There's a version of this story that sounds inspiring from the outside. A founder with a mission. A brand built on purpose. Apparel designed to change lives.
But before any of that, there was just me — in the dark, trying to find a reason to keep going.
I've battled depression for a long time. Not the kind that looks dramatic from the outside, but the quiet, grinding kind that makes ordinary days feel impossible. The kind where you smile at people and function and show up, while something inside you is slowly going under.
In those moments, words mattered to me more than I can explain. A phrase. A reminder. Something to hold onto when everything else felt like it was slipping. Choose joy. Spread love. Be awesome. It became my personal mission statement — not because those things came easily, but because I needed to fight for them. Every single day.
And at some point, I started to wonder: what if someone else needed these words too?
More Than a Brand
Choose Joy. Spread Love. Be Awesome. was never really about clothing. It was about the moment someone sees a message on a shirt — on a stranger, on a friend, on themselves in the mirror — and something shifts. A thought interrupted. A spiral slowed. A quiet reminder that they are not alone.
I believe apparel can do that. I believe words worn on a body carry weight. And I believe that if even one person sees one of our shirts on the worst day of their life and feels something — hope, recognition, solidarity — then this whole thing is worth it.
That's not a marketing strategy. That's the reason I get up in the morning.
Who This Is For
I didn't build this brand for a specific demographic. I built it for whoever it finds.
For the person who struggles with their mental health and wants to wear something that reflects their fight. For the parent who wants their kid to walk into school carrying a message of kindness. For the friend who doesn't know what to say to someone they love who is hurting, but wants to show up anyway. For the young person who wants to make their community better and is looking for a way to start.
You don't have to be broken to belong here. You just have to care.
The Bigger Dream
I want to build a community. Not just customers — a movement of people who believe that joy is worth choosing, that love is worth spreading, and that being awesome isn't about perfection. It's about showing up, even when it's hard.
I want this brand to change lives on a grand scale. Through awareness. Through connection. Through the radical, countercultural act of being kind in a world that often isn't.
We're just getting started. But every shirt sold, every person who wears this message into the world — that's the dream becoming real.
If You're Reading This
Maybe you found this brand because you were searching for something. Maybe a product caught your eye. Maybe someone shared this post with you.
Whatever brought you here — I'm glad you're here. And I want you to know: the words on these shirts aren't just a slogan. They're an invitation.
Choose joy. Not because it's easy. Because it's worth it.
Spread love. Because the world is desperate for it.
Be awesome. Because you already are.
Welcome to the community.
— Jeremy