Innovating for Every Body with Tobie Hatfield of NIKE

“If you have a body, you are an athlete.” In this episode, host Rebecca Kalogeris speaks with Tobie Hatfield, Senior Director of Athlete* Innovation at Nike, about the philosophy and practice of building inclusive, high-performance products. From his early days as a pole vaulter and coach to more than 35 years of innovation at Nike, Tobie shares how his athletic background and curiosity shaped his approach to product development. He unpacks Nike’s guiding principle—innovate for the athlete*, with an asterisk meaning all bodies count—and explains how this vision fuels breakthrough products. From designing performance shoes for athletes with cerebral palsy that can be put on hands-free, to pioneering new “precovery” technology in collaboration with Hyperice, Tobie illustrates how authentic inclusivity drives performance for everyone. Listeners will hear how Nike prototypes fast, embraces “fail forward” experimentation, and measures innovation through real athlete outcomes. Tobie also underscores that innovation is never the work of a lone genius—it’s a team sport powered by observation, empathy, and courage to take calculated risks. This episode is an inspiring deep dive into how great companies push past limitations to create products that resonate, perform, and truly serve. For show notes and more resources, visit: pragmaticinstitute.com/resources/podcasts Pragmatic Institute is the global leader in Product, Data, and Design training and certification programs for working professionals. Learn more at pragmaticinstitute.com.