Image of Building Oiselle While Racing at the Elite Level with Robin Vieira Brower

Building Oiselle While Racing at the Elite Level with Robin Vieira Brower

  • March 10, 2026
  • |
  • Team @ Fall Line Digital

In this episode of the Après Business Podcast, Robin Vieira Brower shares her rare dual role as both a professional runner and the Marketing Director at Oiselle — a women-owned performance running brand built by women, for women.

Robin breaks down Oiselle’s evolution from its founding in 2007 as an early advocate for female athlete equity to navigating pandemic disruption, ownership changes, and a modern brand repositioning. She shares what it actually takes to operate a direct-to-consumer performance brand in today’s competitive running market — from rigorous product testing and grassroots community building to full-funnel marketing strategy and the re-emergence of wholesale.

The conversation culminates in a powerful discussion about identity and leadership: how Robin approached her CEO about competing professionally while holding an executive marketing role — and how Oiselle embraced that model as part of its future vision for women in sport and business.

This episode explores product integrity, community-led growth, dual-career identity, and what it means to build a brand that truly supports women at every stage.

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Quotables

Robin Vieira Brower:

“We make apparel for women at all stages of our life who are runners. And we encourage anyone who runs anything from a mile where they walk part of it to running professionally to call themselves a runner.”

“Good marketing can only get you so far. You have to have the product that actually backs up what you're saying.”

“One of the things the newer DTC brands have figured out really well is community.”

“To be successful in DTC requires you to have a very strong pulse of what is happening in the undercurrent.”

“I approached them and said, I realize this is unconventional… is there a world in which I can be both and be my best self at Oiselle?”

“This is the world we are trying to build — where women can show up as their full selves.”

“Having this career in marketing as a leader while being a professional athlete allows me to show up daily as my most real and honest self.”

What You’ll Learn

  • How Oiselle differentiates itself in a crowded performance running market

  • Why product development and repeat purchase rate drive long-term brand health

  • The tension between new customer acquisition and loyalist retention

  • How to rethink email as a full-funnel storytelling engine

  • Why Substack is becoming critical listening for brand operators

  • The strategic role of wholesale in a post-pandemic DTC landscape

  • What an athlete-incubator model inside a brand could look like

  • How women can design careers that embrace dual identity rather than force trade-offs

Key Takeaways from This Episode
  • 1. Product integrity is the non-negotiable foundation.
  • 2. Community is the true growth lever.
  • 3. Email is underleveraged as a storytelling tool.
  • 4. Wholesale is relational, not transactional.
  • 5. Women shouldn’t have to choose between ambition and identity.
People and Resources Mentioned in This Episode

  • Margot Kramer – Majority shareholder & CEO of Oiselle

  • Elizabeth McGarry – Interim Chief Brand and Product Officer at Oiselle

  • Roga Short – Oiselle’s bestselling legacy product

  • Substack – Highlighted as a key “undercurrent” listening platform

  • Regard – Paid social partner

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