In 2016, Carly Outside (then Endurance Efficacy) was born. The original idea was a broader scope “lifestyle brand,” (popular with Millennials at the time, as you may remember. Now we just call them influencers.)

The business’s primary income was, actually, coaching: in a fairly similar manner to now. But I also spent a lot of time and energy on content, which mainly consisted of me sharing my days of pro racing, and the attendant travel (FUN) and anxiety (less fun.) The “lifestyle brand” part faded away pretty quickly as I realized I’m both bad at and uninterested in social media. But the coaching stuck.

I started this business originally because I needed remote and/or location-flexible income while I was racing professionally. This was pre-covid, and that type of location flexibility was much less common. Though most of my teammates and competitors were supported financially by family (or in some cases, more lucrative sponsors than I had,) I knew I was going to need a different option. It was time to get outside the box.

I was then, and still am, a huge cheerleader for the unconventional, and I think my work reflects that. In 2019, the name changed to Carly Outside The Box: a commitment to the belief that we can do amazing thing, especially if we’re willing to step off the beaten path (and a departure from having a business name that’s impossible to pronounce or comprehend… Efficacy? Yeah, that wasn’t the best branding.) I dropped the more social-media-y aspects, and focused on what I think we can all agree I’m best at: being a physiology and performance nerd. When my own racing career ended that same year, coaching became my full-time work and passion project. I have since had the honor of working with so many athletes whose journeys all have their own flavor of originality.

A decade is a milestone, and this little blip of words hardly does it justice. Maybe in another ten I’ll do something more eloquent to celebrate? But I doubt it. This: a few heartfelt words, seen, realistically, only by my close band of friends and clients, seems more my style.

Thank you for this decade!