Hi! I’m Anya! I am a barefoot shoe wearer who loves personal style.
I first discovered barefoot shoes after a long bout of foot issues. They were a lifeline thrown to me when everything else I tried was a dead end. Thanks to this new way of thinking I could finally see a clear path toward pain free movement. You can read more about my journey to healthy feet here.
But I lamented my amazing shoe wardrobe and felt like I would never be chic again. Healthy shoes are ugly, right? I’ve always been a shoe person (and always had foot problems), so it was a pretty mixed bag of emotions.
But it wasn’t long before I realized that with some extra research – and a whole new set of standards – I could curate shoes that made me feel amazing and didn’t require any compromises.
When I realized a lot of you were out looking for the same answers, I decided to use my hours of research to create something that didn’t exist yet. This blog is my effort to show you you’re not alone in your foot & shoe struggles – and that there is a practical way forward.
If you’re like me and want to find comfortable shoes that work with your life and body, you’re in the right place! Simply head to my homepage to begin your journey.
And don’t forget to subscribe to The Barefoot Shoe Digest for weekly emails that answer the questions you are asking. I’m so happy you’re here!
If you have additional questions please feel free to email me at info@anyasreviews.com
81 thoughts on “About Me”
Good morning Anya,
I often look at your store, your site, and insta. Thank you, you are a great help.
I hope this message will be understandable, because I translated it from French to English using Google.
I’m looking for hiking sandals, I have a thin instep, a thin heel. I have feet that are 26 cm long and 9.5 cm wide. So quite fine. I need a slightly thick sole of 15 mm, for comfort. I looked at the shammas you are talking about, it seems too wide for me as now their sandals are unisex. Do you have any ideas for me please?
Thanks in advance.
Elisa
Hi! In the EU you have some good options. Monk sandals would be a good one to look at that has a sole at that thickness. Otherwise I would consider Bedrock Sandals – US brand but they fit your needs quite well.
Hello, I am trying to find a dressy barefoot shoe that is grey or navy blue. I had my color Season Analysis done and those are the neutral colors that were recommended to me. I’ve looked at the Crupon Trevi in Grigio but I can’t tell if it looks more grey or brown in person? Do you have any other dressy shoe recommendations in grey or navy blue for me? Please and thank you so much!
Hi there, Grigio can pull both directions depending on what you pair it with. But it definitely has some warmer undertones to it. If you want true grey or navy you could look at FeelBarefoot on Etsy – you can have ballet flats made in just about any color there.
Can some of the barefoot shoes have to soft of a sole as your feet transition?
Do you mean too flexible? It really depends on the person – some people will do fine in thin flexible shoes right away. Other people will feel like it’s too much and need to take a slower transition. I myself had a slower transition.
Hello Anya!
Thank you for all your work, thanks to you my feet are feeling so much better and with style, which is just amazing.
I was wondering if you would have any idea where to find steel toe cap barefoot, or at least with a wide toe box, boots ? I know that sounds counter-intuitive but I am an equestrian spending a lot of time in riding boots and they are often quite uncomfortable for the feet and squishing the toes. I really need a protection for my toes because I sometimes get stepped on, which of course is not so agreeable without safety boots … I don’t need a classical riding boot, ‘just’ something that I can be comfortable in, will protect my feet and will resist to mud, rain and rough terrain.
Thanks a lot for your help!
Alice
Hi Alice! You can find our top picks for steel toe works boots right here. We just did a huge update on this post so it has all the latest options.
Hello Anya
I was wondering if you know anything about barefoot shoe stores and factories in Portugal?
I read that a lot of the European brands produce there. While I was on holidays in Portugal we spent a whole day tracking down several shoe factories (a lot of them are located quite close to each other in the northern part of the country) and even found like 5 factory outlets/stores, but sadly none of them were barefoot (or at least remotely wide toe box…).
It’s weird to me that the companies (for example Wildling and Groundies) proudly write about producing in Portugal, but wouldn’t say where exactly and also don’t sell there at all. My friend speaks Portuguese and spent several hours browsing the internet trying to find some information and even calling some factories, but sadly we had no success.
Love your website and all the information you put out there about barefoot shoes! Thank you so much for your work
Greetings, Frédérique
I do know the factories in northern Portugal and have visited them – but they don’t operate as a store front. They are just where the shoes are manufactured, and the personnel there are factory workers not brand representatives. So most have no way of interfacing with local customers. There are two Portuguese brands that may have a recommendation for where you could look at shoes locally – Koel and Mukishoes.
Thank you. They look great, but on both websites I could only find links and information to online shops, or physical shops only for kids’ shoes… Next time we’re in Portugal we will contact them and I hope that they can point us to a store. In case we do find one I will write you to add it to your list 🙂
Thanks again, Frédérique
Correct, they don’t have their own physical stores. But they might have some recommendations for local stores that carry their shoes.
Hi Anya, I really appreciate your website and sharing your personal information. I was told I would always need orthotics and I was recommended for surgery of my pinky toe. After a year of physio, chiropractor, acupuncture and reformer Pilates my feet are way better and I have avoided surgery. I was in orthotics for several years and have recently transitioned to altra’s and correct toes. I became upset a few weeks ago when I looked at my feet as they are much wider now, but way more functional. I just came across your website a few weeks ago and you made me feel so much better. I realized that having spaced toes is a good thing.
I’m looking for farm boots that are wider that 9.4cm across at the toe box, with a bit of support. My feet aren’t quite strong enough to go to barefoot shoes, but I’m working towards it. Do you have any suggestions for footwear?
I really appreciate your site as you normalize wide feet and I’m no longer embarrassed to show my bare feet at Pilates classes.
Hi Michele, it’s amazing to hear you have been able to rehab your feet and avoid surgery! We do have suggestions for work/farm boots here.
Hi Anya, wow, good job, great resource. I found Tevas looong ago and being in Florida USA I can wear them a lot. In the past I always just searched for wide shoes and was OK with what was available. Usually OK in work boot styles, less so in athletic shoes.
It seems in the last 20 years or so with Asian factories and global distribution wide shoes have become less common in generally available brands but was still workable.
5 years ago I went thru successful cancer treatment and my foot problems that had always been a minor annoyment became an OMG I can’t stand it problem! I discovered toe socks and Altras and that has helped alot. Going barefoot and doing foot exercises. With the Altras I have to go a half size up. I don’t like everything about the Altras and I was looking to expand my choices and found your site. What a great resource and so well written with a friendly vibe. Thank you and keep up the good work it is appreciated. Mo
question-not a comment-I am looking for shoes with some cushioning-I wear altras topos and sometimes skechers would like some of the sneakers that are better than Vans-I also have a very high instep and arch-any thoughts
Hello, you can find some cushioned options here!