Christian de la Torre shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Christian, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day are where I set the tone for everything that follows and I am VERY strict about it.
I wake up at 5AM every day and start small but intentionally—making my bed, brushing my teeth, and washing my face. From there, I give my body a wake-up call either with a cold shower (after dry brushing) or with a quick ice face plunge. Those first few minutes are all about signaling to myself that it’s time to show up with energy and presence.
Next, I spend about 30–45 minutes rolling out my entire body with a lacrosse ball and foam roller before moving into a guided 25-minute mobility session and a 10-minute stretch. That combination of recovery and movement keeps me grounded and ready for whatever the day demands.
Once my body feels aligned, I turn to my mind. I take 10 minutes to meditate, then journal using the Five Minute Journal format—writing down what I’m grateful for, what would make today great, and my daily affirmations. By the time I’ve done that, I feel centered and locked into the mindset I want to carry forward.
Only then do I have my first cup of black coffee and head out the door for my first cardio session of the day which is usually a 5K run or, if I’m tight on time, 30 minutes of treadmill walking at max incline.
It’s a very structured start, but I look at it less as a checklist and more as an investment so by the time those 90 minutes are over, I’ve already won the day, no matter what comes next.”
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I prefer to think of myself first and foremost as a storyteller and student of life. While many call it content creation, especially in the outdoor, adventure, and travel space I see it as much more. I write, produce, and tell short and long form stories that connect people to places, movement, and meaning. At the same time, I’m a public speaker, fitness and wellness coach, and reality TV personality all guided by the belief that creativity, health, and presence are paths to deeper connection.
My path began in service. I’m a U.S. Army veteran, a commissioned officer whose experience in uniform shaped my values of discipline, leadership, and resilience. Those values inform everything I do now, from my work in men’s mental health and leadership, to one-on-one coaching and speaking engagements that inspire others to step into their strength and purpose.
I also wear the hat of founder of “Trace Club”, a Los Angeles based nonprofit with a mission to rekindle human nature connection through activity-based events, blending environmental stewardship with community building in joyful, inclusive ways . At Trace Club, we create experiences that not only foster sustainable living and outdoor education but actively invite people to leave a positive trace with regard to the places they go and the people they meet!
Creatively, I’m deep in development on several docu-series concepts and projects but what I’m most excited about is a feature film I’m now writing and producing with my best friend, writer-director Jake Misoge, and other collaborators. The film follows a U.S. squad and a Viet Cong unit trapped in the claustrophobic tunnels of Vietnam.
Whether through film, speaking, coaching, or community work, my work blends discipline with creativity, leadership with service, and challenge with healing. I’m a veteran, creator, coach, speaker, and nonprofit founder but at the core, all of it centers around one purpose: helping people connect, grow, and leave a positive trace on the world.”
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
When I was a kid, I thought I needed to have the whole ‘American Dream’ locked down by 25 married with kids, living in a house with a white picket fence back in Wisconsin. Clearly, life had other plans for me (and I’m glad it did).
On a more serious note, I grew up believing a lot of the narratives society tells us that you need a college degree to be successful, that purpose only comes from organized religion, and that the safest path is a 9 to 5 job. Today, I know that none of those things are requirements for a meaningful or successful life.
What I’ve learned instead is that life experience is the real teacher. Adventure, mistakes, trials, and tribulations as they all shape you far more than following a predetermined script ever could. I know it might sound cliché, but I truly believe the key is to lean into the journey: to chase the things that make you feel alive, to discover passions that bring you peace, and to create your own definition of success rather than letting society dictate it for you.
For me, that’s meant embracing storytelling, service, movement, and creativity…all things I never could have fully envisioned as a kid. And I’ve found that when you focus on what lights you up, success becomes less about checking boxes and more about living in alignment with who you really are.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I genuinely love this question because suffering is inevitable and without it, I don’t think we’d ever fully understand the beauty of success. Suffering has a way of stripping life down to its essentials and teaching us lessons that comfort and achievement alone never could. It teaches us about love, about resilience, and about just how precious every moment really is.
The clearest example for me was losing my service dog, Maverick, when he was 9 years old. It was, without exaggeration, the hardest thing I’ve ever faced even harder than losing loved ones or being deployed to a combat zone because Maverick was my constant. Through deployments, transitions, and countless ups and downs, he was always there. When something that sacred is suddenly gone, you discover depths of pain you didn’t even know existed.
But in that suffering, I learned what grief truly is: grief is just love with nowhere to go. It’s all the unexpressed love we carry for a person, an animal, a relationship, even a chapter of our lives. That realization reshaped me. It taught me empathy and compassion in a way nothing else could because once you’ve been in that kind of pain, you understand others’ suffering on a deeper level.
Suffering also forces you to recognize how fragile and fleeting this life is. It’s easy to take our days for granted, but pain has a way of waking you up to the gift of the present moment. It reminds us to lean into the people and passions we love, because nothing is promised.
So while success feels incredible, it’s suffering that really shapes us at the core. It’s what teaches us to be grateful for the right now moments and, ultimately, what gives life its depth and meaning.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
It might surprise some people, but if you know me, you know I’m obsessed with Princess Diana. I admire her not for a title, but for the way she chose humanity over performance how she lived her truth, even when it cut against the grain. It’s why she’ll always be “the People’s Princess” to me.
Princess Diana showed the world that compassion is action. In 1987, during the height of stigma, she openly shook hands (no frickin gloves) with patients on an AIDS ward, challenging fear with empathy. That single gesture moved culture forward and DAMN thats saying something !
Lets not forget about in 1997 she walked through an active minefield in Angola, putting herself on the line to humanize a crisis and help galvanize a global push against landmines. That image wasn’t spectacle, it was pure leadership !
She was also a loving, present mom who insisted her sons see real life. There are stories of her taking them to shelters and championing youth experiencing homelessness, a cause they still advance today. Character over protocol, people over image.
Those are just a couple of examples that come to mind when but she’s the blueprint I try to follow: show up, tell the truth, serve with heart. Princes Diana’s courage and tenderness remind me what leadership looks like at its best. Steady, vulnerable, and relentlessly human.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If immortality were real, what would you build?
If immortality were real, I wouldn’t be focused on building monuments or empires I’d be focused on building something that actually outlives me in a meaningful way. For me, that would be communities and systems that help people live more connected, more purposeful, and more joyful lives.
I’d build spaces where people feel safe to grow, heal, and discover themselves. I’d build movements that reconnect us with nature, with each other, and with the parts of ourselves we often neglect. I’d build stories through films, books, and creative projects that outlast time and continue to inspire people long after they’re created.
If you can’t die, then the work isn’t about racing the clock, it’s about legacy, impact, and contribution. And I think the most powerful thing you can ‘build’ is something that makes the world a little more compassionate and a little less divided.
So if immortality were real, I’d spend it building bridges: between people and the planet, between communities, between generations, and between the inner and outer worlds we live in. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about being remembered, it’s about ensuring the world is better for those who come after us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thetraceclub.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christiandelatorre_/
Image Credits
Jamal – Akil Marshall and Monica Henriquez
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