Today, I'm joined by Todd Meleney, co-founder & CEO of While on Earth.
An athletic footwear and apparel brand for the modern wellness consumer, While on Earth prioritizes versatile "performance wellness" over single-sport specialization.
In this episode, we discuss creating an underdog brand in a competitive market.
We also cover:
Christian McCaffrey's role as co-founder
Defining "performance wellness" as a category
Investing in grassroots community over paid marketing
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While On Earth's Website: www.whileonearth.co
While On Earth's IG: https://www.instagram.com/whileonearth/
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Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:40) Todd's background and While on Earth overview
(02:40) White space opportunity in performance footwear
(04:25) Lessons from building NOBULL
(05:15) Shifting consumer behavior toward holistic wellness
(07:15) Defining "performance wellness" as a category
(09:30) Product philosophy
(12:00) Building vs. buying brand awareness
(14:30) Grassroots community strategy over paid marketing
(17:00) Retail strategy
(19:30) Athlete partnerships
(22:00) Christian McCaffrey as co-founder and investor
(24:30) Product roadmap and innovation focus
(27:00) Staying authentic while scaling
(29:05) Running category launch in 2026
(30:15) CMC signature product line coming 2026
(32:45) Role of athletes in brand building
(34:50) Conclusion
