Lance Avery Morgan
Entrepreneur Henry Richardson is taking Houston by storm as the founder of DEFINE Living, which incorporates the core principles of body, food, mind, and life into everyday living. The dynamic brand is way beyond being a healthy approach to life…you can live there and enjoy the benefits of being fully immersed into it. The busy businessman, husband, dad, and holistic wellness expert shares some of his life-lived-well insight with our Lance Avery Morgan.
Portrait photography courtesy of Henry Richardson
Three qualities that got me where I am today are…Love of Learning, Creativity, and most importantly, Perseverance.
Easiest career decision I ever made is…I don’t think of the word “easy” when it comes to the professional decisions I have made. I tend to be an over-thinker on most of the big decisions I make in life. However, when I decided to open my fitness business, DEFINE, I started the process very quickly and immediately after a motivating moment while I was in business school. I had a business professor at Rice talking about the economy collapsing in 2008 in which he said, “Don’t take a job just because it’s there. Do something that will ‘define’ your role in this world.” That was the moment I knew that the fitness idea I had been toying with would be called, DEFINE. I cut my next class (which I had never done before – I was that kind of student), and I immediately filed my DBA for the name DEFINE in Houston. So, I was determined to make it work. I had to make it work because my classmates were signing six-figure contracts to earn money, while I was signing a six-figure contract to pay money for the opening of my business. Although I don’t think of the word “easy” when describing that process, I would say it was obvious to me that starting DEFINE was my next professional step.
I love supporting a more holistic approach (Body/Food/Mind/Life) with my business activities by…To understand why “body, food, mind, and life” are so important to me, I think it is important to explain that my lower back is still broken. I did not have surgery in my 20s because I needed a spinal fusion, and I did not want to lose mobility in my spine. And, I still don’t want to lose mobility. Therefore, I have to take care of my physical pain daily through movement, food, meditation, and my mindset. I am very much able to manage my lower back issues, so I take pride in staying on top of my “body, food, mind, and life”.
In my newest business, Define Living, a 260-unit apartment community located in Spring Branch, off Brittmoore Rd, we have taken the idea of “Body, Food, Mind, and Life” to a new level by incorporating services that focus on each of these categories into the lives of our residents:
Body: We offer weekly fitness classes for strength, cardio, and flexibility.
Food: Each month we have a cooking class incorporating a variety of delicious and perhaps new ingredients that make at-home cooking easy.
Mind: Meditation has been an important practice for me since my spinal injury. It is my goal to make meditation seem less daunting.
Life: I think of “life” as “life-giving”. We teach our residents simple, effective, and research-backed tools for how to bring more “life” into their day-to-day existence. One of these is by simply having community-building socials.
Due to my ongoing involvement in business in Houston, I have found that…Houston is a city of opportunity (often under-appreciated) that is an exemplar of how a modern city can thrive with its diversity.
What I’d like people to know about my concept, Define Living at Brittmoore, is that we…Are bringing something so powerful and so unique to the Houston market that significantly impacts the overall health and well-being of our residents. From Day One of starting the brand Define Living, I have worked to ensure that we exceed the expectations of our residents with our services. Marketing wellbeing is one thing. Increasing a resident’s well-being is something entirely different, and I am beyond proud of the services and transformations we are providing to our residents.
I’m also excited to share that we are starting to license the Define Living model for other multi-family communities. My goal is to increase the well-being of all of our residents, and I hope to expand the number of residents we can reach each and every year.
How I made my first dollar…Aside from the tooth fairy, I made my first dollar selling my polished rock collection. I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My dad does not have hobbies, he creates businesses. This has had a profound influence on me and my sisters from an early age, and I have fallen in similar footsteps: apartments, fitness studio, a retreat center in Mexico, and beyond.
Last thing I binge/marathon watched…I’m learning Spanish right now, so I have been re-watching old shows like Friends and Sex And the City in Spanish.
Book that left a lasting impression on me…A Course in Miracles. You can open up the book to any page, and you will get the lesson you are needing for that moment and that day!
On that note, my favorite fictional character is…Haha…Samantha from Bewitched. I would love to twitch my nose and teleport and time travel.
My real-life hero has got to be…My parents. Together they are an incredible duo of strength, grace, love, accountability, and support.
First music I bought…I saved my money and bought two singles (on vinyl): We Are The World and Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
If I could live in a foreign city it would be…Paris. I’m craving carbs that don’t destroy your health.
What everyone/woman should try in her lifetime is…Skydiving. I’ve gone twice: once in Florida and once in Fiji. I want to go again with my son when he is older. I loved getting to experience the thrill of flying through the sky while also observing the beauty of both locations.
If I could compete in an Olympic sport it would be…I tried for the 2000 Olympics in platform diving, and it would still be the sport I would select.
If I weren’t doing what I do I would (be a…)…If I could start all over, I would put all of my focus and energy into learning as many languages as I can. My husband speaks three languages, and my son speaks four. I am in awe at the connections they can make with so many different cultures because of this skill. Therefore, I would be a “polyglot”.
My hidden talent that most people might not guess is…I am strangely good at remembering people’s faces and names.
If I had a superpower, I’d want it to be…Able to transform into any animal.
A simple way to get people to laugh is easy. Just…Show me any Kristen Wiig character she ever created (Penelope, Gilley, Target Lady….).
A phrase I might overuse would be…To be honest….
My motto? Easy. It is...“Swim in your own lane.”
Favorite scent these days is (because)…The Define Living Signature scent by Source Vital. It’s the perfect balance of fresh, clean, and refreshing.
The beauty essential you’d have to pry out of my cold, dead hands is…Metropolitan Dermatology Institute’s Correct Wipes from Dr. Jenny Segal.
A celebrity I would prank phone call and what I would ask them is…Dua Lipa…“Can we hang out Saturday?”
The classic movie star style I most identify with is…Gregory Peck.
In my fridge, you will always find…Olives and pickles. I crave fermented foods.
My favorite beverage these days is…I’m a bit of a Puritan about my drinks. It’s water and lemon for me (and the occasional margarita on the rocks with salt).
An artist whose work I would collect (or like to collect) is…Banksy. I love the mystery and the discipline that it takes to sustain such a high-profile enigma.
My perfect day would end…In an air-conditioned room, with my loved ones, of course.
On my tombstone, it will likely say…Now I Know Something You Don’t.
