Leo Babauta quit smoking in 2005. Since then, he has turned his life around, completing marathons and fitness challenges, adopting a vegan lifestyle, and losing over 60 pounds.
He wrote those lifestyle changes in a blog, which led to his content business, where he shares his methods through blogs, books, and coaching subscriptions.
Every monumental change he made started with small moves.

Why We Stan: Leo transformed himself and then realized he could help others do the same through a content business. His candor about his journey has helped him build a large and dedicated audience on multiple platforms.

The Story of Leo Babauta

Leo made his first step on the road to success on Nov. 18, 2005, the day he quit smoking – “the change that set all the other changes in motion,” he writes on his website.

“Quitting smoking taught me a lot about changing habits and accomplishing goals, and all the elements needed to make this successful.”

With his newly developed methods, the then-freelance writer embarked on a journey of self-improvement and lifestyle change.

At the start of 2007, Leo also started his blog, Zen Habits, to chronicle his progress and help others make the same leap. It has grown to have over 200K subscribers and has been named among the Top 25 blogs by Time Magazine twice. By the end of 2007, Leo Babauta published his first ebook, Zen To Done, which he followed up with a half-dozen books on productivity.

Starting with himself

The first stop on Leo’s journey was his health. Having quit smoking, Leo needed to find new ways to relieve stress, so he took up running. He started with a half-mile, enough to exhaust him at the start. Little by little, he increased his distance. Within a month, he ran a 5K. Within a year, Leo completed his first marathon.

To keep up with his new hobby, Leo adopted more good habits. To find time to run, he began to wake up early. Today, he loves the early morning and finds it the perfect time to make progress on his goals. Leo also found himself eating healthier in the hopes of losing weight and assisting his running. In 2006, he cut out meat and started a more vegan lifestyle. Six years later, he became fully vegan, which he considers “one of the best decisions of [his] life.”

Diet and exercise certainly weren’t the only changes Leo made to his life. In 2005, Leo worked mostly as a freelance writer but was living paycheck to paycheck. Come 2006, Leo started making changes, once again starting simple.

“I decided to create simple systems for organizing,” he explains. “I learned how to keep my files in order, how to stay on top of my paperwork, to be organized at home and work.”

Soon, he got a more stable job and continued his freelance work. With more income to work with, Leo next tackled his financial management, creating budgets and spending less. “I have become fairly frugal and have reduced a lot of clutter in my life,” he shares. “A little at a time, gradually getting better, but I’m pretty happy with the simplicity of my house and the rest of my life.”

He again followed his small-step philosophy. He started paying off his smaller debts and was debt-free by the end of 2007.

Growing a content business

All of this progress didn’t stay confined to Zen Habits and a few ebooks. In 2009, the content entrepreneur launched another blog – mnmlist – to discuss his minimalism. In 2010, he and his family moved from Guam to Northern California. In 2012, Leo created a habit membership program to help his followers more directly. Soon after, he took on creating more courses, ebooks, and established the 7-Day Vegan Challenge.

Leo’s projects are informed by the knowledge that people, as he told Trend Hunter, almost always “go towards great value that is free. They’ll eventually pay for premium services, but they’re attracted by free.”

Today, Leo’s business has expanded from blogs and books to group and private coaching programs and a podcast. In Leo’s life, he has given up smoking, animal products, and even his car. He has completed numerous marathons, triathlons, and other fitness challenges. He earns more today than ever before, with plenty of time to work on himself and enjoy his family.

“I’ve never had too many ambitions with Zen Habits. I don’t plan far into the future because I cannot predict it; I cannot know what the landscape will be or what opportunities will arise. I just focus on what I’m doing now, and I try to do it well and passionately,” Leo explains to Trend Hunter

“I have no claims to perfection. I fail all the time, on a daily basis,” Leo tells his readers. “But I don’t let it stop me. Maybe I didn’t run today. But that doesn’t mean I won’t run tomorrow, and over the long run, I’ve made incredible progress.”

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