Who We Are
We have all heard the old adage…
What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Snips, snails
And puppy-dogs' tails
That's what little boys are made of
What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And everything nice [or "all things nice"]
That's what little girls are made of[1]
Of course, not all boys and girls are the same. But, as a mom of both a boy and a girl, there are things about each of them that make me laugh, make me cry, make me proud.
There are crazy things my son does that I just do not understand. Is it the DNA? Is it from things he has learned from his surroundings? Is he mimicking television? HIs father? Me?
And my daughter. I think I totally understand her. But do I really? Especially in this new Age of Enlightenment for all genders. She is so much more in tune with today's climate. I look forward to growing our brand over time to include all kids. I thank my daughter for her help with that. I learn a lot from both of my children now that they are older.
Man in Training and Woman in Training are based on my experiences with my children. We may not resonate with all children, but I do think a lot of you have had similar experiences as we at Man in Training have had. We are here to celebrate the aspects of our boys that we don't understand and to encourage our girls to be all that they can be.
Our t-shirts are like our children - organic and made in the USA. Only the best for our best.
And, we all have stories to share. Here is a place where you can tell us
all about them, and we will understand. The funny tales, the scary
scenarios, the endearing anecdotes. We want to hear them all.
Because we need to know we are not alone.
It is a big responsibility raising these little people. We might as well laugh along the way. And we hope our products will bring a smile to your face.
Founder, CEO - Colette Jurnak
Colette Jurnak was thrust into the world of boys when she was a freshman in high school and has never recovered. She grew up in ignorant bliss with three sisters where the only thing she knew about boys were which ones were cute and which ones were bullies. Boys actually kind of scared her. Her mother remarried, and at the age of 14, Colette suddenly found herself with two additional sisters and, most unnerving of all, FOUR brothers! It was a very trying time.
Colette went on to become a Certified Public Accountant, married the man of her dreams (a cute one, not a bully), ran a bed & breakfast, partnered with her husband in their own accounting practice, moved to New Hampshire, made snow angels with her new daughter, and finally found herself with a son. She quickly discovered the soothing effects of a glass of wine at the end of the day.
Colette now has oodles of boys in her life from her son, to her many nephews and a couple of grandnephews to boot. And her daughter keeps bringing this certain guy around as well. I might have to get used to him.
Colette has come to enjoy spending time with the men in her life, though it is certainly challenging. Thankfully, she is no longer afraid of boys. She just thinks they are rather funny.
VP Marketing and Communications - Meredith Therrien
Meredith Therrien grew up in a "girls rule and boys drool" household in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She has been shaking her head at the antics of boys for over 3 decades. At 10 years old her father convinced her that she could be the first woman major league baseball player. That didn't work out, but an exciting career in Marketing & Sales followed instead. In 2010 Meredith became the mother of her own little Man in Training. Learning that she was having a boy was quite a shock! But since the birth of her son, she has embraced rock throwing, jumping in puddles, and bathroom humor. Meredith is so excited that Man in Training will provide a place for mothers of boys to share their experiences!
Graphic Designer - Shawn Lavigne
Graphic Designer Shawn Lavigne got his artistic training started at a young age with markers and a bedroom wall while re-creating his favorite hockey team logos. Mom was thrilled about the artistic thing and less thrilled about the "wall" aspect of it. His collaboration with Illustrator Jeremy Sherman started in Elementary school when they would write stories together about a young man named "Jemy" which sort of resembled a less profound and slightly more juvenile Homer's Odyssey. His art took a graphic turn with Photoshop at Pinkerton Academy with a Commercial Art class taught by Allen Hall. From there it was off to get his degree in Graphic Design at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale where it was all work and no play... or something like that. He is now a well-trained Manchester man with great love for art and design and the rest is history.
Jeremy Sherman - Illustrator
Since Jeremy was a kid, he always enjoyed creative drawing. He always added pictures to his coloring books; coloring inside the lines was too easy. Throughout primary school, Jeremy worked on notebook sketches instead of listening to teachers. For many years, he and his partner-in-crime, Shawn Lavigne collaborated on school projects, wrote songs, skits, and performances, and were drawn to the creative subcultures of skateboarding, snowboarding, and punk music. Shawn's diligent, careful work, which often looked "real", contrasted Jeremy's quick, freehand sketches - it was a perfect match.
As years passed, Jeremy's illustration work transitioned to photo and video work - he is an avid photographer and freelance videographer. His day job is as an engineer, but enjoys the side work of film and illustration as a creative outlet. He has lived in Los Angeles, Wyoming, and now resides outside of Boston. On weekends he can be found taking photographs, exploring the White Mountains on his snowboard, surfing the coast of Maine and New Hampshire, or working on film projects. He is very excited and proud to have contributed the illustrations for "Man in Training" and hopes you enjoy his work.
Just another example of how a Man In Training's seemingly inappropriate behavior can someday be used for good.