logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
1h 24m

Xero Shoes: Steven Sashen and Lena Phoen...

Guy Raz | Wondery
About this episode
In 2007, Steven Sashen went on a 5K run in his bare feet, an experience that felt so surprisingly natural that it led him to launch one of the best-known minimalist shoe brands in the world. After reading the best-seller Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and fashioning his own, thin-soled sandals that helped him fully feel the ground, Steven noticed he wa ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Late July Snacks: Nicole Bernard Dawes. Crackers and Cookies were Failing… Tortilla Chips Saved Them
Nicole Bernard Dawes spent much of her childhood hanging out in her dad’s potato chip factory on Cape Cod. She liked his kettle-cooked chips a lot more than the flavorless snacks in her mom’s health food store. But when she started her own business, she wanted the best of both wo ... Show More
1h 20m
Aug 27
Advice Line with Daymond John of FUBU
Today’s callers: Cristopher from Chicago wants to expand his family’s salsa brand from farmers markets into retail. Next, Darcy in Australia considers adapting his protein bar brand’s messaging to reach beyond his core enthusiasts. Finally, Seema in Canada seeks strategies to inc ... Show More
42m 55s
Aug 24
YETI: Roy and Ryan Seiders. How Two Brothers Turned a $400 Cooler Into a $2 Billion Brand
Roy and Ryan were avid outdoorsmen who wanted a cooler that wouldn’t break. So they built one themselves.The result was YETI: a high-end cooler that early retailers thought nobody would buy. But serious outdoorsmen did—and eventually YETI escaped its niche, becoming a status symb ... Show More
1h 25m
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
From Heel Strike to Health: Minimalist Footwear Will Change Your Life with Steven Sashen
tail spinning
1h 44m
Sep 2025
The growth of barefoot shoes
Once a niche product for runners, footwear that makes you feel like you’re not wearing any is now crossing into the mainstream. We’ll hear from fans chasing everyday health benefits as well as from brands in the UK, India and US. And we’ll ask whether the barefoot movement is her ... Show More
17m 28s
May 2024
Why Marketing Works: Hoka
The running shoe set to compete with Nike isn’t who you think it is.  Move over, Under Armor, because you had your chance and couldn’t cut it.  Aidan dives into the tale of trail running’s greatest brand, and unpacks how two former Saloman employees crafted one of the most comfor ... Show More
10m 49s
Jul 2017
Nike’s Co-founder on Innovation, Culture, and Succession
Phil Knight, former chair and CEO of Nike, tells the story of starting the sports apparel and equipment giant after taking an entrepreneurship class at Stanford and teaming up with his former track coach, Bill Bowerman. Together (and with the help of a waffle iron) they changed h ... Show More
19m 39s
May 2023
20VC: The On Running Memo: From Swiss Mountains to NASDAQ IPO: The Story of Three Friends Who Built a Sports Giant
<p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>David Alleman is the Co-Founder and Co-Chairman @ <a href= "https://www.on-running.com/">On Running</a> one of the fastest-growing global sports brands with over 17 million products sold in 60+ countries. In 2021, On went public on the NASDAQ and t ... Show More
44m 38s
Aug 2023
How Hoka Ran Away With The Competition
Episode 33: Lace them up! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) dives into the meteoric rise of Hoka, the popular shoe brand that just crossed the $1 billion mark in revenue. Since the pandemic, it went from having less than 10% of Deckers’ (parent company) revenue to nearly 40%, and ... Show More
17m 26s
Nov 2022
Joe De Sena. What It Takes To Build A Business. Episode 527 with The Real Brad Lea (TRBL)
<p>Joe De Sena is the founder and CEO of Spartan, the world’s leading endurance sports brand. Growing up in working-class Queens, De Sena has demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit since his preteens. He built a multimillion-dollar pool cleaning business before moving to Wall Str ... Show More
45m 2s
Oct 2022
Oofos
<p>Oofos is a footwear company on a mission to make people feel better - and that goes far beyond just their feet. Check out this inspiring interview with Oofos CEO, Steve Gallo, to "feel the OO" and hear how they're helping customers, employees and the community feel better.&nbs ... Show More
20m 17s
Nov 2020
Nike’s Phil Knight: How to sell without selling
Great branding is about identity – and it’s about matchmaking too. No one knows this better than the legendary co-founder of Nike, Phil Knight. When he and his partner, Hall of Fame track coach Bill Bowerman, started the sneaker company, they never tried to force-feed customers a ... Show More
35m 40s
Apr 2018
#79: Tamara Mellon: Founder, Entrepreneur, and Shoe Designer
When Tamara Mellon would give her friends wardrobe makeovers in school, it hadn't yet occurred to her that one day she would co-found the luxury shoe brand, Jimmy Choo. Armed with a ?£150,000 loan from her father, 27 year old Tamara teamed up with Jimmy Choo, an East London shoe ... Show More
28m 36s