Colin Egglesfield was a college student at the University of Iowa waiting tables when he heard the radio advertisement that would change his entire life.
It was for a model search. A bio pre-med student, he had planned to attend medical school after graduation. Instead, he soon found himself in Europe, modeling for names like Giorgio Armani. From there, he went to New York.
Hearing that ad “changed the entire trajectory of my life,” he says.
Modeling, Then Acting
Soon, renowned photographer Bruce Weber hired him for a campaign, and then the New York agents came calling. Eventually, his agents began sending him on commercial auditions in addition to modeling auditions.
“I started booking those, and then my agent said, ‘You are a natural at this. Have you ever thought of acting?’” he recalls. “I hadn’t, so I started taking classes.”
He realized he loved it.
Still, “the idea of becoming a professional actor was so foreign to me, but exciting,” he says.
Then, it was 9/11.
On that day, Egglesfield was living across the street from the World Trade Center and had been studying acting for three years.
As everything began happening he left his building to join the crowds outside—but then he was never able to go back in. Suddenly, he was homeless.
“I had to do some soul-searching then,” he shares. “I realized I had a second chance at life. I asked myself, ‘What resonates with me? What lights me up? What is my purpose?’ And I realized it was storytelling and acting.”
So, Egglesfield picked up and moved to Hollywood.
There, he found success with roles such as Joshua Madden on All My Children, Auggie Kirkpatrick on the Melrose Place reboot, Dex in Something Borrowed (opposite Kate Hudson), and many others.
But while he loved what he was doing, he eventually realized he also wanted to do more.
Sharing His Knowledge
“Twenty years of acting classes trains you how to communicate intimately and authentically for an audition or role. But learning to be so dialed in and objective with the character you’re playing also applies to your own life,” he says.
He realized he wanted to help other people find their passion, learn to communicate, and tap into their authentic selves.
Over the coming years, he would add author, speaker, and coach to his resume.
Egglesfield’s first book was Agile Artist: Life Lessons From Hollywood and Beyond. It debuted five years ago and shares “everything I learned to overcome my challenges in life, as well as the importance of showing up and of being of service to your community and other people,” he says.
His second book, Agile Artist, 90-Day Planner, debuted last month and is an offshoot of his first book. It helps readers articulate goals and provides accountability trackers for their next 90 days.
Helping people reach their goals is important to him, and so he also began working with companies as a keynote speaker. He also would launch Beyond Impact, an online, communications class that teaches anyone how to be more confident and dynamic with their messaging in front of audiences; a class called Inspire, which teaches how to connect to your inner self; and a virtual talk show called Coffee With Colin, where he chats with fellow entertainment industry colleagues, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and authors.
“We’re so in our heads and so analytical, and we’re so conditioned to be living in our heads that we forget what it means to live from our bodies and our hearts. That’s why you connect with actors on a screen—they communicate with their hearts,” he says.
And then, there is his Inspire Manifestation Retreat, which he holds here in Scottsdale every six months.
“It’s a health and wellness retreat,” he shares. “There’s yoga, sound bowl therapy, we speak on personal and professional self-development, we go hiking, and there’s a dance party. It’s a lot of inspiring content.”
Juggling all of it keeps him busy, but he loves it, he says.
“As much as I love acting—and I do love acting,” he reflects. “I do this in between all my acting jobs, and it’s been amazingly fulfilling.
“I help professionals from all walks of life and types of work, especially CEOs and executives, on how to lead and communicate. I also work one-on-one with people.”
Facing Challenges
While much of Egglesfield’s life seems like a dream come true—and it is—it certainly hasn’t been without its challenges. In addition to being at the mercy of others for roles—“I’ve auditioned for thousands of roles, and there’s about a 1% to 2% booking rate. Even though you may have an amazing audition and be great for the role, because maybe you don’t look like the mom who had already been cast, you don’t get the role. It’s completely out of your control. It teaches you a lot of patience”—he also was diagnosed twice with testicular cancer.
His experiences taught him to look at situations and ask himself who he wants to be in the face of adversity, which is something he also teaches in his courses and through his speaking roles.
“I want people to know that just because they may see me on social media and doing movies and stuff, I’m no different than anyone else. But I’m connected to what I love and am passionate about, and how that can help other people. If you do the same, I don’t know what the results of your life could look like, but I do know that if you do nothing, you’re guaranteed to get nothing.
“As the expression goes, shoot for the stars because even if you land on the moon, it’s still an adventure and probably more exciting and fulfilling than staying where you are and doing nothing. And really, it’s not about fulfilling and achieving your goal, but being who you are when you are working toward achieving your goal.”
Today, Egglesfield is definitely achieving his goals. Now a Scottsdale resident—he has been coming here for the past 20 years for baseball games and to play golf—he loves what he’s doing and what the future holds. He’s been busy filming several roles, has the Duchess movie coming out next month on which he was a producer, is on a book tour for his new book, and more.
“Everyone can fulfill their dreams and goals,” he says.
Find him at ColinEgglesfield.com, BeyondImpactMastery.com, and Instagram: @Colinegglesfield.
Photographed on-site at a home in North Scottsdale. Interior design by Living with Lolo.