Eric Chang

Why are the words “father” and “husband” so meaningful to Eric Chang?

Eric believes being a father and a husband are part of his core identity and his primary responsibility in life. He can’t think of two more important things.

Where did Eric Chang meet his wife?

Eric met his wife in the San Gabriel Valley. In fact, they are actually high school sweethearts from Arcadia. They initially met at the age of 12 in Avenue Middle School. 

Where was Eric and his parents born?

Eric was born right here in the SGV in Whittier, California. His parents are first-generation immigrants from Taiwan. 

What is Eric Chang’s relationship like with his parents?

Eric is a child of divorced parents, and he is currently reconnecting with his father. His father lives in South Pasadena, but Eric plans to make a trip to Seattle shortly, where his father grew up. 

Eric admits that his father was probably in his life more than he actually remembers, but he believes the trauma of the divorce and all of the bad times have led him to repress quite a few memories.

However, he does have a vivid memory of going out to the mall in Santa Anita and going out to eat at the food court. They often ate at home to save money, so these moments were memorable, and life felt so simple to Eric back then.

Was there a moment when Eric Chang’s relationship with his parents changed?

There was a day he remembers incredibly clearly. He was sitting inside with his brother, waiting for dinner with their nanny, and they heard a gunshot. His nanny starts to get the boys to go inside, and Eric remembers feeling frightened when he heard another gunshot. He glanced and saw his father holding a gun and his mother backed up against one of their car’s bumpers. Thankfully, his father had missed, but in that moment, everything he thought about his father immediately changed and was second-guessed. 

How did this impact Eric?

Eric Chang actually repressed this memory for a long time. In his teens, he almost couldn’t place why exactly he hated his dad. And to combat these feelings, he started aggressively lifting weights, even though there never seemed to be any reason why he’d start or any influence. 

Looking back, he believes it was because he felt he needed to be stronger. He needed to be able to protect those he loved.

Did Eric Chang have any outlets for his anger?

Sports were a tool that Eric used to let off steam and channel his anger. He loved playing basketball and admits he was an angry player. He isn’t a very tall guy, standing at just five foot eight. So, he had to play with an edge to make an impact, and his aggression helped with that.

How did Eric rekindle his relationship with his father?

Eric was at an event with a bunch of other men at a church, and they discussed Father’s Day as an icebreaker. It broke Eric down, and he told one of the men in the group how jealous he was of their relationship with their father, so all the men encouraged Eric to call his dad. 

He ended up calling him in the car later on and asking him to be a part of his life, especially since his dad was going to become a grandfather. His father broke down crying on the other end of the line and it was a pivotal moment in their relationship.

What is the book that Eric Chang wrote?

Eric wrote Don’t Run from the Fight: the Freedom from Power for Men’s Power and Purpose, which he started writing back in 2020 and 2021. He signed with a publishing house officially in 2021, but he has been writing the content of the book for about a decade. He loves journaling, so a lot of the book came from that. 

Why does Eric Chang write under the name ‘Eric Freedom?’

Eric chose the name Eric Freedom to be his author’s name because he understands he is not the same man that he was even just a few years ago. 

He wants to believe he has grown in many ways and attributes this to his wife and attending church. He used to go to a Mandarin Baptist Church and now attends Epicenter Church in Pasadena.

What is the significance of Eric’s wristband?

Eric is very much into expression through art, which includes both tattoos and wristbands. The wristband Eric has been wearing lately is two-sided; one side says “the easiest part of your day,” and the other side says “brick by brick.” 

They are wristbands given out at his gym and are meant to inform gym patrons that things aren’t always going to be easy; it’s going to be built slowly, brick by brick.

What is Eric’s gym like, and where did he get the idea to open a gym?

Eric admits that if you told him 25 years ago that he would own a gym at some point, he would have never believed it. He knows he is doing exactly what he should be with his life, however.

He used to play a lot of basketball growing up, but when he stopped playing basketball, he didn’t change any of his dietary habits, so he gained a lot of weight. His joints felt inflamed, and he knew he was significantly overweight, to the point he was worried his girlfriend might find someone better looking.

He ended up working under an athletic trainer, and being around sports and the athletes changed his world. He switched his focus to kinesiology and exercise science.

Eric’s gym is sort of built like a CrossFit gym. It offers private training, private coaching, nutrition, and also group fitness.