Success, Pace, and the Season You're In

Hey Team!

It's Tuesday, and I'm glad to find you here. I feel like it's been a while since I expressed my gratitude for all of you. I know so many of you read this newsletter, and I receive numerous replies every week, and that means so much. It's not lost on me at all that you're taking time out of your day to read this. You're most definitely my fuel to keep writing.

On another note, I am not overly grateful for my hips at the moment. I’ve been dealing with major hip pain and limited range of motion. Nothing I won’t overcome, but it’s been lingering for weeks. My monthly visits to Myo for physical therapy and dry needling have helped immensely, but I’m clearly a work in progress right now. Maybe there’s a lesson in slowing down a little. Maybe there’s something in this season I’m meant to pay attention to. Moving pain-free is always the goal... we’ll get there with the right help.

This Week’s Shift

I’ve been thinking a lot about success lately. What it actually looks like. What I’m working toward... and why. A friend of mine, a seasoned entrepreneur, reached out a couple days ago and suggested I speak with someone he knows. His framing was, “you’ve both had successes, you’ve both had failures.” I found that interesting. On the surface, shared adversity or shared wins feel like natural bridges between people. But do they actually tell you anything meaningful about how someone grows?

I’ve always believed we learn more from failure than success, but only if we’re willing to sit with it long enough to understand what the failure is trying to teach us. Not everyone takes that space. Not everyone applies the discipline to turn a hard lesson into better behavior or better decision-making. So yes, two people can share “failure” as a common ground, but the quality of that connection depends entirely on whether either of them actually transformed because of it.

Success has its own layers too. This past week, a close friend sold her company for a life-changing amount. I was lucky enough to witness it in real-time... literally minutes after the deal closed. When we spoke, she kept describing it as anti-climactic. Two decades of pushing toward this one moment... and then it happens, and she felt almost nothing. We joked that it may just take time to sink in, but her reaction stuck with me. It’s wild how reaching the summit rarely feels like you think it will.

All of this has been a reminder of where I’m sitting right now. I’ve been grinding hard behind the scenes, building something that finally feels aligned. These past few years have been a slug, but for the first time in my entrepreneurial journey it feels like I’m putting my energy toward something I deeply care about. Big success or failure... it’s going to come down to execution. But regardless of the outcome, I’m choosing to focus on the journey, not the destination. That feels like real success to me.

Tested This Week

Yesterday I posted an IG reel on the Adidas Adizero EVO SL as my favorite travel shoe. In that same video, I mentioned something that genuinely surprised me: my KANE recovery shoe.

You’d think the foam clog category had already reached peak saturation. Crocs had their wave. Native Shoes had theirs. I didn’t think the world needed another version of that silhouette. Then KANE Footwear entered the picture. The team gifted me a pair at the New York City Marathon, and since then I don’t think there’s been a single day I haven’t worn them.

They’re genuinely comfortable, incredibly lightweight, and the wide toe box is a game-changer. Add in the fact that KANE is a Certified B Corp and donates 1% of gross sales to 1% for the Planet... hard not to be a fan. Consider me converted.

Quick Reminders Before You Start:

This recent Rich Roll conversation with Jillian Turecki on dating, emotional patterns, and choosing the right partner was incredibly insightful.

And my friend Michael Chernow just launched the Kreatures of Habit Daily Bar, 20g protein + 3g creatine . All-natural. I’ve heard amazing things and can’t wait to dig into them.

Progress doesn’t always look fast... sometimes it looks like patience, small steps, and choosing alignment over urgency. Wherever you are this week, trust the pace you’re meant to move at.

Catch you on the Start Line,
—Matty