The Best One Yet: “Doing Things” — Ty Haney, Founder of Outdoor Voices

Date: October 25, 2025
Hosts: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell
Guest: Ty Haney, Founder/CEO, Outdoor Voices

Episode Overview

In this energizing interview, Jack and Nick sit down with Ty Haney—the visionary who founded Outdoor Voices at just 23—from her Boulder origins to being ousted (and rejoining) her brand, and how she’s building three businesses across energy, tech, and fashion. The conversation revolves around redefining the activewear/athleisure category through “recreation,” Ty’s playbook for authentic community, navigating the perils of VC funding and startup drama, and her philosophies on creativity, leadership, and comeback.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Founding Outdoor Voices: From Boulder to NYC Vision

• Roots in “recreation”: Ty credits her Boulder, Colorado upbringing for inspiring a movement-based, outdoor-minded ethos, not just “athleisure.”
  • “Your way of getting around is just through movement, on your bike, with your dog, et cetera. So I was born into this recreation universe…” (03:50)
• Aversion to the word “athleisure”: She prefers “recreation,” which signals active participation rather than passive, “chill” leisurewear.
  • “Athleisure… wasn’t really rooted in activity, but rather the reverse. The leisure. My vision… is all about how do we energize and inspire for the active moments.” (02:39)

2. Becoming an Entrepreneur

• Entrepreneurial family and Boulder influence: Many of Ty’s relatives, including her mom, aunt, and friends’ parents, were entrepreneurs.
  • “…people who had built businesses and started things from zero… from a very young age that was a possibility.” (04:30)
• Creativity meets business: Ty’s art school background (Parsons) gave her the skills to visualize, create, and communicate original ideas, leading to the signature “two-tone leggings.”
  • “My super strength is creativity... going to art school… learning how to visualize my ideas.” (07:05)

3. Designing a Revolution: The Outdoor Voices Look

• Rebellion against athletic stereotypes: Early activewear was “black and neon and shiny and intense.” OV’s aesthetic was intentionally antithetical: minimal, soft, colorful, and inclusive.
  • “I kind of intentionally put that in my mind as an extreme aesthetic that I wanted to do the reverse of.” (09:20)
• Uniform for “Doing Things”: OV’s initial capsule—compression top, two-tone leggings, hoodie, and sweatpants—was about simplicity and versatility.

4. Community as Superpower

• The OV Playbook: 4 Steps to Real Community (16:44, 19:08)
  1. Clear mission: Start at the top (“Get the world moving”).
  2. Rituals for activation: Local IRL events—jogging, dog-walking, community runs.
  3. Superfan empowerment: Give community hosts ownership of events; let “superfans meet superfans.”
  4. Reward system: Status and recognition for engagement and longevity.
  • “When you have formats…for superfans to meet other superfans, that’s when the flywheel really starts to happen. They start telling their friends and it becomes a movement.” (18:45)
  • Letting go of central control is vital—brands should “let your audience and fans run with this.” (20:31)

5. The Doing Things Tote: Innovative Grassroots Marketing

• Tote as billboard: OV’s signature tote bag became a ubiquitous, cost-effective “walking billboard.”
  • “We needed a tote for people to purchase product at Lafayette… for whatever reason, that layout and the strength of those words became very much a thing… walking billboards for us.” (21:35)
  • Estimated cost: $2.50/tote—“a really effective awareness play.” (22:43)

6. Strategic Moves: The Austin Pivot & “Zig When They Zag”

• Relocating to Austin: Inspired by Nike (Portland), Under Armour (Baltimore), Ty moved OV HQ from NYC to Austin, making the city part of the brand’s identity.
  • “Each of those had an environment and a city outside of New York or LA that they could make their own… in the Zig when they zag kind of strategy, we up and moved 40 people from New York to Austin.” (23:30)
• Zig/Zag examples: OV merchandised “dog walking” as a fitness category—something Reddit mocked, but proved innovative.

7. Partnerships & Defining Trends: Hoka x OV

• Hoka partnership: Spotted as “ungodly ugly” but practical hiking shoes; OV’s colorways and collab made Hoka trendy.
  • “We went wild with some of the colorways… that moment is what put Hoka on the map as like the cool sneaker and the running club sneaker.” (25:56, 26:47)

8. The Downturn: Resignation and Lessons from VC Culture

• Being forced out by the board: Ty was ousted after founding the company, primarily due to loss of control from extensive VC funding.
  • “Ownership matters. When you raise a lot of capital, you dilute yourself and then no longer have control... We had very different views on the board in terms of how to grow the business.” (28:50, 29:53)
  • Her stake dropped to 10%. (32:09)
• VC caution for founders: Direct-to-consumer with heavy inventory and marketing costs often doesn’t suit hypergrowth, “winner-take-all” funding models.
  • “For like, physical product inventory businesses, taking on that much capital and then scaling… there’s just a lot that can happen.” (33:51)

9. Return to OV: The Boomerang CEO

• Reapproached by new owners: Consortium Partners acquired OV, inviting Ty back; this time, Ty prioritized clear ownership and “patient capital.”
  • “As I got into the details of this partnership, ownership was something super crucial to me… this version of Outdoor Voices is funded with more patient capital.” (40:05)
• Balancing the past and future: Targeting both core millennial fans and new Gen Z consumers; introduces activity-specific capsules (equestrian, hiking).
  • “The approach is very similar to the beginnings… more of the emphasis is on introducing this Gen Z kind of younger demo to the doing things philosophy.” (41:18)

10. Multi-hyphenate Leadership: Three Companies at Once

• Ty’s current ventures:
  • OV: Creative and advisory
  • Joggy: Energy drink (organic energy)
  • Tech company (Tyb): SaaS community-building platform for consumer brands
• World-building approach: Everything ties back to “recreation” and building communities.
  • “I see it as world building… my main superpower beyond being very creative is I’m extremely good at prioritizing.” (45:37)

11. Creativity, Inspiration & Legacy

• Creative inspiration: Found in “kinetic meditation”—moving, trying new things, leading by example for her children.
  • “For me inspiration comes from what I call kinetic meditation. Like moving and active participation in something ultimately is what I find most energizing.” (50:23)
• New launches: Kids’ collections (“Stroller Roller”), men’s evolutions, new capsules.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Ty doesn’t do sweat equity. She does endorphin equity.” —Jack (01:09)
• “Recreation to me is like the most aspirational. You have free time to spend outside and try hobbies.” —Ty Haney (12:28)
• “Let superfans meet other superfans because that’s what creates the flywheel effect.” —Jack (19:15)
• “I did a lot of work to detach from that experience and… I pretty quickly started a new company: Try Your Best.” —Ty Haney (38:48)
• “Without someone with a clear vision and fully owning the execution, like, the brand that was hot fully fell off.” —Ty Haney (39:22)
• “Trust the timing of your life. We’re just in time.” —Ty Haney (53:23, closing takeaway)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Ty’s Boulder upbringing & recreation philosophy: 03:39–04:18
• Founding OV & product design evolution: 07:05–10:11
• Community-building playbook: 16:44–20:31
• The “Doing Things” tote story: 21:00–22:50
• Austin HQ move & “zig when they zag”: 23:30–24:38
• Hoka x OV partnership: 25:23–27:47
• The ousting and lessons from VC: 28:18–35:04
• Return to OV as “Boomerang CEO”: 35:23–40:52
• Gen Z vs. Millennial market approach: 41:18–44:27
• Multi-company leadership: 45:03–47:53
• Creativity & family inspiration: 50:23–51:26
• Rapid-fire Q&A: 51:53–53:12
• Final takeaway: 53:23

Rapid-Fire Questions & Fun Bits

• Best brand besides OV?: “Acne Studios and Crocs. It’s a tie.” (52:01)
• Industry most ready for OV moment?: “College campuses, universities, the gift shop.” (52:10)
• Dream collab? “Jane Fonda.” (52:25)
• Snack always stocked? “Joggy energy and Fruit Riot.” (52:33)
• Best restaurants? “Jack’s Fish House in Boulder; an organic hippie cafe in Austin.” (52:46)
• Stock ticker? “TYY. Or TyB—Try Your Best.” (53:05)

Summary Takeaway

Ty Haney’s story is a masterclass in creative brand-building, prioritizing community-led growth over hype, and learning the crucial lessons of control and ownership as a founder. Her “boomerang CEO” return, strategic pivots, and focus on world-building show that trusting the timing—and staying close to the mission—can lead to a brighter, more sustainable second act.