New Year, New Goals and Leveraging Sleep

Sitting with Superheroes: Part II

....And now for the second installment of sitting down with Beds For Kids Executive Director, Lauren Evans and the Director of Operations, Zach Smith! Lauren and Zach discuss the different roles their organization plays in assisting programs all around the Charlotte area and some of the hurdles that stand in their way. We also take a minute to get to know them on a more personal level with one of my favorite things to ask people which is "What would you eat for lunch?!?" I am eternally grateful that I met the Beds For Kids team in late 2022. We forged an alliance to improve the sleep security of the Charlotte area and together we fight the things that keep people up at night!!

Sitting with Superheroes

HELLO SUPERPOWER SEEKERS! TODAY, WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE OF THE ADVENTURES OF MATTMAN! I got the chance to sit down with some superhero neighbors of mine, Beds For Kids [https://bedsforkids.org/]. I spoke to their Executive Director, Lauren Evans, and Zach Smith, Director of Operations. These leaders and their organization fight the things that keep many vulnerable families and children up at night. We sat down to talk about their mission and the impact it has on not only the recipients, but the volunteers and community at large. In part one, we get to know the organization - who they are and how they help. It’s a long interview so it is broken up into two parts. Catch the audio version on the podcast while doing a chore or driving. It’s a really great story! It is an honor to serve as a superhero along side of Beds For Kids. Standing next to a crew like them, I am just an oversized piece of toast with a napkin stuck to it’s back… They’re the real superheroes!

Ask Me Anything

Good morning superpower seekers! Winter is nearly over and spring is looming. You know what that means? It means Tyrano-Snore-Us Rex will be ramping up his attacks as allergy season sets in.  Here in North Carolina, the pollen can paint your car green in a day. While the Irish might think that’s cute for St. Patrick’s day, I assure you it is not. So I am busier than ever preparing to hunt some Tyrano-Snore-Us Rex.  A mighty foe for a mighty warrior! I have a quick break between battles to talk about two quick things. First is my Matt-amatics Power Level! I started tracking my daily digits since January 1st 2023 and after the first month, I saw some trends. I tend to eat healthy, get exercise and sleep great on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. And then it’s downhill to fight my way back uphill. Friday through Monday my power level drops significantly. I tracked scores as low as 18 but then streaked 50 three days in a row(twice actually). To finish reading about this episode, click here!

Mattman's Energy Measuring Mathematics

I am constantly talking about sleep and sleep habits. My wife, family, and friends expect it and roll their eyes quite a bit and I am okay with that. There is something at work that is bigger than me so I just keep going one day at a time. The reason I mention this is because I am often told I have a lot of passion, energy, and drive. After a few encounters, you will come to understand this is not a mask. There is no smoke and mirrors. I live this way because I began down a path of maximizing my sleep. One of my hallmark sleep sources is Shawn Stephenson’s book Sleep Smarter: 21 Ways to Maximize Your Sleep. It’s my American Express, I never leave home without it. In his book, Shawn points out that old school “healthy” was an equation that identified diet, exercise, and sleep as three equal pillars. Let’s say you do a great job with your diet, exercise, and sleep on a given day; then each pillar could have a value of up to 5.  Eat poorly, score a one. Eat healthy, score a five. You tracking me? So here is how the old school equation looks in mathematical terms: Diet + Exercise + Sleep = Healthy. So if you score high on all three pillars, your equation looks like this:5+5+5=15. The number 15 I call your power level because it sounds cool. To read more, check out the rest of Mattman's article here [https://fam.news/mattmans-energy-measuring-mathematics/(opens in a new tab)] on fam.news!

New Year, New Goals and Leveraging Sleep

Ladies and gentleman, it is now 2023! And in proper Sleep Superhero fashion, I do not intend to make snooze-year resolutions! I love the process of sitting down at the New Year to identify new important but not urgent goals that I want to accomplish. This year is a special one as well! I am calling this year the year of the viking! Vikings are warriors! They are strong, honorable, adventurous, treasure seeking, and passionate! They live by these principles in order to prepare themselves for the next battle! And let me tell you, I have a few battles to fight in 2023. To listen or read the rest of this article, check out fam.news [https://fam.news/new-year-new-goals-and-leveraging-sleep/]!