Mamie Coleman of FOX Entertainment and Towalame Austin of Sony Music Group are two women at the top of their game who are showing what it means to lead with purpose.
They are true visionaries who are changing the definitions of success and sisterhood, showing that when women work together, they become a powerful force by inspiring each other and future generations.
How did you first meet, and when did you realize you could support and inspire each other both in running and at work?
We first met through mutual friends in the early 2000s, but our friendship truly took root years later when we served together on the board of directors for Imani Phi Christ, a female-empowering nonprofit organization, in 2011.
Working side by side on a mission centered around uplifting young female teens revealed how deeply our values aligned with leadership, service, and purpose. What began as professional respect quickly evolved into a personal connection.
We saw in each other the same drive to lead with heart, to lift others as we climb, and to make wellness a priority no matter how demanding life gets. That shared energy naturally spilled beyond the boardroom into our runs, our routines and ultimately, a friendship built on accountability, inspiration, and mutual growth
What motivated you to lead in entertainment and social impact while staying committed to your health and fitness?
Our motivation comes from a deep desire to lead by example to show that success in entertainment and social impact can coexist with balance, wellness, and authenticity. The entertainment industry is fast-paced and demanding, but we’ve learned that prioritizing health and fitness fuels our creativity, focus, and resilience.
Staying active keeps us grounded, and that sense of discipline and clarity directly strengthens our leadership in both professional and philanthropic spaces. Ultimately, we see wellness not as a separate pursuit, but as the foundation that allows us to serve others and make a meaningful impact.
How do your individual passions, one in entertainment, the other in philanthropy work together in your journey?
They are two lanes of the same highway. Mamie’s work shaping how stories sound at FOX Entertainment connects culture to audience emotion; Towalame’s work galvanizing resources at Sony Music Group channels that cultural energy into real-world impact.
When we team up, the creative spark (music, branding, philanthropy, storytelling) meets the infrastructure of giving (strategy, partnerships, accountability), so the art moves people and the follow-through moves resources.
In your roles at FOX Entertainment and Sony Music Group, how have you shaped creative and philanthropic projects in your organizations?
At FOX, Mamie has spent more than three decades helping shape the network’s creative heartbeat. As Executive Vice President of Creative Music, she leads the strategic vision that defines how FOX sounds bridging storytelling with sonic identity across entertainment, marketing, and brand experiences.
A champion of inclusion, Coleman actively hires and collaborates with diverse music talent across FOX projects, ensuring authentic and representative creative voices are heard. Beyond her creative leadership, she is deeply committed to mentorship and community impact.
As Co-Executive Sponsor of the FOX Female Mentor Program, Mamie guides and advocates for emerging women leaders, fostering growth and representation across the company. She also serves as Executive Sponsor of FOX’s ACE Employee Resource Group, which supports Asian Americans and their allies by advancing members, championing their stories, and empowering their communities amplifying voices across FOX’s content, audiences, and businesses.
In the broader industry, Mamie is the Co-Chair of the Film and TV Committee for She Is The Music, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the number of women in music. And through her involvement with the FOX Triathlon Team and numerous fundraising initiatives, she has personally helped raise over $500,000 for a variety of causes a testament to her belief that true leadership extends far beyond the office walls.
At Sony Music Group, Towalame has had the privilege of leading their global philanthropy, social impact, and environmental strategies ensuring that purpose is embedded into the core of their business. One of her key focuses has been building partnerships that address urgent humanitarian needs, promote education and equity, and amplify the voices of their artists to drive meaningful change.
A major part of this work involves aligning their philanthropic efforts with the creative power of their artists and the cultural influence of music. Whether it’s launching global campaigns for social justice, supporting disaster relief efforts, or investing in grassroots organizations through the Sony Music Global Social Justice Fund, she ensures that their impact is both measurable and sustainable.
Beyond corporate initiatives, Towalame is also deeply committed to mentorship and talent development. Through the Femme It Forward “Next Gem Femme” Mentorship Program, she mentors young women of color pursuing careers in music and entertainment. This program is about more than guidance it’s about access, representation, and building a pipeline of diverse leaders who will shape the future of our industry.
Prior to Sony, Towalame led philanthropic initiatives for some of the most influential figures in sports and entertainment, including Magic Johnson and Rihanna. From managing the Magic Johnson Foundation’s community programs to launching the Clara Lionel Foundation, she’s always believed in the power of celebrity to drive social good. These experiences have shaped her approach at Sony where they use their platform not only to entertain, but to empower, uplift, and create lasting change.
Together, our roles allow us to connect art, purpose, and action using storytelling and sound not only to entertain, but to inspire, empower, and give back on a global scale.
Can you share a time when working together professionally led to unexpected personal growth or insight?
Working together on impact fundraising campaigns revealed something we didn’t expect that the way we lead and the way we train are deeply connected. In the professional space, we’re used to producing: setting a vision, building a team, creating a timeline, and tracking results.
When we brought that same structure to our running, everything clicked we trained smarter, recovered better, and learned to celebrate progress, not just perfection. But the real growth came in reverse. Running taught us patience, humility, and grace qualities that reshaped how we lead.
It reminded us that pacing matters, that endurance is built over time, and that you can’t pour from an empty cup. What started as collaboration on fundraising projects became a masterclass in balance, discipline, and mutual respect both on the course and in our careers.
How do you make decisions together when you have different perspectives or approaches?
We’ve learned that alignment doesn’t always mean agreement it means shared purpose. Whenever we face a big decision, we start with why who it serves and what impact it’s meant to create. That clarity keeps us grounded.
From there, we each bring our natural strengths Mamie leads with creativity and vision, and Towalame anchors the process with strategy and structure. When our perspectives differ, we don’t see it as a clash; we see it as an opportunity to see the idea from every angle.
Sometimes we’ll test both approaches, just like adjusting a training plan mid-run, and let the results guide us. The goal is never about being right it’s about doing right. Over time, we’ve built a rhythm of trust, humility, and shared accountability that keeps us moving forward in sync, no matter how different the path might look at first.
Was there a moment when you realized your professional work and running journeys shared the same purpose?
Yes, when we saw how many people were moved by our miles, running became more than personal. It turned into a platform to honor loved ones, speak openly about mental health, and fund causes tied to women’s empowerment and well-being. That mirrored our day jobs: use culture to connect, then convert that connection into impact.
But what made it even more meaningful was seeing how our efforts inspired family members, friends, and colleagues to get active too. Whether they joined us on a run, started walking regularly, or simply cheered us on, it created a ripple effect of movement and motivation. It reminded us that wellness and purpose are contagious and that sometimes, the most powerful change starts with showing up and inviting others to do the same.
What was your first marathon together like, and how did it affect your partnership?
Our first marathon together was the London Marathon 2022, when the world was still navigating COVID safety protocols. Much of our preparation happened in isolation, without the usual group runs or in person encouragement. That solitude brought new challenges mentally and physically but, it also deepened our resilience. It reminded us that even when we train alone, we’re never truly alone. The purpose behind the miles, and the people we run for, kept us connected and motivated.
It turned colleagues into true teammates. Although we were at different phases in our physical health, we pushed each other in different ways. Out there on the course, we learned each other’s rhythms in a way you never could in an office. We discovered when to push, when to encourage, and when silence was the greatest form of support. By mile 20, it wasn’t about pace anymore it was about trust.
That experience carried over into every part of our professional lives. Now, we approach projects the same way we approach a race: with preparation, patience, and a shared belief that we’ll finish stronger together than we ever could alone. The marathon taught us that leadership isn’t about leading the pack it’s about knowing when to run beside someone and when to lift them up.
How do you stay mentally strong for world-class marathons while managing high-pressure careers?
Boundaries and rituals. We schedule training like meetings, use music to set effort and mood, and protect sleep the way we protect launch dates. We also translate work skills briefing, risk logs, contingency plans into race-day readiness. When life spikes, we scale the plan, not the purpose. (Our majors circuit, including Sydney in 2025, reinforced that consistency beats intensity.)
Has running together ever helped you solve challenges outside the track? Can you give an example?
Absolutely. Some of our best breakthroughs have happened mid-run somewhere between the steady rhythm of our feet and the quiet that only comes when you’re miles in. There’s something about being side by side, not across a desk, that opens space for honesty and perspective.
We’ve worked through everything from creative campaign roadblocks to leadership decisions while running. One morning, what started as a venting session about a tough partnership turned into a full-blown strategy session by mile six. By the time we cooled down, we had not only the solution but also a sense of peace about it. Running strips away pretense; it reminds us we’re teammates first, and that mindset always finds its way back into how we lead and collaborate off the track.
How have your shared running experiences strengthened your friendship or changed how you see life?
There’s nothing like showing up for each other in the dark at 5 a.m. to reframe what “team” means. Running has a way of stripping away all the guards especially when you’re spending hours on the course together.
It reveals personality types, for better or worse, and gives you a front-row seat to how someone approaches life: how they handle discomfort, celebrate small wins, respond to setbacks, and embrace opportunity. Through those miles, we learned each other’s perspectives not just on running, but on resilience, leadership, and purpose.
When supporting a cause, how do you combine your skills and networks to make the biggest impact?
We run it like a campaign: define the change, map stakeholders, pair talent with mission, and align moments (races, premieres, drops) to fundraising peaks. Mamie activates creative/music and platform partners; Towalame locks the philanthropy strategy, measurement, and long-term partnerships so the hype converts to durable help.
How do you measure the success of the charitable initiatives you support through your races?
For us, success isn’t just measured in dollars raised it’s measured in the difference those dollars make and the stories that continue long after the finish line. We look at the immediate impact how many people were served, what programs expanded but we also look deeper: did our effort spark lasting partnerships, continued donations, or new advocates for the cause?
Some of the most meaningful “metrics” are the messages we get from people who say our run inspired them to give, volunteer, or even lace up their own shoes. That ripple effect the way one act of movement leads to another act of kindness is what tells us we’re doing something that lasts.
Have you inspired someone in your community to start running or supporting a cause? What was that experience like?
Yes, many times. The best moments are when a first-timer messages us after a 5K that they “finally feel like a runner,” or when an industry peer turns a birthday into a fundraiser. It’s proof that representation plus an accessible plan can unlock both wellness and generosity.
Looking back, what is one surprising lesson from your journey together that still influences your choices today?
The biggest lesson has been the power of grace how softness and strength can coexist. Early on, we thought endurance was all about pushing harder, doing more, being tougher. But over time, we learned that compassion toward ourselves, each other, and the people we lead is what truly sustains momentum.
Whether it’s mile 23 of a marathon or the final stretch of a project, giving ourselves permission to pause, breathe, and extend empathy often creates the breakthrough we were chasing. That shift from striving to flowing has changed how we run, how we lead, and how we live. It’s taught us that lasting success isn’t about finishing first; it’s about finishing whole.
