If you love football, then you and our Sports and Fitness Product Category Manager, Kerry Gobei, already have something in common. Read her perspective on working behind the scenes in the pro sports world, and hear how she takes time out to recharge.
Name: Kerry Gobei
Role: Sports and Fitness Product Category Manager
Years with Nordic Naturals: 6
What do you do at Nordic Naturals, and what do you like best about your job?
I work with just about every department here at Nordic Naturals to make our NSF Certified Sport product line available to professional athletes, collegiate teams, major league baseball, and elite military. I spend a lot of time building relationships with coaches and dieticians, helping them educate the people in their organizations on the science behind omega-3s and recognize nutrition as a component of performance.
We have a lot of championship team customers, and I take a lot of pride in helping the athletes do their jobs. Because professional sports may look glamorous and entertaining, but it’s really grueling. Just to be able to offer something to help them is pretty rewarding.
Where did you grow up, and how has that place influenced you?
A lot of college athletes get scholarships to go to school, and they come from low income areas and environments that may have been unstable. Their talent gives them opportunity that they wouldn’t have otherwise. And I can relate to that. I grew up outside of Detroit, during a time of real violence and conflict. Being an athlete helped keep me focused and disciplined, and being part of a team helped me feel safer. I think I got my work ethic from Detroit, too, because everybody there works really hard. Detroit is also a place that teaches you resilience. You learn how to pick up, brush off, and keep going.
What personal accomplishment are you most proud of?
I would say raising my kids is my biggest accomplishment. I have three kids, and my oldest is now 28. He’s a Sargeant in the Marines, getting ready to deploy on his third tour in Afghanistan.
What is something about you that few people know? Do you have a hidden talent?
I’m a serious gardener. That’s what I do in my free time. I’ll do a hardscape and drop posts in and do shrubbery to create really big privacy screens. It’s not like I’ll just go out and plant a few flowers! I pretty much designed and built my backyard. To me it’s a living space—literally.
What Nordic Naturals products do you take? Any observations you’d like to share?
I take the Ultimate Omega-3-D3 Sport, Nordic CoQ10 Ubiquinol Sport, Vitamin D3 5000, and Nordic Flora Probiotic Comfort. And I take DHA. That’s my daily regimen. I think my supplementation is part of why I’m a very healthy person. When I get stressed I really feel it in my gut, especially when I travel. I definitely think the probiotics help with that.
