....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!!

I got the chance to sit down with some superhero neighbors of mine, Beds For Kids. 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!

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!

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 on fam.news!

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!

It's the final episode for 2022....

Sleep superheroes all have shared abilities of the body, like regeneration, faster reactions, creative thoughts and problem-solving, nightly weight loss, and my favorite HGH Growth hormone to get strong and stay young!

I think most people if given a choice, would choose all of those benefits if they were as easy as swiping on their phones or pressing a button on a TV remote.

To read more, click here!

On the heels of releasing consumer data that suggests 65% of present-day consumers are willing to pay between 1%-20% more for a sustainable mattress, the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) kicked off its first-ever Sustainability Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 11th, 2022.

To listen or read the full article, click here. 

The month is November and for now, many of the sleep villains I fight against are at bay although I’ve seen a new bad guy popping up. Wrestler Leg Syndrome. I’m back to the drawing board at coming up with ways to defeat The Syndrome. He is a bull in a china shop type sleeper. Spinning, flipping, and keeping everybody in bed awake! While I plot and strategize, I wanted to take a moment to slow down like I do every Thanksgiving and try to live from an attitude of gratitude.

One thing better sleep over a long period of time has taught me is when we are exhausted, we are at risk to take things for granted. Lots of different things! I have also learned through my service in the Kiwanis and Exchange Clubs that not everybody gets to sleep in ideal conditions. Far from it. There are many people who have sleeping conditions that guarantee no sleep will occur. And I have learned how much harder people’s lives are compared to my own. For instance, I delivered a mattress set to a local veteran who had lost both of his legs in the service. This was many years ago as he is now an elderly man. And as we set up his mattress set and some basic furniture, I could see how difficult it was for him to do chores. Picking up items on the floor, dusting, doing laundry, and the list goes on. Then I turn around and procrastinate doing my own chores because of some lame excuse like I feel like I deserve to relax more and shrug my chores off.

But now it’s different. I no longer procrastinate. I view my chore list with gratitude. I get to do my laundry. I load it up into a hamper, march it over to the machines, and two-ish hours later it’s all folded and put away. Same with the dishes!

To read or listen to the rest of this episode, click here!

The holidays are coming up and the year will come to an end. New year’s resolutions are coming for those who seek change in their lives by using the sun as their metric of time. I will make some resolutions myself! I’ve achieved two out of three of mine this year. I learned to sew! Accent pillows, capes, customizing top sheets to fitted sheets, you name it! Sewing isn’t that hard when you have a sewing machine. The machine does all the work! And I also had my best year of performance in 5k’s.  Even if I didn’t get the sub 30 minute 5k in the Mattsuit, I ran sub 30 on my own more than once. Improving is enough for me and I don’t intend to stop the habits that got me this far. Instead I will make new goals to add more habits to do even more!

So if you are like me, why wait until the new year to start trying? I see so many people sleep walking through their days. They’re literally zombies. And so I ask you a very important question. What’s it going to take to wake you up?

To read the rest of the article, check it out here!