Erwin Benedict Valencia

Erwin Benedict Valencia High Performance Coach | Wellness Expert | Mentor | Speaker | Investor | Advisor

Founder & Executive Director, GRATITUDE GANG Foundation & Grasshopper Project

Your network will always be more important than your net worth šŸ¤—>šŸ’° Not because it sounds good on a shirtBut because it’s...
02/10/2026

Your network will always be more important than your net worth šŸ¤—>šŸ’°

Not because it sounds good on a shirt
But because it’s the reason I’m still here
Still growing
Still showing up

I’ve learned this in locker rooms and hospital rooms
From playoff celebrations
To quiet corners where people just needed someone to sit with them and sayā€¦ā€œI got youā€

Harvard studied this for 75 years
And what they found wasn’t shocking to someone like me
The people who lived the longest, fullest lives
Weren’t the ones with the most money
But the ones with the strongest relationships

And maybe that’s why being Filipino feels like a secret superpower
We were raised to care first
To make sure every guest eats before we do
To give up our comfort if it means someone else can breathe easier
To love so loudly it echoes through generations

That’s why we make incredible nurses, caregivers, healers
Because our greatest wealth has always been our heart

And in this world that moves so fast
That tells you to hustle and grind
To collect things and chase numbers
I just want to say this:
Be kind
Be present
Be someone who remembers birthdays and shows up when it’s inconvenient
Because kindness is the kind of currency that never crashes

Money may open doors
But love is what keeps the room warm

I’ve built a life in many places
But the only thing that truly lasts is the love you leave behind

So here’s to the teammates who became family
The mentors who saw something in me
The strangers who turned into lifelong friends

And to anyone who ever said
ā€œThank you for making me feel seenā€
That’s the real wealthšŸ™šŸ½

Special shoutout to & for making our off day in Orlando that much more special.

Drop a ā€œMEā€ below if this resonates.ā¬‡ļø


Today is my first time in 2.5 years providing medical coverage for a professional sports game. (Yup! You saw that correc...
02/07/2026

Today is my first time in 2.5 years providing medical coverage for a professional sports game. (Yup! You saw that correctly!🫣)

Even though it’s a preseason friendly, the feelings are exactly the same. The nerves. The responsibility. The quiet hope that nothing significant occurs by the time the final whistle blows.

I didn’t know if I’d ever feel this again. But after time away, I’m back on the sideline with one of the top women’s soccer clubs in the world and a perspective I didn’t have before.

What’s standing out for me isn’t the actual game itself.

It’s the culture I’ve been blessed to witness first hand:
- Families woven into the fabric of the organization.
- Players hungry to learn about wellness beyond performance.
- A league growing fast, supported by people who genuinely believe in women’s sports.

Sometimes you have to step away to recognize the missing piece.

I wrote a deeper reflection on what this return has taught me and why it feels different this time.

šŸ‘‰ Read the full piece on and let me know if and how this resonates. Link in bio.

Before the week starts…This one’s for every Head ATC, every VP, GM, President, and Owner who ever looked at me and said:...
02/01/2026

Before the week starts…

This one’s for every Head ATC, every VP, GM, President, and Owner who ever looked at me and said:

ā€œYeah, let’s give this guy a shot.ā€

Maybe I wasn’t the loudest in the room.
Maybe I wasn’t always the most conventional.
But what I always brought?
- A Passionate Heart
- A Student Mindset
- A Commitment to Lead with both Science & Soul

To those who trusted me with a seat at the table (especially in rooms I wasn’t ā€œsupposedā€ to be in), THANK YOU.

To those who let me stumble, rise, lead, learn, and try again…THANK YOU.

To those who helped shape the leader I’ve become in this crazy world of sports performance, I AM WHO I AM BECAUSE OF YOU.

This post is wrapped in wind, grass, cold air, and grit…
But mostly in GRATITUDE.

Here’s to every chapter that shaped me.
And every future one still to come.āš½ļø

I’M GOING THROUGH A PHASE.šŸ”„šŸŽ If you’re wondering why my social media posts have been inconsistent lately, well it’s beca...
01/29/2026

I’M GOING THROUGH A PHASE.šŸ”„šŸŽ

If you’re wondering why my social media posts have been inconsistent lately, well it’s because I’ve taken more time to think AND feel everything that’s happening since 2026 started…for me and the world.

1) I’ve doubled down of IRL experiences with less content creation and more presence.
2) I’ve started my days with more mindfulness, meditation, movement in my rituals.
3) I’ve given the universe permission to bombard me with blessings even if sometimes I feel I’m drinking from a fire hose.

Is my life ā€œperfectā€ now? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

I still have REAL struggles left over from 2025. I wake up every morning now in 2026 not knowing if anyone I love is hurting and more importantly how to continue to support them in the best way I can using my gifts and skills I was born with. I’ve always been the ā€œsilentā€superstar behind the superstar. My strength is not in my loudness but in my calmness, saved behind the scene for those who need it the most in the present moment.

So YES, I’M HERE. Doing my best each day to live life to the fullers of my own possibilities. Not imposing on anyone else.

WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN STUFF TO DEAL WITH.

If you’ve read the whole way thru to this point, you’re a REAL ONE. I wrote this with my mind and heart (not with AI) in the hopes that it reminds you be intentional about you spend each day, for we never know…

Take A Breath.You’ve Arrived.WELCOME TO THE NOW.

Before anything else…I pause to breathe.Not just because it’s automatic…But because it’s a reminder:I woke up today.I ha...
01/27/2026

Before anything else…I pause to breathe.

Not just because it’s automatic…
But because it’s a reminder:
I woke up today.
I have breath.
I have choice.
And that’s already a win.

Every inhale is an invitation.
Every exhale, a release.
And in between?
That stillness—that moment of nothing—
Is where I’ve found the greatest strength.

Not in the hustle.
Not in the noise.
But in the quiet space where I choose:
→ Presence over pressure.
→ Peace over proving.
→ Gratitude over grind.

Today I’m just grateful. For the air. The awareness. The ability to start again.

Let this be your reminder:
Your breath is your anchor.
Your power is in your presence.
And the day becomes great the moment you decide it will be.

In 2016, a small daily habit quietly reshaped everything for me.Not a business goal. Not a personal breakthrough.But a s...
01/20/2026

In 2016, a small daily habit quietly reshaped everything for me.

Not a business goal. Not a personal breakthrough.
But a simple practice of DAILY GRATITUDE but with one powerful twist:

Asking myself WHY.

That ā€œwhyā€ anchored me.
It turned thanks into intention.
It became my reset, my reflection, my north star.

Swipe through to see how it started and WHY I’ve never stopped.

I’m asking this again today to remind youšŸ‘‡šŸ½šŸ‘‡šŸ½šŸ‘‡šŸ½
What’s one thing you’re grateful for today…and WHY does it matter right now?

In between all the magic that 2016 brought into my life,there was one quiet habit that changed everything — .Not just li...
01/19/2026

In between all the magic that 2016 brought into my life,
there was one quiet habit that changed everything —
.

Not just listing what I was grateful for each morning.
But asking myself WHY I was grateful for it.

That single shift made all the difference, even for a guy that grew up in a culture of gratitude.

Because gratitude without reflection is just a mood.

But gratitude with intention?
That’s a way of life.

Since that day, has been my anchor.
My mirror.
My compass.
The practice that’s held me accountable to how I live, love, lead, and show up in the world…every single day.
Shout out to for changing my life.

This sunrise was the beginning.
And I haven’t looked back since.

So here’s your reminder:
Start small.
Wake up.
Give thanks.
And ask yourself — why?

Because when you find your why, you start living with intention over autopilot.

Drop one thing you’re grateful for today — and why.šŸ‘‡
Let’s keep the ripple going for another 10 years.

Take A Breath.You’ve Arrived. WELCOME TO THE NOW.

In between all the magic that 2016 brought into my life,there was one quiet habit that changed everything — .Not just li...
01/19/2026

In between all the magic that 2016 brought into my life,
there was one quiet habit that changed everything —
.

Not just listing what I was grateful for each morning.
But asking myself WHY I was grateful for it.

That single shift made all the difference.

Because gratitude without reflection is just a mood.

But gratitude with intention?
That’s a way of life.

Since that day, has been my anchor.
My mirror.
My compass.
The practice that’s held me accountable to how I live, love, lead, and show up in the world…every single day.

This sunrise was the beginning.
And I haven’t looked back since.

So here’s your reminder:
Start small.
Wake up.
Give thanks.
And ask yourself — why?

Because when you find your why, you start living with intention over autopilot.

Drop one thing you’re grateful for today — and why.šŸ‘‡
Let’s keep the ripple going for another 10 years.

Take A Breath.You’ve Arrived. WELCOME TO THE NOW.

Last night I had the honor of speaking for  on a topic that’s become the soul of my work:Mindfulness in High Performance...
01/17/2026

Last night I had the honor of speaking for on a topic that’s become the soul of my work:
Mindfulness in High Performance.šŸ€šŸ§˜šŸ»ā€ā™‚ļø

Not just as a buzzword — but as a tool.
A practice.
A science-backed strategy that belongs just as much in the treatment room as it does in elite sports and leadership.

From courtside to clinic, mindfulness isn’t just what you feel.

It’s what anchors you.

What recalibrates your nervous system.

What brings presence into pressure.

To all the physical therapists, movement specialists, and performance pros who showed up with open hearts and curious minds — thank you.šŸ¤—

This work is better because we’re doing it together.

Let’s keep making science soulful.
Let’s keep bringing presence to performance.

2016 was a year of the most MAGICAL CONNECTIONS and CELEBRATIONS in my life. THERE WAS SO MANY!1. Met  in January 2016 j...
01/16/2026

2016 was a year of the most MAGICAL CONNECTIONS and CELEBRATIONS in my life. THERE WAS SO MANY!

1. Met in January 2016 just chilling solo in the stands post game just waiting for a player from the other team. He later became one of my mentors in personal branding, entrepreneurship, and NFTs.
2. My bestie in NY at that time was .salvade — she gave me a place within the city to sleep, to reconnect with myself and others, and in return I took her to her first šŸ”„
3. I discovered and it became my sanctuary when I needed to escape the city and get grounded — a place that became so special to me in more ways than one.
4. I flew 1st class for the very 1st time on thanks to the help of to celebrate a BIG birthday, and used the private shower more than once!
5. Spent almost a month in Pune, India at and did my ā€œmonkā€ thing— trading my clothes for red robes, vegan food, and meditation.
6. Spoke about this new found understanding of presence on stage at in TransylvaniašŸ‡·šŸ‡“
7. Hosted my buddy Gold Medalist of at
8. Had a pre-burning man ā€œbro-dateā€ with the magical thanks to
9. Inspired kids at NYC alongside of and
10. Celebrated my sister birthday at with family and it was LITšŸ”„ Right .yci 😜
11. Continued to back up at AFEST in Greece during her annual birthday rendition of ā€œSHOOPā€
12. Welcomed a new arrival to NY thanks to a ā€œbro-dateā€ set up by just staring his career at — later becoming one of my best mates and achieving celebrity status through his work… šŸ™šŸ½

Twelve MAGICAL memories in Twelve Months of 2016. And this isn’t even the half of it. IT WAS TRULY A YEAR OF BLESSINGS and for that I’m forever GRATEFUL.ā¤ļø

Address

Boston, MA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Erwin Benedict Valencia posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Erwin Benedict Valencia:

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram