Daily Inspiration: Meet Ethan Hill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ethan Hill.

Hi Ethan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
My entrepreneurial journey started on an island in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef between my junior and senior years of college. I was sent there on a scholarship to study the properties of incredibly strong material (Inconel 718) used in jet engine turbines. No doubt this was a very cool-sounding predicament: I was getting paid to try and understand the atomic structure of a cutting-edge superalloy! Sweet. The problem, of course, was that I didn’t care about the project, or the subject, at all. Not one single bit.

Why? Well at that point in time, I struggled with chronic, low-level health issues: I studied like an engineer and partied like a frat boy, which meant constipation for days, social anxieties, high expectations, judgment, bitterness, and lethargy. I seemed to teeter between anxiety and depression on a regular basis – sometimes paralyzed by overwhelming, sometimes paralyzed by apathy.

I just didn’t know what I wanted. My quarter-life crisis came a bit early, it seemed.

Luckily, my girlfriend during this time was a budding yogi. And being the guy who wanted to seem like a supportive boyfriend, I ventured into the yoga studio once or twice a week with her. It changed everything. Everything. What started as a much-needed stretch routine became a complete 180 in my personality, values, interests, and philosophy. During a year stint at a financial tech startup after graduation – a job that necessitated 60-hour workweeks, never-ending task lists, and handling unhappy customers – there was only one thing that made me not feel lifeless. And that was yoga!

In an attempt to find out what made yoga so special, I quit my corporate job, traveled all across the country, spent tens of thousands of dollars in the form of workshops, retreats, and certifications, read and reread anatomy and physiology textbooks, meditated for thousands of hours in silence, and journaled and thought extensively on the topic. All just to find out why a high-quality, hour-long yoga session made me feel so dang good!

The answers I found are reflected in the companies I’ve founded, and projects I work on today: Trying to integrate technology and artwork with yogic philosophy, breathwork, movement, and the search for enlightenment.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No way! It’s been incredibly, incredibly difficult. Worthwhile, don’t get me wrong, but difficult. In fact, I’m still in the startup phase. My biggest struggle is funding: I have so many dreams, yet such little cash flow to make them happen (actually, I’m in debt trying to make these dreams a reality).

Given this, and trying to save money along the way, I’ve had to teach myself a lot of skills. These include, but are not limited to building and maintaining websites, HTML, graphic design, creative writing, marketing, event planning, public speaking, grasping blockchain technology, understanding human anatomy, and physiology, business budgeting & accounting, and (naturally) time management and project prioritization.

The skills I’ve learned along the way have been invaluable. They have prepared me for the next phase of the journey: Outsourcing some of the workloads to others, so that I can finally grow and expand.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a yoga instructor that specializes in helping high-achieving, working professionals manage their stress, regulate their energy levels, and discover their True Identity.

I believe in the mirror-like effect of mind & body. That is, if you change your mind, you’ll change your body. And if you change your body, you’ll change your mind. The latter, in my opinion, is a much easier task.

With this, I focus my attention on the following three categories: Breathing, strength, and flexibility.

I’ve started a breathwork business that seeks to be an open-source platform that does the following:
– Provides top-notch and scientifically accurate information about the science and practice of breathing.
– Gives breathwork facilitators a place to get hired.
– Puts on classes, seminars, and retreats all across the world.
– An ability for artists and yogis to post their custom-made breathwork practices online, and sell them for money.
– Donate part of the proceeds to save and restore the world’s trees and forests.

I’m aways away from realizing these ambitions, but I am well on my way: https://breathlab.us/ [note, everything on this page I’ve made and maintained. It’s still a work in progress].

I have also created a business (Ethan Hill LLC) that puts on unique and intentionally-driven yoga classes to help practitioners release built-up tension, relieve stress, and prepare for bed. It’s called gravity yoga. The designs, audios, and website were built by me. https://ethanhill.org/gravity [note: I’ve been working to migrate everything from one website to another, so this page is not yet fully live].

And then, finally, I have a technology company in the works that will connect the two sites. Although ethanhill.org and breathlab.us are different websites, the technology company (inrealife LLC) will unite them with one login and usable cryptocurrency.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I had a happy childhood and was well-supported by my friends and family; however, one that was particularly challenging comes to mind. It is my “favorite” not because it was the happiest, but because it was the most formative:

When I was 5, my parents, teachers, and the principal decided it was appropriate to push me forward a year (I had apparently mastered the art of simple addition). This meant that – 10 days into 1st grade, I was forced to be with all of the second graders. And I mean forced. I remember the day vividly: Screaming, sobbing, holding on to my Mom’s legs for dear life not wanting to go.

I imagined myself to have a target on my back, which meant keeping quiet for many, many years. I’ve suffered from fear of attention since then, and have only recently begun healing from it. This moment has shaped my life forever. I didn’t talk much. I still don’t. I like to listen and learn. To pause before acting. I’ve done the best I can in keeping my ego in check.

There’s probably more to this story, but that’s all I feel is worth sharing via writing.

Pricing:

• $29/month for online ‘gravity yoga’
• $39 for the informational series on breathwork titled ‘deeper. slower. easier.’
• $50-$100 for a public breathing seminar ticket
• ~$500 for a private company workshop
• ~$85/hour for private yoga & couples yoga coaching

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://ethanhill.org/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ohhillyea
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ethan.hill.9440/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ohhillyea
• Other: https://breathlab.us/learn/dse

Image Credits
Kol Gold and Graham Prevatte