Biography:Tony Robbins

From HandWiki
Tony Robbins
Robbins in 2009
Born
Anthony J. Mahavoric

(1960-02-29) February 29, 1960 (age 65)
North Hollywood, California, U.S.
Occupation
  • Author
  • motivational speaker
Years active1977–present
Known forMotivational speaking
Spouse(s)
  • Becky Robbins (m. 1984⁠–⁠1998)
  • Sage Robbins (m. 2001)
Children5
Signature

Anthony Jay Robbins (Template:Né Mahavoric, born February 29, 1960) is an American author, coach and motivational speaker.[1] He is known for his seminars, and self-help books including the books Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within.[2]

Early life and education

Robbins was born Anthony J. Mahavoric in North Hollywood, California, on February 29, 1960.[3] The eldest of three children, his parents divorced when he was seven. He is of Croatian descent from both sides of his family.[4] His mother remarried several times, including a marriage with Jim Robbins, a former semi-professional baseball player who legally adopted Anthony when he was 12.[3]

Robbins attended Glendora High School.[5] During high school, he grew 10 inches (25 cm) in one year, a growth spurt later attributed to a pituitary tumor.[3] He has said his home life was "chaotic" and "abusive". When he was 17, he left home and never returned.[3] He later worked as a janitor, and did not attend college.[3] One day, he asked his landlord, a family friend, how he became so successful, and the landlord told him that he started to turn his life around after attending a Jim Rohn seminar.

Career

Robbins began promoting seminars for motivational speaker and author Jim Rohn when he was 17 years old.[6] He subsequently learned to firewalk and incorporated it into his seminars.[7]

In May 1995, Robbins Research International (RRI) settled with the Federal Trade Commission over alleged violations of the agency's Franchise Rule. Under the settlement, RRI did not admit to having violated any law, but agreed to pay $221,260 in consumer redress.[8] In 2000, Wade Cook sued Robbins for allegedly using copyrighted terms from Cook's book Wall Street Money Machine in his seminars. A jury awarded Cook a $655,900 judgment, which was appealed.[citation needed] Cook and Robbins settled for an undisclosed amount.[9]

In July 2010, NBC debuted Breakthrough with Tony Robbins, a reality show that followed Robbins as he helped the show's participants face their personal challenges.[10][11] NBC canceled the show after airing two of the planned six episodes due to low viewership of 2.8 million.[12] In March 2012, the OWN Network picked up the show for another season beginning with the original first season set to re-run and thereafter leading directly into the new 2012 season.[13][14] In April 2012, Robbins began co-hosting Oprah's Lifeclass on the OWN Network.[15]

Robbins in 2009

In July 2012, the San Jose Mercury News published a story reporting that several people had been burned and hospitalized during one of Robbins's fire-walking events on July 19, 2012. This story was picked up by other media outlets, including Fox News, The New York Times, and CNN.[16][17] Aspects of these reports were later challenged by Robbins himself along with some of the on-site medical professionals.[18][19] On June 24, 2016, it was reported that "dozens were burned and required medical attention after attempting to walk on hot coals during a fire-walking event at a Tony Robbins seminar in Dallas, Texas".[20] A spokeswoman for the Robbins organization stated, "Someone unfamiliar with the process of the fire-walk called 911 reporting the need for emergency service vehicles […] there was no need for emergency personnel […] only 5 of 7,000 participants requested an examination beyond what was readily available on site."[21]

In 2014, Robbins joined a group of investors to acquire rights to launch a Major League Soccer franchise in Los Angeles referred to as the Los Angeles Football Club. The team entered competition in 2018.[22][23][24]

In 2015, filmmaker Joe Berlinger directed and produced the documentary Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru, about the Tony Robbins event "Date with Destiny" after filming it in Boca Raton, Florida, in December 2014.[25] It premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in March 2016[26] and was released by Netflix on July 15, 2016.[25][27]

In 2016, Robbins partnered with Golden State Warriors co-owner Peter Guber and Washington Wizards co-owner Ted Leonsis to purchase Team Liquid, an eSports professional gaming organization.[28]

Robbins has worked on an individual basis with Bill Clinton,[29] Justin Tuck,[30] Hugh Jackman,[31] and Pitbull.[32] He d businessmen Peter Guber, Steve Wynn, and Marc Benioff.[33]

Philanthropy

In 1991, Robbins founded the Anthony Robbins Foundation,[34] to help young people, homeless people, hungry people, elderly people, and imprisoned people.[35] The foundation is said to deliver food baskets and household essentials to approximately 2 million people each year across various countries. Additionally, its products and programs are reportedly present in over 2,000 schools, 700 prisons, and 100,000 health and human service organizations.[36]

In 2014, he donated the profits of his book, Money: Master the Game, along with an additional personal donation, through Feeding America to provide meals to people in need.[37][38][39]

Robbins helped raise money for Operation Underground Railroad.[40]

Personal life

In 1984, Robbins married Rebecca Jenkins after meeting her at a seminar.[41][42][43] Jenkins had three children, from two former marriages, whom Robbins adopted. Robbins and Jenkins filed for divorce in 1998.[43]

In 1984, Robbins fathered a child with former girlfriend Liz Acosta. Their son, Jairek Robbins, is also a personal empowerment coach and trainer.[44][45]

In October 2001, Robbins married Bonnie Sage Humphrey Robbins.[46] They live in Manalapan, Florida.[36]

Robbins was a vegan for 12 years; he then reportedly added fish to his diet.[47] While eating a fish-heavy diet, he developed mercury poisoning and nearly died.[48] His diet now consists of mostly vegetables with a small amount of animal protein.[48][49]

Robbins' net worth is estimated to be around $600 million.[36] He owns the Namale Resort and Spa which is located in Fiji.[36] Robbins is a licensed helicopter pilot.[36]

In a 2013 interview with Playboy magazine, Robbins disclosed that he had been diagnosed with acromegaly at age 31, but refused his doctor's recommendation to undergo brain surgery.[50] Robbins is 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall.[51]

Sexual harassment allegations

In May 2019, an investigation by BuzzFeed News detailed accusations against Robbins of the sexual harassment of fans and staff members, such as groping fans at events and exposing his genitals to his assistants.[52][53] Robbins denied the allegations and said, "I have been the target of a year-long investigation by BuzzFeed. Unfortunately, your organization has made it clear to my team that you intend to move forward with publishing an inaccurate, agenda-driven version of the past, pierced with falsehoods."[54] In November 2019, BuzzFeed News published a six-part article accusing Robbins of molesting a teenage girl during his time as a "star speaker" at SuperCamp, an elite summer camp in southern California. The article states that the events took place in 1985 when Robbins was 25, and that there were at least two eyewitnesses.[55]

Robbins denied wrongdoing and sued BuzzFeed News in Ireland. In response, BuzzFeed News said that it stood by its reporting and suggested that Robbins's decision to file the summons in Ireland was an "abuse" of the Irish court.[56]

Select bibliography

  • Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement (1986). Free Press. ISBN 0-684-84577-6.
  • Awaken the Giant Within (1991). Free Press. ISBN 0671791540.
  • Giant Steps (1994). Touchstone. ISBN 0671891049.
  • Money: Master the Game (2014). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1476757801.
  • Co-authored with Peter Mallouk (2017). Unshakeable: Your Financial Freedom Playbook. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1501164589.
  • Co-authored with Peter Mallouk (2020). The Path: Accelerating Your Journey to Financial Freedom. Post Hill Press. ISBN 1642937010.
  • Co-authored with Peter Diamandis and Robert Hariri (2022). Life Force: How New Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life & Those You Love. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781982121709.

References

  1. "How celebrity coach Tony Robbins spends his millions" (in en). Business Insider. http://www.businessinsider.com/tony-robbins-life-story-2015-6. 
  2. Schnall, Marianne (November 20, 2014). "Interview with Tony Robbins on His New Book, 'Money: Master the Game'" (in en-US). https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-schnall/interview-with-tony-robbi_b_6190678.html. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 O'Keefe, Brian (October 31, 2014). "Tony Robbins, The CEO Whisperer". Fortune. http://fortune.com/2014/10/30/tony-robbins-best-advice-executive-coach/. 
  4. "50 Famous People with Croatian Heritage | Croatia Week" (in en). 3 March 2018. https://www.croatiaweek.com/50-famous-people-with-croatian-heritage/. 
  5. "A True Believer : Tony Robbins Has Attracted Converts--and Critics--to His Positive-Thinking Empire". October 1991. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-01-vw-3520-story.html. 
  6. Rolando Ponce de Leon. "Anthony Robbins: A true motivation life". MotivationLife. http://motivationlife.com/?p=27. 
  7. Robbins, Tony (2007). Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny. Free Press. ISBN 978-0-671-79154-4. https://archive.org/details/awakengiantwith000robb. 
  8. "Robbins Research International, Inc." (in en). Federal Trade Commission. May 16, 1995. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/1995/05/robbins-research-international-inc. 
  9. "Casetext" (in en). https://casetext.com/case/cook-v-robbins-2. 
  10. Schneider, Michael (February 9, 2009). "Variety: "NBC Picks Up Breakthrough with Tony Robbins"". Variety. https://variety.com/2009/scene/markets-festivals/nbc-picks-up-tony-robbins-show-1117999887/. 
  11. "Breakthrough with Tony Robbins to Debut July 27". TVGuide.com. https://www.tvguide.com/News/Tony-Robbins-NBC-1019133.aspx. 
  12. "Tony Robbins' series pulled from NBC schedule" (in en-US). sandiegouniontribune.com. Associated Press. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-tony-robbins-series-pulled-from-nbc-schedule-2010aug04-story.html. 
  13. "Tony Robbins, Parts 1 and 2". Oprah.com. February 19, 2012. http://www.oprah.com/own-oprahs-next-chapter/Oprahs-Next-Chapter-Tony-Robbins-Part-1. 
  14. "First Look: Breakthrough with Tony Robbins" (in en-us). Oprah.com. http://www.oprah.com/own/first-look-breakthrough-with-tony-robbins. 
  15. Gallo, Carmine (February 24, 2012). "How Tony Robbins Gets in Peak State for Presentations". Forbes.com. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/02/24/how-tony-robbins-gets-in-peak-state-for-presentations/. 
  16. Pogash, Carol (July 22, 2012). "A Self-Improvement Quest That Led to Burned Feet" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/us/nearly-two-dozen-injured-at-tony-robbins-seminar.html. 
  17. Page, Falyn (June 25, 2016). "Tony Robbins hot coal walk injures dozens". https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/24/us/tony-robbins-hot-coal-walkers-burned/index.html. 
  18. Schnall, Marianne (July 31, 2012). "Tony Robbins Sets the Record Straight About Fire Walk 'Controversy'". Huffington Post. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-schnall/tony-robbins-fire-walk_b_1718499.html. 
  19. Kurhi, Eric; Gomez, Mark (July 21, 2012). "San Jose: 21 people treated for burns after firewalk at Tony Robbins appearance". San Jose Mercury News. http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_21125630/san-jose-21-people-treated-burns-after-firewalk. 
  20. "Robbins Seminar Continues Despite Dozens Burned At Fire-Walking Event". CBS 21 (Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas). June 24, 2016. https://www.cbsnews.com/dfw/news/dozens-burned-after-fire-walking-event-at-tony-robbins-seminar/. 
  21. "False Alarm at Tony Robbins's Dallas Seminar" (in en). Inc.com. June 24, 2016. https://www.inc.com/bill-carmody/false-alarm-at-tony-robbins-dallas-seminar.html. 
  22. Baxter, Kevin (October 30, 2014). "Magic Johnson, Mia Hamm among owners of new L.A. pro soccer team" (in en-US). Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. https://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-mls-franchise-los-angeles-20141030-story.html. 
  23. "Will Ferrell joins Magic Johnson and Mia Hamm as an owner of new MLS team LAFC" (in en-US). For The Win. January 8, 2016. http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/01/will-ferrell-joins-magic-johnson-and-mia-hamm-as-an-owner-of-new-mls-team-lafc. 
  24. O'Keefe, Brian. "Deep-pocketed owners bet big on new MLS soccer team in Los Angeles". http://fortune.com/2014/10/30/dream-team-magic-johnson-mia-hamm-tony-robbins-among-deep-pocketed-investors-betting-big-on-soccer-in-l-a/. 
  25. 25.0 25.1 Catsoulis, Jeannette (July 12, 2016). "Review: 'Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru' Depicts a Self-Help Prophet" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/13/movies/tony-robbins-i-am-not-your-guru-review.html. 
  26. Gallo, Carmine. "How Tony Robbins Gets in Peak State for Presentations". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/02/24/how-tony-robbins-gets-in-peak-state-for-presentations/#8cf99b56aa61. 
  27. "Netflix Premiers New Joe Berlinger Documentary – Tony Robbins: I am Not Your Guru Exclusively to Members Worldwide on July 15" (in en). March 9, 2016. https://media.netflix.com/en/press-releases/netflix-premieres-new-joe-berlinger-documentary-tony-robbins-i-am-not-your-guru-exclusively-to-members-worldwide-on-july-15. 
  28. "eSports powerhouse Team Liquid picked up by new investor group" (in en-US). Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/27/esports-team-liquid-bought/. 
  29. "Why Bill Clinton Has Tony Robbins on Speed Dial" (in en). Inc.com. March 19, 2015. https://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/how-tony-robbins-helped-president-bill-clinton.html. 
  30. "Slump buster: Giants' Tuck walks on hot coals". ESPN.com. http://www.espn.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/9296417/new-york-giants-defensive-end-justin-tuck-turned-motivational-speaker-tony-robbins-help. 
  31. "Hugh Jackman on His Surprising Hollywood BFFs and Mother's Abandonment" (in en). The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hugh-jackman-les-miserables-oscar-420764. 
  32. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine{{cbignore} b|last=Addicted2SuccessTV|title=Pitbull Motivated For Success By Tony Robbins|website=YouTube |date=May 26, 2013|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF6ylDcR434%7Caccess-date=October 18, 2017}}
  33. O'Keefe, Brian. "Tony Robbins, The CEO Whisperer". http://fortune.com/2014/10/30/tony-robbins-best-advice-executive-coach/. 
  34. "Our History - Anthony Robbins Foundation". https://anthonyrobbinsfoundation.org/about/our-history/. 
  35. "Our Mission". Anthony Robbins Foundation. http://www.anthonyrobbinsfoundation.org/about/our-mission/. 
  36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 36.4 Moorhead, Caitlyn (April 30, 2025). "7 Ways Famous Entrepreneur Tony Robbins Spends His Money". Yahoo Finance. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/7-ways-famous-entrepreneur-tony-160131354.html. 
  37. Hellmich, Nanci (December 10, 2014). "Tony Robbins' 7 steps to financial freedom in retirement". USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/12/09/tony-robbins-money-book/19278963/. 
  38. "Tony Robbins Provides Millions More Meals To Feeding America® To Help Families In Need". http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/news-and-updates/press-room/press-releases/tony-robbins-provides-Millions-Meals.html. 
  39. "Tony Robbins on The Profound Moment That Inspired Him To End Hunger Nationwide" (in en). Woman's Day. August 8, 2015. http://www.womansday.com/life/a51472/tony-robbins-feeding-america/. 
  40. Shinneman, Shawn (March 21, 2017). "After a-ha moment, Dallas CEO leads charge against sex trafficking". https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/bizwomen/news/profiles-strategies/2017/03/after-a-ha-moment-dallas-ceo-leads-charge-against.html?page=all. 
  41. "Tony Robbins: An Awakened Giant Within… Life & Lessons". One Life Success. May 1, 2014. http://www.onelifesuccess.net/tony-robbins-an-awakened-giant-within-life-lessons/. 
  42. Geoffrey Brewer (November 1993). "Is this guy for real?". Sales & Marketing Management. p. 92. 
  43. 43.0 43.1 Robbins, Anthony J. (2002). "Business Leader Profiles for Students". pp. 390–394. 
  44. "The 3 biggest lessons Jairek Robbins learned from his famous father". 2016-05-04. https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2016/05/the-3-biggest-lessons-jairek-robbins-learned-from.html. 
  45. "Tony Robbins, The CEO Whisperer" (in en). https://fortune.com/2014/10/30/tony-robbins-best-advice-executive-coach/. 
  46. "Tony Robbins' True Love" (in en-us). Oprah.com. http://www.oprah.com/own-oprahs-next-chapter/Tony-Robbins-True-Love-Video. 
  47. @TonyRobbins (February 7, 2011). "to answer many of you who asked. I was vegan for 12 years now I eat fish. Eating Vegan great for environment …". https://twitter.com/TonyRobbins/status/34731611299774464. 
  48. 48.0 48.1 Thorp, Charles (2015). "Help Yourself: Tony Robbins' Four Tips for Mental Fitness". https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/help-yourself-tony-robbins-four-tips-for-mental-fitness-w431169/. 
  49. "Tony Robbins follows a special diet he says gets him through 16-hour work days". Businessinsider.com. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  50. Plaskin, Glenn (2013-08-13). "Playboy Interview: Tony Robbins". Playboy. http://www.playboy.com/articles/tony-robbins-playboy-interview. 
  51. "Tony Robbins: 11 Things You Didn't Know About the Superstar Life Coach - He's one of the most respected life and business coaches in the world.". ABC News. March 10, 2015. https://abcnews.go.com/Business/tony-robbins-11-things-superstar-life-coach/story?id=29513846. 
  52. Bradley, Jane; Baker, Katie J.M. (May 17, 2019). "Unlimited Power, A BuzzFeed News Investigation". https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janebradley/tony-robbins-self-help-secrets. 
  53. Baker, Katie J.M.; Bradley, Jane (May 22, 2019). "Four More Women Have Accused Tony Robbins Of Sexual Misconduct". https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katiejmbaker/four-more-women-accuse-tony-robbins-of-sexual-misconduct. 
  54. Robbins, Tony (May 17, 2019). "An Open Letter to BuzzFeed Editors and Board of Directors from Tony Robbins". https://medium.com/@TonyRobbins/an-open-letter-to-buzzfeed-editors-and-board-of-directors-from-tony-robbins-e78f2c11e8af. 
  55. "Tony Robbins Has Been Accused Of Sexually Assaulting A High Schooler At Summer Camp" (in en). November 22, 2019. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katiejmbaker/tony-robbins-accused-sexual-assault-teenager-supercamp. 
  56. Flood, Brian (November 26, 2019). "Tony Robbins starts legal actions against BuzzFeed over sexual assault report" (in en-US). https://www.foxnews.com/media/tony-robbins-starts-legal-actions-against-buzzfeed-over-sexual-assault-report.