182: The Secret to Living Is Giving — Nick & Mike Fiorito with Blankets of Hope

There is no better gift out there than giving.

Nick and Mike Fiorito are two brothers from Brooklyn and the founders of HappyFreaks, where they deliver blankets and handwritten notes to the homeless across the country during the winter. On the show, Nick and Mike share their stories about how they were able to grow their movement to the success we see today. They also discuss their philosophy and how giving back is a huge factor intertwined into their beliefs.

“Definitely one of the big takeaways we get from Blankets of Hope is we stop judging people.”

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Key Takeaways:

[4:00] How did Blankets of Hope get started?

[6:00] Every morning when Nick went to work, he would see a homeless guy who he kept promising (in the back of his head) he would help. When winter came, he knew he couldn’t put it off any longer.

[10:10] Blankets of Hope gives more than just blankets to the homeless.

[13:10] Stop judging! People have an unfair bias against homeless people.

[15:55] What do Nick and Mike’s friends and family think about all of this?

[18:55] There is no better gift out there than giving. The secret to a good life is giving.

[22:10] Big shoutouts to Todd Chaffee for believing in what Nick and Mike were doing.

[24:35] How did Nick and Mike build traction and get bigger?

[27:50] Nothing is ever permanent. For many of these people, they were living fine one day and then a snowball effect happened and they lost their homes and stability.

[32:35] Nick and Mike believe what you put into your mind is what comes out. If you feed your mind with positivity, then nothing but good will come out.

[38:25] What books do Nick and Mike recommend to others?

[42:00] Nick and Mike dive into their beliefs and their Stoic philosophy.

[44:20] Remember, we can only control what is within our control.

[45:55] What’s next for Nick and Mike? They do their Happy Feet project when it’s not winter and they give socks to the homeless.

[48:05] Nick and Mike share some stories about the people they’ve helped and the impact it has had on them.

“People have this bias against homeless people that they’re lazy, but so many of them tell us, “I want to work!””

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