Become the Hero of Your Story
In any classic tale, the hero is the character who rises up to change their story. Sidekicks do not.
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I believe we were all born to be the hero of our own story, but sometimes we feel like the sidekick.
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In Sidekick to Hero, I teach teens how to think, feel, and act differently than the rest of the world so they can avoid getting the sidekick results the majority of teens are getting today.
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I'm looking for teens who want to stand out and be different in the best way possible. I'm looking for teens who are ready to kick themselves into HERO MODE!
Mental Resilience Training that Feels Like a Game
Subscription Includes
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Gamified course library
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Challenges to complete in real life
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Monday summary videos
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Weekly live streams
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Customizable avatar
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Monthly giveaways
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Leaderboards
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Podcast
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Replays
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Monthly Virtual Hangouts​​
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$25/mo
per teen
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or
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$250/year
Cheaper than a cell phone
(and this will help solve their problems, not create them. Just sayin')
Here's how Sidekick to Hero Works
Video Courses
Gain XP while watching bite-sized lessons on everything from positive thinking to tackling homework and building better relationships.
Weekly Virtual Events
Keep the momentum going with my Hero Training Rooms, livestreams that tackle a new topic every week.
Customizable Avatar
Watch your personal growth come to life as you customize your avatar from a sidekick to a full-fledged hero.
Challenges
Complete real-life quests and earn in-game points to help you develop powerful mental and emotional skills.
Monthly Prizes
Stay engaged and win awesome gift card giveaways!
Parent Profile
Parents, stay connected to your teen's progress and celebrate their victories together.
I Get It - The Teen Years are TOUGH!
It's especially hard to be a teen when you THINK LIKE A SIDEKICK! You give up all your power or never even access it to begin with. This results in self-doubt, procrastination, and being overwhelmed by stress.
How do you stop this?
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YOU THINK LIKE A HERO!
Add Mental Resilience to Your Teen's Education
Schools Don't Teach This
I was a middle school teacher and counselor for seven years. Schools are designed for the "hard skills" of reading, writing, and arithmetic. There are no classes on the "soft skills" of mental & emotional resilience. That's why I created Sidekick to Hero.
Perfect Resource for Involved Parents
Teens that get the most out of Sidekick to Hero are the ones whose parents make sure they sign in and watch something at least 3 times a week. If you get them in the app, I'll take care of the rest!
Maximize Their Success
Many teens have the academic skills to survive after high school, but not the mental flexibility and emotional control to really thrive. The skills taught in Sidekick to Hero will multiply your teen's potential for success!
Proven Strategies
Lessons and skills taught are based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), emotional processing techniques, and a myriad of effective strategies for success from influential authors, coaches, and experts such as:
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Stephen R. Covey (7 Habits of Highly Effective People)
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James Clear (Atomic Habits)
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Viktor Frankl (Man's Search for Meaning)
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The Arbinger Institute (Leadership and Self-Deception)
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Jody Moore (Better Than Happy)
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Brooke Castillo (The Life Coach School)
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Simon Sinek (The Infinite Game)
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Cal Newport (Deep Work)
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Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Antifragile)
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Daniel Coyle (The Talent Code)
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Napoleon Hill (Own Your Own Mind)
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Carol S. Dweck (Growth Mindset)
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Todd Herman (The Alter Ego Effect)
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Dave Ramsey (Total Money Makeover)
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Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad, Poor Dad)
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and more!
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I take the awesome ideas these powerful thought leaders teach and present them in short, humor-filled lessons that teens can understand and remember!
No Smart Phone Needed
I'm not a fan of teens having smart phones, so I designed Sidekick to Hero to be a web-based app that can be access on a web-browser on any device.
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iOS and Android apps are being developed as we speak and will release in the next year. So, I'm not a total hater.
Who the Heck am I, Anyway?
Meet Your Teen's New Mentor
Glad you asked! I'm Joey Mascio, I like Flammin Hot Cheetos, Cookie Crisp cereal, and snowboarding.
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But here's the stuff about me that you actually care about:
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Masters in Education
I was a middle school teacher and counselor for 7 years in Southern California where I was nominated for Teacher of the Year in my region, ran the Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS), and volunteered to be the full time teacher in the discipline office where I first started coaching teens on mental resilience and success.
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Professionally Certified Life Coach
I have run my own coaching business for 5 years where I coach teens on confidence and creating success. I received my life coach certification from The Life Coach School and an advanced certification in Faith-based Coaching from Jody Moore.
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Motivational Speaker
I've spoken at schools, church activities, girls camps, homeschool conventions, and small co-ops across the country. It's my favorite! Email me if you need a high-energy, confidence building presentation for teens.
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Performer, Writer, and Comedian
I have over two decades of experience as a stage actor, a character performer at Disneyland, and an improv comedian plus a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. I use those storytelling skills and comedy chops to make my lessons engaging and entertaining for teens.
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Family, Faith, and Freedom
I love my family, my faith, and my freedom ('Merica!). My wife and I live in Utah with our four kids and we are raising them to love God and respect people of all beliefs and backgrounds. Sidekick to Hero is a secular program that does NOT teach principles from any one religion, but also doesn't shy away from saying that having faith in something is awesome.
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Can I Sign Up More than One Teen?Yes. The price is per teen, so if you have more than one (first off, bless you) you will have to pay for a subscription for each. Right now, there is no way to add multiple teens to one parent account. To sign up multiple teens, simply go through the sign up process from the beginning for each teen. You will have to use a different email for your parent username that will be attached to each teen's account. But, you may use the same email at the checkout screen. If you don't have as many parent emails as you have teens, here is a workaround that uses a little known Gmail feature: Create one free gmail account (if you don't already have one) "example@gmail.com" When you sign up at Sidekick to Hero, you can add a "+1" to the email to have our system recognize it as a different parent username. "example+1@gmail.com, example+2@gmail.com, example+3@gmail.com" Password reset emails sent to those emails will all be sent to the main inbox "example@gmail.com" Keep a list of which email belongs to which teen so you can sign in and manage their account and see their activity log In the future, we hope to add a feature that lets parents add multiple teens to one parent account.
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Do you push any religious or political agendas?Not whatsoever! I am a conservative and a religious person myself, but Sidekick to Hero is a secular program fit for any public school, homeschool, or government affiliated organization. I encourage teens to follow the faith/political leaning of their parents. I feel that creates the happiest most cohesive homes. Also, some schools in some states use "social emotional learning" to push certain agendas. That's not what this is. Sidekick to Hero focuses on helping teens develop strength in four areas: Headspace (mental resilience), Emotions (emotional toughness), Relationships (being kind and service-oriented), and Objectives (become industrious go-getters!).
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Can my teen talk or interact with other teens in the program?There is no social or community chat features in Sidekick to Hero that allows teens to communicate with each other freely. The only time teens have the ability to chat with each other is during the weekly live streams where the chat is monitored by a professionally certified coach or during our new Social Clubs. Social Clubs are led by teen Club Leaders, with no adult present, fostering genuine peer-to-peer interaction. This setup allows teens to build friendships and practice leadership, social, and emotional skills taught in the program—all while having fun! Club meetings are recorded and monitored by my team, ensuring accountability and offering follow-up on any behavioral concerns reported by the Club Leader. This balance of independence and oversight creates a safe and enriching space for teens to grow. Social Clubs are an optional part of Sidekick to Hero.
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Can I see my teen's progress and activity?Yes! When you sign up you will create TWO ACCOUNTS. A parent account and a teen account. When you sign in with your email, you will be able to manage your teen's account and see a full log of your teen's activity so you can see when and what they did in the program. This is designed to help you keep your teen accountable. Parents, however, CANNOT see anything that their teen types into the Challenge Journal section of the app. No one can see that but the teen, not even me. This privacy is important so teens can be free to write out their thoughts freely and thus create growth and awareness. Since I cannot see anything your teen writes, Sidekick to Hero and it's employees are not responsible for anything your teen writes or admits in the Challenge Journal.
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What are the monthly prizes my teen can win?Monthly prizes consist mostly of Amazon Gift Cards of varying amounts, depending on the teen's level in Sidekick to Hero. Gift Cards are sent to the parent's email attached to their teen's account.
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How can I get my teen to use Sidekick to Hero?You know your teen the best, so you know how to best motivate them. But parents that have seen the best results with their teens in Sidekick to Hero make it an expectation and a routine to sign in and use the program 2-5 times a week. Some parents attach rewards or incentives, others leave it to their teen and they do it on their own. Parents can join our Sidekick to Hero Parents Facebook Group to chat with other parents about how they get their teen to use it.
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Can my teen get 1:1 private coaching in Sidekick to Hero?Occasionally, Sidekick to Hero offers complimentary 1:1 coaching sessions for teens, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Parents can sign up their teens, and afterward, teens may choose whether their session replay is shared in the Sidekick to Hero app for others to learn from. Participation in sharing is completely optional and based on the teen’s comfort level. For regular 1:1 coaching, the best option is to join my Drop-In Coaching program, which provides affordable, casual coaching for teens and their families on a monthly basis.
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Can I see the videos and lessons that my teen has access to in S2H?Right now, the Parent Portal does not have access to the full app. We encourage parents to sign in with their teen and watch the first couple of videos together so you can get a feel for the tone and lessons taught. Parents can preview four lessons from the app here! It will give you a good idea of the content and tone in the program. Show it to your teen to get them on board!
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What age range is the Live Your Own Life Challenge for?This webinar is for teens ages 12-16. A really mature and motivated 11 year old can usually make the cut.
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Is the challenge for parent and teen?Yes. You are the most important coach in your teen's life. I'm just your assistant. The challenge is designed for both parent and teen to watch together. You can watch it ahead of time to see if you like it and then get your teen on board and watch it with them. If you are super busy and don't have the time, your teen watching it by themselves is better than nothing! But seriously, you are their most important coach. Make the time!
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I really want my teen to do this, how can I best pitch this to them so they'll try it out?It's all about getting them to sit down and watch the challenge. Just tell your teen that there is a motivational video for teens you'd like to watch together with them. It's hosted by a comedian and former Disneyland actor. It's less than 15 minutes long and they'll have an opportunity to get a $25 Amazon Gift Card out of it. Hopefully the challenge hooks them and they are willing to try out more mental resilience training in Sidekick to Hero!
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Do I have to sign up for Sidekick to Hero to get the $25 Amazon Gift Card?Yes. The gift card works as a cash back deal. If you sign up your teen for an annual subscription to the program within 7 days of signing up for the challenge and decide to stay after the 14 day free trial, your card will be charged. Then, I will send you a form to fill out to get the digital Amazon Gift Card for $25. If your teen kept their end of the deal and created their avatar in the first 24 hours, then you must pass that gift card along to them. If they didn't do their part in time, but they still want to stay in the program, then don't cancel and you can just keep the gift card for yourself!
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How much is a subscription to Sidekick to Hero?Right now you can get an annual subscription to Sidekick to Hero for only $180 (25% Off). In order to be eligible for the gift card, you need to sign up for the annual subscription. There is also a monthly option for $20 a month, but you will not qualify for the $25 gift card.
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What if my teen just isn't interested in the challenge?It's better to skip the challenge for now. A reluctant teen begrudgingly watching something they don't want to watch is a hard frown to turn upside down. I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying you'll have a better chance if you wait for the right moment. This Live Your Own Life Challenge will be available for awhile. If it's gone when your teen is ready, you can email me at joey@sidekicktohero.com to find out what else I have going on.
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What if I signed up my teen, they really tried it and didn't like it? Can we cancel and still get the $25 gift card?You know what, I'm feeling in a good mood, sure. I believe in what I created so much, that I am willing to still pay your teen even if they decide to cancel before the 14-day free trial is over. As long as they completed all the challenges and really gave it the old "college try," and you get to be the judge of that. If you sign your teen up for the annual subscription, and they create their avatar AND watch at least one thing in the app within 24 hours, and then decide that they don't want to stay, here's what you do: cancel your subscription and send me an email telling me you think your teen deserves the gift card. I will then send you a form to fill out testifying that your teen really tried it out, ask you to prove that you are a real person (so I don't get hit by scammers), then I'll send you the $25 Amazon Gift Card. I firmly believe that not too many teens will fall into this category. A teen who really tries out Sidekick to Hero is generally a teen who is ready and willing to receive the high-performance mental resilience training that Sidekick to Hero provides.