I'm thrilled to announce that I've been appointed as a Trustee of the Haslett Board of Education. The position opened up following the resignation of Monica Del Castillo, and after a thorough selection and interview process, I was honored to be chosen at the board meeting this past Monday night. My term will run through December 31, 2024. I'm both excited and humbled by the responsibility to serve the community that has given so much to me and my family. Why School Boards Matter If you’re...

I initially launched into the Year Of The Opposite to shake up my routine and combat lingering depression from grief. While I expected the new challenges to serve as a mental and physical reboot, I didn't anticipate the full range of benefits. Sure, learning new skills was a given, but what caught me off guard was how these fresh experiences connected me with diverse groups of people I'd never interacted with before. Year Of The Opposite - Travis Stoliker's Substack is a reader-supported...

This is your starting guide to The Year Of The Opposite. Let’s start with some links that will help you learn more about this project/newsletter and dive into the content: * Why did I start my Year Of The Opposite? * How to start your own Year Of The Opposite: A step by step guide to start your own year of the opposite & the results from my first Year Of The Opposite. * How I cured my depression in 5 months by living a Year Of The Opposite. * Why you should start journaling nightly and...

About 4 months ago, Chris and I launched MyVilla, a startup that aimed to make vacation home ownership easier and more affordable for a greater number of Americans. One of the requirements to grow and scale the company was that we could secure debt financing from banks or financial partners that would allow us to continue purchasing more homes and offer financing to our customers. For months, Chris and I have been dancing for dollars, trying to convince any bank or financial partner to...

After we sold Liquid Web, I spent short but very rewarding time as the Entrepreneur In Residence at Michigan State University. I remember one moment so vividly it hurts sometimes. As I remember it, my co-worker suggested we walk across campus to explore a new technology developed by PhD researchers, which we believed had potential for commercialization into a product. We strolled through the picturesque MSU campus on a beautiful Michigan summer day, with temperatures around 80...

This morning I watched my 5 year old son Lane climb onto the school bus for his first half day of kindergarten. Entrusting this precious delicate being, who means the world to me, into the hands of strangers was overwhelming. I recognize that many of you reading this have experienced this profound moment, some even multiple times. It hit me hard today. Lane handled this new adventure like a champion. He jumped on the bus eagerly and said his daily mantra to the bus driver: “My name’s Lane...

“I don't expect myself to live forever but I think that the memory or whatever I build could be so arranged that the thought would go on forever. The only way that I can do it is by developing a foundation so the land and the property out here that I have will be dedicated to the foundation that they can help people and it will go on forever.” - Edward Lowe - Inventor of Kitty Litter. Edward Lowe invented Kitty Litter right here in Michigan. He literally and figuratively was responsible for...

"Meditations" is a series of personal writings by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius written around 170 AD. It’s a reflection of his Stoic philosophy and guidance for his own self-improvement. I first encountered this profound work at the commencement of my "Year Of The Opposite," and its wisdom left an indelible mark on me. What I found particularly striking about "Meditations" is that it was never intended for public consumption; it was a deeply personal journal, a dialogue between Marcus...

The Podcast Interview is attached to this Substack or you can listen to Year Of The Opposite on Spotify. Here is the full video interview on Youtube. For nearly a decade, Matthew Terry and I were colleagues at Liquid Web. After the company was sold in 2015, I chose to pursue other opportunities, while Matthew continued his tenure there. During this period, he crossed paths with Michelle Rogers, and they soon embarked on a romantic relationship. By 2016, they welcomed a child into their...

I had the honor of being interviewed on the Cold Oatmeal Podcast last week and it was a great experience. Their show is about Public Relations. Please make sure to give them a Subscribe. With their permission, in today’s podcast / newsletter I am sharing the full interview and clips from the discussion. I hope you enjoy. For the full interview, please click Play above. Or listen/subscribe to the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcast.   Apple Podcast:  For your convenience, I have also...

Watch The Video Of Me Completing The Hot Ones Challenge! In 2017 my good friend Dean Miesner took down (almost) the Blazin’ Wing Challenge by eating 12 of BW3's hottest Blazin’ wings in 6 minutes without puking. I touched one of the wings to my tongue and was in agony for 2 hours. I was astonished watching Dean and his friend pull this off. Check out the video of it here. Year Of The Opposite is about challenging myself to do new things. So last year I decided that I was going to start...

Let’s clear something up... 1 year ago today, my oldest friend, Matt Hill died. It was incredibly painful for many of us and something that compounded the pain was that at the time the medical examiners in Los Angeles were taking 5-6 months to complete autopsies. This meant that for several months after Matt's tragic death, none of his loved ones knew the true cause of his death. For 5 months we were left with unanswered questions about why he died at the age of 41. A particularly hard part...

In the 1880s, Chicago was faced with a huge problem. Chicagoans were dying from typhoid, cholera, and other waterborne illnesses at an alarming rate. Chicago was the fastest growing city in the world at that time and their future was threatened. The Chicago River runs right through the heart of Chicago and connects with beautiful Lake Michigan. It was customary at the time to use rivers as a dumpster or sewer. Chicago was no different. Businesses would throw their waste into the river,...

It's an uncomfortable admission, but sometimes, when I see my friends achieving great things—be it a shiny new purchase, an exciting travel experience, a successful business launch, or a prestigious award—I can't help but feel a bit of jealousy. As much as it pains me to admit, sometimes my happiness for them is eclipsed by a sense of resentment. This jealousy isn't just a negative emotion; it also brings with it feelings of ingratitude and shame. After all, I have much to be grateful...

For months I had been verbally telling the story of how I cured my depression in 30 days. It was a great story and it captivated people. The only problem was, it was a lie. I wasn’t intentionally telling a lie. I genuinely and completely thought I was telling the truth. But when I set out to write last weeks post How I Cured My Depression I started revisiting my nightly journals to verify the events from my memory. While I was doing this I discovered that my memory of the timeline of...

“I'm 3 years sober and just wanted to say. I thank you. You were a good boss and a friend and I'm sorry I let you down. You influenced or inspired me in places I wouldn't have gone. Anyways thanks for being you to me. Just thanks.” - Bret Hitchcock" In January of 2020, I received this touching text message. But the message got a darker and and deeper meaning when my friend Bret, only 42, tragically passed away from problems caused by alcohol abuse on June 4, 2023. Just over a year earlier,...

I spent the week at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island as my wife, Laken’s, plus one. It’s been about 20 years since I’ve spent considerable time on the Island and I really enjoyed it. If you’re not familiar, Mackinac Island is between the upper and lower peninsula in Michigan. It’s unique in several ways but one of the ways it stands out is that it doesn’t allow any cars on the Island. It kinda feels like you are transported back in time before some of the modern conveniences...

Happy Memorial Day! This week my 4 year old and I have been reading The United States Constitution. I read it for the first time in its entirety only last year. I was pretty ashamed of myself for it taking 41 years for me to read one of the best and most important works in modern history. It also made me sad to learn that only 10-25% of Americans have ever read the document in its entirety depending upon which study you believe. An informal survey of my friends suggests the figure could...

Sunday marked an exciting milestone in my personal fitness journey. For the first time, my Vo2 Max—a measure of my cardiovascular fitness—reached the 'High' category. A remarkable leap from being 'below average' to 'High' in just 13 months. In April of 2022 my VO2 Max as measured by my Apple Watch was 31.5 which put me right on the borderline between “Below Average” and “low” cardio fitness. 13 months later my reading is 47.1 climbing 15.6 points and putting me in the “high” category. I...

My second Year Of The Opposite is dedicated to Building and Creating.  This newsletter/ podcast that you are reading or listening to is one such creation. Last week I launched another. I launched a new startup this past Friday with my good friend Chris Strandt. I’m filled with excitement about it. Today I want to share an often unspoken aspect of starting a business: fear, anxiety, and imposter syndrome.  MyVilla is not my first startup and by many measures I’m in a safer position to start...

"We should every night call ourselves to an account: What infirmity have I mastered today? What passions opposed? What temptation resisted? What virtue acquired? Our vices will abate of themselves if they be brought every day to the shrift." - Seneca, "Moral Letters to Lucilius," Letter 83. "At the end of the day, you should always be able to ask yourself: What weakness did I overcome today? What virtue did I acquire?" - Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations," Book 5, Section 9 (paraphrased). Three...

On March 7, 2022 I realized that I was addicted to the news. The dark days of the pandemic had mostly faded into the past, but instead of taking a moment to rejoice, our collective focus shifted without missing a beat to the next looming disaster—the war in Ukraine. Like many Americans, even though I couldn't pinpoint Ukraine on a map, I jumped into research mode, eager to form an opinion on this fresh conflict. It wasn't enough for me to simply know "where I stood" on the issue. I needed...

Elon Musk's SpaceX launched the first-ever integrated Starship rocket on April 20, 2023, from the Starbase facility at Boca Chica Beach in South Texas.  Boca Chica Village, a remote Texas outpost, lies at the confluence of the Rio Grande and the Gulf of Mexico, where the Earths glory coexists with the awe-inspiring silhouettes of SpaceX's Starship rockets, symbolizing the union of natures beauty and human ambition. Year Of The Opposite - Travis Stoliker's Substack is a reader-supported...

"Why Did You Abandon Me!!!" This heart-wrenching message was written by a child struggling with the grief after the death of a loved one. It was displayed on the wall of Ele’s Place alongside other devastating notes: * "I am still loveable even though death has touched me" * "I hate you 4 dying," * "Mom, out of everybody you chose me to die on," * "love is watching someone die." When I saw these notes, I knew that I had to join their Board. Ele's Place is a non-profit organization...

The most sought-after article for The Year Of The Opposite has been "How did you lose all the weight!?" So, let's dive right in, shall we? In just one year of living oppositely, I shed a whopping 37lbs, but that's only part of the story. Since hitting my peak weight in 2018, I've lost a grand total of 62lbs.  Now, I can almost hear your thoughts: "Losing 40lbs in one year isn't healthy! He must've used weight loss drugs or surgery, lost a ton of muscle mass, and it's probably unsustainable."...