Swoveralls Comfort Club · January 2025 · Volume 3, Issue 1

Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: A Reflection

By Kyle Bergman, Founder of Swoveralls · January 2025

2017 - Rooftop of 103 East 10th Street, NY, NY

I was today years old when I found out that a Japense public-private partnership has commercialized the world's first toilet paper made from used diapers. Check it out here if you're curious. As a dad I feel some sort of way about this.

Now let's get to it.

Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: A Reflection

this is fine

Comfortable with being uncomfortable. What does that even mean? You're a masochist? Another thought it reminds me of is around the concept of motivation.

I can't take credit for this, I believe I read it in the book high output management by Andy Grove, and he said something to the tune of, "if you are 100% satisfied you would have 0% motivation. therefore, you must be unsatisfied to some degree in order to utilize the power of motivation."

I can relate deeply to this - at one point I was very unsatisfied with the fact good old-fashioned regular sweatpant overalls didn't exist.

So I became motivated to make them. And here we are.

Does that mean that being uncomfortable is the same thing as being unsatisfied?

Perhaps, but I think we'd have to get super specific with what we mean by uncomfortable and unsatisfied. If someone develops jedi-level abilities to be comfortable in the uncomfortable...will they also lack motivation because they are undisturbed by being unsatisfied?

Or, are they super motivated to persevere through uncomfortable times to a point where they have conditioned themselves to "love the suck", or "callous the mind" as some might say.

I'm not sure, but I think about these things sometimes.

You might be asking yourself at this point (if you've made it this far), "uhh Kyle, are you ok? what's the point you're trying to make?"

I think "the point" is this: a delicate balance exists between comfort and discomfort, between satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

Embracing discomfort can be a powerful tool for personal growth and innovation, but it's essential to understand that this dynamic is very different from person to person.

What do I want you to takeaway from this? I guess it's this: cultivating a mindset that views challenges as opportunities for growth, rather than obstacles to avoid, can lead to increased resilience and motivation.

However, it's crucial to recognize that the relationship between discomfort and motivation is complex and again is going to be very different for you relative to what it means for me.

To conclude, this reflection is me trying to develop a more nuanced understanding of our own (me and you) motivations and how we can harness the power of discomfort to drive personal and professional growth.

Thanks for reading. More below if you're picking it up what I'm putting down.

Customer Spotlight: Jason Carbary

Jason in the Navy (the color, not the maritime service branch of the US armed forces).

I'm honored to feature Mr. Jason Carbary this month, one of our first ever Comfort Club Members, and an all-around gem of a human.

Jason lives in Michigan, and spends his days working for Lincoln as a New Car Sales and Product Specialist. He loves his job, and talking with him made me happy for every person who gets the pleasure of experiencing a Lincoln with him.

When Jason and I spoke (back when I was doing my monthly comfort club video hangouts...), he shared something that really shook me (in a good way).

Jason said he started his own photography brand, and I was a part of the inspiration for doing it. To paraphrase, he saw my hustle with Swoveralls, and that unlocked just a little bit more motivation for him to go for it, and do the dang thang. I was incredibly humbled and flattered, and am proud to call Jason a member of the comfy fam.

Thank you Jason for freeing the waistband, and being an amazing light out there.

You can check out Jason's photography here.

In Other Comfy News

Brand Crush: Shift Naturals

One of the ways I bet some of you get extra comfortable in your Swoveralls is with a little maryy janneee. Well believe it or not, I've never been "very good at weed." In the sense that without fail everytime I ever took a puff (or the smallest pinch of a gummy ever) I would get super anxious and not have the experience spiccoli seems to have (which is what we all want).

But I love the idea of cannabis. It's mother nature. It's got anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties. It's an ancient, organic herb.

Enter Shift Naturals, a cannabis-infused sparkling water with 2mg of hemp-derived THC. This is the perfect amount for me, a self-described "THC sensitive" soul.

Shift Naturals currently makes a line of drinks called DownShift, and they are delicious. The folks behind the brand are also good people, with a similar purpose-first agenda when it comes to building their brand that I can relate to.

Full Disclosure, I get paid by Shift Naturals to help with some of their marketing campaigns, but I also pay full price for a monthly subscription of their 12-pack.

You can check out DownShift here, and unwind from the grind.

Twin Update

For those that are new here...I have 14 month old identical twin boys named Max and Bernie. They're Swoveralls' two laziest employees, but they're also the cutest...but not for long.

They have a little sister joining them this coming June, and they have no idea they're getting demoted to handlers of the incoming princess.

Slacking on the job and bingeing Ms. Rachel

One Last Thought

There are two things that make a brand AMAZING (in my opinion).

1. The product

2. The people who buy it, and believe in it

Our goal for 2025 is simple: Make 20,000 people more comfortable with themselves; both literally and figuratively.

However, I'd be lying if I said that we have hit the ground running in January.

We're out of stock in virtually every single style in size medium or larger.

We won't have inventory until March at the earliest.

Bittersweet because this was due to a great '24 Holiday season.

Good thing about turning 8 - this isn't our first rodeo.

We've been here before (circa 2019 - thanks Shark Tank).

We'll be offering preorder soon for core and limited edition styles (Dino is coming back and in new colors).

We'll do our best to be as communicative as possible along the way.

And we'll keep doing our best to stay comfy when things get uncomfy.

Thank you thank you thank you for being a part of this ride.

Yours in free waistband energy,

Founder | Chief Swoveralls Officer

PS - Have any comfort recommendations you'd like to share? Feel free to reply here and let me know. I'd be happy to include in a future newsletter and of course give ya a shoutout.

PSS - Love this newsletter? Can't stand it? Reply here and let me know and I'll personally get back to you. Your feedback is a gift.

PSSS - If you made it this far, you might as well join our facebook group here (the Comfort Club).