Restore 2 Explore with Tyler Benner - Archery Pro to Barefoot Cycling Shoe Innovator :: The Foot Collective Podcast

In this episode of the Restore to Explore Podcast from The Foot Collective, host Ruth chats with Strong Feet Athletics founder Tyler Benner about his journey from Olympic-level archery to developing the Leviathan, a foot-shaped clip-in cycling shoe built around natural foot function.

Ruth is part of The Foot Collective team and a host on Restore to Explore, a podcast focused on foot health, movement, and helping people rebuild natural function from the ground up. Through conversations with practitioners, athletes, and movement leaders, the show explores how stronger feet and better biomechanics can support lifelong performance, resilience, and freedom of movement.

In the conversation, Tyler shares his background as a former Team USA archer, his study of posture and process-oriented performance, and the personal realignment journey that began when he discovered Correct Toes and started questioning what modern footwear was doing to the body. The discussion explores foot strength, sensory feedback, motivation, injury prevention, and the long process of retraining movement patterns through curiosity, patience, and repetition.

Tyler also talks about the eight-year development of the Leviathan cycling shoe and why he believed athletes needed a true clip-in cycling shoe that is flat, wide, and shaped to let the foot function naturally. The episode highlights a bigger idea behind Strong Feet Athletics: that the future of sport depends on footwear that supports strength, alignment, and natural human movement instead of restricting it.