Being the founder and CEO of the world’s largest fitness club owned by a single individual doesn’t happen overnight. And it doesn’t happen by accident – unless it does.
David Patchell-Evans, affectionately known as Patch, 61, serendipitously conceived his mega brand, GoodLife, after suffering a motorcycle accident while in university. The experience ultimately taught him the profound benefit of exercise first-hand; it helped him repair his badly broken body.
Through his arduous journey of recovery, Patch developed both strength of body and mind by adopting an athletic mindset. That mindset, coupled with a natural competitive drive, led him to the top of the podium as a five-time Canadian rowing champion. Later, it would also lead him to the top of the fitness-club industry.
The climb wasn’t without its challenges, nor was it ventured alone. Among the many who inspired him, including coaches and friends of the family, Patch considers his mom one of his greatest mentors. Widowed while he was still a boy, Patch’s mom, now 95, supported the family by working as a bookkeeper for several different businesses.
“I have a huge recognition and appreciation for the strength and capability of women thanks to my mom,” says Patch.
That recognition and appreciation translated into one of his best business decisions. In an industry dominated by men, Patch quickly learned to thrive by shifting his focus to the drivers of that industry – women.
“I think one of the strengths of my life has been knowing that women were smarter than I was,” he says. “My CFO, my COO, and the majority of my vice presidents are all women. So, I think that gave me a huge edge in the world.”
Among the male role models who stepped in to fill the gap left by Patch’s late father, Dr. Phil “Doc” Fitz-James represented a shining example of how one could “do it all.” Doc was a distinguished microbiologist and biochemist, and served as head coach for Western University’s rowing club for more than 30 years.
“Here’s a guy who was a rowing coach, had two PhDs and volunteered his time, totally, to his athletes,” says Patch. “He had figured out how to do it all. He was truly a renaissance guy. He knew poetry, he knew wine, he knew rowing and he knew cars.”
A drive to excel has led Patch to a renaissance of his own, despite life’s setbacks along the way. Setbacks defined by attitude rather than circumstances turn negatives into positives on a daily basis.
Those positives have generated business success, numerous awards and financial wealth, but Patch considers his most important achievement to be something more humbling: learning the appreciation of gratitude.
“I have a severely autistic daughter [Kilee, 19], so I don’t think about the problems that creates, the challenges it creates… but what I focus most on is what I get out of that relationship,” says Patch.
Where some may look back over their lives and see a disjointed series of difficult situations, Patch sees a proving ground that helped prepare him for one of his life’s biggest challenges.
“Life is an accumulation, so the injury I had at a young age forced me to focus on what I could do, which is the most powerful saying I use in my company – focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. With arthritis, that helped me the same way. If those two things hadn’t happened to me, I don’t know if I would have been able to cope with the full responsibilities of autism. I had training.”
Given his path, it should come as no surprise that Patch draws a strong parallel between the training provided by life and the training provided by athletics.
“It’s like an athlete in two sports and then goes to a third, and becomes good at it because they already had a physiological and psychological basis to cope with the third sport. So, those things helped me that way. Having gratitude for what you have puts you in a whole different mindset.”
Built on gratitude, the ideology Patch has created around his brand settles for nothing less than genuine caring.
“Culturally, you don’t really fit in at GoodLife if you don’t care. There are lots of other places you can go and teach classes or be a trainer… but our focus is on caring.”
So inherent is this focus, he calls it the foundation of his company.
“That’s the way I think, and we hire people who think that way,” says Patch. “The strength of the company comes from caring about all the people who helped me and trying to give back. That’s why we give so much to charity; that’s why we try to find the cause of autism; that’s why we have the GoodLife Kids Foundation; that’s why we have free teenage fitness. When you give back caring, things work out.”
Things are working out for GoodLife in a big way. In 2009, while the world faced economic instability, the company expanded by an incredible 60 per cent. With 350 clubs throughout Canada, Patch has ambitious goals for the future. Backed by GoodLife’s mantra to “help every Canadian have a fit and healthy good life,” Patch’s belief is steadfast and the company continues to grow.
“My wife asks me if I ever think about retiring and I say ‘what can I do that makes me feel this good?’ I’ll work less, but if I’m away too long, I miss it,” he says.
Still, Patch finds time to get away from work and focus on other areas of life that are equally important to him.
“You can’t be all work… and I don’t want that for my staff either,” says Patch. “If people don’t get refreshed or rejuvenated, they don’t have a life. I really feel if I care the right way for my staff, they’re going to care the right way for our members.”
His children, family and friends bring him the greatest happiness and fulfillment. Married to Olympic rower Silken Laumann, the couple shares four children and call Victoria home, where they enjoy year-round activities.
“I try to get some nature time – everything from skiing to canoeing, being in the outdoors. Or going for a walk to get some outside time, that’s really important to me. Being with my family and friends renews me, quite honestly.”
Renewal, however, isn’t just about the body – even for two world-class athletes. Patch constantly rejuvenates his mind through real, heart-to-heart discussions with his wife.
“Not superficial discussions, but like ‘what does this shit really mean?’” says Patch. “You can’t have self-growth if you don’t self-examine. We read the books that make us self-examine and we talk to each other about things – that’s really the basis of our relationship. We talk about things like ‘what is the meaning of life; why are we here together; what are we doing?’ It’s both our second marriage, so we talk about ‘what is it that we’re bringing to the table for each other as a couple; what are we giving to our children; how are we going to grow and be improved versions of ourselves next year; what are our goals as individuals and as a couple?’ I have a pretty ambitious wife and she asks some pretty tough questions. When I work out with her, she puts me through a tough workout, too,” he says with a laugh.
With Silken, it seems Patch has met his match. Both driven, passionate and competitive, the couple can stand toe to toe as easily and comfortably as side by side. But it’s their level of caring that resonates most profoundly.
“Silk has adopted autism as a passion, along with me,” says Patch. “She’s become as much a part of the autism world as I am and she didn’t have to do that. She chose to do it. Even though we’re both alpha dogs, we’re very much a team.”
A multi-billion dollar industry, health and fitness rank high in consumers’ minds as the vital ingredients for living a longer, healthier life. As a fitness guru, Mr. GoodLife is often tapped for advice.
“Physically, try to stay your best, but be moderate. I know that sounds contradictory because it is. I think that’s the key to growing older, recognizing that you keep having to do everything just as intensely. I would say to someone, if you want to have a cold beer or a glass of wine, have it, but also have your workout.”
The essence of Patch’s advice can be boiled down to two words.
“I think of it as ‘aggressive moderation.’ Go for everything… but go for everything. Don’t be aggressive in just one direction. Realize that you still have to do everything – look after your health, look after income, look after friends and go after each one of them – when you’re there – full on. But do it moderately, so you don’t just do one thing and not the other.”
The intensity Patch advocates for others is the ethos by which he lives his own life. He and his team have three major thrusts on the horizon.
“I want to help find the cause and cure of autism; that would be the most important thing to me,” he says. “I want to grow our company to 1,000 clubs. I want our staff to love what they’re doing in helping people. I want to continue having a great relationship with my family.”
Though he’s approaching the age where many Canadians may be considering retirement, Patch has no plans to toss his oars just yet.
“I’m still 100% committed to those three things; I’m still 100% in. There’s no backing off because I’m 61 years old. I’m probably more competitive now than I was at 31. I’m focused on caring and I’m focused on making a difference in the world and I’m 100% at it. I’m focused on growing the company but I’m also focused on my kids. You could say I’m really confident; if you’re going to create something new and different, you better be confident. You better believe you can make a difference just because you have the belief. That’s usually what it takes – the belief.”
Snapshot
If you were to meet yourself at age 20, what advice would you give yourself?
“Don’t hesitate.”
“I could have trained harder when I rowed; I could have gone for business quicker and harder; I could have been deeper and more meaningful in my relationships with friends and people I dated and married. When I say ‘don’t hesitate’ I mean ‘go for it’ more in all aspects.”
Who or what has influenced you the most? And why?
“My autistic daughter, Kilee.”
“…Entrepreneur-wise, I wanted to succeed. I came from a point of not having stuff, so I was driven to have some sense of accomplishment and to get stuff, whether it was enough money to live on or whatever, and once I could do that, I think of Maslow’s Theory of Needs. Once I got to the point where I knew I had a house and I knew I had relationships, there was room for altruism to come in. First you do it because you need to do it; then you do it to prove it wasn’t a mistake. Then you really have that special ingredient in whatever it is. And some people, like me, are lucky enough to find something and do something to get those first two things and the thing that I do is something I love and it adds value to the world. I’m making a lot of people healthy and happy and helping them live a long time. I like knowing I’m making a difference in the world that way. What I’m doing makes me feel good.”
What does courage mean to you?
“Courage is all those people who look after a special needs person and never give up. There’s no reward system other than the gratitude they get from understanding they’re helping these people. They have the courage not to give up and to always be there for someone. When you see the parents and caregivers of people who can’t look out for themselves, they are the people who have the courage to look out for them. Right down to the weird looks when you’re walking down the street and your kid’s screaming something out or you’re with an adult who doesn’t fit in and you’re the person looking after them – that takes courage.”
What does success mean to you?
“Success is having people that love and appreciate you.”
And in business?
“Same thing.”
“Someone with my entrepreneurial mindset can make money doing a lot of things. And you make money doing things that don’t really help people; you can make money doing things that actually hurt people and I see how I could do that, if I wanted to, and I see how other people do it. And I think they shortchange themselves.”
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