Steph So on Race, Marketing and Leading Xponential Fitness’s Global Growth
Steph So, chief marketing officer at Xponential Fitness, reflects on how her race affected her marketing career and leadership across global brands including Shake Shack and more.
Opening summary of Steph So’s message
Steph So, who serves as chief marketing officer at Xponential Fitness, discussed how her Asian American identity influenced her path through marketing and senior leadership. She brings more than two decades of experience in brand, digital, e-commerce and customer-growth strategy to a global franchisor of boutique wellness brands. Her career includes senior roles at Ralph Lauren, Estée Lauder and a stint as chief growth officer at Shake Shack, which informed her approach to brand building. The interview underscores how representation and strategic adaptability shaped both her opportunities and challenges.
How varied brand experience shaped her approach
So’s early work in luxury and prestige brands gave her a foundation in storytelling and product positioning. At Ralph Lauren and Estée Lauder she learned to balance heritage with modern consumer expectations, skills she later applied to fast-growth consumer concepts. Transitioning to Shake Shack exposed her to scaling retail and foodservice experiences, where speed, data and community marketing mattered. Those combined experiences now inform a playbook for steering numerous boutique fitness concepts under one global umbrella.
Marketing priorities at Xponential Fitness
At Xponential Fitness, So has prioritized digital acquisition, franchisee support and creative consistency across diverse studios. The company operates multiple boutique brands, each requiring tailored messaging while preserving a coherent corporate identity. So’s remit includes e-commerce, customer retention strategies and creative development to drive membership and class bookings. Her emphasis on measurable ROI ties brand work to the revenue goals of franchised operators and corporate stakeholders.
Race and career barriers she described
So described instances where assumptions about background or voice affected perceptions of her leadership potential and communication style. She said those experiences sharpened her awareness of how representation—or its absence—changes the dynamics in executive rooms. Rather than deterring her, the barriers prompted deliberate choices about visibility, advocacy and mentorship. She framed those decisions as strategic: using her platform to widen the pipeline for underrepresented talent in marketing and brand leadership.
Mentorship, sponsorship and organizational action
A recurring theme in her account was the role of mentors and sponsors who provided both counsel and opportunities. So stressed that mentorship alone is insufficient without organizational structures that translate guidance into promotions and responsibility. She advocated for clearer metrics to evaluate talent, equitable access to "stretch" assignments, and formal sponsorship programs that connect diverse leaders with decision-makers. Those interventions, she argued, help turn individual resilience into systemic progress.
Applying lived experience to marketing strategy
So explained how her cultural perspective informs consumer insight and creative strategy rather than being a token credential. Understanding diverse audiences, she said, requires both data and cultural fluency that can guide product positioning and messaging nuance. In practice, that has meant testing culturally relevant content, refining segmentation and ensuring campaigns do not rely on stereotypes. Her approach emphasizes curiosity, research and collaboration with creative teams to reflect authentic consumer stories.
Industry implications and broader takeaways
So’s reflections point to wider lessons for the marketing and franchising sectors about talent development and inclusive leadership. Brands that scale globally must reckon with varied cultural expectations while building leadership teams that mirror their customer base. The combination of measurement-driven marketing and attention to representation can support both growth and resilience. Executives, she suggested, should be intentional in creating pathways that turn individual experience into organizational advantage.
Steph So’s account of how race shaped her career blends personal experience with practical recommendations for marketers and company leaders. Her trajectory across established luxury houses, fast-growth consumer foodservice and now a global fitness franchisor offers a case study in leveraging diverse professional backgrounds. As consumer brands confront shifting expectations around culture and community, So’s emphasis on mentorship, measurable talent development and culturally informed marketing will remain relevant to companies seeking both growth and equity.
