We recently had the chance to connect with Ryan Hellriegel and have shared our conversation below.
Ryan, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Well, right now life looks a bit different. As I type this I am currently 2200 miles off the coast of Senegal, Africa in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean sailing. My day is a combination of weather navigating, forecasting routes, and doing sail changes when the wind changes. I always try to create a frame work for my day while sailing long distances, beginning and ending with moment to get the mind a body right, in this case my go to is resistance bands, yoga and stretching.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Howdy Everyone, I’m Ryan Hellriegel, a 32 year old entrepreneur and adventurer based in San Diego currently on the trip of a life time sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. When I’m not sailing across an ocean you can find me building my business Rolflex, where we make sports recovery tools to keep people doing what they love most. We pride ourselves on serving others by giving the gift of health and wellness. We are also very involved in our community through volunteer efforts and charitable contributors in the areas of Cancer, Social Help, and supporting Adaptive Athletes.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I defer to my mother on this one, as we all know mothers are aways right no matter how old you are! She would say I have always been the same, born loving others and always wanting to help and make a difference. I would like to think I havent changed much from that point of view.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Deep, deep question here… absolutely love it. A phrase that my friends and family find me using a whole lot comes directly from those defining wounds in my life. That phrase is “Always look for the collateral beauty” in every situation. What this means is that no matter how hard or challenging or sad a situation may be in life, there is a ton of beauty on the other side of it if you lean into it. At age 8 my brother drowned at sea in a tragic boating accident and when I was 21 my father passed away to a complication of health problems. These two moments where absolutely life defining for me, at first I feared the sea to no end. But then something clicked and I ran towards it instead of away from it both literally and metaphorically. Heck I’m on a sailboat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean right now…. and for my father, I have dedicated my whole professional life thus far to helping others with their overall health. Just remember… no matter how bad things may be, it is always your choice of how you respond to anything in life.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
I believe that the way you do anything is the way you do everything. This is my foundational core truth. Actions always speak louder than words on this one because you cant hide it. As silly as it may seem, every evening as I’m flossing my teeth I remind myself even if I’m tired, to not skip this small but momentumizing step…. if I’m going to skip this what else am I going to skip? Its very similar to….who are you and what do you choose to do when no one else is around or looking. I just hope that I can continue to get closer and closer to living this each and every day.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope that people share that I always left them happier and more joyous after each interaction. I feel that in between all my goals of helping people and my wild adventures is all of the little moments. All of the interactions that make it truly, truly special. So I hope its that. For my family, for my friends, and for everyone I meet. To feel more joy and love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rolflexrecovery.com
- Instagram: @raisinghellriegel
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-hellriegel/
