Like millions of CrossFit athletes, Thais Camilo thought of the indoor rower as just one stop in a workout: hammer through a fast 500 meters, then move on to the next movement.

Everything changed when her husband, Gabriel, became interested in structured indoor rowing training. Together, the two software engineers built what would become ErgZone – a feature-rich app that replaces tedious monitor programming with Bluetooth syncing, delivers real-time performance data, automatically verifies Concept2 Logbook workouts, and connects athletes through a thriving online community.

On this episode, Thais shares the organic growth story behind ErgZone, reflects on the challenges and opportunities of being a female entrepreneur at the intersection of sport and technology, and explains why she's taking a thoughtful, cautious approach to AI as the next generation of fitness tools takes shape.

GUEST:

This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Supporters.

QUICK LOOK:

00:00 - Introduction

01:06 - Welcome

01:55 - The Huddle

04:15 - Hot Seat Q&A

11:50- Thais's introduction to indoor rowing in the mid-00s and how coming to understand the data on the monitor gave her a purpose

13:39 - The organic development and growth of the ErgZone app

22:39 - Thoughts on the growth of indoor rowing since 2020

25:28 - Inclusion, accessibility

29:59 - Partnerships, being a woman in the tech space, and being female entrepreneurs

35:53 - Taking a cautious approach to AI

39:50 - Steady State Network news and notes

.

To see photos of Thais and Gabriel,  and to get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.

.

Steady State Podcast is a production of Steady State Network. It is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.

.

SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop

SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter

MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support 

CONNECT: 

FB - /SteadyStateNetwork

FB - /AllieswithOars

Connect on FB and IG with the hosts: