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Mama, I made it (to state)
Week Dec 6th 2024
Kyle Cole
December 06, 2024
hi,
This week, my brain feels wonky—silly, pseudophilosophical, and nostalgic. I’ve been reflecting on the impact others have had on me and, in turn, the impact I may have had on others.
The motivation for this reflection came from two places.
The first was a comment on one of Trey’s Instagram posts, left by his agent:
Trees don’t eat the fruit they bear.
An apple tree doesn’t eat apples.
A pear tree doesn’t eat pears.
Trees drink water and provide food to those around them.
The second source was a message from my college track coach:
“Hey Kyle! I’m using Instagram to post stories about student-athletes from the NU track and cross-country program over the years. We’re doing a fundraising campaign, and I’d like to feature you in a future post to show potential donors the kind of people they’d be investing in.”
Being considered for this felt good, but what really struck me was seeing the posts of other athletes—teammates I ran with, those who came before me, and those who came after. It reminded me of the quiet legacies we leave behind without even realizing it.
A Quick Detour Through My Running Journey
Before I dive into The Hero’s Journal, I’d like to share a bit about my running career—context for where my reflections are coming from.
In cross-country, you can qualify for the State (high school) or National (college) championship meet either as an individual or as a team.
In high school, a few guys had historically qualified individually from my school, but no boys’ team had ever made it to State. While I wanted to qualify individually, my bigger dream was to help lead the first team to get there. It wasn’t just about my own effort—it was about rallying the team toward a shared goal.
We didn’t make it. I had my own successes, but the team dream didn’t happen.
Fast-forward to college and my coach, Mark Mandi, at Northwest University. He had a similar dream: no men’s team at NU had ever qualified for Nationals. His pitch to me was simple:
“I have a guy here who’s really good. If you come, I think we can build a team around you two that could make Nationals.”
The idea of building something bigger than myself was exciting. Fast-forward to my fifth year—ironically one of my worst years of running—and we qualified for Nationals. Seeing the effort pay off was fulfilling, but the deeper rewards came later.
The Legacy of Teamwork
Three years ago, my high school coach invited me to speak at a team dinner. I expected a small gathering—maybe 40 or 50 people. Instead, I arrived to a packed house (not an actual house) of about 180 people, all fired up about running and their team.
That year, the boys’ team qualified for State—the first in school history. Since then, they’ve qualified multiple times and even won State twice. At Northwest, the men’s team has now qualified for Nationals three times since I left.
Reflections
I don’t share this to take credit for these successes—they aren’t my fruit to eat. But I’ve come to realize that the work we do often helps prepare the soil for others to plant seeds and bear fruit.
The greatest joy comes from seeing what people build on the foundation we started—watching a legacy of teamwork and dedication grow in ways I could never have imagined.
The Hero’s Journal
In the world of entrepreneurship, it’s easy to see the “fruit” of your work—but not all of it is good fruit. If you’re looking closely, though, you’ll see plenty of moments worth celebrating.
One of Nick’s best traits as a co-founder is how much he loves reading customer reviews. For him, it’s almost a leisure activity. Fortunately, The Hero’s Journal isn’t a product that only gets comments like “cool color” or “neat idea.”
We sell tools. Tools that, when someone dives into them, can lead to real, life-changing progress. The best part? The success is not ours—it belongs to the heroes who use it. We get to witness their victories, celebrate their milestones, and know that we played a small part in their journey.
Here are some of my favorite reviews we’ve received in the last few weeks:
I’ve been using these journals for the last few years. They consistently help bring a story and sense of progression and adventure into my daily life that helps keep me on track and gives me plenty to share with others. I’ve recommended it frequently to people I meet at work who ask me about it! Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I’m branching out now into the habit bookmarks to have one for morning, day, and evening so I have a clean checklist to build. That’s my newest use, and it’s been great so far!
Best investment I made was for my own mental health and create my story on my terms. This Galaxy of Istoria journal has been the best tool in my belt to work on it. Coolest way to describe it, IMO, is you're creating your own comic book. Color the pages how you want, write what you want. Tell your story the way you envision it going. I can't describe how often I go back to previous excerpts to read and reflect on my own progress. Highly recommend using this awesome journal, especially as a sci-fi fan.
I can sum up the Hero’s Journal in one phrase: pure joy! Every time I open my journal I smile! I feel excited to use it everyday. You know what though? Life gets busy and hard and I have days where I don’t open it. But guess what?! No guilt! No daunting white pages or intimidating to do lists to fill out, no blank pages with dates staring you down…Just fun! This journal changes how I view self care. Some days I write a lot. Other days I just color. Your journey is yours! I dare you to do!
Atypical
So, the cat’s out of the bag—Trey started a newsletter way before me. Over the past nine months, he’s experimented with the format and found something that excites him: sharing weekly screenshots of messages he receives from people in the community. These messages talk about how the Atypical mindset has helped them grow as individuals and basketball players.
Nothing more to add there—just more fruit.
Coffee Time
This week’s coffee journey has been sensational, thanks to the Onyx Coffee Advent Calendar. Waking up to a new coffee every day, each with unique origins and processing methods has been one of the most fun coffee experiences I’ve had in a long time.
My favorite so far? Day 2: Mexico Jose Arguello Natural. So bright, so tasty. If you’re into coffee, this is something you should definitely try in the future.
In Summary
The fruit you bear may not be yours to taste, but it doesn’t mean it lacks impact. If you’re here for hard-hitting business advice and not my glory days, well, not every week’s a home run.
Fun fact: coffee beans grow in fruit. Kind of full circle, don’t you think?
On that note,
Kyle