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This is the story of a lifelong seeker. It’s about organizing your life around spiritual principles. Breaking the addiction to external validation. And always having the courage to fail.
Meet Blake Mycoskie.
Quite the change maker, Blake is most famously known as the founder of the wildly successful shoe company TOMS. He also pioneered the ‘One for One’ business model, donating a pair of shoes to a child in need for each pair sold. In turn, he sparked a generation of conscious consumers — and rebranded corporate responsibility as not only cool, but de rigueur.
But Blake’s story neither begins nor ends with TOMS.
A seeker & natural-born entrepreneur if there ever was one, Blake started 5 other businesses before TOMS. In 2012 he penned the New York Times bestseller Start Something That Matters. And he’s since moved on from his shoe empire to launch Madefor — a ten-month program that applies key principles of modern neuroscience, psychology, and physiology to make your brain and body better. It’s basically an at-home spiritual quest, guided by the best and brightest thought researchers out there, including podcast fave and neuroplasticity overlord Andrew Huberman.
“Life’s joy and satisfaction does not come from external accomplishments. It comes from relationships.”
– BLAKE MYCOSKIE
This is more than the story of an incredible entrepreneur. It’s about navigating the world through a spiritual lens. And the power of commitment to persistent personal growth.
It’s less about TOMS and more about the kind of person that imagines TOMS. It’s about intuition. The stewardship required to scale an idea into a global phenomenon — and the ongoing commitment to service that led to Madefor.
Blake is a very special human. It was an honor to finally spend some time with him. And a delight to share the experience with you.
The visually inclined can watch our exchange on YouTube. And as always, the podcast streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
For those feeling stagnant or stuck, my hope is that Blake’s testimony — chock-full of sage business and life advice — ignites the inner change you seek most and guides you towards peace.
Madefor Discount: Blake is generously gifting my listeners with 20% off the Madefor program. Just use the code “RICHROLL” at getmadefor.com. In full disclosure, I am not an affiliate nor do I have any financial entanglement or otherwise with Madefor — just sharing the good news.
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- Connect with Blake: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
- Book: Start Something That Matters
- Madefor: The Spirit Behind The Science
- TOMS: Blake’s Bio
- April Rucker: iamaprilrucker.com
- Vogue: Blake Mycoskie Is Flourishing—And You Will Too If You Try His New Wellness Program, Madefor
- Men’s Health: This New Wellness Program Wants to Make Self-Improvement Easy—No, Really.
- Forbes: Why The Founder Of TOMS Shoes Wants You To Learn Ten New Habits
- Fast Company: Meet Blake Mycoskie
- Fast Company: ‘Modern living is tough’: Toms founder launches a wellness kit inspired by his own struggles
- Business Insider: After growing a $625 million dollar brand, TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie is betting on the wellness industry
- CNBC: How burnout inspired Toms founder Blake Mycoskie to start his next business
- INC: What’s Next for Toms, the $400 Million For-Profit Built on Karmic Capital
- INC: Toms Founder Blake Mycoskie’s Simple Habits for Recovering From Burnout
- People: TOMS Shoes Founder Launches New Wellness Company to Help Combat the “Stress of Modern Living”
- SHRM: TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie Encourages Self-Help After Depression Diagnosis
- Business Of Fashion: The social entrepreneur pioneered the ‘one for one’ giving model with his footwear start-up, which donates shoes to needy children.
- Esalen: Blake Mycoskie — Why I Started Toms
- WebMD: Blake Mycoskie Starts Something That Matters
- Shark Tank: Blake Mycoskie
- The Chalkboard: Overcoming Depression Inspired Blake Mycoskie’s Latest Biz Venture
- How I Built This With Guys Raz: Blake Mycoskie
- If— by Rudyard Kipling
- Hoffman Institute: The Hoffman Process
- The Enneagram Institute: The Nine Enneagram Type Descriptions
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