birthdays. thanksgiving. website/online store launch. Black Friday. cyber Monday. giving Tuesday. how was your week?
What a whirlwind of a week it’s been! Let’s take a minute to catch up.
where to begin?
OK. I need a minute to catch my breath. It’s kind of crazy – I’ve been working on so much for the past few months – posting here and there, across social media platforms, websites, etc., all while trying to build and launch this site – so it’s kind of hard to remember what I’ve posted where and when.
For those of you who have been following along on Facebook and Instagram, thank you for being here! This website is the culmination of a LOT of time and effort toward achieving my lifelong dream. It literally got to the point that I was coding webpages and editing photos/videos in my dreams. It was pretty weird.
For those of you who might be new here, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Pete Scalia. Truth be told, I’ve done some really cool stuff in my life. I’ve toured the country as a professional musician. I’ve worked in radio, television and just about every type of media for a long, long time.
I also live with severe rheumatoid arthritis, and have openly shared my journey with this debilitating disease on just about every platform imaginable. As someone who works in the media, I’ve always considered it an obligation to inform people about arthritis, and dispel some of the myths associated with it.
My wife Amy and I have openly shared our journey – struggling with infertility issues and trying to start a family while managing a chronic illness – on television, social media, and at the local and national level, through organizations like the Arthritis Foundation. You can learn more about our journey and why we launched the #PSNeverGiveUp Movement elsewhere on this site.
so many reasons to be thankful!
I know this whole COVID situation has really thrown everyone for a loop. Of course, I’d certainly like to be much further along with the PSNeverGiveUp Podcast, sponsorships, events, etc. – but I have to say, I’m pretty damn proud of the progress we’ve made.
I couldn’t have been more excited to see this site go LIVE on Black Friday! Check out my Instagram post below.
the #PSnevergiveup online shop is up and running – orders will be shipping soon!
Thank you to everyone who’s checked out the online shop! Aside from our handmade products, additional inventory is finally making its way to us from our suppliers, and we’ll be shipping out those initial orders in the next week!
#smallbusinesssaturday and our amazing vendors and suppliers!
Speaking of our suppliers, I just want to thank them again for helping us launch this thing as quickly as we have. As I mentioned in my Facebook post about #SmallBusinessSaturday, we made sure we chose locally-owned vendors to help us bring our shop to life.
#givingtuesday
A big part of the #PSneverGiveUp Movement is establishing the PSNeverGiveUp Foundation. Eventually, we’ll be able to use your tax-deductible donations to help provide information, resources and grants for couples who are dealing with infertility issues and chronic illness, like Amy and I did. Until then, if you’d like to support our efforts to get things rolling (and to help cover the legal fees associated with starting a foundation!) we’ve made it simple to do so.
much, much more to come!
So… the ball is rolling. The site is up. The only shop is taking orders. Next up is securing sponsors and podcast interviews. I know a lot of people are doing things over Skype and Zoom these days – but I’m just not feeling it. I just think that visually and content-wise, there’s something to be said about having a face-to-face conversation with someone. Especially since many of them will also incorporate video.
I’ve reached out to many of my potential guests about doing in-person interviews, and we’re currently trying to work out the details. I’m still planning on an EPIC cross-country road trip (at some point!) to interview some really amazing people with inspiring stories I know you’ll love.
I’m also making time to write and record new music here in the studio, and am planning some INCREDIBLE #PSNeverGiveUp events in 2021.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll continue to follow us here on PSNeverGiveUp.com, be sure to sign up for our newsletter, and follow us on social media. We’ll continue to share entertaining, inspiring and uplifting content across all platforms. Be sure to SHARE using the hashtag #PSNeverGiveUp!
Again, this is the realization of a lifelong dream for me – and I am truly grateful that you’re here. Thank you.
#PSNeverGiveUp
