Today, we’d like to introduce you to Joey Mascio.
Hi Joey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a motivational speaker and life coach who helps teens build confidence, manage emotions, develop social skills, and achieve their goals.
As a teen, I was awkward and often made fun of because of my pasty white skin and big head. I was called “Moon Head” during middle school because my pointy chin and giant noggin reminded some kids of a character from a McDonald’s commercial. I had a stutter and was extra quirky, but I always wanted to be on stage and loved being the center of attention (for good reasons).
I felt I was born with a “life coach” brain because I naturally started coaching myself through middle and high school to think positive, confidence-building thoughts despite how I looked and what other kids said. My parents also gave me ample opportunities to practice mental resilience as they got divorced and married each other TWICE during my tween and teen years.
By my senior year in high school, I was extremely self-confident, starred in multiple stage plays, and landed a job at Disneyland as a character performer (I’m the only actor in Disney history to have played BOTH Darth Maul and the Mad Hatter).
After getting my master’s in education, I became a middle school teacher. A few years in, I volunteered to be the teacher in the discipline office. My principal thought I was crazy (and she wasn’t entirely wrong) but was thrilled to have me in there. That’s where I started coaching teens on mindset and emotions. I loved it, the teens loved it, and my principal loved it.
To help more teens, I got certified as a professional life coach and started my own coaching business on the side. A week later, the pandemic started, and my business took off. Many teens nationwide needed extra help, and I was uniquely qualified to provide it. I left teaching the following year in 2021 and have been running my coaching business full-time ever since.
Last year, I launched Sidekick to Hero, a gamified resilience app that teaches teens valuable mental and emotional skills not taught in school. It looks like a video game and houses several courses with YouTube-style short videos that engage teens. There are monthly prizes, a customizable avatar, weekly livestream shows, and more.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The hardest part has been developing Sidekick to Hero from the ground up. I had a very specific idea in my head that no “copy and paste” platforms could do. They all looked too boring and wouldn’t cut it for teens. So, I hired a professional gaming developer, Game Around, based in the UK and Lisbon. They have been great! But the timeline kept getting extended and extended. A Christmas 2022 launch eventually became a Summer 2023 launch.
It was stressful, never knowing when it was going to go live. I had a waitlist of people who were waiting for it, and I felt like I was losing interest! When it eventually launched, there were still a few bugs that had to be worked out. But now it’s a fully functioning web-based application for tweens and teens! As I have been told, that experience is pretty typical for app development. But it didn’t make it any less stressful!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My background makes me tailor-made to work with teens in mental resilience. I received my bachelor’s in Creative Writing and worked in the screenwriting industry for a short stint before becoming a teacher. I build stories into all my lessons and podcast episodes, which helps to hook teens and help them understand complex principles.
In addition to being a performer at Disneyland, I also am a trained improv comedian. I studied improv comedy at the Groundling in Los Angeles, the same place many SNL alumni studied. I ran my own family friend’s improv group in Orange County called “May Contain Nuts,” and now that I am in Utah, I am in the weekend cast at ComedySportz Provo.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
Family matters most to me. Those are the people who love and care about you the MOST. I really love using my coaching skills to help teens get closer to their families, fight less with siblings, and get along better with their parents.
I also coach my kids (ages 2, 4, 6, and 8) on mental and emotional resilience and it has helped our family be strong and closer.
Pricing:
- $20 a month per teen
- or $200 a year per teen
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joeymascio.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/sidekicktohero
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sidekicktohero
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@sidekicktohero
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/secrets-for-an-awesome-life/id1631028729
