Daniel Howell, PhD
Dr. Daniel Howell works as a Professor of Biology at Liberty University and has made his mark as a strong supporter of living a barefoot lifestyle.
Dr. Howell has run thousands of miles barefoot and leads the Barefoot Hikers of Virginia.
- He also wrote The Barefoot Book: 50 Great Reasons to Kick Off Your Shoes
- Dr. Howell appearance on the Today show.
Barefoot Ted McDonald
Barefoot Ted McDonald is an independent athlete and has also been featured in numerous articles and interviews, such as National Geographic, and played a central character in the national bestseller, Born To Run.
- Read his blog at BarefootTed.com.
Richard Frazine
Author of The Barefoot Hiker, Richard first felt persuaded around the age of 21 to try barefoot hiking for himself. As he reflects on his website, “The Earth felt wonderful under bare feet, and through the days and weeks and months of barefooting that followed, I was continually overwhelmed by the joy of a calling heard at last.”
Later, Richard realized that his true calling as a barefooter included sharing the joy of barefooting with others, which led to writing his book. Through the Society for Barefoot Living and other means, Richard continues to encourage and facilitate the work of other barefooters,
Ken Saxton
Premier barefoot runner Ken Bob Saxton, the leading instructor of barefoot running in the U.S. has completed more than 400 races barefoot, including 79 marathons and one ultra-marathon (50+ kilometers). He has also been featured in numerous newspaper, magazine, radio and TV appearances.
Jason Robillard
The Barefoot Running Book by Jason Robillard.
Jason writes, “My methods can help anyone learn to run barefoot, or run in minimalist shoes. I use a combination of research, collaboration, and my own experiences to bring the latest methods for making a safe, enjoyable transition to barefoot or minimalist shoe running.”
Dr. Paul Thompson
Australian Podiatrist, dad and advocate for a Barefoot lifestyle.
Dr. Daniel E. Lieberman
Daniel Lieberman is a paleoanthropologist at Harvard University. His research on long distance running in humans and barefoot running has become popularized by the book, Born to Run. Dr. Lieberman has published many articles and has authored four books.
Dr. Stephen Bloor
A Musculoskeletal Podiatrist nicknamed “The Barefoot Podiatrist” due to his practice of working unshod 95% of the time.
- Dr. Bloor’s clinic website
- Dr. Bloor’s Facebook
- NaturalFeet blog interview with Dr. Bloor
- Video of a hike with Dr. Bloor
Tom Perry, the “Barefoot Climber”
Tom Perry, “the Barefoot Climber” and an Italian climber hikes the most rugged mountains in the world – while barefoot. His feats include Mount Etna (10,991ft, 3,350m), Mount Vesuvius (a stratovolcano), Mount Kilimanjaro (19,341ft, 5,895m), and Mount Fuji.
Bea Marshall
Bea Marshall, inspirational speaker, coach and lifestyle barefooter. Guardian article and Express article on why she became a barefooter.
Bea Marshall’s TED Talks Video of her presentation in which she touches on her own barefooting and offers observations which any barefooter will understand.
Mrs. Sunshine
Swedish (English speaking) barefooter, traveler and general lover of life.
In her own words, “My channel features videos of my life which is full of crazy adventures, spontaneous trips, and an infinite number of creations and projects. …I love being free, naked, barefoot and speaking my truth while traveling the world.”
- Sunshine’s video series: “Being Barefoot, pt. 1” (4 videos in series)
- Sunshine’s: Youtube video list
Alina, a.k.a., Blue Indigo
In Alina’s own words, “I’m a free spirit, born to wander the world. My bare feet have hiked the sharp, cold, wet and hot rocks of countless mountains and my spirit is soaked in the endless wonders of mother earth.
…I’ve been barefoot on the road, since 4 years now, visited or lived in 30 countries and have had some of the most magical experiences one could ever dream of witnessing.”
- Indigo Blue’s video: Benefits of walking barefoot
- Indigo Blue’s: Youtube video list
The Barefoot Sisters
Susan (Jackrabbit) and Lucy (Isis) Letcher, two sisters who hiked the entire Appalachian Trail barefoot. They also published two books about their journey:
Trissa King
A dedicated barefoot runner and promoter of living a naturally healthy barefoot lifestyle, Trissa lives a completely barefoot life in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she also participates in yoga, gym training and community projects including animal rescue and community theater.
- This Run Haven article tells her story, “Q & A With Woman Who Lives And Runs Barefoot, Even In The Snow” **
(**Note: The link to this article no longer works.)
Julia Taylor – Barefoot runner and world traveler
As Julia writes about herself on her Soles Journey YouTube site: “As soon as I could walk I ran in my bare feet, free on a beach in Africa. Nearly sixty years later I am still running, I have taken my shoes off and I am barefoot again. I am traveling the world as a nomad; the planet my home… I competed at international level in the past with a marathon best of 2.36.31 and my journey has always been grounded in running consciously towards freedom within. A destination that I have discovered has no limits and no finish line… Join me here as I travel onwards on my nomadic barefoot running journey.”
Soles Journey – A series of videos by barefoot runner Julia Taylor
Cody Lundin – outdoor survivalist
Cody Lundin has made his mark as an instructor in outdoor survival, primitive living, and urban preparedness. He received media popularity for his role as a co-host during several seasons of the Discovery series Dual Survival, where he went barefoot in some of the most extreme conditions.
Amy Wild – herpetologist
A native of Australia, Amy Wild works as an educator and producer of wildlife documentaries in which she also regularly appears barefoot, an important aspect of her life and relationship to nature.
- Collection of documentaries by Amy
- In this video Amy comments on the role that going barefoot has played in her life and work
Dr. Philip (Flip) Stander – conservationist
Numerous articles and documentaries have covered the work of the often barefoot Dr. Stander, a conservationist and expert on Namibia’s famed desert-adapted lions
Saba Douglas-Hamilton – conservationist
Barefoot wilderness presenter, Kenyan wildlife conservationist and television presenter, Saba Douglas-Hamilton has worked for a variety of conservation charities and has appeared in wildlife documentaries.
Kim Wolhuter – maverick wildlife filmmaker
A one-time game ranger with experience in the military, Kim now spends his time as a maverick filmmaker with an extraordinary ability to befriend the animals of his native Zimbabwe. Maybe his barefoot preference makes that more natural!
- Kim’s Facebook page
- Discovery Channel You/Tube video – Man, Cheetah, Wild
Rob Bredl – “The Barefoot Bushman”
An Australian documentary film-maker, reptile specialist and owner of the “Blue Planet Wildlife Park” in Queensland, Rob got his nickname because of his habit of getting around barefoot at home and in the bush, even when catching crocodiles.
Dustin “The Wildman” Crum
Snake hunter Dusty “The Wildman” Crum and his team see it as their life’s calling to eradicate the python, an invasive and destructive species, from the Florida Everglades. Dusty does it all while barefoot. As he explains, “If you have a rubber sole between foot and Earth, you can’t absorb what nature is telling you.”
- Dusty Crum’s Facebook page
- Dusty and his adventures on The Discovery Channel series, “Guardians of the Glades.”
- Article about Dusty in Palm Beach Post (May 19, 2019)
Sabrina Fox
In July of 2014, author and speaker Sabrina Fox embarked on a very unusual adventure. She took her shoes off for a year. She wanted to find out what would happen: to her feet, to her well-being, to her surroundings. In the last twenty-five years she has studied and written about the mind-body-connection.
- Sabrina’s video presentation about her barefoot journey and resulting discoveries.
Sue Kenney
Barefooter, author, inspiration speaker and developer of the Barebottom Shoe.
Rob Greenfield
In Life of a Barefoot Dude (June 23, 2015) writer Rob Greenfield writes about his conversion to a barefoot lifestyle and the benefits he gained as a result.
A video by Rob (April, 2020): The Benefits of Being Barefoot
Jeff Poppen
Known as The Barefoot Farmer, Jeff Poppen, farmer, author and advocate for organic and biodynamic farming techniques also happens to go barefoot year ’round. He appears on the Volunteer Gardner public TV show out of Nashville, Tennessee.
Mike Dodge
Also known as “The Barefoot Sensei” and “the Barefooted Nomad,” Dodge lives in the Hoh rainforest in Washington and was the subject of a National Geographic docuseries, “The Legend of Mike Dodge” (2014-2015).
Dodge says that he experienced a rebirth in the rainforest. He lives off the land and walks barefoot. “My feet became my compass, my feet became my map,” he told National Geographic. Dodge has lived in the forest for nearly 30 years, leaving modern society in 1991.
Article about Dodge: He Lives in a Tree, Doesn’t Wear Shoes, and Brushes His Teeth With a Pinecone, bMay, 2017)
Bill and Paul Tomazin
The Barefoot Farmers, Paul and his father Bill run a small family farm called ‘Barefoot Farms’ in Florida. Video with Paul Tomazin.
As this Daytona State College article explains, “The inspiration behind the name Barefoot Farms was from Paul’s great grandfather who both farmed and sold goods at local farmers’ markets while barefoot. Today, Tomazin and his crew all work in the fields barefoot, since it makes it easier to till the soil, plant and harvest crops.”
Nara Petrovic
Nara has lived for more than a decade without shoes, a toothbrush, flushing toilets, and other “necessities” of modern life. This native Slovene travels the world barefoot, speaking, teaching, and supporting environmental projects. His homebase is a sustainable community project in Slovenia that he co-founded in 2013.
Genevieve Gorder
Genevieve Gorder, an American television personality and interior designer. More recently she hosted Genevieve’s Renovation but became famous on Trading Spaces where she also became known for her habit of working barefoot. She parodied her lack of footwear in a series of Swiffer sweeper commercials.
- Video: Trading Places
- Video: New Trading Places promo (still barefoot)
Crista Cowan – The Barefoot Genealogist
Cowan, a professional genealogist, proudly claims the title of The Barefoot Genealogist. As she writes on her website, “I hate wearing shoes! … So, kick off your shoes and join me as we dive into our family history with our happy feet.”
Michael Murphy – Treehouse Builder
Murphy, a builder of magnificent tree houses with Barefoot Builders and Treehouse Dreamers, discusses his outlook on life, including his reasons for living barefoot.
Murphy offers another example of how an experienced barefooter, with toughened feet, can handle most any terrain, including those at an outdoor construction site.
Video of Michael Murphy on a treehouse construction site
The Barefoot Movement – Bluegrass Band
The Barefoot Movement, an award winning Bluegrass music group. As stated on their website, “The music of the Nashville based group is as down to earth as their intention for members of their audience: sit back, relax, take your shoes off, and stay a while. “
Video of The Barefoot Movement performing “Anywhere I Plant My Feet” (while barefoot, of course)
k.d. lang, singer and performer
k.d. lang, a world renounced performer, not only performs barefoot on stage (as a number of other performers do), but also prefers to live the barefoot life.
Some conjecture that k.d. goes barefoot as part of her advocacy for animal rights. In a Windy City Times interview, the questioner asked, “…You often sing barefoot (in concert). Why is that?” k.d. responded, “Cause it feels good.” In answer to the follow up question, “Are you barefoot most of the time?” k.d., explained, “Yeah… I feel more stable, more natural. It just really feels better and more comfortable.”
John Whipple, Musician
John, a musician, performance artist, songwriter, artist, writer, and vagabond introduces himself on his website: “I am a veteran songwriter who has released at least a dozen records and sold at least a dozen of each. I have traveled through the US and Europe playing my music and making tens and tens of dollars. My music career has afforded me a life of glamour during which I have spent much of the last decade living out of a truck, rambling barefoot and preaching my music to anyone who would listen.”
Michael Franti, Musician
Michael, a singer-songwriter, poet, lead vocalist of his band Michael Franti & Spearhead and advocate for various social justice causes, has gone almost exclusively barefoot since about 2000.
- Video interview with Michael on going barefoot
- Video interview with Michael on walking the way he was meant to walk
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Musician
A world class violinist, Kopatchinskaja routinely performs barefoot, though she prefers to not divulge her reasons.
- Website
- NYTimes article on Kopatchinsaja (2018)
Thomas Jane, actor
Thomas, known for his casual lifestyle, goes barefoot regularly. As he states in the first article below, “I love the sensation of feeling my body connected with my environment whereas with shoes on, your feet are just imprisoned all day.”
- Sterling K. Brown Fears Thomas Jane’s Bare Feet More Than Any Predator – Vulture (July, 2018)
- Thomas Jane still shoeless after all these years – Philippine Daily Inquirer (Feb. 2016)
- Thomas Jane Walks Barefoot Down New York City Street – Just Jared (Aug. 2015)
Jessica Cox, Armless Pilot
Motivational speaker Jessica Cox, born without arms due to a rare birth defect, doesn’t let her situation deter her from anything, including piloting a plane with her feet.
- This article relates her story
- Video of Jessica piloting her plane
- Could you Fly an aircraft with ONLY your feet? (Youtube, July, 2024)
Barefoot Ice Princess
This woman, unnamed, indicates on her Youtube channel that she loves walking barefoot as much as she can, and does so all year round on grass, snow, ice, water, mud. As she explains, “I truly feel so much more free, balanced, relaxed, strong and happy.” Her videos show her walking and hiking barefoot in various terrains and seasons.