Foot and gait specialist Dr. Courtney Conley spent roughly 90 minutes on The Diary of a CEO explaining why she thinks feet are the most overlooked part of healthy aging. Below is a summary of her argument in our own words — what she said, what backs it up, and where it stops applying to you specifically. Dr. Conley has no connection to Oobend and does not endorse this or any specific shoe brand.
Who is Dr. Courtney Conley, and what is this article based on?
Dr. Courtney Conley is a chiropractor who specializes in foot and gait mechanics — the mechanics of how a person walks. She's the founder of Gait Happens and Total Health Solutions, and in late 2025 she appeared on The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett for an episode titled "The Foot Expert: Your Toes Can Predict If You'll Die Early! This Will Fix Plantar Fasciitis!" You can watch the full episode on YouTube.
This article is Oobend's own summary and commentary on that conversation — not a transcript, and not an endorsement arrangement. We've paraphrased her ideas in our own words, attributed her opinions to her by name, and where we could independently verify a statistic against real published research, we've linked to it directly. Where we couldn't verify a number, we left it out rather than guess.
Why does foot health matter more once you're past 60?
Dr. Conley's core argument on the podcast is that feet are the foundation of a chain of movement that runs all the way up the body. When the muscles inside the foot are weak, or a shoe restricts how the foot naturally moves and senses the ground, the ankle, knee, hip, and lower back can end up compensating — and compensation over years is where a lot of chronic pain in older adults quietly comes from. She frames foot strength and gait as something that gets less attention than cardiovascular health or bone density, despite affecting balance and fall risk just as directly.
Dr. Conley said on the podcast that foot strength can decline substantially by the time someone reaches their fifties, and that falls remain common enough among older adults to be treated as a serious health issue, not a random accident. Those are her framing and her numbers, presented as her professional view rather than something we independently measured — we're citing them as her opinion, not as facts we've verified ourselves.
What does she say is wrong with most modern shoes?
According to Dr. Conley, three shoe design choices work against the foot's natural function: a toe box narrow enough to compress the toes together, a stiff sole that doesn't bend with the foot, and a built-up, heavily cushioned midsole that blunts the sensory feedback your foot normally gets from the ground. Her point isn't that cushioning is inherently bad — it's that a foot that never has to work, and never gets to feel the surface it's walking on, gradually loses strength and the balance reflexes that come from that feedback.
She described this as a trade-off most people never think about: shoes are usually chosen for how they look or feel in the store for five minutes, not for what years of wearing them do to the muscles and nerves in the foot.
Does walking more each day actually make a measurable difference?
This is one part of the conversation with real, checkable research behind it. A 2019 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine followed 16,741 women with an average age of 72 and tracked their daily step counts against mortality over about 4.3 years. Women averaging around 4,400 steps a day had meaningfully lower mortality than women averaging around 2,700 steps a day, and mortality risk kept dropping as step counts rose further, leveling off at around 7,500 steps a day (Lee et al., JAMA Intern Med, 2019). That's a real, specific, verifiable finding — and it lines up with Dr. Conley's broader point that walking, done consistently, is one of the more powerful and accessible tools older adults have for long-term health, not just a form of exercise.
Can a minimalist or thin-soled shoe actually strengthen your feet?
There's real evidence pointing this direction, though it comes with an important caveat. A controlled study found that adults who walked in minimalist shoes for eight weeks increased the size and strength of the small muscles inside the foot by an amount comparable to a dedicated foot-strengthening exercise program (Ridge et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2019). That supports the general idea Dr. Conley raises — that a shoe which lets the foot move and bear load naturally can double as a low-effort strengthening tool, rather than a passive accessory.
The caveat: the people in that study were healthy adult recreational runners, not older adults or people with existing foot conditions, diabetes, or neuropathy. It's evidence that thin, flexible footwear can support foot strength in a general population — not a guarantee of the same result for every reader, and not a substitute for a targeted exercise program if you already have a diagnosed foot problem. For specific exercises rather than just a footwear change, see our foot-strengthening guide for seniors.
What foot problems come up most often as people get older?
A few conditions come up repeatedly in conversations about aging feet, and Dr. Conley touched on how footwear and foot strength relate to several of them:
- Plantar fasciitis — heel and arch pain, often worst first thing in the morning, commonly linked to weak or under-conditioned muscles in the sole of the foot.
- Bunions and hammer toes — visible changes in toe alignment that podiatrists commonly associate with narrow, pointed, or poorly fitted footwear over years of wear, along with how weight is distributed across the foot.
- Morton's neuroma — nerve irritation between the toes, often associated with a narrow toe box compressing the forefoot.
These are widely recognized patterns in podiatry and physical therapy, not statistics we're attaching a specific percentage to here — we'd rather describe the pattern accurately than cite a number we can't verify.
What should you actually look for in a shoe?
Based on what Dr. Conley described on the podcast, here's a simple checklist:
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Wide toe box | Lets toes spread naturally instead of being compressed together |
| Thin, flexible sole | Preserves ground feedback and lets the foot's muscles do their job |
| Little to no heel elevation | Keeps the foot and ankle in a more neutral, naturally aligned position |
| Easy, secure closure | Matters more with age — bending to tie laces isn't always practical or safe |
Where does the Oobend KyotoStep fit into this?
The Oobend KyotoStep is a slip-on shoe with a Japan-knit stretch upper, a wide toe box, and a thin, flexible flat sole with no laces, and it's machine washable. Those are simply the shoe's design specifications, not a claim that wearing it treats, prevents, improves, strengthens, or extends anything — we're not making that claim, and Dr. Conley has never reviewed, endorsed, or been consulted about this product. If the general shoe features she describes on the podcast sound right for you, you can see the KyotoStep's specs on the product page and decide for yourself whether they fit your feet and your life.
Who is this article not for, and when should you see a podiatrist instead?
Nothing here is a substitute for an in-person exam, and a shoe change is not the right first step for everyone. Talk to a podiatrist before changing your footwear if any of the following apply to you:
- You have an open foot wound, ulcer, or a history of ulcers
- You have diabetes with any loss of sensation in your feet — see our guide to shoes for neuropathy for more on this specifically
- You've had recent foot or ankle surgery
- You have a diagnosed structural deformity that requires a custom, rigid orthotic
- You've had a fall recently, or you have ongoing balance problems
- You have foot or heel pain that has lasted more than two weeks without improvement
In any of these situations, a podiatrist can examine your specific feet and tell you whether a change in footwear is appropriate at all, and if so, what to look for — that's a more reliable answer than anything a general article, including this one, can give you.
Frequently asked questions
Does Dr. Courtney Conley endorse Oobend shoes?
No. Dr. Conley has no connection to Oobend, has not reviewed our products, and this article is our own summary of ideas she discussed publicly on a podcast, not a paid partnership or endorsement.
What are the three shoe features Dr. Conley says matter most?
Based on her Diary of a CEO interview: a wide toe box that lets toes spread, a thin and flexible sole that preserves ground feedback, and minimal heel elevation so the foot sits in a more natural position.
Can just changing my shoes fix foot pain?
Not on its own, in most cases. A better-designed shoe may reduce some of the stress on your feet, but persistent pain, swelling, or a change in foot shape is a reason to see a podiatrist rather than expect a shoe change to resolve it.
Is there real evidence that walking more is linked to living longer?
Yes — a 2019 study of over 16,000 older women found that those who averaged more daily steps had meaningfully lower mortality over the following years, with benefits leveling off around 7,500 steps a day (Lee et al., JAMA Intern Med, 2019).
Who should talk to a doctor before switching to a thin-soled, minimalist-style shoe?
Anyone with diabetes and reduced sensation, an active foot ulcer or history of ulcers, a recent foot surgery, or a diagnosed condition requiring a custom orthotic should check with a podiatrist first — see our neuropathy shoe guide for more detail on that specific situation.
Sources
- Dr. Courtney Conley, "The Foot Expert: Your Toes Can Predict If You'll Die Early! This Will Fix Plantar Fasciitis!" The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMzEnLkS2rQ
- Lee IM, Shiroma EJ, Kamada M, Bassett DR Jr, Matthews CE, Buring JE. "Association of Step Volume and Intensity With All-Cause Mortality in Older Women." JAMA Internal Medicine, 2019;179(8):1105–1112. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31141585/
- Ridge ST, Olsen MT, Bruening DA, Jurgensmeier K, Griffin D, Davis IS, Johnson AW. "Walking in Minimalist Shoes Is Effective for Strengthening Foot Muscles." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2019;51(1):104–113. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30113521/
Last updated: 2026-09-05
