Cover Fengru Lin works out regularly and is focused on optimising her fitness
Fengru Lin works out regularly and is focused on optimising her fitness
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Fengru Lin, co-founder and CEO of TurtleTree talks about her sporting pursuits and their impact personally and professionally
Sport can lead to success on the global stage, but this is not limited to the pitch, field, court or track—having a sporting background has the potential to lead to business success too.
Studies have shown that the vast majority—more than 90 per cent, according to a study by consultants EY and women’s sports platform espnW—of women in C-suite positions played sport. Taking up sport later in life can also have a positive impact professionally.
To tie in with Paris 2024, our limited series Top of Her Game sees women currently or formerly in C-suite positions in a range of industries discuss their sporting journeys, the role of sport in their lives, and why they would encourage other women and girls to pursue sport. Here, Fengru Lin, co-founder and CEO of biotech startup TurtleTree, which is focused on creating cell-based milk, opens up.
Above Fengru Lin hiking with her dog
Fengru Lin hiking with her dog
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Have you always been interested in sport or did it come later? What’s your sporting journey?
I’ve always been pretty active—cycling, hiking, roller blading, etc. In university I was part of the cycling team and in conjunction with the youth olympics in 2010, we did a 2,010 km bicycle ride from Thailand all the way back to Singapore. This was a three week endeavour, but it was a lot of fun to do as a team. Today, I continue to hike and I picked up snowboarding two years ago—I’m certainly not competitive, but I love my runs down the hill.
What’s your current sport/movement of choice?
There are a few things I have added into my day to day. For fun, I focus on snowboarding and hiking whenever I can. Hiking, or rucking (walking while carrying weight in a backpack), is a great way to focus on life longevity. These kinds of activities can assist with your overall health, including areas such as VO2 max (the amount of oxygen your body uses while exercising), over time. HIIT and weight training are also very important to assist in burning more fat and building muscle mass.
Do you prefer individual or team sports and why?
With my busy schedule as I continue to build my company Turtletree, it is difficult for me to find and schedule time to do team sports—I would love to do more activities like pickleball or tennis where more people are involved, but it is much easier to ensure I fit activity in [if it’s] individually.
See also: How women can exercise their way to a longer, healthier life
What are some of the ways in which you are optimising your fitness?
In the last year, I have been very deliberate about measuring my improvements. It’s been really helpful for me to focus on my body composition, VO2 Max, oxygen level, etc, to see how they improve over time and what changes I need to make in order to overcome any challenges I’m facing. It’s really powerful having a better understanding of this data and being able to work with it to see improvements.
How has/does sport help you personally and professionally?
Ensuring I’m doing some kind of movement everyday has improved my energy levels and my focus. I finally realised how tired I was all the time and scheduling in movement has made such a difference in me being able to do more with my day.
I am also adding in supplements, which have made a huge difference for me personally, specifically magnesium, which assists with recovery, and lactoferrin, which assists with iron absorption and gut health. Our team has learned so much about lactoferrin as we continue to make our own animal-free alternative, LF+, but it really has made a difference in how I feel day to day. I also take creatine, which assists in building muscle mass. The combination of these things together gives me everything I need to have a super productive day.
How do you make sure you fit sports into your schedule? Any tips or strategies on how to do so as a busy executive?
My team at TurtleTree is running 24/7 across three different time zones—Massachusetts, California and Singapore. I’ve been able to find slots of time between teams logging on and logging off to fit in my hikes or HIIT classes. I also prioritise hikes on the weekends with my dog.
It’s super important to prioritise time for movement—if I didn’t create these breaks in my day, my calendar would fill up very quickly. So I encourage all executives to create time that is for you within your schedule to ensure you have those moments to breathe.
See also: Women's Health With Evolve: Debunking common diet and exercise myths
Scheduling in movement has made such a difference in me being able to do more with my day
Why do you think people who play sport are more likely to achieve in the workplace and how do you think sport has contributed to your journey to CEO?
While I can’t speak for all executives, I feel growing up playing a sport and continuing that into adulthood has helped train my diligence and persistence. Having an active lifestyle is a choice, but it can help with setting a routine and ensuring you don’t get bogged down within your business.
I’m really excited that this is an ethos across my entire team. We have employees who play ice hockey, parents who coach football teams, participate on mountain biking teams, some who love skiing and snowboarding. It’s something we encourage and welcome.
Why would you encourage girls and women to take up sport?
I think sports build camaraderie and close relationships. I used to be part of the hiking team in university and we would plan our own multi-day trek across jungles in Malaysia or Indonesia. These expeditions require quite a bit of planning, leadership skills and teamwork. The deep bonds I have with my trekking friends extend to today. We still talk about the times we had to build emergency shelters to hide from torrential rain, burning off leeches attached to our calves, or fending off touts in big cities. These are skills that every girl or woman should have to help them navigate through life—individually and with a community surrounding them.
What are you most excited about for Paris 2024?
I look forward to watching gymnastics every summer olympics—it’s such a beautiful sport.
About
Rachel Duffell is regional content director for Power & Purpose, including Front & Female, and former regional content director for Tatler Dining. She is a journalist and editor who has been covering people, gender, impact, leadership, culture and lifestyle for more than 15 years.
