Writer and Entrepreneur Matthew Callans '12
Upon graduating from college in 2016, Matthew, who lives in Encinitas, California, spent a year in Guatemala volunteering as an English teacher at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH). Since then, he has cofounded three brands in the health and wellness industry and spends his time writing about topics he’s passionate about. He recently published his first novel, “Wilmer: The True Story of a Young Man’s Journey from Tragedy to Triumph through the Power of the Mind.”
Reprinted from EC Magazine, Summer 2023
Can you tell us what you’ve been up to since graduating from EC?
After graduating, I attended Chapman University in Southern California where I spent four awesome years studying marketing and leadership. After Chapman, I declined a job in medical sales to volunteer for a year in Guatemala at NPH, or “Our Little Brothers and Sisters.”
During the week, I worked as an English teacher for kindergarten through fifth grade students. On the weekends, and when I had time off work, I traveled a fair amount within Guatemala and around Central and South America. I spent a little over 13 months living abroad. It was transformational in many ways, and it opened my eyes to many different and beautiful cultures, people, perspectives and ways of life.
When I returned to the States, I started working on a startup with my childhood best friend and current business partner. We made a CBD protein bar called Shredibles. After building that company for a year and a half, we sold majority ownership and used the proceeds to start our next project in the health and wellness space, Areté Adaptogens.
How did you come to write this story?
I met Wilmer Arias when I was 10 years old when my family and a few others went to NPH Guatemala for a few weeks over the summer. Wilmer had been shot by a hunter’s stray bullet when he was nine years old. The accident left him paralyzed from the waist down and ultimately led his family to bring Wilmer and his two siblings to NPH.
We were immediately captivated by Wilmer and his brother Jacinto. They were engaging, playful, enthusiastic about life and extremely loving. We kept in touch with them in the years following, and on multiple occasions, they stayed with my family in Issaquah for weeks and months at a time. As he got older, Wilmer became an inspirational figure for many. He was a voracious reader and was studying to earn his bachelor’s and master’s at the same time. He was also starting to travel the world and make appearances on shows as a motivational figure and speaker.
When Wilmer asked me to help him document his life story in a way that would benefit others, my answer was an obvious yes.
I spent a month in Guatemala with Wilmer, gathering his story, and interviewing the people in his life. A few weeks after I left Guatemala, COVID hit, and lockdowns began everywhere. A lingering complication arose from the many surgeries Wilmer had received throughout his life, and he passed away during COVID. The story was unfinished and obviously required a different direction. I was devastated, and it took me a very long time to revisit the project. After about a year, I finished the writing and completed the story. In January of 2023, the book “Wilmer,” was published.
What was the process like to get your book published?
The book took about three years to complete—lots of editing and revisions! I owe a huge thank you to my editor and publisher for fine-tuning the writing and guiding me through the publication process. Everything seemed to conspire to bring this book to life. We connected with an editor and publisher through mutual friend websites, and they made the process easy and enjoyable.
Do you have advice for aspiring writers?
Write what you know about! Follow your unique curiosities and see where that takes you. Reading helps a lot, too.
Who are your favorite authors?
Kurt Vonnegut, John Steinbeck, Leo Tolstoy, Steven Kotler, Aldous Huxley, Ernest Hemingway and Eiji Yoshikawa.
Do you have any additional books in the works?
Definitely some ideas, but nothing in the works quite yet.
Next steps for you?
Right now, my focus is on growing my business. Ideally, I would like to build our company for another three to five years, make an exit, and then find another project to work on!
Did anyone at EC inspire you to become a writer?
My English teacher, Jenn Dotsey, in my freshman year, and she sparked my interest in good literature and impactful writing.
“Wilmer” is available on Amazon.com or rollcru.info/wilmer
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