James Cooper climbs on the counter and reaches up as high as he can; ascending to us at Top Shelf Studios for an entertaining episode of thoughtful reflection, honest stories of adversity, and the joyful spoils of success that come only from crawling through the mud on life’s path. Mr. Cooper is a graduate of Arizona State University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics. As a first-gen college student, James did not have a roadmap, or perhaps less of a roadmap than other students who had seen parents or older siblings navigate the college experience. This lack of direction led him initially to study biology, thinking to himself: “Hey, I’ve seen Scrubs, How hard can it be?” Well, apparently hard enough that an Actuarial Science degree in Mathematics sounded like a more appealing major to pursue after a few biology courses.
A book that changed James’ life was: ‘Mindset - A new Psychology for success’ by Carol Dweck. Here, he began to learn and embrace the ‘growth mindset,’ a framework that suggests that life's shortcomings, failures, and trials are where we find life’s true beauty, where we grow in our person and spirit. Journaling has contributed to James’ growth, as he tells us how this simple act of writing daily has been transformative. He is shooting for one thousand journal entries in 2023! Gimme the over.
Entrepreneurship became interesting to James after diving into reading more finance, CS, and self-improvement books. He started a business called: “MatchaMan,” which sold energy-filled, nutrient-rich drinks at local farmer markets. The business has since closed, but James talks about how making a video to say goodbye to all his clients and supporters ultimately became an exercise in recognizing the growth that failure brings. I don’t know purport to know “Matchabout” people, but I’d venture this won’t be James’ last entrepreneurial opportunity.
So much of life can come down to someone asking: “What does you gut feel about it?” I am grateful for James’ story, for the chance to ask him questions and learn from his perspective. He is someone who is brave enough to follow their gut and trust in themself; we need more people like James in the world.
Tell that person how much they mean to you. Please.
FO & BW
