Retired projectBuilt by Justin Lyons

Empowering youth and adults to go the distance

MilesTogether (aka Blaze) turned small daily actions and caring relationships into stronger self-regulation, critical thinking, and authenticity for young people and the adults who guide them.

How it started

A father, a son, and a simple system

Miles was struggling with school and behavior, and his father Justin knew he needed to step up. Together they began with a set of micro-actions Miles could choose from: small things they could do consistently rather than another sweeping plan imposed on him.

Those shared actions built trust. Trust opened the door to honest conversations, academic progress, and a new love of learning. The experience taught Justin that great parenting is often found in the little things adults and young people do together.

The product first took shape under the name Blaze. It later became MilesTogether, a name that put the relationship and the journey at the center of the idea.

Miles Together grew from that relationship: a way to make feelings visible, turn goals into manageable actions, and help caring adults show up consistently.

What it was

A private place to notice, act, and connect

The responsive web app combined mood tracking with trails: short sequences of actions that moved a young person toward a personal goal. It was designed as a shared practice, not a solitary scorecard.

Check in honestly

Young people could name nuanced emotions, tag where they happened, and build a private history that made patterns easier to discuss.

Choose a trail

Trails turned goals into small, repeatable actions. They could be self-created, assigned by a caring adult, or drawn from evidence-based partner content.

Grow together

The product centered one-on-one relationships, giving a young person and a trusted adult shared language for progress and support.

Miles Together mood check-in and mood history interface — Mood check-ins went beyond good or bad. Young people could name emotions such as optimistic, wronged, regretful, disappointed, loved, invisible, and excited, then connect them to a setting such as school or health class.

Miles Together one-on-one mentorship dashboard — The mentorship dashboard turned activity into conversation starters: mood patterns, active trails, progress, and skill badges such as purpose, self-management, independence, love, and identity.

Who it served

One young person across every environment

Who

Young people ages 8-18 and the parents, mentors, teachers, coaches, and peers who cared for them.

Where

Home, school, community, health, and faith, treated as one continuum rather than separate worlds.

What

Critical thinking, executive function, self-regulation, social awareness, and relationship skills.

students

days

1,000

moods recorded

7 min

daily practice

One early school pilot recorded 1,000 mood check-ins from 55 students over 15 days.

Product evolution

More than an experiment

An archived roadmap traces a five-year journey from the first prototype through pilots, investment, product development, and early commercial validation.

01Proof of concept
02Alpha pilots
03Angel backing
04Product upgrade
05Paid beta
06Growth phase

Rooted in research

Resilience grows through relationships and practice

“The combination of supportive relationships, adaptive skill-building, and positive experiences is the foundation of resilience.”Harvard Center on the Developing Child

“Decades of research have demonstrated the effectiveness of SEL for supporting students' academics, behaviors, mental health, and long-term success.”CASEL

In their words

Self-awareness
“Blaze helped me be more aware of my feelings and my surroundings.”
Jenny, high school sophomore

Self-management
“It was so much easier to manage my time when I had a weekly goal to check in on every day.”
Karsten, high school senior

Relationships
“Blaze helped with my relationship with my parents.”
Kieran, high school senior

Participant comments were collected during the earlier Blaze program that informed Miles Together.

Looking back

What Miles Together left behind

01A young person is more likely to practice a skill when the next step is small, concrete, and chosen with them.
02The relationship around the tool matters more than the tool itself. Technology should make the conversation easier, not replace it.
03Home, school, health, community, and faith are not separate versions of a young person. Support works best as one connected continuum.
04Progress becomes more visible when young people can name how they feel, notice patterns, and connect actions with outcomes.

In memory of the journey

To every young person who tried it, every parent and mentor who showed up, and every advisor who believed in it: thank you. Miles Together was built with you in mind, and because of Miles.

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