ABOUT US

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Our Story //

At Fail Forward we celebrate conquering adversity in whatever form it chooses to present itself. We learn from it. We let it mold us. We celebrate the rewards that await us on the other side. These types of experiences, the toughest of experiences, are the foundation of what drove our founder, Travis, to create Fail Forward.  

Our story begins in 2015. Travis was on his way home from a long-distance job, asleep in the back seat of a company work van when the driver unexpectedly dozed off at the wheel. Upon impact, at speeds of more than 75 miles per hour, Travis was ejected from the vehicle into the middle of a busy interstate highway. In a catastrophic event that most would not have survived, Travis suffered countless serious injuries, but clung to life. He was transported via helicopter to a Level I Trauma Hospital where he was rushed into a series of 6 surgeries over the next 8 days.

Adversity presented itself that day in the form of:
 

• A skull fracture

• Multiple facial fractures

• A hemothorax / pneumothorax

• 7-11 rib fractures

• A broken left shoulder

• An open fracture of the left elbow 

• Internal bleeding

After spending weeks in the hospital, fighting for his life every step of the way, he was finally released. The catch? Travis was confined to a wheelchair for over 6 months with little to no mobility. We think he got off easy. 

Throughout his time of healing and repairing his body, Travis tells of having time to think of how his life had dramatically changed, and what it would have to look like moving forward. He was constantly reminded that he was now severely immunocompromised and shuddered at the amount of pain that he would be in on a daily basis. Even through the instability of his mental state, Travis was encouraged by something that everyone told him during his time in the hospital - that his excellent physical condition at the time of the wreck was likely what saved his life. Travis is a living example of how crucial physical fitness is to a healthy life - and it was from that day forward that he decided to embrace and ambassador that message with a career in fitness. It’s what drove him to push forward, to heal, and to overcome the wheelchair he’d been confined to. FAIL FORWARD.

Fast forward to October 2019. Life had resumed and some semblance of normalcy was back. Travis was eagerly sitting down to watch a movie at his home in Florida that he’d been excited to see. It was just the way he wanted to spend that day - his birthday. Then the phone rang.

 

Initially, Travis ignored the call from his brother and followed up with a text to him letting him know he was a the movie theater. The response was startlingly direct: “Leave and call. This is urgent.”  Flustered and curious he stepped outside to return the call. It was then that he learned that his beloved little sister had committed suicide.

Adversity had reared its ugly head again, this time in a form unlike anything Travis had ever dealt with before. Travis would say to this day that he would rather suffer through 1,000 more car crashes than go through the pain of losing his little sister again.  FAIL FORWARD.

 
A Message From Our Founder //

I created Fail Forward for the people that have experienced the darkest side of pain. The kind that leaves you with constant questions, and no answers.  The persistent torture of looking in the rearview mirror, staring down that dramatic event day in and day out, and wondering if you’ll ever be able to overcome it.

I'm here to tell you that no matter what you're currently going through or what you will face, there is always a way forward. You may just have to Fail Forward. Fail Forward in a way that pushes you onward. After my car wreck, I had to fail forward through an obsession with fitness. I cleaned up an ugly life financially, spiritually, and physically. When my sister died I took a deep look at my own mental health and researched ways that I could not only callous my mind to strengthen it, but also teach other people to harden their mental fortitude so they too can overcome adversity.

What I hope to create with Fail Forward is a platform by which you can wear and promote that you have overcome life’s toughest challenges. Together we are strong, and together we can share unbelievable stories and unexplainable determination. I want to hear these stories, and I encourage you to allow us to share them globally through Fail Forward’s website. Finally, know that every purchase made here at Fail Forward will do more to helping others overcome their future nightmares. A portion of every sale will be donated to To Write Love on Her Arms. TWLOHA is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. You can find out more about their mission here. We all fail, but only you choose to Fail Forward.

 

- Travis Bacon, Founder