Ep. 19: Natalie Hinds is #GOALS (And It's Good Business To Invest in Women's Swimming)

Ep. #19 of The Business Case For Women's Sports was recorded LIVE, on-stage at the 2021 Lead Sports Co. Summit and is presented by Nav.it. In this episode, Caroline sits down with Natalie Hinds in front of 150 teen female athletes to hear Natalie tell her incredible comeback story, and talk about what it's like to be a professional athlete and fight for sponsorship dollars and visibility in the sport of women's swimming.

Natalie is best known for being one of the fastest swimmers in the United States. She grew up in Midland, TX, where she was one of the top recruits in the nation coming out of high school for the class of 2012. She went on to swim at the University of Florida and graduated as a 20x All-American sprint specialist. In 2015, Natalie made history alongside Lia Neal and Simone Manuel, becoming the first trio of Black swimmers to go 1-2-3 in a single event at the NCAA Championships.

In 2016, Natalie competed at the Olympic Trials, followed by a brief retirement before coming back reignited in the fall of 2018 with her sights set on qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Natalie’s historic comeback led to her becoming a 2020 Olympian where she won a Bronze medal on behalf of Team USAin the 4x100 free relay.

Outside of the pool, Natalie is an accomplished speaker, using her platform to share her inspirational comeback story, and bringing awareness and creating educational opportunities to the sport of swimming. Natalie is also an accomplished business person, both working in an Operations role for Turner Media, and as a business owner, as the Founder of Loominary Designs a custom tapestry & home decor business.

In this episode, hear Caroline and Natalie dig into Natalie's journey as a professional swimmer both in and out of the water, and dig into why it's simply good business for brands to invest in female swimmers like Natalie Hinds.

Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and learn more about Lead Sports Co. here: https://www.leadsportsco.com/.

This episode is brought to you by Nav.it, a proud supporter of the Lead Sports Co. and women’s sports. Nav.it is a female-founded fitness app for your finances, helping you understand and track your spending to improve your money habits. With Nav.it, you’ll save more, pay down high-interest debt, and reduce your financial stress. Check out Nav.it by heading to the Apple Store or Google Play.