Observations from Families & Classrooms
The following observations are not formal research studies. They are real stories shared with us by parents and educators over the years that profoundly influenced the development of the Hero Mindset. Individually, they are meaningful moments. Together, they revealed patterns that shaped the questions we began asking and ultimately informed the framework we built.
Case Study 1: Finding Your Brave
"Abby" (name changed) was a four-year-old with selective mutism. Her classmates had never heard her speak at school. She had become close friends with another four-year-old girl, "Sophie," who had embraced the language of the Hero Mindset through Hartie and Hello Hero. Sophie had begun seeing herself as someone who could use her brave powers, do hard things, and help others do hard things too.
One afternoon, Abby was playing at Sophie's house when Sophie's mother received a phone call letting her know another little boy was coming over for a playdate. As soon as Abby realized someone else would be joining them, her anxiety returned. She became quiet, withdrew from the play, and stopped speaking.
Without any adult prompting, Sophie walked over, picked up Hartie and her hero cape, handed them to Abby, and quietly said, "Here. This might help you find your brave."
She didn't try to convince Abby to play or tell her not to be scared. She simply sat beside her.
Abby held onto Hartie and the cape for several minutes. Eventually, she took a deep breath, joined the other children, and before long she was talking.
What We Noticed
What stood out wasn't simply that Abby found the courage to participate. It was that another four-year-old instinctively reached for the language of the Hero Mindset to support a friend. Rather than trying to rescue Abby or solve the problem for her, Sophie reminded Abby of the courage she already had within herself.
Case Study 2: Holding Onto Identity Through Grief
"Ella" (name changed) was four years old when she lost her father to cancer. In the weeks that followed, her family was surrounded by extraordinary love. Friends organized meals, books, toys, and gifts, all hoping to bring comfort during an unimaginably difficult time.
When it was our turn, we dropped off Hartie and a copy of Hello Hero. Given the number of thoughtful gifts Ella had already received, I didn't expect Hartie to stand out.
The very next morning, my doorbell rang and Ella was standing there holding Hartie.
"Can you remind me what his name is?" she asked. A few weeks later, her mother reached out after reading Hello Hero together. She told me she cried through the entire book. What struck her wasn't that the story took away Ella's grief. It didn't. Instead, it reminded her daughter that she was more than the hardest thing that had happened to her. She could miss her daddy, cry, grieve, and have incredibly difficult days while still seeing herself as someone who was brave, capable, and strong. Her grief had become a central part of her identity, but it did not become her sole identity.
What We Noticed
This was one of the first times we began thinking about the Hero Mindset as more than a language for courage. It seemed to offer children a way of holding onto their identity during life's hardest moments by reminding them that even when circumstances change, their inherent worth and inner strength remain.
Case Study 3: Seeing the Small Wins
"Nina" (name changed) experienced significant social anxiety. Going to school each morning felt overwhelming. She often cried before drop-off, and even walking through the classroom door felt impossible.
Her family began intentionally using the language of the Hero Mindset at home.
Rather than focusing on everything that felt too difficult, they asked a different question each morning: "How are you going to use your brave powers today?"
Some days, using her brave powers meant simply walking to the front door. On another day it meant walking into school. Eventually it meant opening the classroom door herself.
Each evening they reflected together by asking, "How did you hero today?"
Over time, Nina stopped measuring herself by what she couldn't yet do and began noticing the small acts of courage she accomplished every day.
Several weeks later, after getting out of the car for school, she turned to her mother and said, "Mom, I don't need my brave powers anymore. I got this."
What We Noticed
The Hero Mindset gave Nina and her family a language for celebrating progress rather than perfection. Heroism became the small victories that are so often overlooked, allowing her to build an identity around what she could do instead of what she couldn't.
Recurring Observations
As more families welcomed Hartie into their homes, we began hearing remarkably similar stories.
Parents shared that whenever their children were facing something difficult, they reached for Hartie. Children brought him to doctor's appointments, dentist visits, blood draws, hospital procedures, the first day of school, family trips, and overnight stays. Parents consistently described Hartie not as a source of magical comfort, but as a reminder of their child's own ability to do hard things.
We also noticed that children began using the language of the Hero Mindset during ordinary moments of everyday life.
One little boy proudly announced while helping clear the dinner table, "Mom, I'm heroing."
Another child reminded his sibling to "find your brave."
Parents described hearing phrases like "I'm using my brave powers," "I did a hard thing," and "I heroed today" become part of their children's everyday vocabulary.
Across many different families, we observed children beginning to recognize that heroism wasn't reserved for extraordinary acts. Helping at home, persevering through frustration, showing kindness to a sibling, trying something new, or facing something scary all became examples of what it meant to "hero."
A Pattern Emerged
Although each story was unique, together they revealed a consistent pattern.
Children weren't looking to Hartie as the hero.
Instead, Hartie became a reminder of their own ability to be brave, kind, resilient, and capable.
The cape wasn't about pretending to become someone else. Hello Hero wasn't teaching children about Hartie's strengths. Together, they were helping children see themselves through a different lens. Rather than focusing on external superpowers, children began recognizing their own "powers to hero"—their ability to do hard things, to help others, to persevere, and to make a positive difference.
These observations became some of the earliest building blocks of what would eventually become the Hero Mindset.