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
The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart fitness ecosystem for fitness and health facilities.
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
