Oct. 16, 2023 is a day that Senior Connor Thornton (’24) will never forget, as it changed the outlook of his future. After committing to Rollins College for lacrosse, Thornton dreamed of setting athletic records and having a successful academic career. Throughout the preseason, Thornton was ready to tackle his senior year, with a goal of becoming an All-American. Then, tragedy struck. Suddenly, Thornton found himself meeting with the team doctor about an MRI scan. This began Thornton’s battle of accepting his injury, as he still wanted to contribute to his team and to his community.
Season-ending injuries are not easy to cope with—especially when you have never dealt with one before. After tearing his ACL in Fall 2023, ending his lacrosse career, Thornton’s goals—and mindset—shifted. He realized all his time, energy and effort needed to be put into something else. He needed a new challenge. This realization propelled him to discover his next project—starting his own clothing brand surrounding the importance of mental health and following one’s passion.
While Thornton had the idea of starting a clothing brand with a friend over the summer, he never thought an injury would give him his vision. After careful consideration and planning, he launched the company MindfullyThreaded. According to the mission statement on the company website, MindfullyThreaded hopes to “inspire individuals to discover and embrace the activities that bring them inner peace and joy.”
Thornton created the slogan for MindfullyThreaded, “Find Your Peace,” to “encourage individuals to prioritize these activities and incorporate more of them into their lives, fostering a sense of balance and fulfillment.”
“Promoting mindfulness and doing the things you are passionate about is the main goal,” said Thornton when asked about the focus of his company.
So far, Thornton has released two hoodies. The first one is a pale pink hoodie with back reading “Find Your Peace” in navy blue text, next to their signature pink flamingo. The second hoodie is titled “Pink Flamingo Hoodie.” The back of this hoodie has a circular design with the signature pink flamingo in the middle, the words “Find Your Peace” on the top, and the words “Mindfully Threaded” on the bottom. Flamingos are known for their balance, which aligns with MindfullyThreaded’s goal to push individuals towards doing more of what allows them to feel balanced, present, and entirely at peace, through pursuing their passions.
“I have had to figure all of this as I am going, facing many unexpected challenges along the way,” said Thornton when asked about managing his company. “It puts me into a competitive ‘field of play’ again.”
“By working on this project, I have been able to talk to a lot of different people about some challenges they have faced and ways they have found purpose after their challenges,” Thornton added. “It has brought me lots of joy […] being able to learn from them and listen to their stories.”
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