Chompian of the Month: Kaitlyn Kobida

For the month of November, we're highlighting one of our fellow employees, Kaitlyn Kobida, as Chompian of the Month. Kaitlyn was featured on Chompast Ep. 10 where she spoke about her role here at Chomps as the Director of E-Commerce working with our clients like Amazon, Thrive Market, Instacart and more. Beyond her work on our e-commerce channel and helping build Chomps as a DTC brand, she is an inspiring athlete and recent dog mom. You can read more about Kaitlyn and what fuels her as a #chompian below.

Can you tell us about yourself - what you do, a bit about your story, etc.?

Hi, I am Kaitlyn! After starting my career in e-commerce, I quickly adapted a passion for all things digital. I am a veteran Chompian of nearly 4 years and have loved every second of my time here building the Chomps brand online. From managing retailer websites, to paid advertising, digital shelf optimization and our own D2C initiatives, I thrive on constantly innovating and improving our e-commerce experience.

We hear you're quite the athlete and always get the Chomps team inspired to get up and get moving. Have you always been super active?

Coming from a big family and being the middle of four siblings, I have a *very* competitive side. Growing up my mom let me play every sport under the sun, and I eventually landed on swimming as my specialty as I got older. After college, I pivoted to training for endurance races in my free time. Now my specialty is triathlons and I love training for the Chicago Triathlon every summer on the lakefront. My brother and I race together every August and it is always my favorite day of the year. I even have a huge group of friends involved now too! There is something about a race day that gets me pumped up. My brother and I joke - we hope to be still out there racing in our 70s!

What’s your best tip on how to stay positive?

This sounds cliché, but I live by the motto: good vibes only. Everyday when we wake up, we have a chance to make progress towards our goals and I work best on teams that spread positive energy. At Chomps, we always have a lot going on so it is important to keep the larger perspective on what we are working towards. This is what keeps me going.

What’s your workout routine?

Right now I am off season so I am concentrating on strength training mixed with some days of either HIIT or endurance cardio. My husband and I like to strength train together! For cardio, I love the Peloton Power Zone Program. It has helped me shave minutes off my bike leg of my races. When in Triathalon training season, find me at Ohio street beach open water swimming, and biking and running on the lakefront path!

How do you consider yourself a “game changer?”

Never accepting anything less than "better". If something isn't going right, having the gut intuition to reevaluate and pivot. Working in such an everchanging industry, we never want to be left behind. Always challenging myself and teammates to stay one set ahead! If something within the business is not working? Evaluate new solutions to fix it. Set a new PR on Peloton, what is my next step to beat that PR?

What’s the best thing you do for your personal health everyday (mental or physical)?

Get outside! Fresh air is so important - even if its just a mile walk. My puppy, Windy, joins me.

What is your favorite Chomps product?

Original Beef, hands down.

How does Chomps fuel your lifestyle?

Fueling myself with enough protein is so important while training, but can be challenging at times. Chomps is the solution. I can bring it anywhere and have a snack ready to go whenever I need it - literally while I am on a long bike ride sometimes! Truly is a lifesaver!