spent his life creating experiences that push people beyond what they thought was possible. Ken sits down with his longtime friend and current CEO of The IRONMAN Group to talk about growing up in small-town North Carolina, being told during his first performance review that he “wasn’t smart enough,” walking away from a lucrative consulting career in search of purpose, becoming a University of Michigan professor and eventually the youngest dean of a top business school, and leaving the security of academia to help lead Equinox through the COVID crisis. Scott also shares how mountaineering became one of the defining forces in his life, what it took to climb Everest and complete the Seven Summits, the terrifying risks of the Khumbu Icefall and descent from Everest, and why getting to the summit is only half the job. Now leading The IRONMAN Group, Scott explains why he believes the company is ultimately in the “dream fulfillment business,” what he learned from rebuilding Equinox, why athlete feedback matters, and the decision to bring the men’s and women’s IRONMAN World Championship back together in Kona. Ken and Scott also revisit the 2023 Gobi…
Sponsors
ROKA, AMP Fitness
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