I got back from Mexico a week ago and I'm still processing it.
14 of us packed into a beach house in Cancun for 4 days 😄🏖️
Coaches, team members, spouses... the whole squad was there.
People who had mostly only seen each other through a Zoom screen finally in the same room, eating every meal together, laughing too loud, and staying up way too late talking about life and work and everything in between.
It's been a lifelong dream of mine to foster an environment and culture like this so writing this email is pretty emotional for me ❤️
The trip went exactly how I hoped it would go, and somehow even better!!
Here's my favorite picture we took (missing 5 coaches from our team)!
The last night of the trip, we played Traitors.. and it completely summed up the whole trip.
If you haven't seen the show, the idea is this: hidden traitors secretly eliminate the faithful players one by one without getting caught. Everyone is watching everyone. You have to read people, stay calm under pressure, and decide who you actually trust.
Somehow, Bishop (my fiancé) and Jacinta (our operations manager) quietly formed the most ruthless, dominant alliance the game had ever seen. Neither of them had any business being that good at lying to our faces — and yet there they were 😂 Composed, calculated, and reading the room like they'd been prepping for it their whole lives.
The rest of us got eliminated one by one. It wasn't even close.
While we were playing, I had a moment where things hit me.
It wasn't the deceitfulness of those two ladies, but of how far we've come.
Over the last 12 months, we've grown from a small operation to a team of 14 coaches. And the thing I'm most proud of isn't the number. It's who the people are.
Every hire has been intentional. Every person on this team said yes to something other young adults wouldn't consider.
Teen mentoring is not the easiest path.
It's not always the most glamorous work.
It's hard and meaningful and sometimes emotionally demanding, and the people who thrive in it are the ones who are genuinely wired for service ❤️
People who are driven, patient, self-aware, and deeply invested in what happens to the kid sitting across from them.
That's who's coaching your students.
There's something about seeing people outside of work that reveals who they actually are.
And what I saw on this trip confirmed everything.
These aren't just amazing coaches. They're even better humans.
The job didn't make them that way. They came that way and the job gave them somewhere to put it 💙
I started this company because I believed one great mentor could change a kid's trajectory.
I believed it when it was just me and a handful of students. I believe it even more now that I've watched 12 of us sit around a table in Mexico and pour our hearts into conversations about how to better serve the families we work with.
The culture we've built is something I don't take for granted for a single second. It's been built through thousands of small decisions, the right hires, the hard conversations, the commitment to growing slowly enough to do it right. And this trip was a reminder of why all of that effort is worth it 🙌
So this newsletter doesn't have a lesson or a framework or a call to action.
It's just gratitude 🙏
Thank you for following along while we build something we're genuinely proud of. Thank you for trusting us with your kids. And thank you for being part of a community that makes the work feel meaningful every single day.
We're just getting started.
Love y'all
-Coach Will
P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you and your fam!
#1: Looking for someone other than you to plant these seeds? Unstoppable U Coaching helps kids ages 12and up with motivation, confidence and time management! >>> Click here to apply to work with my amazing team!
#2: Have you listened to my Podcast for Kids? Come check out my latest episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! I break down everything I wish I knew when I was a kid… perfect to throw on when you’re with you’re in the car or chilling at home! Leave a review if you don’t hate it!
#3: Follow me on Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn for more tips, tools and techniques to help your child succeed.