Against all odds, you showed up.
And because of you, The Kids Wheel is no longer just a dream. It’s real. It’s happening. And it’s going to be in the hands of the kids, caretakers, educators, and therapists who need it most.
Our Kickstarter campaign officially closed on Thursday, July 10, 2025 with 125% funding and 83 total backers. We’re crying. We’re dancing. We’ve been sleeping since we hit our goal.
But mostly, we’re grateful beyond words.
A Message from Co-Founder Brogan Rossi
This entire process has taught me so much more than I ever thought it would.
I could feel my guard go up the second our Kickstarter went live. I will never forget sitting up at 11:00 pm with ChatGPT. Let’s just say, we were having ourselves a bonding moment lol. ChatGPT was sending me mantras to remember throughout the process… clearly I was sharing my anxiety even to AI about how nervous I was to work so hard on something and then send it out to the world for everyone to see, judge, and hopefully support.
Here was the mantra:
“I am allowed to feel excited. I am allowed to feel scared. Both things can be true, and I’m still doing the damn thing.”
And we did the DAMN THING.
Such an amazing lesson in doing the uncomfortable, trusting the things you believe in, and leaning on your support. We are all in this together and I know every single conversation we had to get here will make an impact for children, families, schools, and mentors alike.
A Message from Co-Founder Rae Thomas
I’m not a person to ask for help, especially financially. It was such a challenge to muster up the courage to put this ask out into the world and not feel shameful about it. But what helped was how much I believe in this tool and the good it will do, and it showed immediately. Getting a call from my brother who I had given one of the mockups to and having him rave about how much his kids have grown already in speaking to their emotions was incredible.
I just remember him saying, “this belongs in every house”. And that sentiment coming from him, not typically the oogey gooey feelings type, just validated how important it was for me to get over my shit and put this out into the world.
Feelings Found and this whole journey keeps teaching me these incredible lessons, like how:
- Change can really make room for better beautiful things
- Authenticity always feels better (even if that authenticity is messy and not the most… marketing worthy lol)
- Passion and determination is more important to success than know-how
- Hustle and balance CAN and SHOULD co-exist
- The people you go on a journey with are truly the MOST influential piece to how well the journey goes.
I’m grateful everyday even when shit gets really hard.
TL;DR: A Thank You from the Bottom of Our Feelings
To every person who backed, shared, texted their group chat, or even just quietly rooted for us, WE SEE YOU.
You believed in something bigger than a product. You believed in a future where emotional wellness isn’t reserved for adults in therapy or kids lucky enough to have a “cool teacher.”
You believed that kids deserve tools to make sense of their feelings.
And you helped make it happen.
So What Happens Next?
We’re now entering the next phase: production + fulfillment.
Here’s what we’ll be doing over the next several weeks:
- Finalizing design and materials (yes, it’s still laminated and fidget-worthy)
- Getting the Spanish-language version ready for print
- Printing + shipping rewards to our amazing backers
- Recording our exclusive webinar on emotional exploration
- Coordinating with sponsors to deliver wheels to classrooms, communities, and beyond
And yes, we’ll be keeping you updated every step of the way.
We’re Not Stopping Here
This campaign was just the beginning.
We’ll be launching The Kids Wheel on our website (very soon!) for official preorder, with more tools in the works to make emotional wellness actually accessible. For kids and also for the grownups barely holding it together.
If you want to bring The Kids Wheel to your school, therapy office, or organization, reach out to us. We’re always looking to collaborate with aligned humans and spaces, and we do offer bulk order discounts.
The Impact You’ve Made
The Kids Wheel will now:
- Help kids name and navigate their big feelings
- Give teachers and parents a tool that’s actually usable
- Make space for emotional conversation in classrooms, homes, and therapy rooms
- Exist in both English and Spanish, because accessibility isn’t optional
You didn’t just fund a tool.
You helped create a movement.
From the most overwhelmed part of our hearts, THANK YOU.
Let’s keep building for more emotional clarity… together.
