Devin Murphy, Ops Guru Behind Barry's
April 27, 2020
Meet Devin Murphy, SVP of Operations at Barry's, a cult favorite fitness brand. After studying Film & Media Culture at a liberal arts college, Devin launched her career in Operations at an investment management firm focused in the TMT space. Later, she took her ops chops and applied them to business development at SYPartners, where she spent years researching what made companies successful. After being prompted by a career coach to explore roles at brands that mattered to her, she found herself chatting with the CEO of Barry's.
In this feature, Devin shares with us how she landed in fitness, the skills she's developed in her roles, and how she has risen the ranks at Barry's to her role today as the SVP of Operations. Read along to soak up her incredible career advice for ambitious women, such as yourself.
***Devin is our next feature on Her Hour, a "podcast interview meets coffee chat" approach to sharing the incredible stories of trailblazing women in business in a virtual, small group setting. We'll dive into Devin’s early career via a podcast-style interview with you, the live audience, chiming in as desired. Sign up here!
Early Career
You studied Film and Media Culture at Middlebury College, and then pursued an operations role at an investment management firm focused in the TMT space after graduation. How did your undergrad degree prepare you for that first job?
I attended a liberal arts college, where I had to take required classes in 7 out of 8 departments. As a result, I wound up loving classes and subjects I never thought I would, and applied that same mindset to finding a career after graduation. I applied for a wide range of roles, versus only those thought I would like, or thought I should be doing. Oddly enough, economics was the 1 department I didn’t take a class in at college, and I spent over 4 years in my first role at a hedge fund. Had I not had that mindset, I never would have gone on the interview. I wound up loving and learning something I would have otherwise decided wasn’t for me and that I wouldn’t be good at.
You spent over 4 years at the first two companies you worked for, which is becoming a rarity in today's world as people hop from job to job. What kept you at those companies for so long, and what pushed you to eventually leave?
I realized early on in my career that what matters most to me is the culture of the company I work for, as well as the opportunity to learn directly from great leaders. I was so lucky to land at 2 value-driven companies led by incredibly innovative leadership teams, and to have the opportunity to learn directly from the departmental leaders running them. Working for smaller companies was also important to me, and contributed to my tenure at each, as I was able to have relationships and learn from every single person there, versus not even knowing what was happening two floors above me. So indebted to them both for taking a chance on me, I regularly now think back at what I may have been like to manage in the infancy of my career.
And at both, I was happy up until the moment I left, but each time was drawn to another type of professional exploration, and opportunity to learn another industry, in roles that would further challenge me. Both decisions were really difficult, as every place I’ve worked has become a second family, filled with friends who are also colleagues.
Barry’s
You started your career at Barry’s as the Director of Operations. What drove you to pursue a job in the fitness space, and how did you land the role at Barry’s?
Barry's posted on Instagram: "Lights up #Barrys" * See 1,944 photos and videos on their profile.
I was very happy in my role and career when one day, a coworker sent me a link to Barry’s, as they had just opened in NYC. I signed up for a class very soon after, and walked out of the studio completely hooked. Having grown up a competitive swimmer for 17 years, and the daughter of a collegiate coach, I felt like I was home. A few classes later, I had fallen equal parts in love with the workout, which felt so familiar, and the community, which I didn’t know I was in need of. As the months and classes ticked by, my entire lifestyle changed, and I became friends with both other clients as well as the Barry’s Team. And while I wasn’t actively seeking a new job, I ran into a friend who is a career counselor, and she gave me this exercise to do: go home, turn off your tv, put down your phone, and look around at the brands you have chosen to put in your most personal space. Have you ever thought of working for one? When I did that exercise, I saw Barry’s water bottles, retail bags, etc all over my home. It was such a clear indicator to me that my life had been impacted by the brand in a way that I hadn’t yet internalized, and that I really wanted the opportunity to combine strength and absolute passion in my career. That led me to a conversation with Joey (now CEO), and the rest is history...
You’ve worked in operations and business development for your entire career. How has your operations expertise and business development background contributed to success in your current role at Barry’s?
In my first two roles, I spent what equated to 9 years working alongside teams researching and understanding what made companies successful or not, through both the financial, and consulting lens. There are so many factors that go into that, but a huge through line was core values, and how they manifested throughout the company, and were understood by consumers. That knowledge and experience was hugely helpful when I joined Barry’s, and we set out to solidify our own core values, and scale culture to both employees and clients globally.
1,858 Likes, 0 Comments - Barry's (@barrys) on Instagram: "Tag us in your (Face Your)selfies. You post it, we ❤️ it. #Barrys"
Barry’s has gained a cult-like following over the past several years, with studios popping up all over the country, and the world. What skills have you developed along the way that have helped you to effectively manage the operations of Barry’s global footprint?
I often describe working in boutique fitness over the past 5 years as like being in a real life version of the old computer game Oregon Trail. Everyone is out there on their own, in a new industry, with no real rule book, comps, or roadmap. We are constantly reaching the edge of the river, with no idea of how to get across, and have to innovate and find solutions quickly as we grow. With that, I’ve really had to learn how to use our core values as a guide to solve all problems, to trust my team across the country, and how to lead with confidence while doing something I’ve never done before. Growing globally, we’ve had to learn as a company and leaders what can be consistent with our product and experience across countries and cultures, and what has to be uniquely hyper-local to be successful. Developing that open mindset, in knowing what I know but being open to learning what I don’t, has really helped as we scale.
Being the SVP of Operations for a global fitness company may sound glamorous to many who dream of working at a brand that so many people connect with. What has been the biggest challenge in working in Ops, and what advice do you have for those seeking roles in Operations?
2,224 Likes, 5 Comments - Barry's (@barrys) on Instagram: "Saturday night lights. #Barrys"
One of the things that makes Operations so challenging is also what makes it so fun: it never stops. We are open 365 days a year across 70 locations in 11 countries, there is literally always something happening. Barry’s has challenged me to really not sweat (no pun intended) the small stuff, because even if everyone does their job perfectly from now until forever, things are still going to go wrong. And with that, see everything as an opportunity to make something better, in the moment, and systemically for the future. Operations are ever evolving, so you have to be someone who thrives on change.
I definitely wouldn’t use the word glamorous! Operations at Barry’s is the 4-wall business, and I’ve become an expert on topics I never even thought about before working here: HVAC, laundry optimization, sound code, treadmill downtime. I’m really fun to bring to a cocktail party, promise!
Advice
What do you wish you knew when you were first starting your career?
Do not put as much emphasis on titles and what you are doing, but rather who you are working with, and learning from.
What advice do you have for young women in their early career who are interested in pursuing a career in the health and wellness space?
To go for it! Everyone should have the opportunity to have a passion led career, but that path is not going to pave itself. But know that as health and wellness is still a new industry, keep an open mind as to what the first role is. If you love the brand and their mission/vision/values, there is a high probability that doing ANYTHING for them with common minded people will be fulfilling.
***Devin is our next feature on Her Hour, a "podcast interview meets coffee chat" approach to sharing the incredible stories of trailblazing women in business in a virtual, small group setting. We'll dive into Devin’s early career via a podcast-style interview with you, the live audience, chiming in as desired. Sign up here!
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