CMO Caroline Linton On Turning Pressure Into Preparation

As a freshman walk-on on UC Irvine’s Division I volleyball team, Caroline Linton found herself thrust into a crucial moment. It was game point and her coach called her name to enter the contest right off the bench. In the heat of competition, Linton stepped up. That moment sealed her mindset: make sure you’re always ready, even when you’re not the star. 

Linton’s coach didn’t just want players to be prepared when it was convenient; the squad had to be ready when the moment counted. So the team built its roster depth by making sure no one fell behind. “If you weren’t a starter, that is the type of pressure you needed to show up,” Linton says in a recent episode of the Corporate Competitor Podcast. “You’re not going to let your team down.”

Maintaining preparation is not about knowing what’s coming around the corner. In fact, it’s the opposite. Linton, who tore her ACL later in life while playing the sport she loved recreationally, leaned on what her coach instilled in her years prior. After suffering that major injury, she turned to the fitness brand Pure Barre to help her recovery. That’s also where she ultimately found her professional calling.

She was ultimately hired by Pure Barre, rising from director to CMO, and helped to build the brand into one of the most recognized names in boutique fitness, overseeing the marketing efforts of 600-plus stores and being an integral part of global growth. Today, Linton brings that same level of drive and focus to her new executive role with Perspire Sauna Studio, where she oversees the national brand marketing strategy.

No matter what role she’s in, though, the foundational lessons she picked up on the volleyball court as a defensive specialist for UC Irvine continue to guide her. There will always be tough times—especially unpredictable ones—but rising to them means trusting the work you’ve already put in. “You go through that so much in life,” said Linton. “Different scenarios pop up. But it’s the preparation that happened behind closed doors during practice that [gets you] ready.”

She discusses this and more on the podcast, including:

• Refuse to say “cannot.” Linton keeps that word out of her daily vocabulary. Instead of thinking she won’t be able to succeed at something new, she accepts that it’s unfamiliar and takes it on anyway. “You can do it,” she explains. “It’s just new to you.”

• Stay warm. Leadership is not about yelling or intimidation, but about getting to know employees and caring about them. “It means having that personalized touch,” Linton says. “I definitely want to be remembered as a strong leader. But I also know that this is a people business and I want to make sure that people feel seen.”

• Ask the question. Linton likes to ask her team (as well as her kids at home) the questions: “What did you love about today?” and “What was challenging about today?” Reflecting on the day breaks down the monotony and creates a conversation, she says. “It’s always great to be able to think about what [the day’s] wins were.”