Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Bailey.
Hi Anthony, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In 2017, at the age of 40. I ran 26.2 miles and crossed the finish line of the Los Angeles Marathon. Up to that point was the biggest physical achievement I not only strived for but completed. Crossing that finish line meant so much more to me than just a physical achievement. It was a symbol of something much, much more: Shedding of the skin of the person I used to be.
My childhood was a far cry from ideal. Due to the drug and alcohol addictions of my parents, life in my home growing up was extremely chaotic. Many of my memories within that home included extreme neglect, physical and mental abuse and numerous episodes of violence.
Those years of trauma left many emotional scars that followed me into adulthood.
Seeing firsthand the effects of substance abuse, I swore to myself that I would never drink alcohol or do drugs. Unfortunately, at 21 I discovered that alcohol actually helped me get out of my anxiety-riddled shell I was in. At first, it was a fun thing that I would do with friends on the weekends. But over time, it slowly morphed into less of a social activity and something I would do alone numerous times a week.
After 14 years of countless hangovers, bad life decisions, and a “whoa is me”, negative outlook on life, I decided it was time for a change. It wasn’t overnight, but I started slowly taking on new positive habits such as going to the gym and diving into personal development.
A few months later, I met Jen, who is now my wife. Her love and support would be the rocket fuel I needed to finally motivate me to let go of the alcohol, cigarettes and constant self-doubt.
Over the following five years, I accomplished more than I ever did the 35 years prior; such as completing that first marathon. Since then, I have completed six more marathons along with many other physical accomplishments. I have a beautiful family and an amazing circle of “go getter” friends. My wife and I also started a nonprofit in our community to help those in need by raising funds through running events called, Run for Grace, Inc.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In 2020, I decided to document my journey on YouTube where I use running as the platform to help motivate others to live their best life through running. I do that in numerous ways; by sharing my running experiences, helping them through their journey with gear and product reviews, and providing running tips I have learned along the way.
My wife and I also started a YouTube channel connected to our nonprofit, Run for Grace. On that channel, we share our journey as husband and wife owners of a nonprofit along with interviewing others who are making a positive impact through their passion of health, fitness or running, called the, “Passion for Action show”. The amazing people we have met through that has been truly inspiring and has led to many friendships.
I believe what sets me apart from others is that I am not afraid to share all the aspects of my journey, the good and bad. I think a great way to connect and inspire others is to be as transparent as possible.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Smooth? Hmm…not so much! Haha.
When I decided to start my YouTube channel, I had absolutely ZERO clue what I was doing. All I knew was that I wanted to share my journey in video form. I had no clue about filming, editing, SEO research, thumbnail design, etc. BUT, I absolutely loved it so freaking much that I became completely immersed in becoming a student.
I would listen to numerous YouTube podcasts, watch “How to’s”, along with connecting with other content creators and get their feedback on what they have learned. The latter, I must say, has been one of my favorite parts of my YouTube journey. I am absolutely amazed that I have met so many incredible people from all over the world. People that I can honestly call my friend.
I am just over a year of doing this and I still have a lot to learn, but I still love it as much now as I did when I started. Being able to connect two of my passions, running and content creation has brought so much joy to my heart.
However, one of the biggest struggles I went through thus far was the dreaded “comparing myself to others.” I would look at the channels of other creators and see their views, subscribers. etc. and be completely disgruntled that my channel wasn’t getting the same attention or growth. I have to constantly remind myself that we are all on our own journey and that everyone’s situation is different. A great quote that helps me through this is, “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle” ~ Jon Acuff
I am very excited to see where this ends up. But in the meantime, I will strive to be consistent, improve with each upload, and bring as much value to what I call my “adored supporters” as possible.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
This was a tough question for me to answer and I spent some time trying to provide one. But honestly, due to the chaos that my childhood involved, my favorite memory was the day I finally moved out on my own at 18. The complete sense of relief I had knowing that I did not have to be fearful about what I was going to encounter walking into my home was a feeling I will never forget.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://runningformybestlife.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningformybestlife/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RunningForMyBestLife
- Other: http://www.runforgrace.org/
