For Alex Glasscock, challenges are opportunities in disguise.
The Dallas, Texas-native spent most of his career in finance, moving into real estate development in Malibu, California with his wife, Sue. But it was in 2004, when he attended his first wellness retreat, that everything changed: The program offered an escape from his chaotic schedule and solutions for better physical and mental health.
He carried those lessons with him and, ultimately, the couple decided to create their own luxury retreat destination: In 2010, they launched The Ranch Malibu, offering a lifestyle program based on increased health and wellness and also their innate love of nature and the outdoors. Since then, the experience has continued to evolve, offering new experiences, as well as supplements, soaps and even a cookbook. A retreat destination in Sonoma is in process for 2019.
Here, Glasscock explains why working to be your best self—while surrounded by other conscious souls—is the key to happiness:
Live The Process: To what do you attribute your love of the outdoors?
Alex Glasscock: Some of my fondest memories are of camping trips with my family, and rafting with my brother and father. One of my last electives in college was a docent class in which I lead school children on nature hikes. In my early twenties, my dear friends and I loved to go hiking in the Sierras and whitewater rafting.
Sue and I love our hiking and walking time with the dogs. There are no distractions and the quality time is priceless.
LTP: What did your life look like before and after your first wellness retreat?
AG: I was an ambitious and quite busy real estate investment finance executive, and I was longing for a reset from my hectic schedule.
In addition to experiencing the healing benefits of being in nature from a mental perspective, that week also showed me that our bodies are capable of detoxifying and losing fat in a short amount of time. The dramatic physical and mental transformation that happened was eyeopening.
After my weeklong experience, I was inspired to maintain this newfound perspective, and Sue and I felt compelled to create a complete and immersive fitness/wellness program that could deliver measurable results in a short amount of time. We selfishly wanted to create a place where we would like to go—and to share with others.
LTP: How and when did you come to launch The Ranch Malibu and how has it evolved?
AG: We launched The Ranch in October 2010. Sue and I essentially designed and built the campus based on our extensive construction, finance, development and design backgrounds.
Over the years, as we’ve met expert practitioners and learned about new modalities that benefit us in recovery, fat loss and physical repair, we’ve continued to adopt them into our program. These include before-and-after program cholesterol testing, cryotherapy, acupuncture and chiropractic sessions. We will soon complete the installation of a cold plunge pool and infrared sauna.
We are thrilled to launch The Ranch Sonoma in 2019. Many of our lovely alumni know what’s planned. Stay tuned.
LTP: Aside from visiting The Ranch, do you have any wellness rituals or obsessions that keep you feeling balanced and relaxed?
AG: One of my most consistent rituals is to have a Ranch Green smoothie every day and wherever I am. I also value my time running in the mountains—alone and without a headset—as well as walking with the dogs.
A private yoga session with our yoga master, Donna Sorce, helps keep me mentally balanced and relaxed, as well as a weekly massage with one of our outstanding massage therapists.
LTP: What does happiness look like to you?
AG: For me, happiness is when all of the people that I know and come into contact with on a daily basis are in a conscious state of personal awareness and reflection and are all putting forth effort to become their best selves in a collective and loving manner—myself included. The feeling of being surrounded by such special staff, dynamic guests, our fun and loving family and friends, my wife and horses and dogs gives me a feeling of true happiness.
LTP: What does it mean to you to “Live The Process” and how can we all do that more each day?
AG: The answer to this question lies in the key to happiness. The key to a wonderfully heart-rich and rewarding life is just that: “living the process.” My interpretation of this is observing one’s life and knowing that whatever circumstances you find yourself in will bring opportunities for self-reflection and improvement. We come into this world socially and economically diverse; however, the decisions we make each moment dictate what we become. All of us have the ability to make choices and the sum total of those choices shape us. It’s much harder for some than others, but surrounding yourself with great role models, who are kind and compassionate, will give you a great leg up and make life more dynamic, rewarding and fun.