ORANGE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / November 9, 2020 / Just a few years ago Chris Long was broken.
He had just endured one of the most difficult seasons of his life and was battling intense anxiety and depression. He felt completely lost, but he was determined to not give up. In his darkest hour, Chris tapped into an inner strength he'd forgotten he had.
Born and raised in Orange, California, Chris was the son of two hardworking and successful parents. He is no stranger to adversity, tragedy, and loss.At just 6 years old, Chris lost his half brother in a tragic motorcycle accident, leaving him an only child. This event not only shifted the dynamics of his family, but also increased the pressure he felt to make his parents proud. He grew up playing any sport he could and soon realized a passion and affinity for football. He captained the Santa Margarita football team to a CIF state victory and went on to play football at the University of San Diego, where he received numerous awards, played in and or started every single game as a USD Torero, and was nominated to the Academic-All-American award multiple times as a result of his in-season GPAs. Although he'd obtained his degree in Business, Chris couldn't shake his love for fitness and the science behind motivating people to be their best. He spent the next 15 years working in the corporate fitness industry for 24 Hour Fitness, Equinox, Nike, and Velocity.
Still, Chris felt as though he was missing something. When layoffs in the big box gym industry took place in 2015, Chris was sent home with his final check from the company that he was proud to work for and treated as if it were his own, often investing his own finances to pay for certifications for his fellow employees.
Chris Long turns it on when the pressure is on and he definitely did at this point. Left unemployed, he decided to pursue his lifelong dream of opening a fitness and training studio. He opened the doors of Longevity soon thereafter. Longevity has had great success and even despite an early stage growth tactic that Chris rolled the dice on, the Longevity brand has never been stronger and has enriched the lives of so many. Working with both young athletes, and adults, to date, Chris has trained 80+ young athletes to succeed in collegiate athletics and has also helped 13 people lose over 100 lbs through his program. Chris has created and sustained strong relationships with a few of the athletes that he trained early on who he plans to make ambassadors once they graduate in order to scale Longevity in the future.
Story continues
"I run a tight ship," says Long, "Our expectations inspire people to level up in all aspects of their life in order to create habits that stick. We use a formula that sets people up for success. We provide the tools and the platform to improve their life and performance. This builds self confidence, on the path towards fulfilling one's true potential."
Chris keeps five key components of health in mind when working with each individual: Mindset, Nutrition, Sleep, Training, and Recovery.
"We ask that each member and client gives their 110% because we are always going to give the same in return!"
Chris has had both extreme success and some very difficult lessons. Unfortunately, most people don't share the difficulty involved with starting a business. While start-ups are often glamorized and praised for their success, Chris shares that there is a rougher side to entrepreneurship.
"It is lonely and there are sleepless nights, overdue bills at times. I would deal with debilitating anxiety leaving me reeling."
It was at this breaking point that Chris realized he needed to alter his mindset and seek support if he wanted to see his business succeed. He knew he needed some guidance because he had plateaued a bit and began sputtering as he was trying to get his company off of the ground.
He knew he had something special with Longevity and he knew he had all the talent in the world but he needed confirmation from someone he respected in the sports industry, maybe some words of affirmation. Chris then turned to a close family friend Leigh Steinberg of Steinberg Sports and Entertainment and asked for an hour of his time. Leigh, being his generous self, gave Chris his entire afternoon. Chris walked out knowing what he wanted as Leigh gave Chris confirmation that he has all it takes to accomplish anything. Chris and Leigh discussed strategy and alignment, the blocking and tackling of business. The meeting was extremely productive and Chris then reached out to Mr. David Metzler who is the CEO of Sports One Marketing, Warren Moon's marketing agency. David ran Leigh Steinberg's company for several years and represented some of the world's greatest athletes.
Simultaneously, Chris began to prioritize his health and self-love as his number one focus.
"If we don't have our health, we have nothing."
Chris endured quite a bit of pain early on in his business venture and that came as a result of hard life lessons, but he pulled himself up by his bootstraps, and asked for help from a world renowned mentor. This help came in the form of David Meltzer, his business coach and mentor. Metlzer has worked with Chris to create a clear vision for his life and his business. He taught him the value of radical humility and the importance of shining light in an otherwise dark world.
"Trauma corrodes our personal light, we have to work through that trauma before we can shine," says Chris. "Sometimes we simply need that one guy to believe in us. For me that was Coach D (as I call him). From our first conversation David helped me regain my positive spirit and loving, welcoming nature."
Long claims after a divorce rocked his world, he had trouble viewing the world in a positive light. Meltzer was able to refocus Chris and his framework leading to helping him view the world through a lens of gratitude every single day no matter what the circumstance. Chris has always possessed discipline but he worked on building a routine where he practices ending fear every single morning at 3:45 am during his morning meditation prior to seeing his first clients of the day at 4:45 am.
Armed with renewed confidence, Chris sought additional support for his business and it couldn't have come at a better time. When he needed more coaches at Longevity, he turned to one of the best coaches he knew and had the privilege to play for, Coach John Rodriguez, his old football coach at Santa Margarita that he played for between 1993-1997. Chris counts himself incredibly blessed to have been able to provide value to the same man that had poured into him all those years ago.
"Coach J-Rod is like a big brother to me. He mentored me early on in my life and I have always wanted to find a way to give back to those who have helped me throughout the years, there is nobody more deserving of an opportunity to grow a startup to its potential than Coach J-Rod."
Within a few months, Chris was ready to bring on an additional business advisor, Robert Toler. Robert played football at the University of Colorado and is a star athlete. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree either, Robert's youngest daughter, Saleh, is a track athlete at Los ALamitos High school, his eldest daughter ran and coached track in college, and his son Titus, who was highly recruited in high school out of St John Bosco, is a defensive back at the University of Wisconsin.
As Chris puts it, "Robert has the skillset to do pretty much anything with this company. We are both in similar stages in our lives and both strong in our faith. The day he walked into my facility, I instantly knew we would work together. I never wanted to grow this on my own. My wife started training his daughter and it just seemed right. We met several times and I talked about the vision I have had from day 1 which was to scale the business."
Chris already respected Robert, as his longtime teammate and ex NFL Texas Texan Jon Minardi played in high school with him. Robert brought innovative business strategy and growth development structural techniques to Longevity.
Chris states, "Robert is a very organized person. I am a very passionate people' person. That combo is so synergistic and pivotal to the growth of Longevity. I needed someone with thick skin and who I know would not take shortcuts."
Chris also works with a trainer himself to help him with his own athleticism and flexibility, a professional dancer named Sarah Gertler. She has also played a role in the success of Longevity.
Finally, Chris' wife, Lety Long, has proven to be a pivotal source of support for him during his darkest hours. Her positivity and wisdom encouraged him to persevere through the highs and lows of owning a business.
"Lety and I have a special relationship, I respect her more than any human being on the planet. There is just so much goodness that comes from Lety, and she has helped me build this company from the ground up," says Chris.
Lety coaches at Longevity part time outside of her regular career as a 7-8th grade special needs teacher at Kraemer Middle School.
Chris credits each of these unique individual's support and impact as the key component to the company elevating. Longevity's success through a season in which many other businesses were forced to close their doors has proven that one man is only capable of so much, but when you have a team of great leaders, amazing things can happen.
Chris is so very grateful for his members as they invest in themselves and work hard to better themselves by following the Longevity formula.
"Without them, there is no Longevity. These members have become family to me, it is pretty special."
"The past five years have flown by,'' Chris says.
When Chris Long started his business, he was a broken man. But through the support of those around him and his quest for self-love, he has conquered the impossible. Today, Chris feels fortunate for the years of suffering he endured, as they served to instill in him a radical humility and allowed him to see the world, and those around him, with renewed gratitude.
Chris shares the mantra that carried him through that difficult season, and now provides daily inspiration, "Live with radical humility, learn with authentic grace, and lead with extreme gratitude."
Chris is dedicated to bringing this same vision to the lives of others through personal and group training/coaching and his new book, The Longevity Redemption, available for pre-order. The book provides a first hand look into the tools Chris utilized to overcome depression and live into his full potential. Over the last few years, Chris has regained his confidence and learned to love himself again, and this is the same gift he strives to bring to each of his clients and readers.
Chris concludes, "As a coach, it is my mission to give people the confidence to believe in themselves. Once you have that confidence, you will do what you can do. You can do what you must do."
Contact Name: Chris LongBusiness Name: Longevity Sport and FitnessAddress: 966 N. Elm St. Orange, CA 92867Phone Number: (949) 350-2077Website Link: https://www.cplongevity.com/Send Email
SOURCE: Chris Long
View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/615321/Chris-Long-Entrepreneur-Athlete-Coach-and-Author-Shares-His-Story-of-Adversity-and-the-Resilience-and-Support-That-Unlocked-His-Full-Potential
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Chris Long, Entrepreneur, Athlete, Coach, and Author, Shares His Story of Adversity, and the Resilience and Support That Unlocked His Full Potential -...