Épisodes

  • Behind The Brand: Athletic Brewing

    Behind The Brand: Athletic Brewing
    Jun 5 2026
    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 h et 6 min
  • What Happens When You Actually Ask For Help

    What Happens When You Actually Ask For Help
    May 29 2026
    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 h et 4 min
  • You Can Just Build Things Now

    You Can Just Build Things Now
    May 22 2026
    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 h et 7 min
  • What 5.5 Million Followers Taught Her About Brand Social

    What 5.5 Million Followers Taught Her About Brand Social
    May 15 2026

    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 h et 9 min
  • What Outdoor Brands Get Wrong About Storytelling

    What Outdoor Brands Get Wrong About Storytelling
    May 8 2026

    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
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    1 h et 5 min
  • Why Your Brand's YouTube Channel Is Failing (And How to Fix It)

    Why Your Brand's YouTube Channel Is Failing (And How to Fix It)
    May 1 2026

    Most outdoor brands have a YouTube problem. They're just not talking about it. Jeff Pelletier is a filmmaker, trail running creator, and one of the most thoughtful students of YouTube strategy and in the outdoor space. In this episode he breaks down why most brand channels are underperforming and what to actually do about it. We cover the difference between consistency and familiarity, why athlete-led channels outperform brand channels, the Marvel cinematic universe framework for building an audience around characters, and how YouTube's new collaboration feature changes the game for brand-creator partnerships.

    If you work at a brand, or if you're a creator who wants to bring more value to the brands that back you, this episode is required listening.

    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

    Jeff Pelletier on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeffPelletier

    Why Most Brands Fail On YouTube: https://open.substack.com/pub/jeffpelletier/p/why-most-brands-fail-on-youtube

    Super Rider Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperRiderTV

    Darren Rayner / Magnafire: https://www.magnafiremedia.com/

    Floris Gierman on Second Nature: https://youtu.be/mjMJ7lcEIGg

    Path Projects: https://pathprojects.com/

    Outdoor Media Summit - Brand Preso: https://youtu.be/b0w462ncEEY?si=ORi2F8yGv4Rdtcos&t=774

    Coros on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@COROSGlobal

    Park Tool's Sign-Off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60mjoZ0XeVA

    Rickey Gates: https://www.rickeygates.com/

    Huckberry - Dirt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXbHTtsCd_E&list=PLjHRKTS-Q5-CeCo66kFGivBMF8qB8orPh

    Huckberry Homes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjHRKTS-Q5-DBIKtFTzXdHr355duxbl7J

    Cody Townsend - The Fifty Project: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSj-6RsDycxnKiIFFm0BFYoLLV5Np3K49

    BPC - Brand, Product, Content:

    Hover Air ProMax: https://geni.us/OEkhLgI

    Jeff's Hover Air video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0evC16wzaDE

    DJI Osmo Pocket 3: https://amzn.to/41XGNEo

    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 h et 26 min
  • Why PR Is Now More Powerful Than Paid Search

    Why PR Is Now More Powerful Than Paid Search
    Apr 24 2026

    Michael Rueckert was a ski resort marketing director who got curious about a simple question: when someone asks an AI where to ski, does Snow Basin show up? That curiosity led him down a rabbit hole that eventually became Centium AI, a platform now working with over 170 outdoor brands to help them understand and improve their visibility across every major AI model.

    In this conversation, Michael and Aaron dig into how ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity each "think" differently about outdoor brands, why landing a GearLab ranking may now be worth more than any paid search campaign, and what it means for marketing when AI starts making purchasing decisions on behalf of humans. They also go deep on the practical side — how to set up Claude projects as a creative co-pilot, why taste is still the irreducible human advantage in an AI world, and why the outdoor industry is actually better positioned than most for what's coming.

    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

    Michael Rueckert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-rueckert/

    Centium AI: https://www.centium.ai/

    Christian Rawles on SN: https://youtu.be/EVPKsO0O8us

    GearLab: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/

    OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai/

    Rick Rubin on "Taste": https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNyma-0WMZL/

    Claude: https://www.claude.ai

    BPC - Brand, Product, Content

    Scott Sports: https://www.scott-sports.com/

    Gnarly Nutrition: https://gognarly.com/

    DBo's Gnarly Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPtESorSIso

    Go-Giver (Book): https://amzn.to/4mzP632

    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 h et 11 min
  • Athletes, Managers, Founders — Sea Otter Unfiltered

    Athletes, Managers, Founders — Sea Otter Unfiltered
    Apr 19 2026

    We hosted a Second Nature meetup with everyone at the Sea Otter Classic, and pulled a handful of friends up to the microphone to have conversations about everything happening in the industry and in their world at large.

    Jeremy Dunn, Braydon Bringhurst, Eric Porter, Tom Austen, Rachel Fussell, Steve Blick and Yuri Hauswald joined Aaron on the stage to chat through the lessons they've learned and the things that they're working hard to accomplish in 2026.

    A big thank you to Smith Optics for hosting the space for our community to meet up, and for all the brands who contributed to our "Sea Otter Survival Kit".

    Show Notes:

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

    Popfly For Creators: https://popf.ly/secondnaturecreators

    Jeremy Dunn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyddunn/

    Smith Optics: https://www.smithoptics.com

    Braydon Bringhurst: https://www.instagram.com/braydonbringhurst/

    HardMTB League: https://www.hardmtbleague.com/

    Eric Porter: https://www.instagram.com/portermtb

    PorterMTB on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/portermtb

    Tom Austen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomausten1/

    Pelotan: https://usa.pelotan.cc/

    Rachel Fussell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-m-fussell/

    People For Bikes: https://www.peopleforbikes.org/

    People For Bikes - Backyard Initiative: https://www.peopleforbikes.org/news/backyard-advocacy-toolkit

    Steve Blick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-blick/

    Yuri Hauswald: https://www.instagram.com/yhauswald/

    Yuri's Charity Ride: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/yurichasetherace/yuri-hauswald

    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 h et 39 min