From my heart.
A few years ago, at age 50, I decided to do the Leadville race series, a decision that nearly killed me. While it may seem like an unusual way start this website - a story that was almost the end - this was one of the most transformative experiences of my life.
As I lay in a hospital bed, my thoughts turned to my children. My daughter, Meghan who had so quickly grown into a strong and intelligent woman. My son, Akiliez, was still so small. He was a baby. There were so many parallels between their lives; the same unbelievable explosion of love, the same sense of possibility, the same responsibility to their futures, yet there were so many differences. With Meghan, it felt like I had all the time in the world to offer wisdom, to guide her, to be her father. With Akiliez, I realized there was a chance I might not be around to give him what I so casually gave his sister.
I remembered my own father, who not only had remarkable wisdom about the world, but a true gift in understanding the people in it. He taught me so much, but had never written anything down. What I learned from my father was just in my memory. As I realized that none of us really know how much time we have, I wanted the chance to share what he’d taught me. To pass on what I’d discovered, coming to the United States, as a 17 year old boy. What I learned about life, and business, from working the night shift at a gym to starting and growing Life Time. I wanted my children to know what challenged-and what changed me. To see things from different perspectives, to move with confidence, and most importantly, do all things with love.
To see things from different perspectives, to move with confidence, and most importantly, do all things with love.
This near-death experience was the catalyst for a book; “Letters to Akiliez.” a series of essays and perspectives dedicated to my son. It started and stopped, like passion projects often do. My family grew with the arrival of two more daughters; Life Time grew too. A few years have passed, and while life has changed, particularly in the last few months, so much of the thoughts and ideas of the book haven’t.
This website is a place for it all to unfold. For the chapters so dear to my heart to come to life. For the themes, many of them timeless and universal, to play out in today’s relevant conversations. While I can’t make grand claims to the originality of some of the subject matter, my experience and approach is unique.
Today, my hope is not only for my children, but for the people I work with, our members, every individual… that
we know who we are, and make the most of our time in this life
….that it doesn’t take a near death experience to appreciate the full story of our existence.
