03/02/2026
Long before SOHA retreats existed, a life was hanging by a thread.
Su***de attempts.
The death of a best friend.
The death of a brother.
The loss of a mother.
Abandonment.
Abuse.
Foster care.
Alcohol.
Drugs.
Silence.
Rock bottom didn’t arrive once — it arrived repeatedly.
This was a man fighting to stay alive 🖤
And yet, from the darkest place imaginable, something shifted.
Not overnight.
Not easily.
But honestly.
The first step wasn’t fitness.
It wasn’t mindset.
It wasn’t motivation.
It was truth.
The brutal act of being honest with yourself — and accepting that life had to change, or it would end.
That moment marked the beginning of a long rebuilding process — for the man who would later go on to create SOHA.
That rebuilding happened physically, mentally, emotionally. Along the way, Manuel Benages crossed paths with people who believed in him, challenged him, and opened doors that once felt impossible — including being mentored by Arnold Schwarzenegger, a man synonymous with discipline, resilience, and reinvention.
But here’s the part that matters most.
Instead of chasing glamour…
instead of pursuing Hollywood…
instead of building something for status or applause…
Manuel brought what he’d learned about rebuilding life back home.
Back to the streets, towns, and communities where mental health struggles aren’t filtered, branded, or spoken about loudly.
Back to the people who suffer quietly.
Back to those who feel forgotten.
That mission became Athletic Minds Foundation — a mental health charity built with no funding, no premises, no team, and no formal qualifications. Just lived experience, relentless commitment, and an unshakeable belief that nobody should suffer in silence 🤍
Thousands were supported.
Lives were changed.
Hope returned.
SOHA was born from the very same DNA.
Same heart.
Same scars.
Same purpose.
Just a different setting.
SOHA exists because sometimes, real change requires distance — from noise, pressure, patterns, and expectations.
Because life transformation doesn’t happen on a spa bed.
It happens when mind, body, movement, honesty, and support collide.
SOHA isn’t about holidays.
It never was.
This is about life.
Manuel’s story didn’t end with survival.
It became proof of what’s possible when belief returns — and when the right support is put in place ✨
From rebuilding his own life, he went on to build organisations, communities, and systems designed to help others do the same. Not by promising miracles — but by creating environments where people can reconnect with who they are and what they’re capable of.
That belief sits at the heart of SOHA.
SOHA exists to help people remember that change is possible — that they are capable of more than survival, more than coping, more than just getting through the day.
With the right space.
The right structure.
The right people around you.
Lives can be reclaimed.
Direction can be rebuilt.
And great things can follow 🌱
SOHA doesn’t create change for you.
It helps you create it for yourself.
LIFE — reclaimed, rebuilt, and lived with purpose.
