Tony Robbins

Anthony J. Mahavorick, pen name Anthony Robbins, also known as Tony Robbins, (born on 29 February 1960 in North Hollywood, California, USA) is an American life coach, writer, and professional speaker. Robbins has been called upon by sports professionals such as Andre Agassi and the San Antonio Spurs, and he was called to the White House to meet with President Clinton.[citation needed] He has authored a number of books, including Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within. His best known tape program is Personal Power II; other programs include Get the Edge! and Lessons in Mastery.

Robbins was raised in Azusa, California and attended Glendora High School. When Robbins was seven, his parents divorced, and his mother later remarried twice. Tony took on the surname of his second stepfather, Jim Robbins.

Inspired by the motivational speaker Jim Rohn, Robbins began selling his own seminars. He then went on to study neurolinguistic programming and to establish his career. In 1989, Robbins began using infomercials to promote his products, which proved to be very successful.

In 1994, a routine medical check revealed a tumor in Robbins' pituitary gland. According to his recounting in Personal Power the tumor was actually an adenoma that had infarcated several years prior. Due to the pressure of the adenoma on his pituitary gland, he had circulating levels of growth hormone several times higher than what would be normal for an adult his age.

This had resulted in a subclinical manifestation of the disease known as acromegaly, which doctors told Robbins was responsible for his remarkable growth spurts as a teenager, as well as his large hands and feet (He is almost 2 meters in heighth, or 6 feet 7 inches). After consultation with a number of different physicians, Tony eventually decided not to have the adenoma resected, as it was not causing any clinical manifestations, such as organomegaly or heart valve defects.

On a CNN interview in 2001, Robbins disclosed the difficulty in ending his 15-year marriage to Becky Robbins who is 10 years his senior, stating that "it was the toughest decision of his life" and yet that he knew if he stayed with her, he'd be ruining her and his life. Robbins reiterates similar comments about his previous relationship in his recent Ultimate Relationship Program (recorded with Family Therapist Cloe Mandanes and also Sage Robbins). In the same year he married Sage Bonnie Humphrey.

Robbins is the founder of the Anthony Robbins Foundation, which proclaims its mission is to empower students, help prisoners to improve their lives, organize food drives, and fund Robbins' summer "Discovery Camp". Charity Navigator gives the foundation an overall rating of two out of four stars.