1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,520 Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Within Range Coaching podcast. 2 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:11,280 I'm Ranger, certified holistic success coach. 3 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:15,720 And in this podcast, I'm breaking down the journey that entrepreneurs face as they start 4 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:20,280 their organizations, find solutions to the roadblocks in their way, and create an impact 5 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:21,280 that lasts. 6 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:26,240 So, if you're an entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, or purpose-driven community member that wants 7 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:30,800 to learn how to grow your impact and develop yourself as the person behind the mission, 8 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:33,280 then this podcast is for you. 9 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:42,760 I know you're just as eager to get started as I am, so let's jump right in. 10 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:47,720 Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, everyone, and welcome to today's episode. 11 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:51,500 I hope that everyone is having a fantastic day and are making progress towards the outcomes 12 00:00:51,500 --> 00:00:54,280 that matter the most to you. 13 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,220 Today's episode is a little bit special. 14 00:00:56,220 --> 00:01:02,020 It's part of our Walk Across America series that's helping to kind of kickstart this podcast. 15 00:01:02,020 --> 00:01:06,260 And today, we get to hear from one of the nonprofits I'm actually walking to raise money 16 00:01:06,260 --> 00:01:08,920 for, Bigger Than the Trail. 17 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:13,200 I mean, I can talk the entire episode about the impact that Bigger Than the Trail makes 18 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:18,840 as mental health advocates and what they do and the great work they have, but I'm pretty 19 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:23,920 sure our guests can talk all day about it and much more clear and way more entertaining 20 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:24,920 than I can be. 21 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:29,520 Today, I'm joined by Todd Beck, board member of Bigger Than the Trail. 22 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:31,800 Todd, thank you for joining us today. 23 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:33,360 Oh, no, thank you. 24 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,080 Appreciate having us on today. 25 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:36,400 Yeah, no problem at all. 26 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:40,000 I'm super excited to hear a little bit more about what you do and give you guys that opportunity 27 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:41,560 to share some stuff with our listeners. 28 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:45,140 So do you want to kind of introduce yourself real quick and let the listeners know who 29 00:01:45,140 --> 00:01:46,140 you are? 30 00:01:46,140 --> 00:01:47,140 Yeah, yeah, absolutely. 31 00:01:47,140 --> 00:01:48,880 So as you mentioned, my name is Todd Beck. 32 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:51,120 I'm based out of Wisconsin. 33 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:53,760 I'm one of the board members for Bigger Than the Trail. 34 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:59,600 Bigger Than the Trail is a nonprofit organization utilizing trail running to advocate for mental 35 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:00,600 health awareness. 36 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:04,000 So on a personal side, I am married. 37 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:11,080 I have four children and work in the in the business world as a director for a telecommunication 38 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:12,080 company. 39 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:16,000 So I appreciate you taking the time in lieu of your big event that you're starting with 40 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,240 tomorrow and excited to be here today. 41 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:23,320 Yeah, just so everybody knows, I'm about 12 hours away from starting the walk. 42 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:28,280 So I'm glad that I was able to squeeze you guys in and get a chance to talk to you before 43 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:29,280 I get started. 44 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:34,320 I'll hope to keep me motivated in the first few days for sure. 45 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:35,320 Why am I doing this? 46 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:36,320 Why am I doing this? 47 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,680 All right, the trail, everybody else, let's go. 48 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:40,040 Well, that's interesting. 49 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:41,040 So it's not turning back now. 50 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:42,040 Let's turn it back. 51 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:43,400 Yeah, tell me about it. 52 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:47,240 I had an interview earlier with one of the new stations and they're like, oh, how are 53 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:48,240 you feeling? 54 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,560 And I'm like, honestly, it's it's hitting. 55 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:53,720 I've flown pretty close to the sun. 56 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:54,720 It's time. 57 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,040 Yeah, no, that's a that's a whole other episode. 58 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:02,760 I can record something else at some point about my thoughts right now and all that fun 59 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:03,760 stuff. 60 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:05,720 But today is about you guys. 61 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,320 And for now, a little bit more about you. 62 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:13,040 It sounds like you're the director of a telecommunications company or doing all these things, a father, 63 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:16,720 a husband and I guess a board member for the nonprofit. 64 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,440 What is that like for you to balance all of that? 65 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:24,040 Well, the awesome thing about bigger than the trail is the support that we have not 66 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:28,960 only from the other board members, but we're all family first oriented. 67 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:33,840 We all have things going on in our lives and we do everything and anything that we can 68 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,040 to help each other out to keep things going. 69 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:40,380 We have a lot of ambassadors that have been super supportive over the years that continue 70 00:03:40,380 --> 00:03:45,000 to help us develop and run the organization to the best of our abilities. 71 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,400 But it's a team sport. 72 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:48,620 We all work together. 73 00:03:48,620 --> 00:03:51,680 We all roll together as a as an analogy there. 74 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:56,180 I mean, if we're not rolling together, it's hard for the mission to set its place. 75 00:03:56,180 --> 00:03:59,480 So we've we've done a really good job about helping each other out over the course of 76 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:00,480 the years. 77 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:02,280 So it's a team sport again. 78 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:04,400 We're all working together to make it happen. 79 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:05,400 Yeah. 80 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,120 So it sounds like you guys just have a ton of support in terms of the community you have 81 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:13,520 behind the scenes running the organization, you know, to pick up the slack for each other, 82 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:14,520 help each other out. 83 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:15,520 That's amazing. 84 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:22,240 How and it's and it sounds like that's something that a lot of people want in their organization, 85 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:28,040 being able to really lean on each other and have that strong community like what I guess 86 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:31,700 to kind of get into the specifics there, like what did it take to build that with bigger 87 00:04:31,700 --> 00:04:32,700 than the trail internally? 88 00:04:32,700 --> 00:04:34,520 Oh, that's a great question. 89 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:35,520 So bigger than the trail. 90 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,280 I mean, it's been it's been around now for about eight years. 91 00:04:38,280 --> 00:04:42,560 So Tommy Byrne is the founder and the president of our organization. 92 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:48,760 And when he started it, I don't think he thought it would get as as large as it is today. 93 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:55,800 You know, we have over 280 ambassadors throughout North America. 94 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:01,280 And it started out with, you know, a few people supporting to less than 100. 95 00:05:01,280 --> 00:05:05,680 And then it just continued to spiral and get bigger and bigger and bigger. 96 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:12,160 And we saw a big increase in just the whole need for mental health awareness when when 97 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:13,160 COVID hit. 98 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:18,560 There was a lot of mental health concerns that was going on during that time period 99 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:23,000 and still to this day, we're working with a lot of people that are still going through 100 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:24,440 a lot of that. 101 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,160 So it's definitely grown over the years. 102 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:32,480 And there are times there last few years where we thought we were growing too quickly. 103 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:37,000 And we kind of had to take a step back and kind of reevaluate where we are, where we 104 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,040 want to be, what's more important. 105 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:47,200 The important thing is always providing the resources that we have and the partnerships 106 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,240 that we have to be able to help people that are struggling with mental health. 107 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:56,280 So that's been our primary focus for years is that it's all about the people, the community, 108 00:05:56,280 --> 00:06:01,000 being able to shed light in a community about that there are resources out there at your 109 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,240 disposal if you if you if you need it. 110 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:08,080 And we want people to know that it's OK to ask for help. 111 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:14,880 So I may be jumping around a little bit here, but we're super passionate about this organization. 112 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:18,680 We're super passionate about the people that are part of the community. 113 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:22,640 And a lot of us have had our own trials and tribulations over the years. 114 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:27,240 And I think that's what's really fueled our ability to run this organization to the best 115 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:29,280 of our abilities. 116 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:31,200 Yeah. 117 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,680 What's coming up for me listening to you talk about what bigger than the trail does and 118 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:41,640 the community guys have is that a lot of it sounds like it's really a community that is 119 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:46,240 built upon shared values and a very clear mission. 120 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:48,800 Yeah, we definitely have. 121 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:53,080 How do I want to work this? 122 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,480 But bigger than the trail, I mean, it is all about the community. 123 00:06:56,480 --> 00:07:02,640 You know, I think our tagline on our website is we come alongside people providing educational 124 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:04,980 support, various treatment options. 125 00:07:04,980 --> 00:07:10,000 So we don't want our community to think that bigger than the trail is just all about people 126 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:11,880 who run or in physical activities. 127 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:13,920 It's for anybody and everybody. 128 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:19,120 So it's much bigger than than the running community or the athletics. 129 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:24,440 It's more about what can we do to focus in on people that have real struggles and challenges 130 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:28,920 that are going on in their lives around mental health and how can we come alongside of them 131 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:30,600 with the resources that they need. 132 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:39,080 So even though we utilize ultra running walks, cycling, triathlons, whatever the case may 133 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:43,280 be, we just want to get the word out there that there is help out there. 134 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:47,560 So I think that's that's the biggest focus is getting that message out to the community 135 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:53,280 and utilizing the plugs that we have within our community to be able to share that message. 136 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:54,280 That's amazing. 137 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:55,280 Yeah. 138 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:59,360 I was kind of curious about that as well, because I do hear some parallels there between 139 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:06,120 what you guys are doing here and what Wander Project does, where the focus isn't for you 140 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:07,840 guys and the focus isn't runners. 141 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:11,920 But it sounds like a lot of you guys have that in common, that that's something that 142 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,720 brings you guys together at first. 143 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:19,080 And then there's also this added layer of mental health advocacy. 144 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:24,000 And it's just like a match made in heaven, essentially, of these are the people this 145 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,360 is the impact that we can make. 146 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:28,560 This is why we're already here as a community. 147 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:29,840 What can we do from that? 148 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:30,840 Right. 149 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:31,840 And then how do we springboard it? 150 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:32,840 And absolutely. 151 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:39,960 Yeah, I think it's the designing the mission, driving the values of it, but instilling the 152 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:42,120 culture that drives it as well. 153 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:48,320 So the whole mission has been built around the community. 154 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:49,320 It's amazing. 155 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:53,120 The stories that we've been a part of, the partnerships and relationships that we built 156 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:58,400 over the years, the people that we've met along the ways, just by wearing a it's funny 157 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:02,600 a few years back, I was running an ultra race and just wearing a bigger than the trail shirt 158 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,720 and people coming up and asking about it and having conversations about it. 159 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:11,400 We did a during covid a few years ago, races, real races weren't happening. 160 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:13,480 So we we did the block. 161 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:18,680 We kicked that off as in May because May is mental health awareness month. 162 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:23,120 And we kicked that off as a way to just bring awareness and build race funds. 163 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:29,080 Tommy, our founder, he actually ran around his block for 100 miles, did it under 20 hours 164 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:30,680 or a little over 20 hours. 165 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:35,800 But just going through that to raise awareness and raise funds and the amount of people that 166 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:41,680 came in and helped him donating cash on the spot because they were asking about the mission. 167 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:47,600 So it's just been it's been a fun ride and it's continuing to evolve again with the community. 168 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:48,600 It's all about the community. 169 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:52,840 And we love to be a part of it and seeing how it's just continue to develop. 170 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:56,240 Yeah, there's a few things in what you just said that I think are kind of valuable for 171 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:57,240 folks. 172 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:01,960 There's that aspect of and I feel like what I've seen with a lot of folks is that marketing 173 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:06,920 is something that's kind of like this big scary thing that they struggle with. 174 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:13,600 And it sounds like even just so much as wearing the apparel or being proud about what you 175 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,200 represent, that's going to draw people in. 176 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:21,840 That's going to give you the opportunity to have those conversations, to spread the message. 177 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:26,680 That's funny because we actually sell our we sell gear on off our website and we're 178 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:28,040 not a gear shop. 179 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:34,360 We're just not where it's not something that we're driving to, you know, to profit on any 180 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:35,360 shape or form. 181 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,760 We just know that people want the apparel to be able to tell the story. 182 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:43,640 And so we give our community that ability that can go on to our website and purchase 183 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:50,400 apparel at their disposal or at their discretion and hopefully be able to tell the story if 184 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:53,520 somebody comes up and approaches them as to what bigger than the trail is. 185 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:57,760 And that might lean somebody towards our community to seek the help that they need. 186 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:00,160 And that's that's what's more important than anything is. 187 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:06,000 And that's that brand awareness through the community is people talk and people see the 188 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,480 logo and it creates the story. 189 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:11,600 And that's that's more important than anything else. 190 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:12,600 Yeah. 191 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,200 And I want to ask you a little bit more about that ambassador program that you guys have 192 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:17,040 been able to establish. 193 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:23,240 And again, some of the listeners that I have are nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, et cetera. 194 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:28,640 And I know that when I worked in nonprofits, something that we faced was it felt like the 195 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:31,200 board was kind of doing everything. 196 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:32,680 We were the ones that were showing up. 197 00:11:32,680 --> 00:11:36,300 We were the ones that were advocating, et cetera, et cetera. 198 00:11:36,300 --> 00:11:40,160 But we did have a small group of people that were like the true fans, like they believed 199 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:41,680 in the mission. 200 00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:43,580 They were that they were also at everything. 201 00:11:43,580 --> 00:11:45,800 They were spreading the message around. 202 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:52,120 So when it comes to your guys ambassador program, what is it that the ambassadors do to promote 203 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:53,120 your organization? 204 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:54,920 That's a great question. 205 00:11:54,920 --> 00:12:03,400 So a lot of our ambassadors are asked to help raise funds through fundraising on an annual 206 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:09,160 basis, whether that is we have we have some athletes that are fundraising currently for 207 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:14,520 a race that they're doing so that they will promote bigger than the trail as their fundraiser 208 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:20,160 of choice and ultimately just spreading the message through social media, going to races. 209 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:25,320 And if they're working in the aid station, we they can ask us to ship some materials, 210 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:29,800 some stickers, a bigger than the trail flag just to get that brand awareness. 211 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:36,040 So our ambassadors are they're they're the people representing this organization out 212 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:42,400 in races, out in events, whether they're doing fun runs through their local shoe stores or 213 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:48,840 through their local run groups, we're able to provide the resources to be able to again 214 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:53,720 that we will be more than happy to ship out to our our ambassadors to be able to spread 215 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:55,640 the message, to be able to hand out. 216 00:12:55,640 --> 00:13:00,560 But a lot of our ambassadors are again, just utilizing that material through those races, 217 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:04,680 through fundraising, through social media and just word of mouth and just continuing 218 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:06,160 to spread the message. 219 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:07,160 Gotcha. 220 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:12,120 So it sounds like you're really empowering them to show up for the organization, be 221 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:17,480 prepared, be trained advocates for the mission and what you're doing. 222 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:18,580 That's amazing. 223 00:13:18,580 --> 00:13:23,720 And with the mission of bigger than the trail, I know that you guys are advocating for mental 224 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:27,840 health beyond literally beyond the trail. 225 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:32,400 But what exactly does that look like with somebody that comes to you for mental health 226 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:33,720 assistance? 227 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:34,720 What does that look like? 228 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:36,520 That's a great question. 229 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:43,040 So we have the ability, not only resources, but we have partnered with a company called 230 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:44,040 BetterHelp. 231 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:45,960 I'm sure people are familiar with them. 232 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:52,280 If not, it's an ability to have counseling services either through virtual chat like 233 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:58,640 this, email, text messages, whatever is the best to the person that is seeking counseling. 234 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:03,120 But bigger than the trail, we will advocate and connect you with BetterHelp and we will 235 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:09,280 provide three months of service at no cost to you as a person seeking counseling services. 236 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:15,400 The reason for this is that years back, our president, he was seeking assistance for his 237 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:16,960 own mental health. 238 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:22,240 And the amount of time it took to get in front of a counselor, when you get referrals and 239 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:27,760 then being able to get connected and then trying to get in and meet with the counselor, 240 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:29,200 it took a lot of time. 241 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:34,040 And this is what started bigger than the trail, right, is being able to establish that connection 242 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:35,040 quickly. 243 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:37,960 It's a no questions asked. 244 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:39,920 People can go to our website, they can fill out. 245 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:44,040 If they go to our website and they go to the top of our page, they can actually, there's 246 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:48,600 a support button that they can select and then they can go from there and walk them 247 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:49,840 through what they need to do. 248 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,520 But we'll get you connected again, no questions asked. 249 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:56,280 We will provide three months of service at no charge to you just to get you connected 250 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:58,080 and get you the support that you need. 251 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:00,360 That's fantastic. 252 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:05,280 And something, I mean, as a coach, that's something that I do hear a lot from my clients 253 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:09,360 and the people that I work with or have conversations with is, it's just always so confused. 254 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:11,200 Like, where do I even go to get help? 255 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:13,000 How do I find those resources? 256 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,160 And a lot of times those resources can be pretty expensive. 257 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:18,680 They can be super expensive. 258 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:20,920 Absolutely, they sure can. 259 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:25,560 And that's why, you know, the three months that we provide and that's why we drive the, 260 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:31,200 you know, we pay for that through the fundraising that we do work with our ambassadors and people 261 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:33,320 throughout the world that are fundraising for us. 262 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:37,000 So yes, it is a costly expense, but that's the whole benefit, right? 263 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:41,600 Is that we're utilizing our fundraising, we're utilizing our partners, we work with various 264 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:46,280 different race organizations to be able to have charity bibs, to be able to pay for those 265 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:51,040 expenses and provide the level of service that they, that people need, right? 266 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:55,000 And they deserve, because I think that when they are able to get in front of somebody 267 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:59,360 and start being able to open up and communicate about what's going on in their lives, that's 268 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:00,360 the whole benefit. 269 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:02,320 That's the reason behind the mission, right? 270 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:06,560 Again, it's to shine light in the communities around mental health and get people the support 271 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:07,560 that they need. 272 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:08,560 Gotcha. 273 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:11,600 So it's really being able to lean on those supporters, that partnership that you have 274 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:12,600 with other organizations. 275 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:16,040 And I think earlier you said 280 ambassadors. 276 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:17,040 286. 277 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:22,240 You have 286 is the number right now that we have, correct. 278 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,800 286 people that are out there advocating for you guys, helping you out. 279 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:27,800 That's insane. 280 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,400 And that's just the ambassadors, the people that are in the program. 281 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:32,400 It's just ambassadors. 282 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:33,400 Yep, absolutely. 283 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:38,040 We have a lot more people that are doing it on their own, again, between the partners 284 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:41,480 as well as just people that are supporting the organization. 285 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:46,200 Our ambassador and program has always been, it's been a big interest for a lot of people. 286 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:49,920 We generally open it up towards the end of the year and we'll open it up for a bit of 287 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:58,320 time where people can put their name in and there's still no obligation. 288 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:03,560 We want people to know that they have support in the community, that we don't want them 289 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:07,160 to feel pressured, but we do ask for people to do the best they can to help support and 290 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:08,560 fundraise for us. 291 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:13,120 So I don't want people to think that when they're looking at the ambassador program 292 00:17:13,120 --> 00:17:15,880 that you're allocated to do acts for the year, right? 293 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:19,880 We just want people to do what they can within the time that they have allotted because we 294 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:22,720 want people to have busy lives and we understand that. 295 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:28,440 But just being able to support the program and drive the brand awareness is that much 296 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:31,600 important, that more important than anything else. 297 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:37,160 Yeah, and that's really interesting that there's not like any kind of quota or minimum or maximum 298 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:38,160 or anything like that. 299 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:40,680 It's just, hey, you're in the fold. 300 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:41,680 You're here now. 301 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:42,680 You're part of the community. 302 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:44,800 You're part of the group. 303 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:46,440 Make the most of it. 304 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:51,720 You lean on each other, help each other, see what we can do here with the resources that 305 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:52,720 we have. 306 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:53,720 Absolutely. 307 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:54,720 Gotcha. 308 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:59,600 Are there any kind of like major success stories with fundraisers that you've seen? 309 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:01,600 Like any kind of? 310 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:02,600 That's a great question, Ray. 311 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:05,120 I actually think all of them are successful. 312 00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:08,800 We actually have people that are like what you're doing. 313 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,440 I mean, you're what you're about to embark on is an awesome issue. 314 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:19,280 We've had people that have ran various different races that have successfully raised multiple 315 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:23,520 amounts of funds for us over the course of the year or whatnot. 316 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:29,000 So every person that is a part of our program that is successfully advocating for us and 317 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:32,200 fundraising for us is a success story. 318 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:36,280 Whether it's $20 or $2,000 that they've raised, it all helps. 319 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:42,600 And it all goes towards the program to seek the help that people need or to deliver on 320 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:43,760 the help that people need. 321 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:48,680 So we thank everybody, all of our partners, all of our ambassadors, all of our supporters 322 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:51,880 that are doing what they're doing day in and day out to get the message out there. 323 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:58,320 So we just appreciate everybody being humble enough to support our program and to do what 324 00:18:58,320 --> 00:18:59,680 they're doing. 325 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:05,340 Whether that's a challenge of running 100 miles or running 50 miles or walking across 326 00:19:05,340 --> 00:19:08,400 the country to be able to support our program. 327 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:12,060 We can't thank you all enough for what you're doing for us. 328 00:19:12,060 --> 00:19:16,960 What you just said is so important because I feel like a lot of people, again, it's very 329 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:19,400 easy to fall into that comparison game. 330 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:25,480 The, oh, I'm only running a 5K, only running a 10K, only doing a half. 331 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:26,520 You're running that. 332 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:28,280 You're doing this thing. 333 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:29,480 I only raised $20. 334 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:31,160 You raised 20. 335 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:32,960 That's more than we had to begin with. 336 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:33,960 You did something. 337 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:35,620 You talked to someone about it. 338 00:19:35,620 --> 00:19:37,880 You spread the message. 339 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:41,800 It's really just about, again, what you were saying earlier, doing what you can with the 340 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:44,720 resources you have, period. 341 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:49,440 I never want people to think that, you know, I mean, a distance is a distance. 342 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:55,180 The fact that you decided to go out the door and put one step in front of the others is 343 00:19:55,180 --> 00:19:56,680 that success in itself, right? 344 00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:01,680 We're able to do things that some people will never be able to do, right? 345 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:02,680 And I think that's awesome. 346 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:04,040 I think it's fantastic. 347 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:09,360 So again, to your point, running a 5K, a 10K, raising $20, a couple hundred dollars, it 348 00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:10,360 all helps. 349 00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:11,800 It all helps. 350 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:12,800 For sure. 351 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:13,800 That's amazing. 352 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:18,000 I think that's really the biggest takeaway for this, that anybody can make a difference 353 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,080 regardless of the size. 354 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:21,600 It's a difference. 355 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:23,800 It matters. 356 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:24,800 That's where we're at. 357 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:25,800 Absolutely. 358 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:29,800 Well, Mr. Todd, I think that pretty much wraps it up very well. 359 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:34,340 And if people want to learn more about Bigger Than the Trail or get involved, where should 360 00:20:34,340 --> 00:20:35,340 they go? 361 00:20:35,340 --> 00:20:36,340 Where should I direct them? 362 00:20:36,340 --> 00:20:37,340 Yeah, we have a website. 363 00:20:37,340 --> 00:20:39,000 So it's btt.run. 364 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:40,360 So btt.run. 365 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:44,480 So basically, Bigger Than the Trail. 366 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:47,740 We're on social media, Instagram, Facebook. 367 00:20:47,740 --> 00:20:50,080 Just look up Bigger Than the Trail. 368 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,760 You'll see our black, green, black and green logo. 369 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,040 And there's plenty of resources on our website. 370 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:57,640 But those are probably the three main spots that you can check out. 371 00:20:57,640 --> 00:20:58,640 Perfect. 372 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:00,960 So I'm going to put all that information in the show notes. 373 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:02,120 Be sure to follow them, everybody. 374 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:04,200 They are an amazing organization. 375 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:05,920 You guys are pretty active on social too. 376 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:10,400 So there's always something going on, something to see and interact with. 377 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:14,440 So Todd, thank you so much for today's episode. 378 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:17,080 Is there anything you want to leave the listeners with last second? 379 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:21,560 No, again, just appreciate you thinking of us. 380 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:25,760 We want to thank you very much for supporting our organization. 381 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:31,240 We're excited to follow your mission and just, again, we can't thank you enough for the community 382 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:33,160 that's come around us to support us. 383 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:37,880 So again, thank you and best of luck to you on your adventure that you're embarking on 384 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:38,880 yourself. 385 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:40,080 Yeah, no problem. 386 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:43,480 It's a pleasure to work with an organization that makes such an impact that you guys do. 387 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:44,980 So thank you. 388 00:21:44,980 --> 00:21:48,280 It's an honor to be able to support. 389 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:49,760 Thank you for investing your time with us today. 390 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:53,920 If you'd like to continue on your journey of building an impact-driven life, go ahead 391 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:58,840 and check the description for a few freebies to help you out on your value-driven journey. 392 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:02,880 Be sure to like, subscribe and rate the podcast on whatever platform you're listening to right 393 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:03,880 now. 394 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:08,560 This will help the podcast grow so that we can help more people help more people. 395 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:23,920 As always, have fun, stay safe and be yourself.