Aug 19, 2026 · 48 min · 13 segments
Joey Pointer grew up working six days a week on his family’s tobacco farm in rural North Carolina. At the time, he hated it. Today, as president and CEO of Fleet Feet, he recognizes how that childhood…
Joey PointerGuest
Ashley ArnoldHostThe following is a production of Wild Idea Media.
This is a show about raising our kids and ourselves a little more feral on purpose.
And I'm really excited about today's conversation because I'm talking with Joey Pointer, the president and CEO of Fleet Feet, the largest running specialty store network across the country.
What's cool about this is not only is Joey a leader who grew up on a working tobacco farm in rural North Carolina, so he spent his childhood on working lands, but I also had the privilege of working with Joey for over eight years when I worked for Fleet Feet.
I learned a lot from him, and one of the really cool things about Joey is that he lives and thrives in this gray area that makes a lot of people uncomfortable.
And I've had the theory that his childhood on a working farm has something to do with him.
He uses running and time outside to ground his decision, connect with the people who work for him and more.
So this is a little bit of a different type of conversation than the first three of these episodes.
But this conversation feels really important to me because it makes a case that time spent outside as a kid Really helps us to become stronger leaders.
And that's exactly why Joey's on the podcast today Without further ado Let's get to it Joey welcome to the show for having me Ashley
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The following is a production of Wild Idea Media.
This is a show about raising our kids and ourselves a little more feral on purpose.
And I'm really excited about today's conversation because I'm talking with Joey Pointer, the president and CEO of Fleet Feet, the largest running specialty store network across the country.
What's cool about this is not only is Joey a leader who grew up on a working tobacco farm in rural North Carolina, so he spent his childhood on working lands, but I also had the privilege of working with Joey for over eight years when I worked for Fleet Feet.
I learned a lot from him, and one of the really cool things about Joey is that he lives and thrives in this gray area that makes a lot of people uncomfortable.
And I've had the theory that his childhood on a working farm has something to do with him.
He uses running and time outside to ground his decision, connect with the people who work for him and more.
So this is a little bit of a different type of conversation than the first three of these episodes.
But this conversation feels really important to me because it makes a case that time spent outside as a kid Really helps us to become stronger leaders.
And that's exactly why Joey's on the podcast today Without further ado Let's get to it Joey welcome to the show for having me Ashley