This episode of the Run Lift Mom podcast is an interview with Catherine Betts from Betts Fit Sports Bra.
I’ve titled it Sports Bras & Start Ups because it’s mix of nerding out on activewear and exploring the entrepreneurial journey of the Betts Fit Sports Bra and brand. Enjoy!
Show Notes:
2:00 update on how business and life has changed with COVID 4:00 background in fitness industry and path to entrepreneur
5:30 beginnings of the bra lab, early prototype for a G cup size 7:00 how pregnancy changed the business 11:00 filling a need for women who have to get custom bras or wear 3 at a time 15:00 patent filled design to help posture
17:00 delegate a full plate 19:00 growing a network for your brand (boy, does this run parallel to ZYIA!) 20:00 fitness advice for new moms. What gives you joy? 22:00 how conventional sports bras on the market fail women
24:00 Betts Fit sports bra intelligent design intended for function and versatility 25:00 work to live and life balance 26:00 self talk rapid fire
28:00 discipline learning opportunities 29:00 this or that 30:00 advice for younger self
More about the company origins
CEO Catherine Betts has personally struggled to find a supportive and comfortable sports bra During puberty she developed a thyroid condition known as Hashimoto’s disease and developed into a 34DD. As a D1 collegiate soccer player she had to wear 3 sports bras to prevent the bounce. As a result she developed debilitating neck and shoulder pain, postural problems and nerve pain.
She knew she wasn’t alone with this problem. After college she applied her degree in sports sciences in the fitness industry. She gained valuable startup experience as employee 5 at TRX before founding her own business. As a personal trainer she found herself stuck in her sports bra for 12 hours a day and having to choose between comfort and support.
After studying neuroscience for 4 years, she set out to develop the perfect sports bra. Catherine created a bra lab in her parents’ basement. She started modifying competitors sports bras with ribbon, an ace bandage and saran wrap. Over the years she created hundreds of prototypes working with top bra designers and manufactures.
In 2017 Betts Fit launched the beta version of the first 3 way adjustable high impact sports bra. The sports bra patented technology includes 3 utility and 1 design patents. While pregnant with her daughter Cayley, Catherine spent 8 hours a day individually sewing 250 bras.
Danielle Rees, an experienced entrepreneur in the outdoor industry, joined the team as Co-founder and COO. Her leadership and fundraising skills at Coalition Snow and Girls on the Run-Sierras helped the team secure funding from an outside investor. Betts Fit paid the down payment to secure production with the number one bra factory in the world.
Connect with Catherine and check out the sports bra, now in prelaunch for a summer release! The Betts Fit Instagram page will keep you in the know so you can be first in line.
You can see from the fit guide and testimonials that this is a very different sports bra- even a ZYIA Active rep can see that!
The podcast episode associated with this post is made possible by your support of my own training offering, ZYIA Active business, and a partnership with Woofy and Red H Nutrition (use RUNLIFTMOM to save 15% on anything).
