Anne Mahlum is an American entrepreneur, motivational speaker, experienced CEO, investor, advisor, philanthropist, and athlete. She is extremely passionate about empowering people to live life on their terms. Born in North Dakota, there was very little in Anne’s childhood that would indicate she would one day be an innovative two-time founder and thought leader who would have a remarkable impact on countless people.
The beginning of Anne’s entrepreneurial journey is nothing short of extraordinary. In 2007, she found herself running by a homeless shelter in Philadelphia and had the foresight to realize that running and community could be the catalyst to truly change lives. She engaged the shelter to start a running club, which she quickly formed into a national non-profit called Back on My Feet. The organization, now with an $8M annual budget, uses running as a vehicle to help those experiencing homelessness become empowered to change their lives. Under Anne’s leadership as CEO, she grew the organization to 14 cities. Since its inception Back on My Feet has helped thousands of individuals achieve employment and more self-sufficient living.
But Anne didn’t stop there. She created success again when she founded pilates-inspired [solidcore] in 2013. As its founder and CEO, she grew it into one of the country’s most successful fitness companies in less than a decade by raising more than $210M through private equity to scale it to more than 120 locations across the US. The company currently has more than 2,000 employees and hundreds of thousands of clients, including former First Lady Michelle Obama. Anne successfully exited [solidcore] in April 2023 and shared millions with her employees after the sale.
A true self-made success story, Anne’s entrepreneurial ventures have resulted in a personal net worth of over $100M. She is currently spending her time investing, advising, speaking, writing her book, playing beach volleyball, and supporting work aimed at helping those struggling with addiction and who have been wrongly convicted. She regularly speaks at corporate events, academic institutions, and conferences on numerous topics, including leadership, entrepreneurship, being bold, finding your happiness, and social change.
Anne has been honored many times for her leadership and entrepreneurial spirit. Most recently, she was featured by CNBC for her continued success over the years. She has also been recognized by the Washington Business Journal as a ‘Women Who Mean Business’ winner and was named both an ABC World News Person of the Week and a CNN Hero for her work at Back on My Feet. She has given three TEDx talks about finding your passion, letting go of your complacency, and helping others. She has also received notable media attention highlighting her talent, including articles in CNBC, The Washington Post, The Washington Business Journal, and Runner’s World.
“Anne will captivate your audience with her humor, passion and conviction about what she believes is possible. She is one of the best speakers I have ever seen.”
“Anne will captivate your audience with her humor, passion and conviction about what she believes is possible. She is one of the best speakers I have ever seen.”