Second Nature

Michael Peters, Director of Corporate Partnerships for KOA, joins the podcast this week to share his perspective and experience around B2B partnerships. We talk about value exchange, growth vs credibility partnerships, and the best way to do cold outreach for partnerships.     Show Notes: Michael Peters: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ michael-peters-300782b/   KOA: https://koa.com/   Outdoor Hospita...

From Nike to Next Ventures, Mel Strong has mentored talent from every end of the spectrum - leading giant teams at Nike in their women's, running and skateboarding divisions, and now investing in early stage startups through Next Ventures. We dig into her history at Nike, and how that informed and motivated a big shift to the world of venture capital. In the outdoor industry, understanding the imp...

Doug Baker from Shift Active Media joins the podcast to share the research data from their most recent study. In this podcast, we talk about the overlaps and differences between audiences in the world of cycling and outdoor - as well as what brands should do with that information.   Show Notes: Shift Active Media: https://www.shiftactivemedia. com Doug Baker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ doug-bake...

The Running Event in Austin, Texas just concluded, so we have event attendee and frequent contributor Steve Holmberg back on the podcast to break down all the insights and standouts at TRE. We also dive into the vibe of the event, some surprising brands, and what was potentially missing from this year's event.   Show Notes: Insight Accelerator:  https://www.stephenholmberg. com/   The Running Even...

Kate Veronneau joins Second Nature to talk about Zwift's partnership with the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift and the history of Zwift's involvement getting women on bikes and supporting athletes through programs like Zwift Academy.    Show Notes: Kate Veronneau:  https://www. linkedin.com/in/kateveronneau/ Bicycling article about Kate:  https://www.bicycling. com/culture/a46030980/riders- of-the...

We use Substack to power the Second Nature newsletter, and on today's podcast, we are joined by our man on the inside, Austin Tedesco. In this episode, he shares insights and best practices from the world of sports content creation (and beyond).    Show Notes: Substack: http://www.substack.com Austin Tedesco:  https://www.linkedin. com/in/austin-tedesco- 90248a59/ Lenny:  https://substack.com/@ le...

Another classic bro-pod with Aaron and Dylan, running through a grab bag of topics from the response to our latest episode with Outside's CEO to some galaxy brain ideas that will surely impact the outdoor industry. We pulled a few more questions from the AMA list as well, not to mention a huge opportunity for someone to capture the job of the week.   Show Notes: Second Nature Slack: https://www.la...

Simon Freeman from Like the Wind, one of the original (and best) running media publications joins the podcast to talk about the early days of LtW and how he balanced it with the rest of his life and responsibilities (including being CEO and exiting his other company) over the past ten years.   Simon has also created a special LtW Discovery Offer for listeners/viewers of Second Nature, which you ca...

Robin Thurston, CEO of Outside, joins Second Nature for a discussion about the focus on supporting the entire ecosystem and experience for every user on the platform. We dig into what it means to build the vision of Outside and how that translates in a meaningful way (and how difficult it can be to achieve).    Show Notes: Outside:  https://www. outsideinc.com/   Outside Online:  https://www. outs...

We made it! 50 episodes deep and we are just getting started. To celebrate this milestone, Dylan and Aaron fielded 10 questions from the Slack Channel for this special edition "Ask Me Anything" episode. A big thank you to everyone in the Second Nature Slack that contributed questions, and thank you to everyone who has been following along with the podcast. We are grateful for your support!   Show...

Ian deQueiroz founded SENDY with action sports icons Travis Rice and Cameron Zink, and it's a platform where outdoor enthusiasts can buy or rent gear for nearly every outdoor activity imaginable. But there is so much more to this process than just posting up a buy/sell forum with gear, and Ian shares a mountain of insights about finding the right partners, technical stack, and maintaining communit...

Twenty-three years ago, Todd Barber and a handful of freeride mountain bikers started an event that opened the doors to one of the most exciting disciplines in the sport. Red Bull Rampage has made a huge impact, and Todd and his team are continuing to grow the sport through the launch of Natural Selection - Bike, an event that is slated to launch next year in Queenstown. Throughout this discussion...

Sito Luis Salas and Jordi Lorenzo sit down with Second Nature to talk about the formation of NNormal, the importance of Kilian Jornet's involvement, and the future of the brand. In this unfiltered discussion, we dive into the triumphs and struggles of building a brand - as well as the power of content as "oxygen" to aid growth.     Show Notes:   NNormal:  https://www.nnormal. com/   Kilian Jornet:...

Aaron is back from his trip to China where he saw the frictionless world of the "everything app". But how could we turn this concept into a Galaxy Brain concept for the Outdoor Industry? We also dive into Allyson Felix's new agency, the New York Times article about women riding at Red Bull Rampage, and Nike's decision to bring back ACG.   Show Notes: Allyson Felix - Always Alpha:  https://variety....

Jonathan Levitt joins the pod today to dig into the difference between brand marketing and performance marketing - and the impact that they make on both sides of the industry. As someone who works on the brand side, but also as a successful podcaster, Jonathan has a unique perspective on both approaches to growing brands.   Show Notes: For The Long Run - Jonathan Levitt's Podcast:  https://forthel...

Michael Mazzara, owner of Rogue Expeditions and Halfmarathons.net joins us to talk about what he believes to be a new frontier in the world of trail running. His belief that runners don't always need a race to prepare for, and the opportunity to deliver something new and exciting, is at the core of where he is headed with Rogue Expeditions.   Show Notes: Halfmarathons.net:  https:// www.halfmarath...

Erin Sprague is the CEO of Protect Our Winters (POW) and joins us on the podcast to talk about POW's mission and vision - and everything in between. We get insight into the business imperatives behind this mission and how best to talk about climate change in a new and insightful way. Protect Our Winters is working on so many fronts, and Erin decontructs the effort in a way that helps us understand...

Peter Abraham joins the podcast today to talk about the emergence of outdoor sports epicenters around the world, and what needs to be true in order for these locations to exist (spoiler: it's more than just mountains). We also go deep into the ways that coaching and leadership are changing, and how the cultural trend of joy is making an impact on brands, content and athletes.   Links: Peter Abraha...

Today's podcast is the ultimate example of cross-pollination. On Second Nature, we frequently talk about the value of connecting with people in adjacent industries, and that you get to have a glimpse into the future of your own industry. The people who are best at predicting shifts in an industry are typically the winners. What better way to do that than to identify an industry that's ahead of you...

Dylan and Aaron dig into the details of each other's business and call out areas of opportunity for both Super Rider and Freetrail. This episode is part galaxy brain, part therapy session as they publicly share details about the struggles and triumphs of owning media businesses in the outdoor space. Using the concept of Simon Sinek's book "The Infinite Game", this podcast helps put a filter on dec...

Arielle Knutson is the CEO of Oiselle, a running apparel brand for women, by women. In the podcast, we talk about her journey that started as a member of Oiselle's ambassador program, and how she found her way into the Outdoor Industry.    Links: Oiselle Arielle Knutson on LinkedIn Oiselle Director of Marketing Role Morning Brew article about Arielle's brand going viral on TikTok Aaron's favorite...

Nike has a new incoming CEO and we've got our resident Nike expert, Steve Holmberg, joining us for the podcast to talk about what this means for Nike - and maybe more importantly - what that could mean for the Challenger Brands that have taken advantage of the opportunity that Nike's misstep has created. As a 17-year veteran of Nike, Steve had some interesting thoughts on how this incoming CEO new...

Dylan and Aaron dig in to the real issues that they face as business owners and content creators, and the tactics that they might pursue to push past their current boundaries. They also riff on a "Galaxy Brain" idea that is sure to bring out some strong opinions and ideas of how best to support deserving athletes in the outdoor space. After that, it's a deep dive into an article titled "The End Of...

Dylan is back from UTMB with all the stories to share about the event - and more specifically, all the brands and athlete stories from the week. We run through all the top brand and product launches, discuss the key moments of the week, and dive into Dylan's Extremely Scientific Top 3 Athlete Kit Ranking. Also discussed was the ambush marketing on display and some of the new brands that appeared t...

We are on the cusp of a meaningful inflection point in the world of mountain biking. For the first time in its 20+ year history, Red Bull Rampage will welcome an entire field of women to the event. This wasn't a snap decision, it came from dedicated people like Katie Holden, who worked with the brand, the event organizers, and the riders to create the momentum to make this a reality. In this podca...