About The Founder
“My biggest successes while working with Chris as my coach was going above and beyond the goals I set for myself, no doubt in part inspired by some of the crazy endurance events he was always doing for charity!”
Meet Chris
The short version:
- Born in Victoria, back in Canada since Covid after ~25 years in Asia.
- Married my UVic sweetheart 22 years ago, proud father of 3 Hong Kong-born boys who are now aged 16, 19 and 21.
- Eldest son of two recently-retired family doctors, oldest of four globally-distributed siblings, and a lab retriever pack leader.
- Drivers in life → family, stability, fitness, health and creating a space where I can help and inspire people.
- Raised ~Cad$250,000 for charities dedicated to helping disadvantaged children in Asia by participating in endurance-related athletic events, including 50+ marathons and ultra-marathons and the 250km Gobi March.
- In Asia and now Canada, I am a long-serving Ambassador to Make-A-Wish Foundation, for which I raise funds each year running 50km on my birthday.
The longer version:
Longer Version
I was lucky enough to be born in Victoria BC, something I was continually reminded of when I moved to Hong Kong in 1994.
There, it turns out that I was entering an industry that prided itself as being one that “ate its own young”.
Starting with in-office meetings at 6:30am, it was an extremely demanding, high-paced, stressful environment. Lunch breaks didn’t exist, travel demands were frequent, and job security didn’t exist. Days often finished at midnight with clients in a pub, or on calls to NY or London.
Add that to the domestic demands associated with raising a young family, in hindsight, it wasn’t surprising that my general health dropped off a cliff.
And I could see where my health was headed, because I could see what it did to the health of those who had been in this industry for 15-20 years.
I quickly realised that there were two roads to take in life.
Where the more sedentary, easier route takes you is where it has taken most of society, which is why we’re in the midst of a major medical crisis and 7 in 10 of us are grappling with being overweight or obese, the precursors of today’s chronic disease epidemic.
The other is one in which you adopt the mindset that holds that your health is important and that it’s possible to improve and maintain it with activities that you choose that take up no more than 2% of your week.
Chris’ Credentials
Becoming a Health Coach before the name existed
In the relatively tight-knit Hong Kong investment banking industry, I became known as someone who had discovered, and was more than willing to share, his own healthy weekly routine.
As the number of people who were interested in regaining control of their own health grew, I started hosting lunches, dinners and eventually led group exercise sessions in the evenings.
Once a week after work, and every second weekend, I shared my non-stop, multi-set “time efficient” physical activity routines by leading friends, colleagues and clients through 30-45 minute workouts in local parks.
These programs were eventually rolled up into an occasional health and wellness counselling role at a local Hong Kong boxing gym, which hosted some sessions, and regularly supplied basic exercise equipment for participants.
At a number of the banks I worked at, I was invited to share some of my insights with individual teams, and departments, about how to find time to maintain health and fitness levels in such a demanding industry.
Chris’ credibility in the Health and Wellness industry
The credibility and respect that I bring with me in the fitness and health arena is considerable.
Over the past 25 years, I have raised significant (>Cad$250,000) funds for various charities for underprivileged children by participating in global athletic endurance events.
These include more than 50 ultramarathons and the 250km Gobi March.
In Asia, and now Canada, I am a long-serving Ambassador of Make-A-Wish Foundation, for which I raise funds by running 50km on my birthday each year.
I am a Certified Health Coach by the globally recognised ISSA, the International Sports Sciences Association, however my former Asian-based clients would say that I have been a health coach for decades in Asia before the term was even coined.
Chris' Mission
This is my Why
I believe in challenging the status quo
- Once the “free ride” of health that youth provides is over, the general health of men and women deteriorates slowly, and steadily towards old age and death …
- I’m going to change the thinking that most people have, which is that we have no personal time left to build, and create and pursue a healthy lifestyle, and that you have to dedicate your life to becoming healthy.
- I believe in thinking differently, that we have an unimagined degree of control over our own aging, and quality of life, and that it’s possible to live a life free of preventable disease and avoidable physical limitations.
Only you can take control of your own health
