How Wearing High Quality Shoes Changed Me

My Personal Story

This may be one of the most lifechanging articles you’ll ever read (and potentially most expensive). For most people, you don’t even know what I’m about to tell you is a thing, but if what happened to me, happens to you, your life is about to be different. Maybe this detail won’t change you radically, but it will likely change you significantly. Let me explain.

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.”
— Mark Twain

In 2020, a great friend of mine, out of the goodness of his heart, traced my foot and made me a high quality pair of bespoke lace up World War 1 officer’s boots, something like my great grandfather would have worn at the factory and then to a wedding the next day. And that’s when I experienced something start to change inside of me. I’ll tell you about the physical changes that took place inside of my feet, knees and hips to take all of my years of pain away, in a minute, but this was a different change.

At first, I couldn’t believe I was now the owner of such a high quality pair of shoes. It was my introduction into a world I didn’t know anything about. So this is what a seasoned design felt like in the form of a shoe. They looked like pure quality and felt tight and substantial in my hands. With a light smile on my face, I put them on my feet and laced them up slowly, to savor the experience. And then I stood to my feet.

“Shoes transform your body language and attitude. They lift you physically and emotionally.”
— Christian Louboutin

At that moment, I almost felt a physical change inside of me. Something clicked. I’m not kidding. It was like something I had only experienced twice before, but that time didn’t have nearly the impact as this time did, or maybe it did, but those shoes started to change my thinking and my body.

The first time was when I was 20, I saved up and bought a pair of tough looking square toed black Engineer boots with a strap across the instep and a ring on the outside ankle. They were the coolest boots I had ever owned and everytime I wore them, I felt so tough. I knew I could defend the honor of any woman against any man and with just one swing of the fist, and lay him out. I felt like a MAN!!! And when I would wear them out for a night of playing pool with the boys, I would walk with a swagger and always played better because I had all of the confidence of a lion. The other time was when I first carried my original briefcase.

“The right shoes can make everything different.”
— Jimmy Choo

Well, almost 30 years later, I had that feeling again, but a little different and more significantly. I didn’t want to kick anyone in the teeth this time, but I started regularly walking with my shoulders back a little more and my chin a tad higher.

But then a cool lifechanging chain reaction started. For the first time in my life, I started getting complimented by complete strangers on my shoes. And that felt good. So, I told my wife, Suzette, “Hey baby, I need you to dress me nicer to fit the higher, classier level of these boots Julian made for me.

“Shoes transform your body language and attitude. They lift you physically and emotionally.”
— Christian Louboutin

It was like she had been waiting for this moment our whole marriage and she jumped right on it. She had always wanted me to dress at a higher level, but I always preferred a more casual look since I grew up in the nature of Portland, Oregon. But it was time to add a classier dimension to my arsenal. In about 3.2 seconds she ordered a new wardrobe of nicer shirts with vests and cooler pants and jeans.

“Shoes are the first thing people subconsciously notice. Wear nice shoes.”

Now, not only was I getting complimented on my shoes, but my friends and employees were taking notice and started complimenting me on my upgraded style and how sharp I was looking. Not to mention how my wife started looking at me like a piece of meat again. That 14 years of marriage had beat that out of her. The research is so interesting about how we dress and present ourselves determines how we are perceived and therefore treated. I’ve always heard it’s true that you dress for success, but until I experienced it, I didn’t really believe it in my heart. So I never took action on it. Listen to me now, it’s a thing.

“A man’s shoes are the first thing a woman notices.”
— Gloria Guinness

Well, all of the attention and compliments added an interesting dimension to my confidence that I believe had been lacking my whole life. I mean, I was never one to lack confidence. I knew Mom and Dad loved me and believed in me.

I’ve always been able to grab a microphone and start talking to a crowd on a second’s notice or comfortably start up a conversion with any president or king I met. I often intentionally drove down into southern Mexico in my old Land Cruiser without maps and just figured it out. That kind of stuff was fun for me because I loved seeing it all end up alright in the end. And look, I met the most beautiful woman in town and kissed her lips and then married her a few months later. Insecurity was never a word used to describe me.

“Quality shoes don’t just support your feet — they support your presence.”

But there was a form of confidence that I lacked that took the form of being easygoing. When people disrespected me or mistreated me, it rolled off me like water off a duck’s back and I just put up with it. In fact, sometimes, I let them walk all over me and take advantage of me and I just I chalked it up to being a man of God and turning the other cheek, but I never liked that about me. Was it a lack of self-respect or something? I’m not sure, but I am sure psychologists reading this right now have just called out loud the official codes for my conditions. But whatever they were, it all changed and went away the more I wore my cool new shoes.

“The difference between walking in and owning the room might just be your shoes.”

It wasn’t magic, it was that my heart changed and that changed everything else. They say an action begets another action. And with enough of the same actions, that begets a habit. And after awhile, a habit begets a character. In the same way, wearing the great looking high quality shoes, made me feel like a million bucks everytime I wore them, which happened to be everyday. That constant feeling and repetitive affirmation of who I really am, changed my mind about things and that eventually changed my heart. And that changed relationships with family and employees and friends. And all of that even changed my work.

The Psychology of Wearing High Quality Shoes

Read these studies to understand that the shoes people wear can significantly influence how others perceive and treat them. Here are some studies that show that:

Shoes as a Window into Personality

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Research in Personality by Omri Gillath talks about how accurately people could judge others' based on just seeing their shoes. A lot of people viewed photographs of shoes and were able to make surprisingly accurate guesses regarding the wearer's age, income and even attachment anxiety, whatever that is. Expensive shoes were associated with high earners, while practical and functional footwear was linked to agreeable personalities. Well maintained shoes often showed conscientiousness and worn out or less cared for shoes were associated with liberal political views. Super interesting.

Psychological Perceptions of Shoe Choices

Further research highlighted in Psychology Today says the same thing, emphasizing that the comfort and attractiveness of shoes can reflect personal characteristics. For example, people who go after comfort may be perceived as more agreeable, while those who wear more fashionable shoes might be seen as more conscientious. 

Shoes in Business

My brother walked up to an interview when in college and the owner of the company was walking out the door and saw his high quality Saddleback Leather briefcase and told him to tell the interviewer that he got the job.

A study published in The Sun talked about how our shoe choices during job interviews can share our personality traits. Behavioral psychologist Jo Hemmings said that flats might indicate a laid back personality, while high heels could highlight confidence and power. The study also says that 93% of people believe first impressions matter, with shoe cleanliness and appropriateness as key factors.

Enclothed Cognition

The theory of Enclothed Cognition is super interesting. That it actually has a name usually means it’s real. The theory suggests that clothing, including shoes, can influence not only how others perceive us but also how we perceive ourselves. Wearing certain types of footwear can affect our confidence levels, behavior, and even thinking abilities, reinforcing the idea that shoes play a crucial role in our daily lives.

And there are many more psychological studies about how significant a role high quality shoes play in social perception and self-identity. Whether consciously or subconsciously, the shoes we choose can communicate volumes about who we are.

How Wearing High Quality Shoes Healed Me

On a huge side note, for almost 20 years, I had had almost daily knee pain and then on and off burning in my arches with major foot pain, achilles tendon pain, shin splints and hip pain now and then in the mornings. After about 4 months of wearing these new shoes, I unexpectedly realized that I hadn’t felt any of that pain for a long time. It had all permanently gone away.

When I asked my friend if he knew why, he told me that his shoe clients often reported that their back pain had gone away too. He said it was because of the wooden orthopedic last that the shoe was formed around to give it it’s specific look and feel. He said the shoes made my foot mimic a natural barefoot step and that had strengthened my arch back up to the way it was supposed to be. He said my feet had been damaged by wearing poorly formed shoes all my life that were too narrow or that pushed big toes toward may smaller toes. You can read what medical science says about all of the pain poorly shaped shoes cause here.

Because of what I experienced in my own life, I had no choice but to go into shoes. I felt so strongly compelled to let the world know that the right pair of shoes will change you physically and mentally, that I stepped right in. Obviously, I want people to buy our shoes, but if not, I’ll be happy just knowing that I created a demand for higher quality shoes by telling my story and that that changed people’s lives. Our shoes aren’t for everybody. They’re expensive because of the super high quality materials and Italian construction, but just make sure you wear a good shoe that won’t cause your body to hurt and that you’ll be proud to wear. Read about what causes the arch to get weak, here

I’m so happy you read my story about how high quality shoes can change lives significantly by changing the heart and getting rid of so much pain that most people have. I am sure my story can change the world and I hope it starts with you