He Never Wanted to Go Viral. That's Why Brands Trust Him.

Tommie Runz started running in 2018, a year after choosing sobriety, and began documenting the journey simply because it felt good to share progress and get encouragement. Seven years later, he's built an audience of over 30,000 through nothing but consistency and honesty — no viral moments, no big follower jumps, just a steady climb built entirely on trust. In this conversation, Tommie and Aaron pick up where they left off after a live panel at TrailCon, digging into what it actually looks like to build a career as an athlete-creator without compromising who you are. Tommie breaks down why he's turned down "ambassador" deals that undervalue creators, how relationships with brands often take years rather than emails to develop, and the moment he realized his content needed to sound exactly like him or it wasn't worth doing at all. Second Nature is supported by Popfly: Popfly for Creators: https://popf.ly/secondnaturecreators Popfly for Brands: https://popf.ly/secondnaturebrands Show Notes: Tommie Runz: https://www.tommierunz.com/ Tommie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Tommie_Runz Tommie on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tommie_Runz PR Project (Podcast): https://www.youtube.com/c/PRProject/videos Asics: https://www.asics.com/ Mack Baker (Asics): https://www.linkedin.com/in/mack-baker-b6218717/ Cosign Creatives: https://cosignmag.com/cosign-creative-agency/ Tommie Runz Show (Podcast): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tommie-runz-show/id1538233660 Broken Arrow: https://www.brokenarrowskyrace.com/ Tommie on Freetrail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7lJd4t12a8 TrailCon: https://www.trailconference.com BPC - Brand, Product, Content: Currently: https://currentlyrunning.com/ Best Running Podcasts: https://bestrunningpodcasts.com/ Precision Fuel & Hydration: https://www.precisionhydration.com/ Aaronnomics: https://www.instagram.com/aaronnomics/ Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia