Leap Academy with Ilana Golan

Episode 132: How Reebok’s Co-Founder Joe Foster and Ben Wise Are Revolutionizing the Footwear Industry

Date: November 4, 2025
Guests: Joe Foster (Co-founder of Reebok), Ben Wise (Co-founder, Scintillate)
Host: Ilana Golan

Episode Overview

This engaging episode brings together Joe Foster, legendary co-founder of Reebok, and Ben Wise, the entrepreneurial force behind Scintillate. The discussion explores the past, present, and future of the footwear industry: Joe’s journey from a family business in England to building a global icon, and his recent partnership with Ben to create the first AI-designed, 3D-printed shoes. The episode is rich with untold stories, lessons about resilience and innovation, and practical advice for anyone seeking to leap into entrepreneurship or reinvent their career.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Origins & The Reebok Story (02:31–20:42)

• Family Legacy: Joe Foster recounts his deep-rooted heritage in shoemaking, starting with his grandfather J.W. Foster, inventor of the spiked running shoe ([02:50]).
  • Notable fact: Both gold medalists from 1924's "Chariots of Fire" wore J.W. Foster shoes.
• Breaking Away: After observing dysfunction in the family business, Joe and his brother Jeff left to found Mercury Sports Footwear, starting with minimal funds and sleeping in the factory ([06:22], [10:01]).
• Overcoming Early Challenges: Learning shoemaking at college, resourceful bootstrapping, and hustling to source equipment and knowledge ([07:12]).
• The Name “Reebok”: Forced to abandon "Mercury" due to trademark issues, Joe found "Reebok" in a dictionary he’d won as a child ([09:08]).
• Survival & Growth: Living in the factory and growing steadily, not by competing directly with Adidas or Puma, but by finding the “white space”—markets those brands ignored ([10:59]).
• Breaking into the US: Persistence through 11 years and multiple failed distributor partnerships; breakthrough comes after receiving a "5-star" rating in Runner's World magazine and solidifying a partnership with Paul Fireman ([14:55], [18:34]).
• Aerobics Revolution: Recognizing the untapped women’s aerobics market exploded Reebok’s sales, showcasing the importance of adapting to new opportunities ([19:14], [20:34]).

Lessons in Resilience, Creativity, and Optimism (21:57–26:40)

• Responding to Failure: Joe highlights that obstacles often spark the most creative solutions and can turn into powerful opportunities ([25:07]).
  • Quote: "Every challenge became an opportunity. What can we do? How can we change this? ... Come on, challenges, bring them on." — Joe Foster ([25:07])
• Never Giving Up: Staying optimistic and resourceful is vital, especially in the face of repeated setbacks ([24:49]).
  • Quote: "The optimist has that never give up. Why do you give up? We're doing okay." — Joe Foster ([21:57])
• Adapting & Thriving: Flexibility and willingness to change direction are keys to survival and eventual thriving ([24:22]).

Ben Wise’s Vision & The Meeting of Minds (27:05–33:19)

• Ben’s Background & Motivation: Inspired by the opportunity to back content creators with personalized footwear, Ben sought to shift footwear to a true technology category ([27:13]).
  • Noting the stagnation in footwear innovation versus other consumer categories ([00:35], [27:13]).
• Cold Outreach to Joe: Ben outlines his persistent approach to connecting with Joe, demonstrating the importance of boldness and persistence in reaching out to role models ([29:08], [29:18]).
  • Quote: "What do you have to lose if you reach out and someone says no?" — Ben Wise ([29:18])
• Why Joe Said Yes: Joe appreciated Ben's energy and the pursuit of "white space" in a traditional industry, confirming the importance of enthusiasm and creative thinking in successful collaborations ([31:39]).
  • Quote: "For me, white space was so important...and this was, oh, why not? It was good...Mix the enthusiasm with an idea, and the idea is in white space for footwear, it's compelling." — Joe Foster ([31:39])

Scintillate: A Footwear Revolution (34:12–40:50)

• Rethinking Footwear Design: Using AI to speed up design processes and 3D printing to eliminate costly molds and excess inventory—making unique footwear accessible to content creators ([34:34]).
  • Solves key problems: slow, expensive, and inaccessible custom footwear development.
  • Quote: "If AI can design great concept artwork, why can't we use it for real shoemaking?" — Ben Wise ([36:12])
• Scaling the Vision: The challenge of production volume with current 3D printing technology, but the aim to manufacture domestically and reduce footwear’s overseas dependency ([37:39], [39:00]).
  • Insights into the future convergence of fashion, streetwear, and advanced manufacturing.
• New Market Focus: Not replicating what Nike or Adidas are doing, but supporting the next generation's idols—content creators and gamers ([36:36], [41:39]).
  • Quote: "We're trying to carve out an entirely different lane of taking the essence of lots of these really talented people and putting them in these shoes." — Ben Wise ([36:36])

Advice for Leaping Careers & Reinventing Yourself (42:56–47:24)

• Joe on Mindset: Emphasizing optimism, fun, and initiative; not being afraid to move on from unfulfilling work and leveraging technology to create what you love ([43:13]).
  • Quote: "If you're in your 20s, or your 30s and you feel you're stuck, get out, move, do things...don't stay with something that doesn't work. Get out there, try something different." — Joe Foster ([43:13])
• Ben on Action: Encourages listeners to take action on their dreams, noting the importance of learning from each step on the journey ([46:07]).
  • Quote: "If you want to go after your dreams, it's either you go after them or you don't…What do I have to lose? I'm going to learn from the experience." — Ben Wise ([46:07])
• On Age: Joe notes that it's easier to take career leaps when you're younger, but underscores that the principle applies at any stage ([47:17]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [02:50] Joe Foster: “We were born into the shoe business, really, because my grandfather set up his company, J.W. foster, in 1895 when he invented the spike running shoe.”
• [10:59] Joe Foster: “We didn’t want to compete with them [Adidas & Puma]. We wanted to do something different…Let’s look for white space.”
• [18:34] Joe Foster: “Paul Fireman came onto the stand...he said, Joe, if you get a five star, I'll be your distributor.”
• [19:14] Joe Foster: “Reebok is all about women because women took us from 9 million…to 900 million in four years. That’s what really made the Reebok brand.”
• [25:07] Joe Foster: “Problems, challenges are actually opportunities... Every challenge became an opportunity. What can we do?”
• [27:13] Ben Wise: “I believe…there is this really big opportunity in the world…to back content creators with their own shoes, like athletes, and also…shift footwear category to a technology category.”
• [29:18] Ben Wise: “What do you have to lose if you reach out and someone says no?”
• [31:39] Joe Foster: “For me, white space was so important… Mix the enthusiasm with an idea, and the idea is in white space for footwear, it's compelling.”
• [36:12] Ben Wise: “If AI can design great concept artwork, why can't we use it for real shoemaking?”
• [41:39] Ben Wise: “We want to build shoes that take the essence of these people and put it into them…Most of them want to be these content creators.”
• [43:13] Joe Foster: “There's never been a better time in generations…to be doing something that they want to do, working for themselves, having the satisfaction of creating something.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:31]–[10:01]: Joe Foster’s background, leaving the family business, naming Reebok, and the early days.
• [10:59]–[19:14]: Reebok’s approach to "white space," entering the US, key turning points (Runner’s World rating, aerobics trend).
• [21:57]–[26:40]: Lessons in optimism, responding to setbacks, and opportunity in adversity.
• [27:05]–[33:19]: Ben’s journey, cold outreach to Joe, and themes of persistence and collaboration.
• [34:12]–[40:50]: Scintillate’s disruptive model: AI design, 3D printing, and supporting content creators.
• [42:56]–[47:24]: Career and mindset advice for listeners hoping to leap to bigger things.

Conclusion

This episode is a masterclass in visionary thinking, resilience, and strategic risk-taking within the context of the footwear industry. Joe Foster’s classic entrepreneurial wisdom is balanced by Ben Wise’s forward-thinking, tech-driven approach. Their partnership at Scintillate exemplifies how traditions can merge with innovation to shape entirely new markets. Listeners walking away from this episode are left with actionable inspiration, especially those contemplating their own career leaps or entrepreneurial adventures.