ABOUT US
LET’S GET THE FANCY BIO STUFF OUT OF THE WAY:
Mike and Nick Fio (@fiobros) are brother entrepreneurs, TED Speakers, and podcasters on a mission to use media as a force for good. With over 100,000 followers across all social media platforms, their educational videos have amassed over 10 million views and counting.
In 2016, they co-founded Blankets of Hope, an educational media company that teaches kindness in schools. To date, the organization has partnered with schools in 46 states and 3 countries, impacting over 350,000 lives. Their work has been featured in Forbes, FOX, CBS - and on millions of Lays potato chip bags.
Mike and Nick are also highly sought-after public speakers. Their TED talk has garnered over 1 million views across platforms, and they’ve been invited to share their insights with companies like Google, Amazon, & YouTube.
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OUR STORY
In 2016, we both quit our jobs.
Our story begins in a place most New Yorkers know all too well—a hot, sweaty, unremarkable subway car.
It was the summer of 2016. Both of us were commuting to our soul-sucking, unfulfilling 9-5 jobs, wondering how long we could keep doing this.
But on this particular train ride, something happened that changed everything.
We saw a guy, maybe in his mid-50s, sitting across from us. He looked like an older version of ourselves—same suit, same commute, but with lifeless eyes and a face drained of any hope.
He wasn’t just tired from work. He looked like someone who had been worn down by years of doing the same thing, day in and day out, with nothing to show for it but exhaustion.
It was like staring into a mirror, and seeing our future reflected back at us.
And then, it hit us like a ton of bricks: If we didn’t change something now, we’d end up just like him.
That moment sparked a fire. Scared out of our minds, we knew we had to do the unthinkable. We couldn’t stay on this path, just waiting for life to happen to us.
So, we walked into our bosses’ offices… and quit. Just like that.
We had no plan, no safety net—just a dream and a whole lot of blind faith.
At first, it was exhilarating. Being our own bosses felt like winning the lottery. We were riding the ultimate high, chasing our dreams with reckless optimism.
But the honeymoon phase didn’t last.
Within six months, we crashed—hard. All our savings were gone.
And finally, our bank account balance went negative...
But then, one video changed our lives forever...
To take our minds off things, we started a small project during the holidays, giving out blankets and handwritten letters to people living on the streets of NYC. We didn’t expect anything from it—just a way to spread some kindness and maybe feel like we were doing something right.
We made a short video about the project, calling it Blankets of Hope, and posted it online. No expectations, no grand plan. Just a simple act of kindness.
Then, two nights later, we received an email that would change everything.
It was from Todd Chaffee, a venture capitalist from California, who had seen our video. He didn’t just love the project—he saw its potential. He offered us mentorship and financial support, and for the first time, we had the guidance we desperately needed.
Fast forward 8 years, and Blankets of Hope has grown into a global nonprofit, teaching kindness in schools across 46 states and 3 countries, impacting over 400,000 lives.
That single video transformed our lives in so many beautiful ways.
But the biggest gift it gave us? A combined calling.
It helped us get crystal clear on what were put on this earth to do: