Khalil Rafati

Khalil Rafati was born in Toledo, Ohio, United States.⁠[1]

He said in an interview that he washed dishes at Gus Nicolidas’s restaurant at age 12 and later dropped out of high school. He regarded Nicolidas as an early mentor in work and treating others well.⁠[2]

He left Ohio for Southern California and worked in car cleaning.⁠[1]

According to his account on the company website, heroin and cocaine addiction had left him homeless in Los Angeles. In 2003, he decided to get sober and began rebuilding his life.⁠[3]

He founded Riviera Recovery to provide transitional living support after initial addiction treatment. In an interview, he said he sold part of his gold savings to finance it and began making juices and smoothies for residents there.⁠[4]

He and Hayley Gorcey opened the first SunLife Organics in Malibu, California, selling organic juices, smoothies, salads and other foods. The business subsequently expanded into a chain.⁠[3]

His memoir I Forgot to Die was published, recounting addiction, homelessness and rebuilding his life. The paperback edition’s ISBN is 9781619613744.⁠[5][6]

Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation issued a Proposition 65 notice alleging inadequate warnings about lead exposure from kombucha sold by SunLife Organics, LLC. Rafati appeared on the company service list. The private organization’s notice was an allegation, not a court judgment or a personal criminal conviction.⁠[7][8]

He delivered Limitless at TEDxWakeForestU, discussing trauma, addiction and personal change. TEDx Talks published the video on April 8 that year.⁠[9][10]

Remembering to Live: Lessons I Learned Crawling out of Hell, written with Jeremy Brown, was published by Love Heal & Inspire Publishing. ISBN 9781734964202, it continues his discussion of personal change and everyday practice.⁠[11][12]

SunLife Organics opened its first Las Vegas location at UnCommons, extending its operations into Nevada.⁠[13]

SunLife Organics and Next Health announced the collaborative Limitless smoothie for a limited run at selected locations in West Hollywood, Century City and Nashville.⁠[14]

School of Hard Knocks Podcast published an approximately 77-minute interview in which he discussed recovery, faith, entrepreneurship and rebuilding his life after hardship.⁠[15]

In a January interview, he discussed plans for a West Palm Beach location and said he focused on site selection and financing while a management team handled daily operations. The company’s current directory lists the location and operating hours.⁠[16][17]

SunLife Organics entered Sag Harbor, New York, introducing a full kitchen at the former Estia’s Little Kitchen site and hiring some former employees. He told local media that he wanted to retain community ties while expanding beyond the business’s smoothie-and-beverage format.⁠[18][17]

Alongside food-service entrepreneurship and writing, he has operated Malibu Beach Yoga and shared his experiences through public speaking and interviews.⁠[10]

The SunLife Organics brand website is https://sunlifeorganics.com/ (opens in a new window). His personal Instagram account is https://www.instagram.com/khalilrafati/ (opens in a new window).⁠[3][19]