“You come for the pants, you stay for the people.” If you ask around our office and in our stores, you will quickly find that this statement rings true 99% of the time (the other 1% likely came for the people in the first place). We sat down with Laurel and Carlson at our Store Support Centre to learn more about their unique journeys at lululemon, the numerous roles they've had and some epic goals they've crushed this year.

how did you find lululemon?

laurel:

I first found lululemon when I was 18 and training for my first marathon. My lululemon outfit of Groove Shorts and a Deep-V Tank was my race outfit and reward for successfully completing my training (we only designed for yoga at the time). I started working for lululemon as a part-time educator at our Robson street store while finishing my university degree and pursuing triathlon. I honestly applied at every location we had in the area. Needless to say, I loved it, found my people, my product and my stride and never left.

carlson:

Seven years ago, a buddy of mine from a senior Management Business Course in university was looking for extra hands at the Calgary Southcentre store where he was the Assistant Manager.  I finished my degree requirements a semester early so I had time.  I like clothes, I did yoga, I pumped iron and loved to laugh so I said "Hell, why not!?”. It's been a match made in heaven ever since.

what job(s) have you had with lululemon?

laurel:

I’ve been an Educator, Keyleader, Facilities Coordinator, on a contract for special projects and I now find myself blissfully situated in Leadership and Development as a Project Specialist (read: ninja).

carlson:

I've been an Educator, Key Leader, Allocator for Mens, then Accessories, then New Store Openings/E-commerce/Australia/ivivva, Men's Merchandise Associate  and now, I'm the Men's Product Storyteller.

how do you like to sweat?

laurel:

Running is my passion, my moving meditation and the way I like to see the world. I balance it with yoga, especially an extra sweaty power class, though slow and gentle yoga has its place in my heart too. I like to mix it up with swimming, dancing, epic adventure and cruising on my ridiculously heavy purple cruiser bike (with handlebar tassels).

carlson:

Sweat once a day – I truly take this line in the manifesto to heart! I yogs, I pilates, I bike, I cycle, I run, I circuit, I snowboard, I ski, I skate ski, I kayak, I trek, I hike… and I sorta swim.

what's an epic goal you've crushed while at lululemon?

laurel:

I was training to be an elite athlete and had a goal to compete in Olympic and Ironman distance triathlons at a competitive level. I applied for elite status, got it and brought myself to that level, which was such a neat place to be. Once I accomplished that goal, I realized that it wasn't what made me happy. Making it to that point, acknowledging that it wasn't what I wanted and having the tools to be completely okay with it was an important milestone for me.

carlson:

Finished top 25% in my age category in the Whistler GranFondo –yeah baby.

Want to make your mark on the world with us? Tune in on Facebook and Twitter for our Ask a Talent Magnet: LIVE on Wednesday, October 17th at 12:00pm PST. 

What is your lululemon story? How did you find out about us and get started at lululemon?

I first heard of lululemon my freshman year in college. Nathalie, my friend and teammate (and who now works for lululemon!), was wearing a pair of Groove pants and I was amazed by how great they looked on her!

It was not until much later that I really learned about lululemon. After I graduated from college, my husband and I moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. About the same time that we arrived, lululemon opened a showroom there. Through the showroom I learned about not only about the great products, but more importantly the values and the lifestyle that lululemon promotes. I knew I wanted to be involved with lululemon from that point on!

We moved to New York City a month ago. Before we moved, I was already scouting out jobs on lululemon’s website. One week after I arrived, I applied for a job at lululemon and I got it!

What was the interview process like?

I applied online on a Tuesday and by Thursday morning I got a call from one of the key leaders at the store inviting me to a group interview. The morning of the group interview I was quite nervous because working for lululemon is what I wanted to do for the past year.

The group interview was casual and friendly. We sat down on some yoga mats and started by introducing ourselves and were asked to describe our accomplishments, goals, and values.

After the interview we were informed that they would call us later on if we made it for a second interview. The day went by and I was next to my phone waiting for that call to happen. It was getting late and my hopes were almost gone until a call came in from an unknown number. I answered and I was informed that I was selected to go back in. I was so happy! The second interview was much shorter and it was one on one. At the end of the interview they offered me the job and I accepted it right on the spot!

Now that you’ve got the gig – what are you doing?

I am an educator! I educate our guests and the community about the features and benefits of our products, values, and what lululemon is all about! I also get to find something amazing about every guest and engage in great conversations. Being an educator is something that brings happiness into my life. There is nothing better than helping our guests find what they are looking for and making their day.

What is your favourite part about working at lululemon SoHo?

My favourite part about working at the lululemon Soho store is the dynamics of our team. It is just an amazing group of young people who help each other to be great in and out of the store!
Also, the Soho store is unique in that many tourists from all over the world visit the store each day. Being from Argentina allows me to use my Spanish on a daily basis and communicate with our Spanish speaking guests. I love that I can communicate with them and make them feel at home! There is nothing better than seeing their faces when they learn all about lululemon and ask if lululemon is coming to their country!

What is the best part of your day at lululemon?

I am not sure that there is one single best part. I wake up each morning excited to go to work and I do not want to leave when my shift is over…so I would have to say that the whole day is the best part!

Do you have an athletic background?

Yes, I do! I was an elite gymnast at the age of 11 and member of the Argentinean national team for 8 years. Gymnastics took me all over the world competing in the Pan-American Games, World Championships, and many other competitions. When I was 19, I moved to the United States where I attended the University of Iowa on a full scholarship and was a member of the gymnastics team. Now, I am a certified yoga instructor and an exercise maniac!

What do you do in your spare time?

I love spending time with my amazing husband. We love going for long walks in the city and drinking coffee. If I am not spending time with him, I am out in the community taking fitness and yoga classes with Meghan (our community leader) and some of the other Soho girls.

What are you most passionate about?

I am passionate about my family, friends, and building relationships! I believe that happiness is found in those amazing relationships that we create every single day.

What is your 5 year goal?

I have three goals I want to accomplish in 5 years:

1 - Be a store manager of one of the lululemon stores in New York City.
2 - Be a certified prenatal yoga instructor
3 - Have a solid plan of how to introduce lululemon to Argentina!

Above Jana, Jenny, and Bridey, the ladies opening up our ivivva athletica stores, give us the inside ivivva scoop!

What is your role at ivivva?

Jana: Assistant Manager of Community, ivivva athletica West 4th location

Jenny: Business Manager of ivivva athletica – basically I oversee store operations, people & training for the new brand

Bridey: Product Manager

What is a typical Wednesday like for you?

Jana: Last Wednesday? hmmmm...last Wednesday I was shadowing Charlotte, the manager of Park Royal, the Wednesday before that I was making community contacts with the local gymnastics clubs.

Jenny: Get up, go for a run, work on emails in the morning, meet with Bridey and Jana to get updates, meet with our store designer to go over final fixture choices, drive to a coffee shop to meet with potential store manager candidates, meet up with the ivivva girls at a local gymnastics or dance studio to hold a focus group, then home to have dinner with Matt, take our dog Olive out for a walk, check emails again and then bed!

Bridey: Wednesdays are never typical, never a dull moment! Last Wednesday we reviewed our new store floor plans with our Store Design team, but the majority of my time is spent overseeing the direction of the product line. It's pretty cool to see the last couple of months start to come to life!

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?

Jana: It's a close battle between Haagen-Dazs coffee ice cream and pepperoni pizza. Both A-MAZING!

Jenny: Peanut M&Ms. Especially the pink breast cancer ones.

Bridey: Sunglasses - I can never have enough. Now if only Vancouver had more sun

If you could trade places with someone in the company who would it be and why?

Jana: Whose job would I want? Tracy Keough because I love community and she gets to be at the heart of it in all of our stores throughout North America.

Jenny: Allison Forsyth (our elite athlete coordinator). Right now she is working hard connecting with elite athletes and getting our Vancouver stores ready to host some pretty cool events, which is something that I am passionate about!

Bridey: Chip. No explanation needed

What's your Big Hairy Audacious Goal?

Jana: ivivva guests are lined up around the block for the West 4th store opening.

Jenny: To complete Ironman Canada by August 2011.

Bridey: Ivivva is the favourite brand of girls aged 6-12.

Why do you have the best job in the world?

Jana: Because we get to be healthy, positive influencers for young girls.

Jenny: I work with incredible people who are my friends…we have been given this very cool opportunity to be a part of ivivva from the beginning, which is so exciting! I have been working at lululemon for 5 years, and have loved every minute of it… things are always changing and it’s so amazing to see the company grow and innovate!

Bridey: I'm surrounded by amazing people that do amazing things.

What is the best way to describe ivivva?

Jana: FUN!

Jenny: Technical, cool product for young, active girls.

Bridey: Just plain fun!

Why are you excited about ivivva?

Jana: I am excited because our guest is so cool. Our target girls are confident, smart, funny, and love to share their opinions. You Go Girl!

Jenny: Because the product is amazing, I can’t wait to share it with our guests. I wish ivivva was around when I was 10 years old!

Bridey: We have an opportunity to truly inspire kids.

Are you inspired to join the team? We have amazing opportunities in Vancouver, Victoria, and Calgary!

I never applied to work for lululemon. In fact, I was actually going to a job interview at a local restaurant, dressed to impress, when I stopped into my neighborhood store and my world turned on its axis. I had just achieved a big life goal: “I leave the security of suburbia and move into the big bad city before my twentieth birthday.” (Attention please: my goal is SMART. Not sure what I’m talking about? Check out GOALTENDER.) My favorite groove pants apparently did not share my vision of moving into Vancouver’s West End and they got lost in transition. I decided to replace them on the way to my interview. The Robson location was busy as usual, and I casually wandered through the bustling sea of tourists and locals.

Ananda was waiting for me at the pant wall and we became instant friends – she was incredibly helpful and had an infectious personality. I told her that I wished that I could come to work in flip-flops and comfy pants, not the impending pencil skirts and heels.

“You can!” she exclaimed, as she took my hand and boldly escorted me to the front of the store to meet the manager. Hilarious. Only at lululemon. We had an on-the-spot interview, and I was invited to attend a group interview that week.

Fast-forward to the big day:
I was well-versed in my interview responses.
I picked out a nice outfit – and hooray! no heels included.
I planned my bus route and made sure that I had enough time to arrive EARLY.

To my dismay, the good people running the buses that fateful day were behind the eight ball. This, combined with my total lack of knowledge for the city’s streets, successfully made me twenty minutes late for my interview. It was the grossest feeling. I felt like I lost before I even got my chance.The whole interview was a fantastic blur of ingenuity - nothing like I had ever experienced - but I don’t really remember anything except the gut-rot I felt for being late. When it was over, I think I apologized five times to the girls hosting the interview.

“Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.” The thing about being put in a challenging situation is that it brings out your true colors. I didn’t feel like a confident Chili red; instead I was more like a sedated Sand, but they liked what they saw, and I got the job! My journey has had some interesting ups and downs in the five years I have been with the company, which I look forward to sharing with you. I continue to challenge myself, and continue to realize some really amazing goals along the way. (This includes meeting the man of my dreams - stay tuned for that one.)

If you are considering an opportunity with us – GO FOR IT! If you want to pick my brain and hear more about my time with lululemon, EMAIL me (Attn: Elissa at gec@lululemon.com). I’m happy to be your personal cheerleader. My first advice nugget to all you ladies and gentlemen out there getting ready for an interview? Don’t wear heels.

Come join the team and check out some of the cool jobs we have in the company!

What is your role at lululemon?

Director of Ecommerce / Guest Education Centre.

What's your favourite part of your workday?

Birthday celebrations/baby showers (there’s a cake every week!).

How do you think others would describe you?

Passionate – I love my job, food, lululemon, podcasts, travel - basically a lot of things.

What's your favourite yoga class? Why?

I love hot yoga. It is a hard work out, and I feel incredible after.

How do you usually sweat once a day?

Running. My favorite schedule is arriving to the office, hammering out some emails and then hitting the pavement.

What’s one activity/fitness trend that you’ve been dying to try?

Bar Method. I did it a few times, and it was brutal.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?

McDonalds – Big Mac Meal, large fries and vanilla milk shake (yes, I know – poison).

Chip Wilson grants you the ability to switch places with another person at lululemon for one day – who do you choose?

I would be Eric Petersen, our head of Community. From the Olympics to branding to local events – what an exciting job!

What are your words to live by?

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Reminds me to appreciate every moment, touch others, make a contribution, and life to the fullest.

Interested in learning from the best and joining our team? We're actually hiring for two pretty great roles that would allow you to work for and learn from brilliant people like Katherine. We're hiring an Ecommerce Operations Manager and a Guest Insight Analyst! And, I can personally confirm that every day is a party on the Ecomm team.