This is profoundly special. What a gift to have these stories in one place—and to see how they thread into who you (Kyle) are and why you do what you do. There are so many takeaways, but what strikes me most is that you (Wendy) clearly *see* and *know* your son. That kind of understanding may be the greatest gift a parent can give, even into adulthood. I loved this piece and the heart behind it.
Wendy, these are truly beautiful reflections. They strike me as an attunement you share with your son that is a gift in its depth. Thank you for sharing.
I believe that some of the finest men have very loving relationships with their mothers. I won’t claim a cause-effect connection, but I’d come pretty darn close. You were clearly a special boy all on your own (thanks for the background data, Wendy!), so the nature/nurture program was pushing in a good direction. You’ve taken it the rest of the way. A pleasure to know ya’, Kyle! ✌️
I promise you it is sincere here. I also don’t have a true blood brother. I do, however, have many men I’m honored to use the name with. You’re near the top.
Your sincerity shines through, Kyle. I am quite amazed at some of the friendships that have developed for me on Substack. That inspired me to write my essay “Relationships in the age of AI” about what is the nature of “real”. Interesting times we’re living through.
What a privilege to read these stories. Having read a bit of Resilient Mental State now, these stories make a lot of sense. I particularly enjoyed Sticks and Stones. Sticks and stones or bats and balls? Negative or positive? It's all about how we choose to see things.
Loved all of these reflections, and having read a few from Kyle's posts already, it was such a joy to hear them told from another perspective.
Kyle is one of my favourite people on the internet, and these stories just go show how resilient he's always been, walking the walk and helping others.
Haha we also seem to have the same proclivity for getting hurt and going for it anyway! 😂
These reflections were truly amazing, and the stories beautifully illustrate Kyle’s journey toward becoming such a resilient and strong person. Amazing!
This is a beautiful piece, I am not at all surprised by the incredible resilience Kyle had from such a young age. These stories only add more power to an already incredible pillar of integrity, resilience and wisdom in the world today. Thank you for sharing these Wendy, you are a beautiful writer. Have to echo the comment above, warriors raising warriors captures this so well.
Completely agree brother. We all have it. I’m obsessed with attempting to provide frameworks to encourage anyone willing to harness it in and across domains.
These are incredible reflections! Not only are they inspiring stories of resilience, but they also offer a unique view of some of the formative experiences that made Kyle such a great man! Thank you both for sharing!
Kyle and Wendy, I'm so glad that you managed to make this happen. "The Origins of Resilience" direct from the source. I love these stories and I think even if they are cemented in family lore, having them written down makes all the difference.
I also love the fact that you can look back and see those single likes from when you started writing and know that your mum had your back.
I was thinking about the comment you made “Warriors raising warriors” and I remember something that happened to me when I was about 10 years old. I was one of the smallest girls in my class and two of the let’s say “larger built girls” picked on me and decided they wanted to get in a piggy back fight. I didn’t want to back down and a friend said I could get on her back. It was the dead of winter in Montreal and they ended up knocking me off and I fell and broke my wrist on the ice. My dad picked me up and took me to the hospital to set my arm and have it cast just below the elbow. I grew up in a hockey family with my dad playing and then coaching and my brother playing professionally in France for a year. I was the captain of my Ringuette team. (This was played with a rubber ring and pole before they had girl’s hockey teams.) I still wanted to play so I convinced my parents I could just wear a gantlet (a protective glove that the hockey players used) over my wrist. It worked out great until I had my recheck with the surgeon and he asked, What have you been doing? Your wrist is twisted in the cast?” When I admitted I was playing Ringuette (which really did involve a lot of flicking of my wrist especially on face offs etc.) he replied “We’ll fix that.” He promptly bent my elbow and extended the cast to just below my shoulder making it impossible for me to continue playing until the cast was removed. Can’t blame a girl for trying to be resilient….
This is profoundly special. What a gift to have these stories in one place—and to see how they thread into who you (Kyle) are and why you do what you do. There are so many takeaways, but what strikes me most is that you (Wendy) clearly *see* and *know* your son. That kind of understanding may be the greatest gift a parent can give, even into adulthood. I loved this piece and the heart behind it.
Thank you Erin.
I always love your reflections after a post. Thank you my friend
Wendy, these are truly beautiful reflections. They strike me as an attunement you share with your son that is a gift in its depth. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Sam.
Appreciate you brother
I believe that some of the finest men have very loving relationships with their mothers. I won’t claim a cause-effect connection, but I’d come pretty darn close. You were clearly a special boy all on your own (thanks for the background data, Wendy!), so the nature/nurture program was pushing in a good direction. You’ve taken it the rest of the way. A pleasure to know ya’, Kyle! ✌️
As always, it’s hard to express my appreciation of you and your words Baird. Thank you brother
I don’t have a brother. My longest-standing friend calls me his honorary brother. That word feels good to me when sincerely expressed. 😊
I promise you it is sincere here. I also don’t have a true blood brother. I do, however, have many men I’m honored to use the name with. You’re near the top.
Your sincerity shines through, Kyle. I am quite amazed at some of the friendships that have developed for me on Substack. That inspired me to write my essay “Relationships in the age of AI” about what is the nature of “real”. Interesting times we’re living through.
Thanks for your friendship. 🙏🏻
What a privilege to read these stories. Having read a bit of Resilient Mental State now, these stories make a lot of sense. I particularly enjoyed Sticks and Stones. Sticks and stones or bats and balls? Negative or positive? It's all about how we choose to see things.
Thank you James. I am glad you enjoyed the stories.
Thank you brother. I was raised well
Loved all of these reflections, and having read a few from Kyle's posts already, it was such a joy to hear them told from another perspective.
Kyle is one of my favourite people on the internet, and these stories just go show how resilient he's always been, walking the walk and helping others.
Haha we also seem to have the same proclivity for getting hurt and going for it anyway! 😂
Thank you Genevieve.
Thank you my friend.
And yes, I’m known to bleed often in all endeavors I partake in haha 👊🏻
These reflections were truly amazing, and the stories beautifully illustrate Kyle’s journey toward becoming such a resilient and strong person. Amazing!
Thank you Andres.
Thank you brother
This is a beautiful piece, I am not at all surprised by the incredible resilience Kyle had from such a young age. These stories only add more power to an already incredible pillar of integrity, resilience and wisdom in the world today. Thank you for sharing these Wendy, you are a beautiful writer. Have to echo the comment above, warriors raising warriors captures this so well.
Thank you so much
❤️👊🏻
I'm thrilled to see more conversations on resiliency. We need that ingrained more in our lives.
Completely agree brother. We all have it. I’m obsessed with attempting to provide frameworks to encourage anyone willing to harness it in and across domains.
These are incredible reflections! Not only are they inspiring stories of resilience, but they also offer a unique view of some of the formative experiences that made Kyle such a great man! Thank you both for sharing!
Appreciate you brother
Thank you Erik.
Kyle and Wendy, I'm so glad that you managed to make this happen. "The Origins of Resilience" direct from the source. I love these stories and I think even if they are cemented in family lore, having them written down makes all the difference.
I also love the fact that you can look back and see those single likes from when you started writing and know that your mum had your back.
Finally thanks for the mention 😊
Thank you Mark.
❤️👊🏻 thanks again brother
Warriors raising Warriors.
I was thinking about the comment you made “Warriors raising warriors” and I remember something that happened to me when I was about 10 years old. I was one of the smallest girls in my class and two of the let’s say “larger built girls” picked on me and decided they wanted to get in a piggy back fight. I didn’t want to back down and a friend said I could get on her back. It was the dead of winter in Montreal and they ended up knocking me off and I fell and broke my wrist on the ice. My dad picked me up and took me to the hospital to set my arm and have it cast just below the elbow. I grew up in a hockey family with my dad playing and then coaching and my brother playing professionally in France for a year. I was the captain of my Ringuette team. (This was played with a rubber ring and pole before they had girl’s hockey teams.) I still wanted to play so I convinced my parents I could just wear a gantlet (a protective glove that the hockey players used) over my wrist. It worked out great until I had my recheck with the surgeon and he asked, What have you been doing? Your wrist is twisted in the cast?” When I admitted I was playing Ringuette (which really did involve a lot of flicking of my wrist especially on face offs etc.) he replied “We’ll fix that.” He promptly bent my elbow and extended the cast to just below my shoulder making it impossible for me to continue playing until the cast was removed. Can’t blame a girl for trying to be resilient….
Thank you Kevin
❤️👊🏻
Wendy Shepard is a saint.
Thank you Adam
Ha ha not even close...