I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Mal. Ok, so what’s so special about Mal and how did we become friends? And why should you be interested in reading about Mal? Mal and I met when we both worked at Microsoft. We both retired and stayed in touch. Mal and I share a common goal which is to become the best people we can while making others great. Mal has arrived at a wonderful place in his life and is happier and healthier than at any point in his life. This was not always the case as Mal suffered from long standing personal struggles, and an ever-expanding list of health issues. These finally motivated him to switch paths. If this rings a bell for you, read on. I think you’ll find his story interesting, motivating and compelling. His path to health and happiness is one of inspiration and motivation. And if his story rings a bell, read to the bottom of this article for a very special offer from Mal!

Please provide a little background on yourself. (Prior health, work etc.)
My journey, while often a fun ride, was fraught with many difficult challenges and choices.
I spent 25+ successful years in the Technology Industry, before my long standing personal struggles, and my ever-expanding list of health issues, finally motivated me to switch paths. Like so many others, many of the challenges I faced, stemmed from my past, in my case, a traumatic childhood. The youngest of four children, I grew up in Dublin, Ireland, in a dysfunctional working-class family. Our life was filled with stress as my parents constantly argued; most arguments were initiated by my mother, whom we later learned, suffered from manic depression.

What was your motivation to change your health?
My childhood impacted every part of my adult life. On the positive side, it motivated me to ‘success’. I put myself through technical and business night school for seven years, as I had to work full time to support myself and pay for tuition. It also motivated me to become the best I could be at every job I did and to work hard and do whatever it took to ‘succeed’ and get the next, even bigger, job!

By all accounts, I had a very ‘successful’ career, taking leadership roles within F100 companies and launching several of my own successful business ventures. I was young, hungry, and traveled the world to further my ‘success’… what could go wrong!

On the negative side, it drove me to focus on building a future where I would not have to depend on others, certainly financially, but especially emotionally. Despite my outward appearance of happiness and success, I often struggled inside with anxiety and underlying depression, as well as panic attacks that started when I was a teenager.

During my 30’s and 40’s I developed a hiatus hernia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, chronic heartburn, chronic anxiety, Crohn’s Disease, chronic back, neck, shoulder and knee pain and Atrial Fibrillation. To top it off, I was getting progressively more common colds, flu’s and other acute illnesses.
At my worst, I weighed just shy of 300lbs and was taking 18 prescription pills a day, as well as self-injecting biologic drugs twice a month for Crohn’s Disease. Along with prescription drugs, I began using more and more alcohol, red wine specifically, as my go to ‘Pain Modulator’. I desperately wanted to feel better, I needed the daily pains to go away; I would have done anything to make that happen. I visited countless medical specialists, Western, Eastern and everything in between! NO PROGRESS

Why did you choose the Wim Hof method?
Frustrated by any lack of progress, I went back to school to study anatomy, physiology and nutrition to better understand my body; All this, and more, to educate and motivate myself; but nothing I did seemed to help beyond short term. I was on a continuous ‘one-step forward, two steps backward’ cycle and was regressing both physically and emotionally with each passing month. One day a mentor suggested I look at The Wim Hof Method. I watched the videos and read the blogs and I was intrigued. For about 2 years I tried to practice on my own but made very little progress, then I attended a workshop at the University of BC, facilitated by Wim himself. That day my life changed. While doing the guided breathing exercises, my pain stopped for about 30 seconds… this was huge as I do not remember being pain free at any moment in many years before this. Then, when I entered the Ice Bath, my mind became so focused, calm and clear that I entered a deep meditative state, one I had searched for through 20+ years of failed attempts to adopt a meditation practice.

What were the immediate benefits of choosing this lifestyle?
An almost immediate reduction in pain & inflammation, so much so I was soon able to quit all pain medications. I also quit alcohol, which I had been using as another source of pain relief. Finally, my stress and anxiety started to dissolve away as I was learning to become comfortable being uncomfortable, in a safe and controlled environment. The Wim Hof Method, and other new found practices such as daily mediation, daily long walks, weekend hiking and a workout methodology that focused on micro-progressions, the Happy Body, all contributed to a dramatic improvement in my health. Over a period of 1 year I went from 18 pills a day to 1, I went from 298lbs to 228lbs and heading to my idea 210lbs and a host of other physical and mental benefits.

What are the benefits of incorporating oxygen & cold therapy into our lives?
What I love about this method is that it is backed by an increasing volume of scientific research. As an engineer and entrepreneur I always want to see the data… this method has volumes of incredible scientific research pointing to its many benefits. To start, how about;

  • increased energy, vitality & happiness
  • less stress, anxiety & depression
  • reduced pain & inflammation
  • better quality sleep
  • better handling of fear & challenges
  • heightened focus & determination
  • improved sports / work performance
  • a more balanced immune system
  • a more efficient cardiovascular system
  • better flow / balance in all body systems (homeostasis)

What were your biggest challenges? What were the easiest adaptations to make?
I was already on a mission to transform my life, I believed, a few years shy of 50, that if I did not make some dramatic changes, I would probably not see 60! All change is hard, but my biggest lesson over the past few years was a simple one, and I have yet to see an exception to this rule play out.
‘You can only change if you truly want to’…
now that may seem obvious and people say to me every day, ‘but of course I wtant to lose 20lbs’… or ‘quit smoking’… or ‘get off medications’… or ‘get healthy’… etc. BUT the key is the answer to my next question. ‘Why’?

If the answer is vague and cookie cutter, ‘I think I will feel better’, ‘I want to fit into my 34 inch pants’…’I have a wedding coming up’… etc. or worse still, ‘my partner wants me to’ or ‘my mother is nagging me’ etc… it’s likely we will fail.

I figured out through trial and error that to succeed I must sit down with pen and paper, draw a line down the middle of the page and on the right list all the reasons I don’t want to make the change; ‘its hard’, ‘I like sugar’, ‘Social drinking is part of my culture’, ‘Its good to have an extra 20lbs if you get sick’… etc. then on the left side, list all the reasons why you do want to change. ONLY when the left far outweighs the right, in my opinion, will you succeed in the medium and long term; only then will you be so committed that bad days will not deter you but motivate you even more.

What advice do you have others should they choose to implement a plan similar to the one that you have utilized?
As I touched on above, you have to a) Have a clear goal, b) be fully committed to prioritize it and c) have a clear understanding of what it will do for you if you achieve it or if you fail and d) have an accountability partner. Whether that’s a friend, partner, or life coach does not matter, just make sure they know what you want and truly support you in that endeavor.

Are there additional reference sources that people can review?
You can learn a lot about the Wim Hof Method on the internet, on you tube and in particular at the Wim Hof Method Website http://www.wimhofmethod.com

If someone is not located in the Seattle area how can they benefit from what you offered?
I coach people located all over the world, whether its career, business, life, health etc. usually it’s a combination of all of these. So they can learn more about what I offer at http://www.icemal.energy

There are also Wim Hof Method Instructors throughout the country / world, and a 10 week online course to take as an introduction to the method. Its an awesome program and it will quickly tell you if the method is right for you.

For your readers today, the first 10 people to email me @ mal@icemal.energy with the subject “Beauty Brains & A Blog Sent Me’, will get a free, no obligation, 30 minutes Phone / Zoom consultation with me.