What started as a simple search for my next pair of shoes turned into something much bigger. I wanted to find the perfect barefoot shoe for me—something that complemented the way I actually live, work, train, and move. As a physical therapist, I spend most of my day on my feet. I also run, hike, coach, strength train, and spend as much time barefoot as I reasonably can. I wasn’t looking for the most minimal shoe or the shoe with the biggest following. I wanted something that gave my foot room to function naturally while still providing enough comfort, durability, versatility, and style that I would genuinely want to wear it.

That search became one of the reasons I created the Footwear Lab. The deeper I went, the more I realized how different barefoot shoes can be. Toe-box shape, sole thickness, flexibility, ground feel, upper construction, lockdown, durability, and overall fit all change how a shoe feels and performs. I researched brands from around the world, compared designs, studied the biomechanics behind them, and thought carefully about what I actually needed from a shoe rather than what a company told me I should want. Along the way, the project became much more than a shopping exercise—it changed the way I thought about footwear altogether.