A son who’S “too busy”
Go Call Your Mom LLC was started by Matt Kelly, a guy who lives in Chicago and has spent his adult life working in Corporate America.
Until 2019, Matt would call his parents once a week or so, but it was all about anybody else but them. How are Matt’s cousins doing? What’s going on with Matt’s job? The goal wasn’t to gain an understanding about his parents. Matt was too caught up in his own life to learn about his parents’ lives, at least not in any meaningful way. It was all about Matt.
Like many of us, Matt learned about his own dad’s life when he died. His mom told him all about his dad, but it was too late. Here’s the obituary Matt wrote to honor his dad’s life.
calling mom EVERY DAY
When Matt’s dad died, he started to call his mom every day so she didn’t feel alone. Like any new behavior, it was unnatural at first. He didn’t know what to talk about. After all, Matt didn’t call anyone every day.
Over time, Matt started to learn about his mom in a profound way. She told him about the darkest and lightest moments of her life. In turn, Matt told her his. But, she already knew about those. She’d been there for him through all of them.
What started as a practice to help Matt’s mom feel less alone became a ritual that’s now as natural to him as brushing his teeth.
starting a movement
In 2023, during a classic mid-life crisis, Matt decided to leave his corporate job to find purpose. He learned how to make sneakers. Shortly after that, he applied everything he’d learned about his mom to make a special pair of shoes for her.
From there, he started a company called Go Call Your Mom LLC. He didn’t know what the company was at first. He still doesn’t. All Matt knows is, he’s going to continue evangelizing about what calling your mom can do for your life. For her life. And, if we all did it, we might be able to make this world a better place.