190: Robyn Rosenberger (TinySuperheroes)

Robyn Rosenberger on Innovation City

“Over time, I’ve been able to see that the journey does play out without you, so you can either be part of it or not.” -Robyn Rosenberger

Welcome to Season 5 of Innovation City (The St. Louis Edition), a podcast featuring innovators, creators, and disruptors to discover how business is changing in the modern world.

Created and produced by SLAM! Agency and Aīre Ventures, Innovation City gives you an inside look at how rapidly business and culture are changing thanks to increasing diversity and inclusion, heightened creativity, and a stronger and better-connected business community.

Welcome to Season 5 of Innovation City (The St. Louis Edition), a podcast featuring innovators, creators, and disruptors to discover how business is changing in the modern world.

Created and produced by SLAM! Agency and Aīre Ventures, Innovation City gives you an inside look at how rapidly business and culture are changing thanks to increasing diversity and inclusion, heightened creativity, and a stronger and better-connected business community.

Today’s guest is Robyn Rosenberger, the Founder and CEO at TinySuperheroes, a social enterprise that works to empower extraordinary kids- one cape at a time! Robyn founded TinySuperheroes in 2012 and has been working tirelessly since then to reveal the superpowers behind every difference. In this episode, Robyn sits down with the team to discuss the story behind Tiny Superheroes, letting go of anxiety and trusting the journey, and seeing the positive in the most difficult times!

They discuss:

• Robyn’s Superpower
  • She never gives up
• What was it like before stepping into her superpower?
  • Robyn suffers from anxiety and has for a long time, but it’s diminished since she’s learned the journey will play out with or without her.
  • Over time her anxiety has turned into excitement.
• Robyn’s Superheroes and Inspirational Figures
  • Team Hoyt, a father and son duo. Dick, the father, did multiple Boston marathons and Ironman competitions with his son Rick, who had cerebral palsy. He did this until his 70s.
  • Robyn and Team Hoyt were both inducted together in the Hall of Heroes created by the Warner Brothers.
• Tiny Superheroes Mission
  • They give capes to extraordinary kids around the world, from heart disease to cancer to autism. They don’t have boundaries; they serve all kids with unique needs whose natural path might have been fueled by negativity, and they try to turn it into positivity.
  • They’ve distributed over 80,000 capes in 26 different countries.
  • The goal is for the kids to look in the mirror and think, “I’m extraordinary.”
• The “Why” Behind TinySuperheroes
  • Tiny Superheroes happened on accident.
  • Robyn was making a cape, and then she read a blog about a girl in Illinois with a rare skin disorder who was the same age as her son. She felt she needed to send her a cape.
  • Her “AHA” moment happened early on. Robyn got an email from a father whose son had received a cape and had recently passed away. His family buried him in his cape. This moment was when she knew what she was supposed to be doing.
• Managing the emotions behind the work:
  • Watching a family overcome losing their child and seeing them survive that and learn to thrive is beyond inspiring.
  • Robyn has realized that it’s so much bigger than anyone, which has increased her internal perspective.
  • Robyn acknowledges the ripple effect and legacy that these children have on the world and sees the whole picture as bigger than our time here on this Earth. She has seen the positives of the other sides so much that she has to focus on that.
• The Power of the Cape
  • When a kid puts a cape on, they feel different. There is science behind it.
  • As soon as a child puts on their cape, they feel powerful and can overcome hard things.
• Robyn’s Challenges in Life and Business
  • She does not look at Instagram because it makes her feel instantly inadequate.
  • Being an entrepreneur is not an easy life.
  • Robyn built TinySuperheroes to be a social enterprise, not a nonprofit, which comes with unique challenges.
  • They’re currently re-evaluating everything, and it’s a lot of pressure.
• Grounding Yourself
  • Learning about herself, Robyn has realized she’s an introvert. She has started taking 3-day solo vacations to a beach to give herself alone time.
  • She’s learning some self-care techniques and working on letting go.
  • Robyn’s working on her balance between letting go and doing her job.
  • She read a book called The Surrender Experiment, which was eye-opening.
  • Trusting in God and a bigger plan is something that helps Robyn get through.

Lightning Round:

• What was a defining moment in your life and how did it impact you?
  • As a cross country runner, she had a race with her sister, who was not typically as fast as her. When her sister caught up to her, she said, “What are you doing? Run faster.” Surround yourself with people who want you to be your best, not beat you.
• What do you want to let go of?
  • The belief she has that it all depends on her.
• What makes you feel love?
  • Robyn’s love language is receiving thoughtful, inspirational gifts.
• What do you spend too much time doing?
  • Avoiding conflict
• What is a lesson that the universe keeps sending your way?
  • • Wait

  Get in Touch

  TinySuperheroes Website

  TinySuperheroes Facebook Page