We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kelsey Myers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kelsey below.

Kelsey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

The idea behind Tortis is to bring people together. At its core, it reflects the belief that we’re stronger and more beautiful when we’re connected. I wanted the concept of “braided” to be part of the name without being too literal. Initially, I called the brand flätad—the Swedish word for “braided.” I loved how it looked in print and appreciated its nod to my mom’s Swedish heritage. Most of my friends hated it though. It was difficult to pronounce, required repeated explanations, and sounded less appealing with my American accent. One friend thought it sounded like “flatulence”.

Eventually, I landed on Tortis, the Latin word for “braided.” People often associate it with The Tortoise and the Hare, and I actually love that interpretation too! I want to promote a healthy relationship with sport—one that values slow, steady growth over a quick burn. It’s about keeping the ego in check during training and valuing persistence as the key to lasting progress.

Kelsey, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I raced my first Ironman triathlon in 2014, it was a life-changing experience. Just a few years earlier, I couldn’t even run a mile without stopping to walk. Crossing the finish line after a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run completely changed how I saw myself and what I believed I could achieve. Training for six months and putting in the work to make it happen taught me how to dream big and actually follow through. I’ve seen how the sport has that affect on people–it’s cool to be a part of it. On top of that, the endurance sports world is amazing—the sense of community and the incredible people you meet on the journey to the start line make it so unique.

But as transformative as that experience was, it was impossible not to notice that Ironman wasn’t designed with women in mind. At the time, only one woman raced for every eleven men, and standing at the start line surrounded by men made that stat feel optimistic. At registration, I was handed a bag with men’s deodorant and coupons for men’s products—a subtle but clear reminder of the imbalance. Even the name Ironman felt inherently exclusive. Over time, I started thinking about ways that I could contribute to making endurance sports feel more inclusive to women.

The idea for Tortis really started in 2019 when a friend signed up for her first sprint triathlon and immediately started looking for stylish race-day kits. It hit me how rare that focus was in triathlon, where performance and functionality often overshadow style. I realized achieving true equality in endurance sports would require creating spaces that prioritize women from the beginning.

That’s what Tortis is all about—a curated collection of brands designed specifically for the female body. I personally test every brand we carry to ensure each piece is thoughtfully chosen to make shopping for swim, cycling, and running gear effortless and confidence-inspiring for women.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I started my career in marketing working at Nike’s World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. It had been a pie-in-the-sky dream to be able to work there and while I’m still very grateful for the opportunity, after 5 years of working for the brand, I knew I wasn’t cut out for the corporate world. I planned to move back to LA, where I went to college, and I realized that I didn’t need to rush into my next role if I could figure out a way to make it work financially.

This was back in 2015, when Uber was new and novel, and I had a friend tell me about her Uber driver who was working in Nashville but originally from Portland. This led me to the realization that you could travel around the country and pay for it by driving for Uber as you go. It felt a little crazy coming from the corporate world, but I also felt like ‘why not?’ I felt lit up by the idea so the same night, I mapped out in a spreadsheet how much I would need to break even each day- $60.

I ended up taking the trip, after 6 months of putting together a plan, testing out Uber, and renovating a pop-up trailer to live in along the way. Once I started, I realized that having strangers jump in my car to talk about life for 20 minutes or so, only to never see them again was the best part. I met so many interesting people along the way, started a blog, and learned loads more about myself than I could have in a corporate setting. After a year of what I often referred to as a ‘preventative midlife crisis’, I settled in LA and got a job working for a yoga start-up.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best clients for my marketing consultancy come through word of mouth referrals. I’ve built a client list of brands that are often in the spaces that I am personally interested in, like health and wellness or e-commerce.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tortissportswear.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelseymyers4
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsey-myers-tortis/

Image Credits

@scottflathouse and @johnnytalay