Robin Arzón Talks Sports, Swagger and the Importance of Speaking Spanish

Before she was a New York Times bestselling author, a top-ranked Peloton instructor, and one of Time magazine’s 2023 Latino Leaders, Robin Arzón was very much in a different part of the job market, specifically in the world of law.

The successful multi-hyphenate left her role as a corporate litigator at a New York City law firm in the midst of the subprime mortgage crisis and right into another fast-paced environment: running marathons. Her passion for running became more than a hobby—it became a career. After publishing her first book, Shut Up and Run, which landed on the New York Times Best Seller list, Arzón took another bet on herself and cold-pitched Peloton.

The rest is herstory.

These days, the founder of the community-focused Swagger Society can be found making an impact everywhere, from Capitol Hill to Athlos to guiding her kids toward become fluent Spanish speakers. Arzón sat down with ADWEEK to discuss her journey and the lessons she’s learned along the way to build her resilient personal brand.

Her words have been edited for length and clarity.

Respect for la historia

I’m first gen, born in the States. My dad is from Puerto Rico and grew up in the Bronx with really nothing. And my mom is a Cuban refugee. They’ve got lots of stories of serious struggle and triumph, but a lot of struggle. And I carry their stories with me. They did such a great job instilling in myself, my sister, my primas and primos that they climb mountains and we’re starting at their mountaintop.

I want to pass on the values that I grew up with. I want [my kids] to be super proud of their heritage and understand the stories. I was just recently in at a meeting on Capitol Hill advocating for the National Museum of the American Latino, which they are hoping to build in D.C. in the National Mall, pending site approval from Congress. Those stories are important, and I want them to understand the resiliency, the grit, the triumph. But I also want to them to know where they came from.

[My daughter] is coming home [from school] speaking Spanish. So I have to speak, I have to respond. It’s creating that point of emphasis. Canticos is really great. We don’t do a ton of screen time but our whole Disney Channel is only in Spanish. Anything that is entertainment is only in Spanish and those little things that move the needle. My kids being fluent has made me work on my own fluency. I’m “intermediate plus.”

Of course, it’s [about brands] meeting consumers and communities where they are. But I also think it’s different in the Latino community. Specifically, how would the Dominicans say it? How would the Puerto Ricans say it? What kind of music is it—a bachata beat or a salsa beat?

If you’re trying to dive deep into a community, meet them where they are with the music, the terminology, the colors, and the experiences. Brands are missing out on in-person experiences, but in the Latino community, there is still such an emphasis put on how we’re connecting in real life. It’s very community-centric, even though many of us are digitally engaged.

Women are slaying

We know now [women’s sports is] not a moment; it’s a movement. Events like Athlos are really exciting because it was the largest purse prize for a women-only track event in history. And it’s like, let’s start paying these athletes. Let’s start having real conversations about what the ad dollars mean and how we can get within striking distance, if not equality, to the male athletes. There’s an appetite there. Showcase these athletes, and give them the respect that they deserve.

For women’s sports, especially, there’s a dearth of storytelling around these female athletes. Let’s create the lore because it exists. Frankly, it’s more interesting to me than the men’s [stories]. Show me a mama warrior who has rebuilt herself and come back to slay a championship. She’s doing that with babies on her back so don’t tell me that’s not interesting.

What’s so cool [is] we’re having a conversation not only about women’s sports but female leaders in general. We’re raising the bar and it’s important. It’s about time.

Show up to stand out

Consistently show up and [your personal] brand is going to build itself. Sometimes we get caught up in the brand deck, or what the KPIs are, or what the client wants. Are you individually showing up in the world? Your reputation is a form of wealth, and where you can capitalize on that wealth is consistently show up in a way that makes sense [for you], and then make that into dollars.

We’re sometimes starting at the finish line without understanding that you just have to start running the first mile. What would your closest 20 associates say about you? What would they say your strengths are? What’s the story they’ve heard you tell 10 times? That’s who you are, because that’s how you’re showing up in the world. And [the personal brand] builds itself by showing up consistently in that way.

Again, it goes back to that “both/and” [concept]. Let’s explore who we are in the world. If I told myself I was only a legal brief writer, where would I be? If I was only a runner, I would have never picked up a weight. If I was only an athlete, I would have never had kids. If I was only a wife, I wouldn’t be out here slaying a whole bunch of entrepreneurial endeavors. So, let’s explore the edges of who we are.

We aren’t just one thing, and I’m not just interested in one thing. And then I have life stages that I’ve lived through. It’s been amazing for my audience to come along [for the ride], the OG audience. I have different entry points for new folks who are like, “I want to see Robin’s vegan food content,” or, “I want to see her point of view on motherhood,” or, “I just want to see what she’s wearing this week at Fashion Week.” I’m down for all of it.

As long as we’re making the story make sense, personalizing it [and] coming from a point of view, it works. I use movement as an expression, but I also use lots of other tools in my toolkit and I’ll continue to share that with the world as long as folks are listening.