4 Questions with a Bain manager on finding support and following your passions
4 Questions with a Bain manager on finding support and following your passions
Amanda Michel, a Bain & Company consultant and former national weightlifting champion, shares her unique journey from the world of competitive sports to consulting. Her story emphasizes the importance of setting ambitious goals, pursuing your passions with determination, and thriving within a supportive community—insights that resonate across both arenas.
1. How did setting personal goals outside of work impact your professional life?
Last June I decided to join a week-long cycling trip in Rwanda with a group of friends who organize biking trips. Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills, and we would be cycling 80 to 100 km daily, so that required training. I prioritized this goal and trained at home during winter. Since I wasn’t traveling for work, I could fit in early morning and weekend sessions.
My colleagues were supportive, often asking, ‘How's your training going? How many weeks until Rwanda?’ Openly sharing my priorities helped them understand the importance to me. I continue to try new sports to challenge myself and have taken up ski touring and mountain biking.
2. How did your passion for sports influence your career choices?
I studied hotel management because I wanted to travel and work in different countries, but my passion was always sports. After graduating, I worked for an events and marketing company in Switzerland, and I competed in the sport of Olympic weightlifting at the national level in Switzerland and became a national champion in my weight class.
3. What key experiences have shaped your career journey?
I also organized a CrossFit event that gained popularity in the CrossFit community. This led to an opportunity to work on a two-week sports project in Dubai, which eventually resulted in a full-time job offer. I spent the following 4 years in the UAE, working on a broad range of sports-related topics. When the Covid pandemic presented a challenge for the fitness industry, I pivoted to develop the e-commerce platform of the start-up I was working for, creating an additional revenue stream.
4. What surprised you most about working at Bain?
Pursuing an MBA was always a goal of mine, and I chose to attend INSEAD for the breadth of international exposure the cohort would bring. With extensive experience in operations, I wanted more exposure to strategy, which led me to consulting, specifically at Bain. From the beginning, I felt the people at Bain were special–grounded, down-to-earth, and kind–making it the right place to start my consulting career.
What surprised me most about Bain was the extent to which people accompany you on your learning and development journey. From the start, I felt that I was part of a team, much like in weightlifting, where I always had a coach. There is always someone to help me along the way.
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