Lewis Howes

Howes is the brother of jazz musician and teacher Christian Howes. He was in a relationship with Yanet García from 2019 to 2021.

Raised in Delaware, Ohio, Howes dedicated himself to athletics after struggling in school and being bullied for attending special education classes. He attended Principia College and Capital University, where he became an NCAA Division III All-American football player and decathlete.

Howes left college early to pursue Arena Football. He played for the Tennessee Valley Vipers of the af2, but a collision with a wall while attempting a catch fractured his wrist and ended his football career after one season.

In 2012, he moved to New York City to play team handball for the New York Team Handball Club. He entered the selection pool for the USA Men's National Team and had a 12-day trial with Spanish club Ademar León in 2013.

After his football injury, Howes used LinkedIn to connect with business and sports professionals. He launched a LinkedIn group for sports executives that grew to 10,000 members within a year, then began offering coaching, webinars, and digital training focused on social media and professional networking.

He founded SportsNetworker in 2008, a social media marketing consultancy for the sports industry. He also started the Sports Executives Association and Inspired Marketing, which produced educational materials about social media.

Howes launched The School of Greatness as a podcast in 2013 after discovering that interviewing accomplished people gave him the same sense of purpose he had found through sports. The program features long-form conversations about business, leadership, personal development, and achievement, with guests including Robert Greene, Tim Ferriss, Danica Patrick, Marie Forleo, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Bryan Clay.

The podcast became a major part of Howes's work as an author, coach, speaker, and interviewer. His official biography describes the program as having more than 100 million downloads and close to 1,000 episodes.

Howes co-wrote LinkedWorking: Generating Success on the World's Largest Professional Networking Website in 2009 and wrote The Ultimate Webinar Marketing Guide in 2012. His book The School of Greatness: A Real-World Guide to Living Bigger, Loving Deeper, and Leaving a Legacy was published in 2015, followed by The Mask of Masculinity: How Men Can Embrace Vulnerability, Create Strong Relationships, and Live to Their Fullest Lives in 2017.

He was recognized by the White House and President Barack Obama as one of the country's top 100 entrepreneurs under 30. His work has also included keynote speaking, writing for Entrepreneur, and the documentary Chasing Greatness.