Employee Spotlight: Lauren Updyke
Fitness manager becomes an entrepreneur
When LIVE FOR LIFE Fitness Manager Lauren Updyke runs outdoors, she faces the same dilemma -- finding a place to store her keys and cell phone.
The issue grew increasingly frustrating in 2003 while she trained for her first 26.2-mile marathon. She stuffed the items down her sports bra. But after working up a sweat, her chest was painfully scratched and chaffed.
Updyke asked her mother, Joanne Clobridge, to sew a pocket on the front of her sports bra. It was the solution Updyke had been hoping for. She could store her items in the pocket, without worry.
Updyke began wearing the garment during her jogs, even with clients in LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke's employee health promotion program. The Power Pouch caught the attention of fellow fitness enthusiasts, who wanted their own. Over time, their feedback and encouragement helped Updyke design a final product and open her own business, gracie's gear.
"I would not have done it if I was not at Duke," said Updyke, who has worked at Duke since 2001. "The support I get has been wonderful -- if you don't have that, you fail."
As fitness manager for Duke's employee wellness program, Updyke manages programs like the Duke Run/Walk Club and conducts individual fitness consultations. She had no experience in clothing design, marketing or business and relied on friends and colleagues at Duke with that expertise. With their help, she launched her business six months ago, producing three styles of the POWER POUCH. Each includes a three-compartment, zippered pocket.
The POWER POUCH comes up higher on the chest than average sports bras, offering greater coverage and support. The fabric, a polyester, spandex blend is soft and doesn't cause chaffing; it also includes an anti-microbial finish that eliminates odor. A small loop on the shoulder holds earphone cords.
"She just thought about everything," said Susan Ficks, administrative assistant in oncology services. Ficks has been a member of Duke's Run/Walk Club and was among those who tested the POWER POUCH prototypes.
The average cost for the POWER POUCH is $35. The tops have been featured in national and international publications. Running Times will feature the POWER POUCH during the holidays.
"For now, my goal is to reach as many women as I can and as fast as I can," Updyke said. She knows her product can keep women safer and more comfortable -- something she hopes will encourage them to exercise independently.
"For many people," Updyke said, "that one barrier takes them home versus the track."