Our September Member of the Month is Matt Lea! Matt has been a crucial part of 100state since its very foundation, and continues to be an active and irreplaceable member of our community. Most recently, he single handedly revived the 100state podcast – check it out at 100stateofmind.com – and read more about Matt below!
Occupation:
Entrepreneur.
What motivates you?
The athletes I coach. Coaching has been a big part of my life since I was 17. Knowing that I am making a positive difference in someone else’s life and that they take the life lessons they learned from us coaches out into the world really keeps me going when things get tough.
Why do you work out of a co-working space? And more importantly, why 100state?
I’ve been a 100Stater since before 100State was a thing, so this is a tough question to answer. We wanted to live and work on our own terms and there wasn’t really a spot like that here in Madison. When the opportunity presented itself we started 100State. To be clear, I was just Director of Technology. Mike and the others did all the real organizing, I just wrote the billing system and was the first person suckered into paying for a 100State membership.
Who do you look at as a role model and why?
I have spent the majority of summers of my adult life coaching at a summer camp. The camp is massive, about 800 kids a week, and has several locations. The original founders of that camp as well as some of the people that ran it year round really helped shape who I am and who I strive to be. They managed to build from the ground up an incredible place that has such a positive impact on so many people, at this point multiple generations of people, since the camp opened in 1970. At the same time they love what they do and the people that work at/visit the camp. The original founder in his mid seventies still eats meals in the camp cafeteria, wanders through the gym helping out, and even bounces on the trampoline once in a while (It blows my mind).
What is your favorite 100state memory?
The first time we ran a big 100State Community Brainstorm that we eventually became known for. Things got a little wild but it really had a great impact on a lot of people, from C level execs to college students.
Again, the athlete’s I coach. Their tenacity and courage they display when pursuing skills that can literally kill you if you mess up inspires me. Working with them gives me hope that the next generation will make this world a better place.
When you’re not at 100state, where can you be found?
Coaching, doing partner acrobatics, or just wandering around the planet drawing stuff.
