Meet Derrick Owens of Miracle Mile

Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick Owens.

Hi Derrick, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story didn’t start with a clean slate; it started with a mountain to climb. I was born addicted to crack and was subsequently adopted into a family that would become the foundation of everything I am today. Growing up was a lesson in maturity that most don’t have to face until much later in life. I navigated ADHD and the frustrations of a school system that didn’t quite fit the way I learned, but the real classroom was at home.

When I was just 12 years old, I lost my father. He was the hardest working man I’ve ever known, a man who gave everything to support his family, but he neglected his own vessel. His death from heart and lung failure in his 50s was my first glimpse at the cost of ignoring one’s health. Following his passing, I spent the next two decades from age 12 to 31 as a primary caretaker for my mother.

Watching her was a lesson in unconditional love and brutal physical struggle. She was the woman who taught me to be uniquely myself, yet I watched her battle seizures, dementia episodes, and debilitating panic attacks until she passed away last year at 77.

Living through that balancing lacrosse, school, and the weight of caretaking taught me two life altering truths: Learning is never linear, and health is not a luxury; it is a necessity.
I realized at a young age that while I couldn’t change my beginning, I could change my trajectory. I saw my parents’ lives cut short or limited by illness, and it ignited a fire in me. I didn’t just want to be ‘fit’; I wanted to be the antithesis of the illness I grew up witnessing.

That journey led me here, to Los Angeles, where I’ve dedicated my life to helping others prevent the very struggles my parents endured. My mission isn’t just about PRs or aesthetics; it’s about longevity, mental resilience, and giving people the tools to live a life that isn’t dictated by their health, but empowered by it. I am proof that you can be born into the dark and still build a life full of light and strength.”My story didn’t start with a clean slate; it started with a mountain to climb. I was born addicted to crack and was subsequently adopted into a family that would become the foundation of everything I am today. Growing up was a lesson in maturity that most don’t have to face until much later in life. I navigated ADHD and the frustrations of a school system that didn’t quite fit the way I learned, but the real classroom was at home.
When I was just 12 years old, I lost my father. He was the hardest working man I’ve ever known, a man who gave everything to support his family, but he neglected his own vessel. His death from heart and lung failure in his 50s was my first glimpse at the cost of ignoring one’s health. Following his passing, I spent the next two decades from age 12 to 31—as a primary caretaker for my mother.

Watching her was a lesson in unconditional love and brutal physical struggle. She was the woman who taught me to be uniquely myself, yet I watched her battle seizures, dementia episodes, and debilitating panic attacks until she passed away last year at 77.

Living through that balancing lacrosse, school, and the weight of caretaking taught me two life altering truths: Learning is never linear, and health is not a luxury; it is a necessity. I realized at a young age that while I couldn’t change my beginning, I could change my trajectory. I saw my parents’ lives cut short or limited by illness, and it ignited a fire in me. I didn’t just want to be ‘fit’; I wanted to be the antithesis of the illness I grew up witnessing.

That journey led me here, to Los Angeles, where I’ve dedicated my life to helping others prevent the very struggles my parents endured. My mission isn’t just about PRs or aesthetics; it’s about longevity, mental resilience, and giving people the tools to live a life that isn’t dictated by their health, but empowered by it. I am proof that you can be born into the dark and still build a life full of light and strength.”

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
If the road were smooth, I wouldn’t have the perspective I have today. My path has been paved with “not-yets” and “almost-theres” because the most significant struggle was the constant duality of my life. While most of my peers were focused solely on their next game or their next exam, I was living in a state of high stakes responsibility. There were nights I’d come home from a grueling day and transition immediately into a caregiver role, navigating my mother’s seizures or managing her oxygen levels.

Finding the energy to pour into my own growth while being the primary support system for someone else was a monumental weight to carry. During those seasons of profound burnout, lacrosse became my sanctuary and my anchor. However, even that wasn’t a “smooth” experience. I started playing lacrosse in the 11th grade, which is incredibly late in a sport where most of the guys we lined up against had been cradling a stick since they were six or seven years old.

I was constantly playing catch-up, forced to work twice as hard just to earn my spot on the field. That steep learning curve was exactly what I needed because it taught me that being behind at the start doesn’t mean you can’t finish on top. The discipline of the sport kept me focused when my home life felt chaotic. It gave me a physical outlet for my grief and a structured environment where my ADHD was an asset rather than a distraction.

The internal battle was just as real as the external one. I had to learn through trial and error that my brain didn’t work like everyone else’s. I had to find my own way to process loss and the psychological toll of watching my mother’s health decline throughout my entire adulthood. There were moments of doubt where I wondered if I could truly help others find health when I was surrounded by so much illness, but every hospital visit reinforced my “why.” The struggle taught me that consistency is more important than intensity. I learned how to show up when I didn’t want to, how to find light in the middle of a dementia episode, and how to use movement as my own medicine. The road wasn’t smooth, but the bumps are exactly what gave me the traction to climb.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At the core of everything I do is a mission to bridge the gap between where a person is and where they are capable of going. I am currently the Assistant Head Coach at CrossFit Hollywood, a position I have been honored to reach in just two and a half years of being with the community this is where I coach high energy group fitness classes. Alongside that, I run Blackline Fitness where I specialize in changing lives through 1v1 personal training sessions. For me, fitness is not just about the workout; it is about the transformation that happens when someone realizes they are stronger than their circumstances. I also will be hosting fitness retreats in Portugal this September 5th – 12th, this will include surfing lessons and group fitness classes.

A Legacy Shared with the World…

This past year has been a whirlwind of growth on a world wide scale. I recently competed in a game show that will air on Amazon Prime this summer, which gave me a platform to share my personal story and my mother’s legacy with a massive audience. It was a powerful moment to honor her strength while testing my own. That momentum has carried into my athletic career, as I was recently sponsored by Torque Fitness to compete in the LT Games on April 25th. These opportunities are incredible, but they are ultimately extensions of the work I do every day on the gym floor.

The Power of Being Seen
When people ask what I am most proud of, my answer usually surprises them. I am not just proud of the titles or the sponsorships; I am most proud of the person I have become. Because of my history, I see life through a lens that many do not. I have learned that everything happens for a reason and that we are all connected on a level much deeper than most realize. I have become known as the guy who is always smiling, the one who ensures every person who walks through the door feels truly seen. I believe everyone has something valuable to bring to the table and that there is a lesson to be learned from every single person you meet.

What truly sets me apart is a raw natural talent for connection. I do not just coach movements; I connect with souls. Whether I am leading a large class or working one on one, my goal is to make people feel understood and empowered. I am not just building better athletes; I am helping people build a better relationship with themselves, fueled by the same resilience that helped me navigate my own path.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
To many, risk is a calculation of what you might lose, but for me, risk has always been about what I refused to leave behind. When I look back at my journey, I realize that my entire career was built on the “funny concept” of being broke with a dream. There is a specific kind of pressure that comes when everyone around you is telling you to get a “real job” while you are staring at a vision of a future that only you can see. It takes a certain level of healthy obsession to ignore the noise and keep betting on yourself when your bank account is empty, but I knew that the “safe” path was the biggest risk of all because it meant giving up on the person I was meant to become.

The most profound risk I ever took was the decision to go to college. It wasn’t just a financial gamble, though we were living in poverty and had no clear way to pay for it; it was an emotional sacrifice. At the time, my mother was battling the recurring cycles of her illness, and the thought of leaving her side was terrifying. We eventually had to make the difficult transition of moving her into an assisted living facility so I could pursue an education. Leaving her there to chase a better life for both of us felt like walking a tightrope without a net. It was a heavy weight to carry, but I realized that if I didn’t take that leap, we would both stay trapped in the cycle of struggle.

That period of my life taught me that true risk taking isn’t about being reckless; it’s about having the courage to be misunderstood for a while. It’s about being okay with being “the broke guy with the vision” because you know the work you’re putting in today is the down payment on the life you’ll have tomorrow. I’m not saying I’ve reached my final destination yet growth is a lifelong process but I can say with a smile that I’m not in that “broke” place anymore. Every risk I took, from the classroom to the gym floor, was a brick in the foundation of the man I am today. I’ve learned that when you bet on your own resilience, the payoff is always worth the uncertainty.

Pricing:

• CrossFit Hollywood – We offer a complimentary intro session to get you started.
• Personal Training (1v1) – $90 per individual session
• RM Travel Experience | International Fitness Retreat: Reach Out for Specific Pricing Options

Contact Info:

• Website: https://crossfithollywood.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drowens_aify?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derrick.owens.602125?
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dowens_aify?si=Jf9S6I0hDJ-3x86E