エピソード

  • You've Heard of Heat Training. Here's How It Actually Works.

    You've Heard of Heat Training. Here's How It Actually Works.
    2026/06/26

    Ross McGraw has had one of the more interesting career arcs in the outdoor industry — from Nike's NYC Run program to Vice Media and Viacom, to helping build Hammerhead through its acquisition by SRAM, and now leading commercial efforts at CORE, the company changing how elite athletes think about heat.

    In this conversation, Ross breaks down the science of heat training in plain language — why 80% of the energy athletes generate is thermal, how heat zones work, and why the world's best cyclists and runners are training in heat suits before major races. He also gets into what it felt like to go from being a cog in a media machine to betting on himself in sports tech, why triathlon taught him more about business than any corporate job, and how to know when you're doing the "social run" version of your career.

    Show Notes:

    Popfly for Brands: https://popf.ly/secondnaturebrands

    Popfly for Athletes/Creators: https://popf.ly/secondnaturecreators

    Ross McGraw: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossmcgraw/

    CORE: https://corebodytemp.com/

    CORE Heat Suit: https://corebodytemp.com/products/core-suit

    CORE Heat Zones: https://help.corebodytemp.com/en/articles/10447111-heat-zones

    Hammerhead: https://shop.sram.com/pages/hammerhead

    Zwift Bike: https://us.zwift.com/collections/equipment/products/zwift-ride-smart-frame

    Wahoo Software Update: https://www.bikeradar.com/news/wahoo-elemnt-firmware-update-2026

    BPC - Brand, Product, Content:

    World Cup - Adidas ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJJY53qhJe0

    Breathe (Book): https://amzn.to/4eBoX0f

    Respire Mouth Tape: https://respire.com/

    Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media

    Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature

    Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media

    Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media

    Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia
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    1 時間 6 分
  • The One Question Every Brand Needs to Answer

    The One Question Every Brand Needs to Answer
    2026/06/19
    Mattie Sims has built brands at Lululemon, Electronic Arts, Reef, and Rally Pickleball — and along the way developed a framework for brand building that most founders skip entirely. Now she's applying everything she's learned to two ventures at once: Courier, a performance sock brand built around the idea of the "Renaissance athlete," and Mate the Agency, a brand strategy firm working with founders across industries. In this conversation, Mattie walks through the muse framework she learned at Lululemon and has refined across every role since — why the most important question isn't "who buys this product" but "what is this person worried about when their head hits the pillow at night." She also gets into why looking branded is not the same as having a brand, what happened when Rally discovered their customers weren't there for pickleball, and why having her son was the thing that finally convinced her she could be an entrepreneur. Plus: why niching down is the thing every founder is most afraid of, how Courier is building a cultural movement around versatile excellence, and the Red Bull receptionist whose casual suggestion became a billion-dollar product strategy. Popfly For Creators: https://popf.ly/secondnaturecreators Popfly for Brands: https://popf.ly/secondnaturebrands Show Notes: Mattie Sims: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-sims-83385823/ Courier Socks: http://couriersocks.com/ Mate The Agency: https://www.matetheagency.com/ Rally Pickleball: https://www.rallypickleball.com/ Mate IG Carousel Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DYW4_SVEU8b/ Carrie Rheaume (Mate agency co-founder): https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-rheaume-6376521a8/ Matt Sims: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-sims-9b716450/ Gartner Hype Cycle: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwerner/2024/07/18/the-trough-of-disillusionment-and-four-outliers-on-the-gartner-hype-cycle/ Morgan Tuohy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-tuohy/ Dera: https://rundera.com/ Ryan Thrower: https://www.instagram.com/ryanthrower/ BPC - Brand, Product, Content: Seniq: https://seniqbrand.com/ Summer Edition - Red Bull: https://www.redbull.com/us-en/energydrink/products/red-bull-summer-edition Billy Oppenheimer's newsletter: https://billyoppenheimer.com/ Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia
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    1 時間 14 分
  • The Sunscreen Brand That's Rewriting Performance Science

    The Sunscreen Brand That's Rewriting Performance Science
    2026/06/12
    Tom Austen is the founder of Pelotan, the world's first sun performance brand, and co-founder of Chance, a trail running apparel brand he's building with pro athlete and serial entrepreneur Christian Meier. Both brands are based in Girona, Spain — a two-square-kilometer pocket of world-class endurance athletes, cafes, and startups that's become the Boulder of Europe. In this conversation, Tom walks through how Pelotan went from a sunburn problem on training rides to winning two Tour de Frances with Team Sky in its first year, and how the brand is now pioneering something entirely new: treating the sun as a performance variable rather than just a health risk. He also gets into the Chance origin story, why cross-pollination across categories is the key to building something original, and what it's like to run two high-growth startups at the same time from a city of 100,000 people. Show Notes: Popfly for Athletes/Creators: https://popf.ly/secondnaturecreators Popfly for Brands: https://popf.ly/secondnaturebrands Tom Austen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomausten1/ Pelotan: https://pelotan.cc/ Chance Running: https://chancerunning.com/ Second Nature - Sea Otter Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLk1LGIthPc Christian Meier: https://www.instagram.com/christianmmeier/ The Gartner Hype Cycle: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwerner/2024/07/18/the-trough-of-disillusionment-and-four-outliers-on-the-gartner-hype-cycle/ Pelotan Apres Aftersun: https://pelotan.cc/products/pelotan-apres-200ml Pelotan App for Second Nature listeners: https://pelotan.cc/secondnature Broken Arrow Skyrace: https://www.brokenarrowskyrace.com/ Lael Wilcox: https://www.instagram.com/laelwilcox/ BPC - Brand, Product, Content: Nomio: https://drinknomio.com/ Adidas World Cup ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJJY53qhJe0 Nike - Airport soccer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGalnbiGDW4 Insta360 GO Ultra: https://store.insta360.com/product/go-ultra Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia
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    1 時間 8 分
  • Behind The Brand: Athletic Brewing

    Behind The Brand: Athletic Brewing
    2026/06/05
    Bill Shufelt was a hedge fund analyst who didn't drink, couldn't find a non-alcoholic beer worth ordering, and one night his wife spun him around on a sidewalk and told him to do something about it. Eight years later, Athletic Brewing has 300 employees, four breweries, over a million barrels of capacity, and has almost single-handedly turned non-alcoholic beer from a stigmatized afterthought into 20% of all beer at Whole Foods. In this conversation, Bill walks through the full journey: the two years of research before he quit his job, the valley of darkness where no brewery, distributor, or investor would take his calls, finding his co-founder John Walker through a brewing forum post (with the words "non-alcoholic" deliberately removed), and the grassroots field marketing strategy that built the brand one race, one taproom, and one six-pack at a time. He also gets into the competitive explosion that followed, why he views 200 brands entering his category as a positive, and what it's like to redefine success once the business reaches cruising altitude. If you've ever looked at a category and thought "why hasn't anyone fixed this yet", this is the episode that shows you what happens when someone actually does. Show Notes: Popfly For Brands Popfly For Creators Bill Shufelt on LinkedIn Athletic Brewing John Walker on LinkedIn 1000 True Fans (Article) Do Things That Don't Scale (Article) Two For The Trails What It Takes (Book) The Obstacle Is The Way (Book) BPC - Brand, Product, Content: Dirt - Ireland Gramicci Hopa Hopa Climbing Wall Kawa Raide Research - LF 5L Vest The Modern Substitute Kids Ride Shotgun Connect With Us: Join us on LinkedIn Meet us on Slack Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to our Newsletter Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
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    1 時間 6 分
  • What Happens When You Actually Ask For Help

    What Happens When You Actually Ask For Help
    2026/05/29
    Morgan Tuohy is seven days into the launch of Dera, a trail running belt brand built around a BOA-style dial closure that nobody's tried before in the category. He sold out of two sizes in under eight hours, shipped hundreds of belts from his living room until 3 AM, and had $500 left in his bank account two days before launch. He's 27 years old. In this conversation, Morgan walks through the full founder journey — from stitching prototypes in his attic with fabric from old running shoes, to convincing one of Osprey's largest factories to take a chance on him, to the moment Tim Tollefson told him he wasn't allowed to NOT do this. He also talks openly about his first failed brand, why he set three rules for himself this time around ("I know nothing, everyone else knows everything, and they all want to help"), and how seven members of the Second Nature Slack channel played a direct role in getting Dera off the ground. This is a brand launch captured in real time — and a reminder that sometimes the best businesses start with a sewing machine in an attic and the willingness to ask for help. Show Notes: Popfly for Brands: https://popf.ly/secondnaturebrands Popfly for Athletes/Creators: https://popf.ly/secondnaturecreators Morgan Tuohy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-tuohy/ Dera: https://rundera.com/ Tim Tollefson: https://www.instagram.com/timtollefson/ Our IP Attorney, Ian Gates: https://krdglaw.com/staff/ian-gates/ Kitworks: http://www.kitworks.com Second Nature Slack Channel: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature Cade Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cade-michael-mba-914411152/ Clara Froeschner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarafroeschner/ Tim Nooney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-nooney-0a3bbaa6/ Courier Socks: https://couriersocks.com/ Claude: https://www.claude.ai Mammoth Trailfest: https://www.mammothtrailfest.com/ BPC - Brand, Product, Content: Goodles: https://www.goodles.com/ Dexa Scan: https://dexascan.com/ Kiprun - Kipsummit Max: https://www.kiprun.com/en-US/product/kipsummit-max-men-s-max-cushion-trail-running-shoes_362206--c153c385m9001281 Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia
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    1 時間 4 分
  • You Can Just Build Things Now

    You Can Just Build Things Now
    2026/05/22
    Steve Holmberg is one of our favorite recurring guests, and this time, he showed up with something nobody expected. Over the holidays, Steve went from zero coding experience to a fully functional AI-powered app called Field Check, built using the vibe coding platform Lovable. The app connects retail store associates directly to brand product and marketing teams through AI-driven chats that go deeper than any survey can — and he built the whole thing in about a month. In this conversation, Steve walks through exactly how he did it, what he wishes he'd known before starting, and why AI is "a tool masquerading as a solution." He also deployed Field Check live on the Second Nature Slack channel to surface what the audience actually wants — and the results are fascinating. Plus: a halftime check-in on Second Nature's 2026 predictions, what happened at Sea Otter with Chinese bike brands, why Adidas is having a moment, and the 32-inch wheel debate that nobody asked for. Show Notes: Popfly for Creators: https://popf.ly/secondnaturecreatorsPopfly for Brands: https://popf.ly/secondnaturebrandsSteve Holmberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenholmberg/Insight Accelerator: https://insight-accelerator.com/Lovable: https://lovable.dev/Field Check: https://fieldcheck.app/Supabase: https://supabase.com/Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/Github: https://www.github.com2026 Predictions Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0G3OpDVnyASteve's Prediction Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stephenholmberg_2026-sport-and-outdoor-industry-trends-activity-7414293417557626880-AXy7Trailcon: https://www.trailconference.com BPC - Brand, Product, Content Jason Fried - David Senra Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdDCtMA1gSwAdventure Bucket List: https://reachinternationaloutfitters.com/collections/state-bucket-lists Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia
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    1 時間 7 分
  • What 5.5 Million Followers Taught Her About Brand Social

    What 5.5 Million Followers Taught Her About Brand Social
    2026/05/15

    Maren Hamilton ran global social at The North Face — building and executing a strategy for 5.5 million followers, integrating athletes and creators, and navigating every platform shift from the follow graph to the discovery graph. Then she left to help build Popfly, the creator platform built specifically for the outdoor industry. In this conversation, Maren shares the playbook she developed at TNF for running brand social at scale, including how to say no to the hundreds of internal requests that flood every social team, why the outdoor buying journey is fundamentally different from fashion and beauty, and what brands still get wrong about TikTok, Threads, and Facebook.

    Plus: Why Head of Social to CMO is now a real career path, what makes a creator pitch actually land with a brand, and the Adidas sub-two-hour marathon moment that might be the greatest brand activation of the decade.

    Second Nature is supported by Popfly. If you want to support our podcast - and discover a platform that we believe is one of the best tools for connecting brands and creators, follow these links:

    Popfly for Creators/Athletes: https://popf.ly/secondnaturecreators

    Popfly for Brands: https://popf.ly/secondnaturebrands

    Show Notes:

    Maren Hamilton: https://www.marenhamilton.com/

    Popfly: https://popf.ly/secondnaturebrands

    TNF Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenorthface

    DBo on X: https://x.com/dylanbo

    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com

    Gnara on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gnara_apparel?lang=en

    Taylor Hoekstra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorhoekstra/

    Popfly Storefront: https://app.popfly.com/@superridertv/storefront

    Alpaka: https://www.alpaka.com

    Camp Chef: https://www.campchef.com

    Backcountry: https://www.backcountry.com

    BPC - Brand, Product, Content:

    Halfdays x HOKA: https://www.halfdays.com/pages/hoka-x-halfdays

    Keen x 18 East: https://www.keenfootwear.com/collections/keen-x-eighteen-east

    Gnarly Nutrition x DBo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPtESorSIso

    Supercommunicators (Book): https://amzn.to/3RcJ7W6

    Supercommunicators (Podcast Episode): https://open.spotify.com/episode/3jqbbLEHbZyEJ2kMqNskkz

    Adidas Pro Evo 3: https://www.adidas.com/us/adizero-adios-pro-evo-3-shoes/KH7678.html

    Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media

    Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature

    Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media

    Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media

    Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia
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    1 時間 9 分
  • What Outdoor Brands Get Wrong About Storytelling

    What Outdoor Brands Get Wrong About Storytelling
    2026/05/08

    Matt Trappe is a photographer, filmmaker, creative strategist, and the voice behind the Matter of Brand newsletter: one of the most consistently sharp reads on brand building in the outdoor space. In this conversation, Matt and Aaron dig into why leading with innovation and tech has become table stakes rather than a differentiator, the three elements that make a brand story actually stick, and why the most powerful thing a brand can do right now is invest in longer attention channels rather than chasing short-form reach.

    Show Notes:

    Popfly for Brands: https://www.popfly.com?growsurf_campaign=jpeg2o&grsf=x4d7gg

    Popfly for Creators: https://www.popfly.com/creators?growsurf_campaign=wovvt7&grsf=3jh7ss

    Matt Trappe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-trappe/

    Auteur Sportif: https://auteursportif.com/

    Matter Of Brand: https://amatterofbrand.substack.com/

    Matt Trappe on Second Nature (2024): https://youtu.be/Y-5n57sX5S4

    MOB - YouTube Strategies: https://amatterofbrand.substack.com/p/new-youtube-strategies-for-athletes

    NASA Artemis Recap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfRqrrBbT-Y

    Hyperlyte - The Kid (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZmeB4qub_U

    Kaironic: https://auteursportif.com/products/kaironic-issue-002

    Smith Optics: https://smithoptics.pxf.io/PzKObY

    WSJ - Alternatively Influential: https://www.wsj.com/cmo-today/forget-influencers-welcome-to-the-world-of-the-alternatively-influential-e058e639

    Second Nature Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature

    Skratch: https://www.skratch.com

    Popfly: https://popf.ly/secondnaturebrands

    Skratch x Auteur Sportif: https://www.skratchlabs.com/pages/what-remains

    Tantrums: https://tantrums.run/

    BPC - Brand, Product, Content

    Are.na: https://www.are.na/

    Smith ODS5: https://smithoptics.pxf.io/vDyPVe

    Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media

    Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature

    Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media

    Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media

    Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 5 分