Why Now? Why Me?

For decades I pushed my body about as hard as a body can be pushed. I smoked three packs a day from 1969 until I finally quit in 1989. Heavy drinking was part of the routine too, until I cut that out entirely. At my heaviest I topped 350 pounds.

Then I turned it around: down from 350 pounds, no more smoking or drinking, and I ditched the prescription meds that were holding me back in favor of natural optimization. Inspired by pioneers like Bryan Johnson and his “Don't Die” philosophy, I set an audacious goal at 70 years old — to be the first human being to live to 200. That's the foundation of the 200 Year Life Project: The Ultimate Longevity Journey.

I'm not a doctor, just a determined guy sharing his journey in public. I track everything — every supplement, every protocol, every lab result — in a live, public database so you can copy it, tweak it, and improve it. We're all in this together, competing to outlive each other in the best way possible.

From $10 in My Pocket to the Largest Wallpaper Store in Texas

I moved to Texas from South Carolina in 1979 with less than $10 in my pocket and went straight to work as a door-to-door salesman selling storm windows and doors. That same year I married Kathy Morey, and we've been married ever since.

In 1981 Kathy and I opened our first retail store selling decorating products. Leland's Wallpaper grew into the largest wallpaper store in Texas before we sold it in 2021.

Softball, Videos, and an Accidental Media Empire

In 2000 I created SoftballJunk.com, the first website built for women's fastpitch softball equipment — started simply because I coached my daughters' softball team and couldn't find gear for them anywhere else. I had no idea that moving into softball equipment would change my life.

The softball videos I edited and produced for Fastpitch TV have been viewed millions of times, and my involvement in the sport led to me serving as Director of Social Media for the 3.5-million-member United States Sports Specialty Association (USSSA). I closed SoftballJunk in 2021.

One of the First 100 Podcasters on Earth

In November of 2004 I discovered podcasting and jumped in as one of the first 100 podcasters on the planet. I went on to co-found Podcast Movement, which has become the largest podcasting conference in the world.

In 2016 I was inducted into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame and named to the Pod 11 — the most influential entities in podcasting. Selling and marketing by any means possible is what I do best, and if it's a new type of media, I've probably already experimented with it.

A Key to the City, Bitcoin, and 70+ Businesses Later

In 2017 the Mayor and City Council of Arlington, Texas proclaimed March 1st “Gary Leland Day” in honor of my podcasting and entrepreneurial work. That same year I joined the Advisory Board of the Arlington YMCA (serving through 2020) and was named one of the 50 Social Media Marketing Influencers to Follow.

2017 was also when I dipped my toes into Bitcoin, and the following year I started BitBlockBoom. In 2021 I launched The Bitcoin Boomer Show, a weekly TV show for independent channels across the US.

In 2021 I retired, selling or shutting down most of the roughly 70 e-commerce sites, informational sites, publications, podcasts, stores, and video shows I'd built since 1981. A few years later, at 70, I decided retirement wasn't nearly ambitious enough — and started the 200 Year Life Project instead.