Anyone who has met me knows I’m a people person. I love people. I love meeting them, I love listening to them, I love watching them, I love analyzing them. I find people to be quite fascinating, and I love that people can all be so different in so many ways yet also be very much the same in a lot of ways. Making new friends is something I enjoy immensely. Sure, I have my circle of closest, dearest friends whom I love and adore- but anyone who’s kind and light hearted is good in my book. I’ve been lucky enough to make friends in all kinds of places (men and women alike)- through mutual friends, in bars, at the gym, coffee shops, sporting events, through work, on a long walk, on a vacation, in an airplane- shoot, I even consider the local rock sculpturist who some are weary of because he looks, “homeless” to be a friend, or the sweet little old lady at Safeco Field who ushers the section of my favorite seats. Beyond all of my “real world” experiences in making friends, there’s another realm that has brought me the good fortune of making friends as well.
I recently sent out a “Tweet” to four friends. All friends I at one point met on the internet. I included the four of them on the same tweet because I felt that what I had to share was something they’d all appreciate. I didn’t put a lot of thought into including them together at first, until just the other day. You see, I put these four men in the same tweet because I know that all four of them share one common interest: they care about people. They care about humanity. They care about giving back, and it’s not a care they take on because they feel entitled to some kind of reward- they do it because it matters to them. But, I also realized they share another common interest- I met each of them via the internet thanks to meeting the one prior to them. Below I’m going to introduce to you each of these four men, how I know them and then share how they’re all interconnected. Maybe it’ll fascinate you as much as it does me.
Shane Mac: Shane and I met shortly after he had moved to Seattle from Illinois and was on the hunt to meet people in the area. After talking with Shane online a bit, I was open to meeting in person. That was a year in a half ago and Shane and I continue to be friends. Shane is one of the kindest hearted people I know and also one of the most successful, driven 23 year old men I’ve ever met. At 23, he’s moved across the country, established himself as a musician, networked himself better than anyone I know, been promoted from a project manager at a local advertising company to the Director of Marketing for a startup company. Shane will do anything for anyone. Giving back is something Shane does without thinking twice. Whether it be his recent venture in raising money for Charity Water through live shows or online fundraising, etc. In the year in a half I’ve known him, he’s written a book which is now being looked at by a publishing company, connected with 50 professionals (all through the internet/Twitter) from around the country in writing an online E-Book that reaches out to college students and anyone else in the job search and he’s even taking his success to colleges across the country giving speeches. He’s the kind of guy that would give you the shirt off his back, and his pants on his legs and even his boxers if you needed them. In fact, just the other night at a concert, a woman next to us fell and he was there to help her up even before her husband. Needless to say, becoming friends with someone like Shane has been a blessing and if you ever have the chance to meet him, you’ll understand.
Brett Byrd: When I first met Brett, it was a simple, “Hey Ashley, meet Brett, hey Brett, meet Ashley” on Twitter. Brett is the CEO and Founder of a non-profit called, “Give Your Sole” which donates gently worn athletic shoes to those in need. Like many founders of non-profits in the beginning, Brett has a day to day job as an account executive, but he didn’t let the 40+ hour work week get in the way of his desire to give back towards something he’s passionate about. Brett and I have begun working together on an upcoming donation drive up here in Seattle at the Rock and Roll Marathon in June and will hopefully have the chance to do more events in the future. Brett is a father, a husband, a professional, a founder, a social networker and a damn good guy. I had the chance to meet Brett a few weeks ago in person when he came up to Seattle. Let’s put it this way- he’s as nice as he sounds on paper. Nothing inspires me more than people like Brett who sincerely care about making the world a better place and in his case, one sole at a time.
Ryan Hodgson: If someone had told me that today I’d be working on some level with Ryan all thanks to a simple question on Twitter of, “Does StandUp For Kids have a Seattle chapter?” I wouldn’t have guessed. Ah, who am I kidding? At this point in my life, I shouldn’t be that surprised. Ryan is also a CEO and Founder of a non-profit called, “Team Up For Non-Profits” which organizes music events and gives all proceeds collected back to a non-profit. What a brilliant idea- music and philanthropy in a city that is driven by both. Ryan hailing out of Australia isn’t too new to the world of making friends via the internet. In fact, if it weren’t for the internet and social networking sites, he wouldn’t have met his Seattle native wife and moved across the world to live here in Seattle with her. Working in philanthropy isn’t something new to Ryan as he was engrossed in it back in Oz as well. Just another example of a good guy making a difference in the world. Like the men before him and the man after him, he too works tirelessly both at making a good cause a successful one as well as the every day task of keeping up with the Jones’. He’s a humble man and a no BS kind of man, but still a man with a heart.
Kiptyn Locke: I originally, “met” Kiptyn after soliciting him to take part in my health and fitness blog for MyNorthwest.com. I really never imagined that a simple request for a feature would evolve into some level of a friendship. Now, granted I haven’t actually met him face to face like I have the other three, and some people may find it odd to consider someone you haven’t “met” in person a friend, but the only thing I find odd is that people would find that odd. From what I’ve come to know of Kiptyn in the last several months, I must say I don’t think you’ll find a more genuinely humble human being who sincerely cares about giving back to others. Success is a common theme among all of these men and continues on in Kiptyn’s case. A jack of all trades kind of person with a knack for philanthropy, a way with words, and a favorable sense of humor; as far as I can tell, he’s a 10 on the good guy scale. I reach out to people all the time to take part in my fitness blog, and I’ve been lucky to have most people agree, but I never would’ve thought that in doing so I’d meet someone who shared a passion for philanthropy on the level that I do. In fact, thanks to Kiptyn, I’ve become involved in a charity here in Seattle that he works closely with in the San Diego area- just the kind of organization I was looking to work with. Who would’ve thought? Some people may know of Kiptyn through an experience he went through last year, but if I’ve learned one thing about him, that experience is probably nothing more than a page in his chapter book of life- not a definition of who he is. I could be wrong, but I bet I’m not.
So, if you’re reading this, you’ve learned that I met four men, all through the internet and all men I consider to be friends. But, what’s the real point in all of this? Well, let me share with you the interconnectedness of all of this: I met Shane on my own. Shane was the one who introduced Brett and me via Twitter. I then met Kiptyn right around the same time as Brett. Kiptyn was the one who introduced me to StandUp For Kids (the nonprofit I mentioned I began working with). After tweeting about StandUp For Kids one day, I received the reply mentioned above from Ryan which transpired into me asking Ryan more about his organization. I then connected Brett and Shane with Ryan and a few weeks ago, the four of us actually met and got together. So, if I hadn’t met Shane, I wouldn’t have met Brett. If I hadn’t have met Kiptyn and become involved with StandUp For Kids, I wouldn’t have tweeted about it and in turn met Ryan and Ryan and Brett and Shane wouldn’t have met each other. And if I hadn’t met any of these guys, I wouldn’t be doing some of the work I am today and furthermore wouldn’t have not only developed the friendships I have with them but also wouldn’t have the inspiration that they have given me on one level or another in knowing them.
The power of the internet is a magical thing, and so is the power of friendship. I look forward to making friendships like these for as long as I live.
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