Kat Cole grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, raised by a single mother who worked hard to keep the household afloat. Money was tight, stability was not guaranteed, and from an early age, Kat understood that work was not optional. It was survival.
Those early years shaped how she saw responsibility, opportunity, and leadership. She learned that effort mattered, that showing up mattered, and that no one was coming to hand you a future. You had to build it yourself.
That mindset would eventually carry her from a waitress earning tips to the CEO seat of one of the fastest growing wellness companies in the world.
Meet Kat Cole, CEO of AG1.
Courtesy: LeadDev
From Jacksonville Tables to Global Boardrooms
At just 17 years old, Kat took a job as a waitress at Hooters to help support her family. What started as a way to pay bills quickly became a proving ground. She learned how to read people, manage pressure, and perform in high-stakes environments where results mattered every single shift.
By 18, Kat enrolled at the University of North Florida to study electrical engineering. She was ambitious and capable, but life was already moving faster than the classroom.
By 19, Kat was traveling internationally, helping open new restaurant locations and learning operations firsthand across different cultures and markets. She was being trusted with responsibility far beyond her age.
Then came a choice that would define her career: stay in college, or commit fully to the opportunity to help build a global company.
Kat chose the work.
By 20, she dropped out of college, not because she lacked discipline, but because she recognized momentum when she saw it. She understood that leadership is not learned only in lecture halls. Sometimes it is forged in motion.
Rising Faster Than the System Expected
Kat’s ascent inside Hooters was unprecedented. Her leadership, operational mastery, and emotional intelligence propelled her forward at a pace few could match.
By the age of 26, she became Vice President, making her one of the youngest executives in the company’s history.
She did not fit the traditional executive mold. She had no completed degree. She had started at the bottom. And yet, she consistently delivered results.
In 2010, Kat was named President of Cinnabon. Under her leadership, the brand expanded aggressively across international markets, transforming from a mall staple into a globally recognized name. She proved that operational excellence and brand storytelling could coexist, and that empathy was not a weakness in leadership. It was an advantage.
Rewriting the Rules of Credentialism
Despite her success, Kat eventually returned to school. Not because she needed validation, but because she valued learning.
She earned her MBA from Georgia State University, one of the few programs in the United States that admits candidates without a traditional undergraduate degree. Her references came from the people who had seen her lead at the highest levels, including billionaire Ted Turner.
It was a quiet but powerful statement. Experience counts. Results matter. And there is more than one way to build credibility.
Scaling Multi-Brand Empires
In 2015, Kat became President and COO of GoTo Foods, overseeing a portfolio of global restaurant brands including Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli, Auntie Anne’s, and Jamba.
She was now responsible for scaling not just one brand, but entire ecosystems. Her leadership focused on people, culture, and sustainable growth. She became known for building teams that lasted, not just companies that expanded.
Then, in 2021, Kat stepped into the wellness world as President and COO of AG1.
Once again, her impact was immediate.
In 2024, Kat was named CEO of AG1. Today, the company generates roughly $600 million in annual revenue and has become one of the most recognizable names in health and wellness.
Five Leadership Lessons from Cristina Junqueira
Start where you are. Leadership can begin at any level.
Momentum beats perfection. She chose progress over credentials.
Empathy scales. People drive performance.
Credentials are not destiny. Results earn trust.
Build your own path. There is no single right route.
Jenny’s Takeaway
Kat Cole is one of the most compelling leadership stories of our time. She rose from a waitress job taken out of necessity to leading global brands and a half billion dollar wellness company. She did it without a traditional degree, without a linear path, and without waiting for permission.
Her story challenges the way we think about success, education, and leadership. It asks a simple but uncomfortable question.
If the rules were not built for you, would you still play by them?
What path are you brave enough to choose?