On September 5, 2021, my 15-year-old son Christian tragically passed away while spending the night at a friend’s house. The shock of this loss and the subsequent months took me on a journey that spanned the darkest night my soul has ever known.

St. John of the Cross poetically described this dark night of the soul as “a spiritual crisis in the journey toward union with God.” From other perspectives, it is seen as an extremely difficult and painful period in one’s life—such as after the death of a loved one, the breakup of a marriage, or the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness. Ultimately, we all experience these dark nights of the soul to varying degrees.

Tragedy has a unique way of stripping away the daily trials and tribulations that divide us, allowing us to rediscover our core humanity. Suddenly, it becomes possible to love people for who they truly are, rather than what we expect them to be. On September 11, 2001, political affiliations, religious beliefs, skin color, and whom someone loved ceased to matter. We lost wives, husbands, parents, siblings, children, and friends. In our collective grief, we embraced our shared humanity and came together to love and support one another. Tragedies provide clarity on who we are and remind us of what truly matters in life.

Imagine if we chose to live like this every day—to see beyond our differences and connect with each other at the level of our shared humanity. How would such a perspective change the world?

On Christmas Day 2023, I found myself desperately missing my son. I left the house that morning and spent time at his grave in Gilbert, AZ. There, I talked with him and prayed for peace and purpose in the face of this profound loss. It was during those moments that the initial idea for Heartitude began to take shape.

Over the next several months, this idea gradually transformed into reality. I met and discussed concepts with former colleagues and friends, who are now part of the founding team. The From the Heart Project, initially conceived as a way to share positive stories of everyday people leading, living, and loving from the heart, became a core component of Heartitude. But the purpose has expanded well beyond that.

As a father, losing Christian has been my greatest sorrow and left an indelible mark on my heart. Through out this unimaginable loss, I have searched my soul, reflected on the meaning of life, and tried to find purpose in this often times unbearable pain.

This experience has made me even more aware of the pain that people live with every day. Pain that may not go away, but the burden can be lessened if we choose treat each other better. In the end, I truly believe the world would be a much better place if we all just tried to live with a little more Heartitude. To treat each other with more kindness. To offer compassion and consolation. To try and be more empathetic, or at the very least acknowledge and understand that each of us have different experiences that impact the way we see the world, and that’s ok.

We can never bring Christian home, but we can keep his memory alive through Heartitude. By sharing the message to treat every person with kindness, compassion, and empathy, we will help build better relationships, that lead to fewer conflicts, and result in better understanding of each other, individually and collectively. This is the power of Heartitude.

So today, I have one simple ask: join us and help connect the world and each other with Heartitude.

Let’s Go Give It together!