Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Rhoads. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I had the hardest time finding shoes that were supportive but also in the styles I actually wanted to wear. As a commercial photographer, I was on my feet 10–12 hours a day and had tried what felt like every shoe out there. None met my need for real orthotic support and the aesthetic I was after. I found myself putting insoles into my open-back slides, clogs, and mules — which of course looked awful. One day, my husband and co-founder, Chris, said, “Let’s try to make a shoe that lets people choose — one that’s supportive, but in styles we actually like.”

That was the spark that became Commbi. We began prototyping, testing materials, and ultimately filed for a patent (which we’ve since received!). We realized early on that we had something truly novel — not just technically, but culturally. There’s an entire generation, especially millennials now becoming parents, who want more support without giving up their sense of style.

What got us most excited was realizing how big the gap was in the lifestyle footwear space. The comfort category was dominated by athletic brands; fashion was dominated by style-first brands. No one was merging real support with real style, especially in open-back silhouettes. We saw an opportunity to do something truly different — to make supportive footwear aspirational, not apologetic.

The logic was simple: people are seeking versatility and wellness in every aspect of their lives, but footwear had fallen behind. Our modular, swappable, style-forward footbed system meant one pair of shoes could feel like many and take you through many seasons — instantly customizable to your needs, but also was supportive and stylish enough on its own that if you never opted to swap the footbeds the shoes themselves could become your favorite easy slip on pair.

Sarah, 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?

Before starting Commbi, my husband and co-founder Chris and I spent 15 years working in the creative space, building our studio We Are The Rhoads. Together, we photographed and directed campaigns for some of the world’s biggest Fortune 100 brands — from Nike and Google to Levi’s — and shot celebrities like Taylor Swift and the cast of Outer Banks. We were always brought in to tell stories that celebrated creativity, connection, and real human emotion. That chapter taught us how to see possibility everywhere, how to bring big ideas to life, and how to build something meaningful from the ground up together.

At our core, we’ve always been storytellers and creatives. And to us, creativity has always been about solving problems — finding new ways to connect form, function, and feeling. Commbi was born from that same spirit of deep curiosity, where function meets aesthetic — but this time, the subject was footwear.

Growing up as a serious ballerina, I struggled with foot issues for years, and later, as a commercial photographer on my feet for long shoot days, I still couldn’t find shoes that both felt good and looked good. So we set out to create what didn’t exist — a line of modular, podiatrist-designed slides and clogs that merge style and comfort through our interchangeable footbed system.

What sets us apart is how we bridge worlds: design and wellness, fashion and function, creativity and engineering. We’re reimagining what supportive footwear can look and feel like. I’m most proud that Commbi helps people move through their lives feeling good — not just physically, but emotionally too.

At the heart of everything we’ve built, from We Are The Rhoads to Commbi, is the belief that good design should make people feel something — inspired, supported, and connected to their own sense of possibility.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A few years ago, Chris and I found ourselves in the middle of a major life pivot — both personally and professionally. We had built a thriving career as photographers and directors through our studio, We Are The Rhoads, working with some of the biggest brands in the world. Then, in what felt like the blink of an eye, we became parents to three sons. No one can quite prepare you for how much growing a family reshapes your perspective — your priorities shift, your sense of time changes, and suddenly the things that once defined success start to look different.

Somewhere in that season, I started feeling a quiet but persistent voice — an idea I couldn’t shake. It made absolutely no logical sense: pivoting from commercial photography to designing a footwear line?! It felt crazy. But that voice only grew louder. It was scary to imagine starting over in something I knew nothing about, but I’ve always been drawn to learning, to finding my edges. I’ve come to believe that as a creative person, anything is possible with enough tenacity, humility, and curiosity to learn. And when something keeps tugging at you, you have to listen — even if it feels a little wild.

That’s how Commbi was born. We took everything we’d learned as creatives — problem-solving, storytelling, crafting narratives for brands — and began crafting our own. What started as a seed of an idea has grown into something I still pinch myself about: I’m wearing the shoes we created, built from the ground up. It’s been humbling, terrifying, and exhilarating all at once. But more than anything, it’s proof that reinvention is possible when you trust that inner voice and have the courage to follow it.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Chris and I actually met long before we became business partners — we met in college when we were just 18. We fell in love and have been creating together ever since. From the very beginning, our relationship has always been rooted in shared curiosity and creativity. We’ve spent most of our adult lives as both partners in life and in work, learning how to build, dream, and problem-solve side by side.

Our first creative venture together was our photography and directing studio, We Are The Rhoads. We started from scratch — no fancy art school, just the school of hard knocks. Two kids who wanted to learn and become truly skilled at their craft. Chris was a working musician when we first met, and in our early years of marriage, I started a wedding photography business that began to take off. All the while, we were building our portfolio behind the scenes, chasing the kind of work that inspired us. In those early days, it was just the two of us and a camera — but over time, we built a studio that worked with major global brands. That experience taught us everything about collaboration: how to trust each other’s instincts, when to push, when to listen, how to surround ourselves with people smarter than us, and how to build something bigger than either of us could alone.

When the idea for Commbi came along, it felt like a natural extension of everything we’d already been doing together — just in a new form. Chris is the “head” in our partnership, more analytical and technical, while I’m the “heart,” driven by design, intuition, and vision. Together, we make a balanced team. We often joke that we’ve been collaborating for nearly two decades now — just with different mediums along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: commbi.co, wearetherhoads.com
• Instagram: @commbi_official / @wearetherhoads
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Commbi-61557981940659/
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/sarah-rhoads-rma0630

Image Credits

Image credits @WeAreTheRhoads