For Braiden Day, the grind doesn’t stop. This BYU Marriott School of Business alum spends his days juggling the tasks of managing local menswear company Odion, spending time with his wife and four kids, being a die-hard BYU football fan and preparing his anticipated emotional health podcast for men, “Beyond the Beard.”
Day started working at the clothing store formerly known as Modern Missionary only a month after completing his own missionary service in Mexico. Nine years later, Day is the CEO of the company, now known as ODION.
He manages the bulk of day-to-day operations and decision-making for the haberdashery. He said he enjoys doing this sort of “medium-range” company development. However, as an entrepreneurial studies major, he aspires to start his own business that bolsters men’s confidence.
“I’ve always been somebody who loves to talk about emotions,” Day said.
Day said he recognizes this is unusual for most men; but he’s always been able to draw out emotions in other men who might be less inclined to do so themselves — like his brother, Jordan Day.
“I am closed off and don’t like talking about (my emotions),” Jordan said. “But when he convinces me to, it is very good and healing.”
Day said he feels most people believe men simply lack emotions entirely, letting their feelings often go unvoiced and unrecognized.
Just one month before Day’s wife gave birth to triplets, his mother passed away. Then, as he was freshly grieving his mother’s death with three newborns and a toddler, his wife broke her ankle, leaving him as the only able-bodied parent in the house.
Braiden’s wife, Kylie Day, recounted that period of their lives with some pain.
“That time was very dark for me,” Kylie said. “I remember feeling so terrible that Braiden, who was already doing so much, now had even more on his plate. Our babies weren’t sleeping through the night yet, so on top of full-time school and work, he was getting up at night with the kids and still helping where he could during the day. It was hard seeing him so weighed down.”
Braiden said he remembers only two occasions after having triplets where someone sympathized with the difficulties he faced as a father.
“You wouldn’t believe how many people would, like, anytime they hear about us having triplets go, ‘Oh, my goodness, you have the most amazing wife!’” Braiden said.
He said he enthusiastically agreed with these well-meaning people, but he always felt the lack of concern for his own struggles.
This experience prompted him to commission a T-shirt from his father-in-law, a printer, that reads, “Dads are people too.” Day considered making this the name of his prospective podcast for men, but decided on “Beyond the Beard” so as to not limit its scope to fatherhood alone.
Day said he plans to bring on a range of guests to the show — more emotionally closed-off men like his brother or his dad and experts who might have something insightful to say on the subject.
“My ideal outcome would honestly just be that men feel more connected and feel like they’re not alone,” Day said.
The podcast will be released the first week of May and will be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and YouTube.
