A company, that is. A busy New York City executive reinvented herself and co-founded a company about a new way of running.

by Michele Bryan . photo by Matt Rose

In 1987, at age 27, Katherine Dreyer had an awakening that changed her life. After a simple meditation exercise one afternoon alone in her apartment in New York City, Dreyer awakened a deeper part of herself and began living more consciously. She grew up near New York City and started climbing the career ladder early like her father, an advertising executive. By her mid-20s, she was an advertising VP with HBO Video, a division of Time, Inc. But after that afternoon epiphany, she started meditating regularly, eating healthier and exercising, all of which improved her sense of wellbeing. “Suddenly, a notion appeared to me that there was a different way of approaching things,” she says. “New York was extremely focused on the individual getting ahead for monetary and power purposes… The realization that came over me was that I could make different choices… Literally, the next day, I felt different.”

Within six months, she left Time to be a sales rep for two natural foods magazines in Boulder, Colorado. Within two years, she was president of the magazine company, New Hope Communications. Then, after a move to the San Francisco area, she and her husband Danny Dreyer, a marathoner, poured all their savings into ChiRunning, a company that combines running with meditation. At the time, around 1999, it seemed there were few running techniques that focused on breathing, energy and relaxation. Most were simply about muscle, strength and endurance-building. ChiRunning uses the basic principles of T’ai Chi to help runners have an efficient and injury-free workout.

By 2006, the couple made the ultimate lifestyle choice—moving their operation to Asheville. “After my awakening, I felt I was on a conveyor belt to a new life; things just fell into place,” Dreyer says. They renamed their company ChiLiving, Inc., and branched out from running into ChiWalking. Now, the couple has produced two books and two DVDs on their techniques, which aim to improve posture, breathing and stride, among other things. There are nearly 150 certified ChiRunning and ChiWalking instructors in 14 countries, and the company, based in downtown Asheville, has six full-time employees. Next year, the Dreyers will roll out a ChiRunning book on marathons. “I used to doubt I was a creative person, which I now laugh at,” says Dreyer, who is CEO (Danny is president). “I now see the process of life as a creative process. I am living a creative life.”

For details on ChiLiving workshops and classes, including ChiWeek, from June 12-17 at the Highland Lake Inn, check out www.chiliving.com.