Charlotte Levif-Csösz (EMLV 2024), Founder of IZOM: From the Track to the Business World, Mindset as the Driving Force
Between the track and starting a business, she’s blazing her own trail without ever having to choose between passion and ambition. In this interview, Charlotte LEVIF-CSÖSZ reflects on a journey where athletic discipline, entrepreneurial boldness, and the quest for balance come together. Mindset, doubts, performance, community, and practical advice: an inspiring story that challenges conventional wisdom and reminds us of one essential truth: we’re never truly ready, but it’s by moving forward that we become so.
Background, Entrepreneurship, and Mindset
A 2024 graduate of EMLV with a master’s degree in Digital Marketing & Data Analytics, specializing in Elite Athletes, and a member of the “Club Entrepreneurs” association…
➤ Did this background, at the time, make it easier to balance your athletic career with the launch of IZOM?
“School was a real springboard. Having support for my entrepreneurial project was an invaluable opportunity, especially since I was starting from scratch at the time. I had the chance to complete my two required master’s internships at my own company and to be mentored by my master’s program advisor, who is an entrepreneur himself. What I found particularly valuable was being able to put what I learned in class into practice in real time, directly within my company, IZOM Athlétique. It was during these internships that I launched my first product for pre-order and hired my first interns, one of whom became my work-study student the following year. Two years spent laying the foundations for my professional future, with concrete support at every step.
Added to this was the program designed for elite athletes, which allowed me to continue competing in track and field without ever having to choose between my training, my business project, and my academic performance. Without all these resources combined, I simply wouldn’t have been able to juggle all three.”
➤ Which skills you acquired during your studies are most useful to you today?
“Digital marketing skills are clearly the ones I use most in my day-to-day work (content strategy, data analysis, user acquisition, etc.).
But what I didn’t anticipate back then was the importance of soft skills.
Learning to work with people very different from me—whether in my manufacturing lab, sales teams, or with partners—is something I really developed thanks to dedicated courses and cross-disciplinary work weeks with ESILV and IIM. When you start a business on your own, you have to collaborate with people who don’t speak your language or think the way you do, and that ability to adapt has become essential to me!
And then there are the management fundamentals, which now allow me to lead a small team with flying colors!”
Embarking on a entrepreneurial journey requires a certain willingness to take risks and the ability to overcome your doubts…
➤ You say that “you never feel ready”: how did you deal with that feeling?
“Honestly, it’s a feeling that never completely goes away. You just learn to push through it. And every time you do, you realize it wasn’t as insurmountable as you feared.
Actually, it’s something I’d already experienced in track and field. You don’t always feel ready before a competition, and yet you go for it anyway. I’ve applied that mindset a bit to entrepreneurship. But at the very beginning, the main obstacle wasn’t the fear of failure—it was the feeling that I wasn’t legitimate. I didn’t feel “extraordinary” enough to launch IZOM. It was the women—members of my first incubator, not athletes—who opened my eyes. What seemed ordinary to me in my athletic practice wasn’t ordinary at all to someone who had never experienced it. That realization helped me understand that I was legitimate, even if I had trouble seeing it.
From there, I learned to challenge myself step by step. I didn’t feel ready to put myself out there for IZOM, and yet I did it. I didn’t feel ready to invest sums of money that scared me, but I did it. I didn’t feel ready to seek bank financing, and yet I was able to do it. With every milestone crossed, the next one becomes a little less scary.
We tend, especially as women, to wait for a perfect moment that never comes. Today, the doubt is still there, but it doesn’t stop me anymore.”
The IZOM Project
Your project is deeply rooted in your athletic experience, which makes it particularly practical and grounded in reality.
➤ Do you find that your experience as an athlete influences your entrepreneurial approach?
“I’d be lying if I said no. Track and field has been a real school of life. I’ve gone from being a shy young girl, uncomfortable with myself and others, to a confident, outgoing young woman who believes in herself and has ambition. This transformation is thanks to sports.
It taught me how to handle the pressure of competition, to work hard for results that sometimes take time to come but are worth the wait, and to step out of my comfort zone at every practice. And above all, I’ve learned how to deal with failure. In elite sports, it’s unfortunately more common than success, but I’ve learned to handle it in a way that helps me learn from it: feeling the emotion, analyzing, bouncing back, and getting back to work without skipping any of these steps.
I learned that the hard way, actually. A few years ago, I had a stress fracture in my foot. I could feel that something was wrong, but I knew I could still run, so I kept going. It wasn’t until it actually fractured that I was faced with the reality: six months of rehab just to be able to sprint pain-free again. That injury forced me to admit that I wasn’t a machine, and that ignoring the warning signs always ends up costing more than slowing down in time.
In entrepreneurship, it’s exactly the same logic, except that the injury is mental rather than physical. Entrepreneurial burnout works the same way: you feel yourself getting worn down, but you keep going anyway, waiting until you break down before taking action.
That’s why I’ve developed my own approach to the culture of performance. As someone who is highly sensitive, I place great importance on emotions. Plowing ahead headlong while ignoring them, under the guise of discipline, only works for so long. Taking care of yourself (physically and mentally) isn’t a weakness—quite the opposite.
In entrepreneurship as in athletics: we are our own primary tool. If we break down, everything breaks down with us. True performance also means knowing how to pace yourself.”
➤ Do you have any upcoming development plans for IZOM?
“Yes, absolutely! Product development is one of the most exciting parts of being a business owner, and we already have two new products in mind. But beyond the products, our entire business development is gaining momentum. We already have three brick-and-mortar retailers (two in the Île-de-France region and one near Bordeaux) and we participate in trade shows like the Foire de Paris, which allow us to meet our customers face-to-face.
We’re also developing a B2B offering for companies, so they can offer our warming balms as employee gifts. This is a growth area we’re really focusing on for the future.
“When it comes to distribution, our priority remains sports stores, which are at the heart of our target market. We’re keeping an eye on pharmacies as a potential avenue, and of course, if the opportunity arises, we’ll seize it.”
Community and Advice
You place a high priority on the field and on engaging with your users.
➤ Do you think communities (professional networks, alumni groups, etc.) play a key role in the development of a project? What role does the community play in the development of IZOM?
“Honestly, not really at first. I struggled with that aspect of the job, and looking back, I understand why: between classes, sports, and running my own business, I had very little time to build my network while I was in school. It was clearly the neglected area. But today, I’m convinced it’s one of the most powerful tools.
People love to help and connect others, and I wouldn’t have believed it until I experienced it myself. Since I’ve started taking the time to meet people, business opportunities have multiplied in ways I never anticipated.
At IZOM, the community plays a central role on multiple levels. First, with our customers: all the people you see in our communications are real customers. We highlight them because they embody what the product actually does. They’re our best social proof. Then on the ground: we host test sessions at triathlon, running, and track and field clubs. It’s a way to connect directly with athletes, build relationships, and foster a community. It’s a natural extension of what we’re already doing, and we have plenty more ideas to expand on this.
And internally: we’ve created a community that brings together everyone who has ever worked at IZOM. They come back to lend a hand at events, and we organize get-togethers (hikes, dinners, like the one last Christmas). I’m very proud that former interns stay involved—out of a desire to do so, not because they have to. I think that says something real about the culture we’ve built.
I deeply believe that community is a driver of growth for both a brand and an individual.”
The school’s Sports Department organizes the De Vinci Run (10 km) every year. We’d love to hear your expert advice for the next race!
➤ Do you notice any common mistakes in strength training? What advice would you give to help prevent injuries? And to help runners perform at their best?
"When it comes to running, there's one mistake I see all the time: the idea that you don't need to warm up, that you just need to start off slowly. In reality, warming up and stretching are essential for preparing your muscles for exercise and reducing the risk of injury—and that goes for even a 10K. That’s exactly why we created IZOM: the warming balm helps activate the muscles deep down before exercise, complementing a good dynamic warm-up.
More broadly, people are getting more active, which is great news. But at the same time, we’re seeing a massive rise in injuries, and I think social media has something to do with it. It gives the impression that you can train for a marathon in two months, when that’s completely false. A gradual approach is non-negotiable. The body needs time to adapt, and trying to rush things always comes back to bite you sooner or later.
And after the race, we often think it’s over, but it’s not. Recovery is an integral part of performance: gentle stretching, hydration, and nutrition in the window immediately following the effort. A good meal rich in protein and carbohydrates within two hours of the race makes a real difference for muscle recovery. This is often the most overlooked aspect of this type of event, and yet it’s what determines how you’ll feel when you wake up the next morning.
An alumna to follow!
📌 Visit IZOM at the Paris Fair from April 30 to May 11, 2026, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles
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