Granola Bars, Deadlines, and Doomscrolls

Summer break, startup chaos, and surviving social disconnection

Happy birthday, America!
It’s summer break. I feel like Wendy Torrance hiding in the bathroom while my kids feverishly beat down the door to ask me where the granola bars are. They ate them all. Costco-sized. In under 48 hours.

I see you, fellow working parents. This shit is TOUGH, and corporate doesn’t care.

Also, for those of you who are interested in my constant chatter about paddling, my last race of the season wrapped. We got 2nd! Now I’m just figuring out how to continue paddling while also getting some family time back.

Teamwork Isn’t Just Matching Outfits

I’ve been on “A-player” teams that couldn’t organize a making a balogne sandwich. I've also seen quiet, introverted teams where nothing got done because no one took the lead. A real team isn’t a list of "power players". It’s a mix of personalities that mesh, challenge each other, and fill in the gaps.

It’s like that quote from The Boys in the Boat (more on this later): it’s not about getting the strongest rowers, it’s about finding the ones that row best together.

Lifestyle Creep Is a Sneaky Bitch

People keep asking how I managed to take time off before going all-in on my own business. Honestly? We continuously try to curb lifestyle creep. I ditched the pricey car for something fun-but-functional (still a car nerd, let’s not get crazy), stopped eating out as much, and try to trim out things we do for convenience but didn’t really need.

It’s easy to let your spending scale with your income, and grow our income with stress that causes us to spend more (eating out, retail therapy, etc.), but what’s the point of earning more if you're just tightening those golden handcuffs?

The Quiet Impact of Small Morale Boosts

Ever send a “great job!” message to your team and get no response? Doesn’t mean it didn’t matter. I’ve dropped kudos into the void more times than I can count, without any response, only to have someone mention it weeks later as something that kept them going.

Say good morning, acknowledge the good work, and keep showing up. After all, leadership isn't actually about you; it's about your team.

Challenge Zones Are Made of Jelly, Not Stone

People need to be stretched, not snapped. The goal is to push folks into that sweet-spot zone where they’re growing, not flailing, struggling, and burning out. You can’t just throw someone into the deep end and say, “good luck.” Support matters. If you’re going to challenge someone, stay close enough to help them figure it out (but not close enough to do it for them).

Social Media Isn’t a BBQ Invite

There was a time when people could just wander over to your neighbor’s house because they smelled burgers on the grill. I feel like I have to push the round-robin ask of who is available 3 weeks in advance to try and find a time between kids' practices, work meetings, work travel, and existential dread.

Maybe the doomscrolling gives our brains enough of a “social hit” that real-life connection feels less urgent. What a boring dystopia.

Kids Don't Care About Calendars

Trying to leave the house with kids is a great reminder about how overscheduled our lives are, and how kids, who have not been hammered into productivity culture yet, don't work on a schedule (or at least mine don't). Whether it's school dropoff or trying to get them to an appointment, inevitably, they don't have their shoes on and haven't eaten anything all day. Mabye I just need to work on being OK with being late...

Group Guilt Is the Best Workout Plan

It’s way too easy to skip exercise. Just one more email, just one more task, and what do ya know, I’m out of time. The best luck I've had with keeping up regular exercises is having a crew to do it with.

If I say I’ll show up, I show up, rain or shine (like a mailman). Accountability hits different when someone’s expecting you, not because you’re chasing gains, but because you don’t want to let the team down.

A Final Bit: Book Rec – The Boys in the Boat

I’m currently working my way through The Boys in the Boat and really enjoying it. It’s a bit of a risk to recommend something I’m not finished with, but i’m betting this won’t take some odd turn where it all ends up being a dream or something in the last quarter of the book. I’m sure I'm biased since there’s a lot of overlap between rowing and paddling, but this one’s good even if you’ve never picked up an oar.

It offers a vivid look into life during the Great Depression, the early stirrings of World War II, and what it really means to function as a team. A real team doesn’t just work well together, they move together and understand each other. Owning a position that ultimately helps the entire team, not just themselves.

If you’re into sports, history, or stories about perseverance when everything is stacked against you, I think you’ll enjoy this one too. I’ve also heard it’s a good movie, but can’t vouch for that.

---

That’s it for this week, barely made it. If you’re also hiding in the fetal position in your bathtub from a tornado your kids; I see you (from my dark hiding spot).

Hang in there, hydrate, and (maybe this is advice for myself) try to enjoy the few weeks with your kids before school starts back up.

Until next time, may your kids sleep in, and your meetings get canceled.

//Trevor