the morning shakeout podcast

Episode 251 | Matt Taylor on Brand Building, Storytelling, and Creative Expression

May 11, 2026

Matt Taylor is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Tracksmith. He recently stepped down from the CEO role, which he held since 2014, to return his focus to what drew him to the brand in the first place: its creative expression.I recently sat down with Matt in Boston to trace the full arc of his journey, from a cold letter left at a hotel for IMG founder Mark McCormack, to embedding himself in top-tier college cross country programs for Chasing Tradition, to funding the early days of ...

Episode 250 | Raziq Rauf on Running Crews, Culture, and Community

March 30, 2026

Raziq Rauf is the author of the forthcoming book, This is Running, and he also writes the popular newsletter, Running Sucks. Raz’ book, and his work in general, celebrates running as a sport, activity, and culture, and digs into the people, events, trends, and technology that push it forward.I sat down with Raz in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles before the 2026 L.A. Marathon and we covered a wide range of topics, from the increased excitement around that particular event, to the...

Episode 249 | Simon Freeman and Mario Fraioli on Like the Wind U.S., Fresh Starts, and Cultural Differences in Running

March 09, 2026

I recently sat down with my good friend and frequent podcast guest Simon Freeman, the co-founder and publisher of my favorite running magazine, Like The Wind, for our first quarterly conversation of 2026, which you can listen to wherever you get the morning shakeout podcast. An excerpt of this exchange can be found in Issue #48 of LtW, which is out now. (You can buy a copy or subscribe here.) In this episode, we discuss the launch of the U.S. edition of LtW U.S.,...