Anthropocene Logbook 20240115: Resilience Strength - "Ride, Kathy, Ride!"

Most of us have role models in life: male | female | sometimes even animals.

In my case, one role model always sticks out in form of a little person with the physique of a professional jockey: Dr Kathy Langlotz (Texas, USA). Exercise physiologist | businesswoman | philanthropist.

To me, Kathy is larger than life:

As the former co-owner | CEO | General Manager of a very nice and successful fitness club in Bryan | Texas, she was my first business partner almost 15 years ago in the "preventive health industry" to promote "Personal Wellness" for a clientele that is still growing today. Along the way, she was a great mentor as an entrepreneur in this (to me back then) new realm of work.

Like so many things in life, this opportunity evolved "purely by chance" after I was invited by Texas A&M University (2009) for a position in marine scientific drilling. We were always out at sea non-stop for 2 months. Logically, it was always a treat to relax in the club in between expeditions - enough time for me to set up and offer my special service for all club members:

At the time, Kathy and her business partner, Mr. Larry Isham, allowed me to set up a "h2o-wellness bar" in their club, where I distributed our structured alkaline water to club customers free of charge and informed them about its health benefits (some of them even bought one of our h2o-ionizers. Today, I offer these machines to my project partners, team members and customers free of charge - for personal resilience | performance enhancement).

Kathy has made a huge impression on me ever since: the way she managed and steered her club, her team and, above all, herself. The amazing thing about Kathy has always been that I have never seen her stressed or really in a bad mood. And: she is extremely generous - with her time and her resources.

Fig.1: Dr Kathy Langlotz, co-director and manager of the fitness club "Aerofit" in Bryan, Texas (2014). Always in a good mood, with helpful tips and a huge heart for her fellow human beings - simply an exceptional role model to many. To me, Kathy appears to be "larger-than-life", who provided decisive input for my development as a "social entrepreneur". Today I successfully combine this role in my current business model with my love of geosciences. Hence my personal entrepreneur motto: "Geophysics-Pronature -- More than geophysics".

Ever since I have known Kathy, she has been a keen road cyclist (she also discovered triathlon as her main competition 9 years ago). At some point in her life she combined sporting ambitions with her passion for helping others with the means and resources available to her. Her focus has always been to help patients of multiple sclerosis (MS).

I myself have good friends and acquaintances, even family members, who suffer from this insidious disease (some have died prematurely from complications related to the illness).

In her life quest, Kathy has been participating for almost 20 years in the annual "Bike MS: Texas MS 150" cycling event, organized and run by the "US National MS Society", thereby raising funds to support research and funding to find a cure for MS.

In a recent TV interview, she was asked what motivates her to participate in this special kind of fundraising competition every year. Her answer today reflects very well why Kathy has impressed me ever since our pathways have crossed, i.e. her consistency, resilience, enthusiasm and positive attitude which she takes to the road for this good cause.

And because that wasn't enough for her, Kathy teamed up with a group of female cyclists in 2014 (and in the following years) and cycled from the west- to the east coast of the USA. Kathy, always on her own behalf, has already raised a total of US$ 80,000 to date - and has set herself the goal of breaking the US$ 100,000 donation barrier in 2024.

Apparently Kathy and her cycling mates have not lost the fun of such mega-road bike tours, as they are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the original 4,000 mile tour now in 2024 with a "re-do" (this time on a different route across the USA).

Fig.2: Dr Kathy Langlotz pedalling 4,000 miles from the west to the east coast of the USA (2014). 12 weeks of a daily endurance and strength test. At the end many anecdotes and memorabilia testifying the joy and fun of the long bike road trip. Always filled with wonderful impressions of landscapes. Kathy impressively adds that way another stamp to the "Pro-MS-Healing" campaign with her extra effort.

Hence, if anyone would like to support this good cause to develop a cure for MS, everyone is welcome to do so: Kathy asks me every year very kindly for a small donation, which of course I am happy to give her. How could I not return at least some favors to Kathy who makes a positive difference in this world?

Carpe Diem | "Ride, Kathy, Ride!" |

Resilience Strength 2024 (and beyond) through Corporate Wellness