Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Eric North, aka “The Happiness Warrior” on air December 1st
“My age is like a phone number – It’s unlisted.” – Eric North
Eric North thinks he has a genetic disposition to set things right– and regardless of what’s going on in your day to day, no matter how fraught and anxious 2020 may be for you, he wants to help you do something that, once taken to heart, will change your life. He wants you to give yourself permission to be happy. After years of entrepreneurial success with two thriving Washington DC based businesses dedicated to life changing therapies, he’s found new purpose and passion leading people to the next level in their emotional and spiritual lives as “The HappinessWarrior.”
As we see on his recently launched Instagram page The Happiness Warrior Eric is “forging a new path in a changing world.” He’s done it on the platform before, gaining a massive following on the platform for his @50redfined page, which he created in 2014, the year he turned the big 5-0. By posting pictures of his ultra-fit body (which keeps his modeling agent in NYC busy) and motivational videos, he helped change the minds of thousands about aging and showcased an alternative to just “getting old.” Driven by his long-held theory that “every seven years, we go through a positive, momentum shifting upheaval in our lives,” the lifestyle visionary is now expanding, rebranding and building momentum as a force for leading others to finding personal happiness in an increasingly negative world.
“This is a year where everyone is going through major changes, and my mindset is on what being a warrior means and redefining it a bit to be aligned with how I think,” Eric says. “Over the years, I’ve been humbled by people who have told me that my words of insight or encouragement have served to change their lives – even years later, and from things I don’t remember saying. I have become a good listener and always look for practical solutions. It’s what I call ‘naïve intelligence’ and common sense. Being ‘The Happiness Warrior’ is a way to use what I do best to empower people and raise their self-esteem.
“I’m a highly driven and motivated person but have always felt there are many people out there who need a voice, someone that’s on their side,” he adds. “The happiest people are those that help others have better lives and feel good about themselves. Most concepts that really work well are very simple and don’t need to be complicated to have the most impact. To me, it’s all very spiritual and energy is everything. Becoming ‘The Happiness Warrior,’ I’m creating expansion in my life by adding value to the lives of others.”
Putting his advocacy into personal practice, Eric says the first step towards giving yourself permission to be happy is forgiving yourself for mistakes and missteps that have hurt yourself and others and working towards the closure of long festering emotional wounds. He’s diligent about affirmations, starting his day and setting his intention by saying, “It’s going to be a great day.” His three-step morning plan is affirmation, hydration, activation (quiet time stretching and doing breathing work). His pre-bedtime ritual is similar and includes the phrase, “I had a great day today, but I will do better tomorrow.”
Eric has essential, empowering advice for those who feel dogged by anger and depression. “To get to a happier place,” he says, “find three things you love, that give you joy. It could be a favorite book, a tree in your yard or the park, your dog or cat, your son, daughter, niece or nephew. Expressing gratitude is key. Start thinking about ways to make yourself happier. It’s a healthy lifeline in a world that’s becoming more uglier with the destruction we’ve caused to our planet and the horrible sociopolitical discourse that’s been happening.”
Though his branding as “The Happiness Warrior” will include a launch of professionally shot videos in the spirit of those he created for @50redefined, Eric has higher ambitions, planning to develop a Netflix/OWN ready series concept that focuses on people around the world who have made an effort to help others be happy – and what we can learn from their stories. “The concept is about bringing more emotion and humanity into our lives by seeing how others bring joy, to counter all the negative things we hear about on the news,” he says. “Human beings need to see impactful stories that, when they’re done crying, will inspire them to do better things in their own lives. Considering the current global population, there are potentially seven billion stories out there waiting to be discovered.”
Over the past decade, Eric – who grew up in Fairfax County, Virginia and earned a B.S. in marketing from George Mason University – founded and has run two seven figure businesses that help people expand their lives and feel better physically and emotionally. Performance Rejuvenation Center (launched in 2011) is a medical practice that provides hormone optimization and anti-aging therapies. Stretch Workz, started in 2015, provides practitioner assisted stretch therapy with six DC area locations. While Eric represents the Performance Rejuvenation Brand, his husband Tom leads the Stretch Workz team
Both of these entrepreneurial success stories evolved from Eric’s bold move in his late 30s to leave corporate America – where he worked as a tech and proposal writer, among other jobs, for government contractors – and pursue his dream of becoming a personal trainer and later, a real estate professional. While his type A personality led him to thrive in both endeavors, by 42 he felt an ongoing sense of lower energy and stamina. His physician determined that he was displaying the classic symptoms of low testosterone levels – but the prescribed gels were messy and did nothing to help him.
After extensive research, he found a respected clinic in Palm Beach, Florida and became a new patient. Learning about his internal health and the power of a well supervised hormone therapy program spurred his “help all, set things right” ambition. Prompted by the head of the clinic, who said he was seeking someone younger to start new businesses with him, Eric put together a business plan and opened Washington DC’s first dedicated hormone therapy clinic. A few years later, after experiencing first-hand the long-term health and fitness value of “being stretched,” Tom and Eric launched Stretch Workz in a one room space in an office building.
Often called a “a machine” by his husband and blessed throughout his life with magical trips and serendipitous, soul-stirring encounters, Eric made an amazing friend in renowned personal transformational coach Giselle Koi when he attended the Precision Performance Summit in Austin in March 2020. Giselle’s invitation to Eric to visit her in her new home of Sedona, Arizona in August proved life-changing – even beyond the cementing of their friendship and her helping him focus on his personal goals.
“I felt like I needed this trip, and I was there as part of a journey to find out what I am and should be doing with my life,” Eric says. “One morning we hiked up a mesa and met up with a prayer circle. I was able to join in and put my hands and feet onto the rocks. I looked above me as if to seek guidance from the universe. Then I felt something shift, as if the mountain itself were speaking to me and all the knowledge I could ever need was right there to tap into. I had been waiting for this epiphany a long time. I came away from that experience changed and liberated, declaring ‘I am the happy warrior.’ I knew it was time to rebrand my life with that aesthetic. There are so many things I can do to make a difference in this world, and I’m excited to tap into people’s hunger for happiness.”