This Mother’s Day, while most of us are planning brunches or picking out cards, Lindsay Housman is busy redesigning the future of women’s athletic footwear with Hettas—and she’s doing it from the ground up, literally.
Housman is the founder of Hettas, a proudly Canadian-owned running shoe brand created specifically for women. Not just “shrink it and pink it” versions of men’s sneakers, but high-performance athletic shoes designed for the unique biomechanics of women’s feet. It’s a bold idea in an industry dominated by global giants and one-size-fits-most thinking—and it was born from a very personal frustration.
“I was in my late 40s and dealing with constant foot pain,” Housman says. “I’ve always been active—tennis, hiking, running—but the shoes I was wearing just weren’t working for me anymore. I started digging and realized something surprising: most running shoes are still built on male foot lasts, even the ones marketed to women.”
That realization was a turning point—not just as a consumer, but as a mother.
“I have twin girls, and I kept thinking: why are we still being told that we have to adapt to gear that was never made for us? Why do my daughters have to inherit this idea that pain is just part of the process if you’re a woman in sport?”
So Housman did what few people in her position would do: she started a shoe company. With a background in finance, tech, and product development, she was no stranger to solving complex problems. But breaking into the athletic footwear industry as a woman—without a background in fashion or athletics—was a major leap.
She called the brand Hettas, a nod to heat, strength, and fierce feminine energy. From day one, it was grounded in a simple mission: to make gear that actually fits women’s bodies, supports their movement, and reflects their experiences. She partnered with researchers at Simon Fraser University to study female biomechanics and performance science. They looked at how women’s hips, arches, and gait differ—and how the current shoe industry largely ignores those differences.
Armed with data and driven by purpose, she developed Hettas’ first line of footwear: performance-focused runners with wider toe boxes, lower heel-to-toe drops, softer uppers, and responsive midsoles that deliver energy return without sacrificing stability. They were lab-tested, wear-tested, and designed not just to perform—but to empower.
Still, getting the company off the ground wasn’t easy. “It’s one thing to have the science,” Housman says. “But try explaining to a room of male investors why a woman-specific shoe is a game-changer when none of them have experienced what that even means.”
Instead of trying to conform to the traditional startup playbook, Lindsey leaned into the grassroots. She put shoes directly into the hands (and on the feet) of real women. She built community crews in five cities across North America, turning local run clubs into ambassadors. The result? A growing movement of women who aren’t just buying into a product—they’re buying into a mission.
“We didn’t have a million-dollar marketing budget,” she says. “What we had was authenticity. Real women trying on our shoes and saying, ‘Oh wow, this actually feels like it was made for me.’ That’s where the momentum started.”
And it’s not just about product—Hettas is committed to building an ecosystem of inclusion and empowerment. The brand partners with organizations like Girls on the Run, supports the growing women’s decathlon movement, and opens its R&D studies to a broad spectrum of women, ensuring representation across age, size, and ability.
“Our brand ethos is all about strength and solution-focused thinking,” Housman says. “There’s a lot of anger in the world right now, especially around women’s experiences being dismissed or overlooked. At Hettas, we want to acknowledge that, but we’re choosing to channel it into action.”
That energy—forward-moving, unapologetically female—is what sets the brand apart. It’s also what fuels Lindsey personally.
As a mother of twins, work-life balance isn’t a vague idea—it’s a daily challenge. “My kids are 10 now, so they’re very aware of what I do. They’re part of the process, in a way. They try on prototypes. They hear me pitch. They ask smart questions. And I love that they’re growing up seeing their mom build something from nothing.”
Housman doesn’t shy away from the emotional side of entrepreneurship either. “There are days when it’s tough. Days when you miss a school event because of a meeting or a factory call. But there are also days when your daughter tells you she wants to be a CEO someday because she sees you doing it. That’s the trade-off, and for me, it’s worth it.”
This Mother’s Day, Housman won’t be putting her feet up. She’ll likely be testing out another sample, reviewing production runs, or planning the next Hettas community event. But her daughters will be right there cheering her on—and maybe slipping on their own mini pair of runners someday soon.
Because for Lindsey Housman, this isn’t just a business. It’s a legacy. A statement. A stand.
“We’ve spent decades telling women to just make do,” she says. “To squeeze into gear that wasn’t made for us. To push through pain. To keep up, no matter what. I’m done with that. We deserve better—and I’m building it.”
So while others may celebrate Mother’s Day with brunch or flowers, Housman is celebrating by running full speed toward a more equitable future—one stride, one shoe, and one strong woman at a time.
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