Kat Cole never planned to become a business leader. At 15, she took a job as a hostess at Hooters to help support herself and her single mother. By simply saying yes to every challenge in front of her — covering shifts, learning new roles, filling gaps wherever needed — she accidentally learned how to run a restaurant. That hands-on hustle caught attention fast.
Opportunity Over Comfort
At just 19, Cole was asked to join a traveling training team opening Hooters franchises internationally. She had no passport and had never flown. She went anyway. That decision set the tone for an entire career built on choosing growth over comfort. By 26, she was VP of the company. She later became President of Cinnabon, where she tripled EBITDA within two years.
In 2021, Cole joined AG1 — then called Athletic Greens — as President and COO, eventually stepping up as CEO. The company was generating $160 million in annual revenue at the time.
A Bold Rebrand That Paid Off
One of Cole’s first major moves was rebranding the company entirely. The name “Athletic Greens” was limiting the product’s broader appeal. Cole led a complete overhaul — new name, new website, new search optimization — describing it as a “burn the boats” decision. The rebrand unlocked room for future product lines and repositioned the brand for a wider audience.
The results speak for themselves. AG1 hit a projected $600 million in revenue in 2024, fueled by third-party certifications, clinical research, and a fiercely loyal customer base that values transparency and proven quality.