Miracle Mentality with Tim Storey

Episode: Joe Foster & Ben Weiss – The Importance of Mentorship, Collaboration, and Taking Risks
Date: January 19, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Miracle Mentality dives into the power of mentorship, the courage to innovate, and how collaboration across generations can lead to groundbreaking success. Host Tim Storey hosts Joe Foster, co-founder of Reebok and author of Shoemaker, and Ben Weiss, a young entrepreneur pioneering AI-designed and 3D-printed sneakers with his company, Scintillate. Together, they unpack the importance of fun in leadership, learning from failure, building disruptive brands, and translating iconic sportswear innovation to empower today’s content creators.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Reaching Out and Bold Collaboration

• Ben Weiss shares how he contacted Joe Foster, motivated by Joe’s track record and a desire for mentorship:
  • “What do I have to lose by just sending an email?” (07:06)
• Joe Foster describes his openness to new ideas and how Ben’s energy and vision resonated with him, sparking their partnership.
  • “At Reebok, we always look for white space, somewhere where we could make a difference... Ben is in one of those niches and it can become a big story.” (04:20)
• Tim Storey points out the rarity and value of legendary figures collaborating with new visionaries.

2. Mentorship as Competitive Advantage

• Ben explains why guidance mattered:
  • “By getting him [Joe] attached to us and advising me... we’re going to avoid a lot of mistakes and accelerate what we’re doing, you know, substantially.” (05:25)
• Joe emphasizes that, for him, sharing “experience of having gone through it, seeing all the problems that you can get into and not worrying too much about making mistakes” (15:10) is crucial to helping the next generation.

3. Fun, Curiosity, and Mindset in Entrepreneurship

• Joe argues joy is central to building a business:
  • “Number one, you gotta have fun. Number two, you’ve got to have more fun. And number three, it’s got to be a real hoot.” (08:11)
• Tim and Joe discuss the need to maintain a “miracle mentality”—curious, open, optimistic—especially amid struggles.

4. Learning from Failure and Seeing Problems as Opportunities

• Joe repeatedly reframes obstacles as opportunities:
  • “If there are no problems in your life, you’re doing something wrong. There are problems, but the problems are opportunities... Don’t think of it as something that, oh, my god, what’s going wrong? It’s going right because you’ve got a problem, you’ve found something, and that’s an opportunity.” (34:17)
  • “Instead of feeling down that you got challenged, look at it in a different way. What can we do with this? We’ve come up with something better.” (36:43)

5. Intergenerational Learning

• Tim asks what Joe has learned from Ben’s youthful energy:
  • “What I learned from young Ben is his enthusiasm is infectious... these days so much technology is involved... seeing people moving positively in new directions is what makes things fly.” (16:51)
• Ben values Joe’s hands-on guidance and openness:
  • “Joe’s not just always an advisor... He’s participated in so many different opportunities that we’re doing, and he’s really given a lot of himself to this.” (33:06)

6. Disrupting the Footwear Industry with Technology

• Ben outlines the innovation behind Scintillate:
  • AI-designed, 3D-printed custom footwear for content creators, solving hurdles of design cost, molds, and inventory.
  • “We partnered with a 3D printing factory... With 3D printing, no molds, you can print on demand... scan your feet with your phone camera, and with AI, we can gather the way your feet are shaped and give you custom-made shoes to fit you perfectly.” (12:43)
• Joe adds context from Reebok’s innovations and the importance of “vistech”—visible technology:
  • “[With innovation] you don’t want it to be invisible to the consumer. It needs to be something they can see regardless if they understand technology or not... like the Reebok pump.” (18:53)

7. Honest Reflections on Work-Life Balance

• Joe, reflecting on success, reveals the personal sacrifices involved:
  • “That business demands so much of you that the rest of whatever your existence is... the business comes first, it needs you.” (24:35)
  • “If you’re a dog with a bone, you’ve got to work with it... The dog doesn’t put the bone down.” (25:43)
• Ben, at age 25, recognizes he’s “in the building stage” but wants to learn from Joe’s experience for the future. (28:14)

8. Vision for the Future

• Ben sees Scintillate as the next global brand for creator-focused footwear:
  • “We want to be this destination that backs content creators with their own shoes... What about the DJs, YouTubers, TikTok stars... there’s so many other categories of greatness we want to translate over.” (38:56)
  • Additionally, “building out more technology-oriented footwear, smarter shoes...” is central to their mission.

9. Entrepreneurial Advice & Final Thoughts

• Joe’s advice for entrepreneurs:
  • “If you have an idea and you’re an optimist, and you must be an optimist, because being a pessimist is not where you can be if you’re going to be an entrepreneur... Even if you fail or it doesn’t work, you’ve not failed, you’ve learned an awful lot. Give it a try.” (41:03)
• Tim’s takeaway: Life is about being intentional, bold, and open to the miraculous—growth is ongoing.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “What do I have to lose by just sending an email?”
  – Ben Weiss (07:06)
• “If you’re not having fun, you’re not going to enjoy it, and chances are you will not be successful.”
  – Joe Foster (08:11)
• “Problems are opportunities. That’s the main thing about the problem... you find something better all the time.”
  – Joe Foster (34:17)
• “We want to back creators the same way athletes have been backed for decades.”
  – Ben Weiss (38:56)
• “Being a pessimist is not where you can be if you’re going to be an entrepreneur.”
  – Joe Foster (41:03)
• “Your mindset is yours to set.”
  – Tim Storey (Intro & throughout)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – Introduction and theme setup
• 04:20 – How Ben and Joe connected; mentorship origins
• 07:06 – Ben on the courage to reach out
• 08:11 – Joe on fun, joy, and business success
• 12:43 – Disruptive technology: AI and 3D-printed shoes
• 15:10 – Joe’s role as mentor, coaching style
• 16:51 – Joe on learning from Ben and technology’s impact
• 24:35 – Honest talk: personal sacrifices for success
• 28:14 – Ben on being in the “building stage” as a young founder
• 34:17 – Joe’s advice: see problems as opportunities
• 38:56 – Ben’s vision for Scintillate and the future of footwear
• 41:03 – Joe’s final advice to entrepreneurs

How to Buy and Experience Their Products

• Scintillate’s AI-Designed Shoes:
  • Custom 3D printed slides (Explorer Ultra) and sneakers (Luminesce)
  • Online at scintillay.com: Scan your feet using your phone for a custom fit
  • In-person: Tomorrow Store, Times Square, NYC—full 5000-point 3D scan for in-depth customization
  • “We ship to every country in the world... either online or at the Tomorrow Store in Times Square.” (42:36)

Tone & Style

Conversational, open, deeply motivational—this episode dances between wisdom from decades of experience and the infectious, innovative drive of a new generation. Joe Foster’s British humor and pragmatism synergize with Ben Weiss’s optimism and technical vision, all guided by Tim Storey’s enthusiastic, encouraging presence.

For Listeners: Why This Episode Matters

• If you’re an entrepreneur, creator, or leader looking for proof that disruptive ideas come from collaboration and resilience, this is your blueprint.
• Learn from two generations how mentorship accelerates innovation, why problems are gifts, and the importance of keeping fun and purpose at the center of business.
• Walk away reminded that your perspective shapes your path—and that you, too, can “activate your miracle mindset.”