Keeping the Underdog Mindset

What's up, guys?

I'm Fed Muyshondt,

CEO of BODYARMOR Sports Nutrition,

the sports division of the Coca‑Cola company.

That means today I'm in charge of two billion dollar brands,

BODYARMOR, and Powerade.

Every day my team and I compete as underdogs,

massive underdogs,

to try to become the number one brand in sports hydration.

For me, it's the secret to staying motivated,

but taking on the challenge every day is actually a dream come true.

I'm from Central America and growing up in El Salvador,

we had some classic American TV shows.

My Favorite, "The Price is Right."

I was obsessed.

I literally knew the price of everything.

I spent so much time watching that show,

and when I moved to the US at age 19,

I discovered two things.

One,

big beautiful grocery stores

and two, American sports.

Now, soccer is forever my first love,

but I quickly fell for football, basketball, baseball, really all sports.

And I knew I wanted a job selling the kind of brands

that I saw in those beautiful grocery stores.

The pathway wasn't always easy,

but I always moved forward to get where I am today.

From college at Texas A&M

to taking a job that wasn't exactly what I wanted to do,

to finally breaking through, selling the brands I saw in those grocery stores.

With Frito Lay, with Danonn, with Chobani.

And finally, the biggest challenge, my role today.

Each experience contributed to where I am today.

All I can say is it took a lot of hard work,

but hard work works.

Let's talk about some of the most important lessons I've learned along the way.

The underdog mindset is a huge part of not just my own passion,

but the story of BODYARMOR as well.

In fact, it's in the brand's DNA from one of our founders,

the late great Kobe Bryant, an NBA legend.

Kobe brought more than investment or star power.

He brought the Mamba mentality,

a relentless drive to improve, outwork, and outperform.

Even though he was the best,

every day he asked himself, did I get better today?

That was his superpower.

To be the best version of you and the best leader, you've got to keep that underdog mindset

because it will keep you focused on improvement.

That mindset shaped BODYARMOR and now lives on at Powerade.

In all my years as a leader,

the most fulfilling work has always been driven by purpose.

A bigger why.

When that why gives you more energy than it takes,

that's when cool stuff happens.

For me, my why, my purpose

is to dethrone the industry leader and rewrite the history of sports hydration.

And when we do, not if, but when,

it will be one of the greatest stories in sports history.

In leadership, the path to success is rarely straight and almost never easy.

Great leaders learn to play the long game.

You've got to stick with it.

That means not obsessing over the outputs, like title and money,

but pouring your energy into the inputs.

Meaningful experiences, mentors, quality of teammates,

and the opportunity to grow with those whose values align with yours.

Broad experience will make you a better leader because when that moment comes,

you'll have more to draw from.

So play the long game. Say yes to the tough assignments.

Step into unfamiliar territory.

Be curious, be humble, and bring a super positive energy to everything you do.

Don't just forecast problems, make it rain.

Discipline is how it all comes together.

For me, discipline is about boundaries,

especially when it comes to time.

Time is the one resource, no one, not even the richest person in the world can buy.

That's why I try to stay fully locked in during work hours

to accomplish as much as possible so I can be just as present when I'm with family and friends.

The truth is,

a good leader isn't an overworked one.

It's a balance.

Just like athletes, leaders need recovery time to stay sharp, focused, and
ready for the next challenge.

These habits are a cycle.

They feed into each other.

The underdog mindset will keep you improving.

Purpose fuels motivation,

but none of that hard work is possible without discipline and focus on the end game

and the things that really matter in the long run.