Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins (born Anthony J. Mahavoric; February 29, 1960) is an American author, life coach, philanthropist, and motivational speaker renowned for his high-energy seminars, bestselling self-help books, and strategies for personal and financial empowerment that have reached over 50 million people in 100 countries.

Raised in a challenging environment marked by poverty in Glendora, California , Robbins experienced food scarcity and instability with a mother who had multiple partners, including four different fathers during his upbringing. At age 17, he began working as a promoter for motivational speaker Jim Rohn , whose mentorship profoundly shaped his approach to personal development and success principles. This early exposure led Robbins to pursue a full-time career in coaching, eventually founding Robbins Research International in 1983 to deliver transformative programs worldwide.

Robbins rose to prominence in the 1980s through infomercials and live events featuring techniques like firewalking to build confidence, with signature seminars such as Unleash the Power Within drawing tens of thousands of attendees for immersive 14-hour experiences. His literary contributions include several New York Times bestsellers, including three #1 bestsellers: Unlimited Power (1986), which outlines neuro-linguistic programming for achievement; Awaken the Giant Within (1991), focusing on emotional mastery; Money: Master the Game (2014), a guide to financial independence co-authored with experts; and Life Force (2022), exploring breakthroughs in health and longevity. Fortune dubbed him the "CEO Whisperer" for advising leaders like Salesforce's Marc Benioff .

Beyond his commercial success, Robbins has committed to philanthropy through the Tony Robbins Foundation, which has provided over 2,000 grants to health and human services organizations, implemented educational curricula in correctional facilities, and partnered with Feeding America to deliver more than 1 billion meals to combat hunger since 2013, achieving the initial goal by 2023 and launching a new challenge for another billion by 2035. Married to Sage Robbins since 2001, he continues to influence global audiences through events, online programs, and media appearances, emphasizing fulfillment over mere achievement.

Anthony J. Mahavoric, later known as Tony Robbins, was born on February 29, 1960, in Glendora, California , to a working-class family marked by instability. He was the eldest of three children, and his parents divorced when he was seven years old, after which his mother remarried several times, including to Jim Robbins, a former semi-professional baseball player who legally adopted him at age 12 and from whom he took the surname Robbins.

Robbins' childhood was characterized by poverty and chaos in a frequently unstable household, where food was often scarce—one notable instance at age 11 involved an anonymous stranger providing Thanksgiving groceries to his family amid their struggles. His mother struggled with alcoholism and was physically abusive toward him and his siblings, whom he often protected; the family endured frequent upheaval due to her multiple marriages and personal issues. At age 17, after being chased out of the house with a knife by his mother during a confrontation, Robbins left home permanently and never returned.

To support himself after leaving home, Robbins took on odd jobs, including part-time janitorial work that paid $40 a week in the late 1970s, while living in a small 400-square-foot apartment. These early experiences of self-reliance amid hardship profoundly shaped his resilience, though he has noted using them as motivation rather than dwelling on self-pity .

Robbins attended Glendora High School in California, where he was elected student body president during his senior year in 1977–78. Motivated by family poverty and a desire for independence, he left home at age 17 but completed high school.