Detox

Carly and I had a chance to sit down with the owners of The Ranch at Live Oak Malibu, Alex and Sue Glasscock. The Ranch at Live Oak offers a week long intensive program that allows you to unplug, return to nature, connect with like minded people and improve your overall physical and mental capacity. The Ranch offers a completely open and non judgemental space for you to release stress and tension that has been affecting your overall health and wellness. After the one week you will take these new skills and most importantly the motivation to lead a healthier life back to your everyday living. 

Here is a little insider information on Sue and Alex and their journey with The Ranch:

How long have you been married?

-23 years

When did you start the ranch?

-October 2010

What was your previous career?

-A: development, real estate and finance

-S: interior design….Sue did the design for the Ranch.

What inspired you to start your own hotel?

-S: It was born of our own desires, passions and wishes. We created a property that we wanted to go to.

-A: Wanted to help people lead a more fun, balanced and happy life.

How do you define luxury?

-A: Heath is the ultimate luxury. It is getting physically fit and maintaining that fit energetic body in an amazing setting followed by celebration with people you love.

-S: It is a luxury to be in the present moment. In this day of age, it is important to be able to enjoy these peaceful moments while being completely present.

What is wellness travel to you?

-A: Wellness and fitness travel is the ability to take time off, unplug from your busy lifestyle and choosing to use that time to recalibrate mentally and physically.  

S: Wellness is balance. Fitness, nutrition, rest, meditation, enjoyment, culture, social interaction. When you fit this into travel, it is taking all these components into consideration wherever you are.

How do you stay healthy on the road?

-A & S: We take our ranch greens (a blend they came up with) everywhere we go. That is how we start the morning. We allow for 1 – 2 hours of rigorous exercise daily while incorporating the destination and sightseeing. That might mean we find the waterfront of the city and run along the seawall. We always listen to our bodies though when it comes to taking a day off! If we are feeling tense or stressed we will unplug and allow time to get a massage. When it comes to food we choose restaurants and enjoy the culture all while being conscious. We eat food local to the destination and enjoy it! Research actually shows that enjoying our food actually aids in digestion. It is when we carry around guilt for eating something that it will “stick” to us.  

What kind of people come to the ranch?

-A & S: The common denominator is that people want to make a change. They are looking for a measurable change; it can be physical, mental, and spiritual but they know that if they come and are involved in our no options program they can get out of their head and achieve those measurable results.

Are people allowed to use phones at your resort?

-A & S: There is no cell service or Wifi at the Ranch. However there are 2 computers and phones in the main lodge if they need to check in with their family or work. The guests are encouraged to completely unplug because when they do it allows them to stay in the present moment.  

Do you offer mental training on the ranch?

-A & S: The week at the ranch consists of a small group and therefore the staff is interacting with them all during the day and they are interacting with each other all day. This allows guests to feel comfortable to talk about any barriers that might be preventing them from living their most fulfilled life. We talk about ways to stay in the present, how to focus on the positive vs negative. There are no formal therapy sessions but it happens organically throughout the week.

-A & S: The physical training and structure we have during the week allows them to be in the present. Your mind naturally relaxes because you are physically exhausted. In addition the luxurious accommodations allows the guests to not be distracted by anything and to just fully let go.

Your philosophy at the ranch supports the three legs of the stool, mental, physical and spiritual. What do you do that focuses on that spiritual pillar?

-A & S: Whatever your beliefs are, they come to the surface more because of the environment. The calm, serene environment opens the heart. Everyone gets out of it their own spiritual values.

Is there anything you disagree on when it comes to health and wellness?   Or values?

-A: No we look at wellness and nutrition as evolving education. The practice of health and wellness is ancient and fundamental so there really isn’t anything to disagree on. We stick to the facts from research and listen to our intuition. 

-S: We are not rigidtarians (term coined by Sue 13Aug2014!), we respect balance and the ability to flow in the moment.

What are you working on?

-A: Working on being more heartfelt….getting the most out of every moment, being present and always respectful to others.

-S: Being in the present, being in touch with my feelings when I am doing something. It is when we are present we can observe our feelings and emotions and that it is a great way to keep growing in your life.

What are you grateful for? 

-S: Grateful for the moment. Grateful for Alex and going for this amazing experience. Grateful for health.

-A: Grateful for my parents because they gave me the confidence to allow me to believe and go out of the box to bring my dreams into reality. Grateful for Sue because they are on this journey together.

Why do you do this?

-A & S: Because we love it.

We believe Sue and Alex embody the perfect team.  They support each other and allow one another to be their best selves. Their energy, enthusiasm, love and passion for what they do and for each other is easily seen and felt by others around them. It was a pleasure for Carly and I to interview Sue and Alex and we continue to support their mission of “Creating a space for personal inspiration and life transformation”.