“The relationship I have with my girls now is just remarkable. It’s remarkable. I’m so blessed.”

Husband, father, avid skier, and fly-fisher, Steve Cieciuch is living, in his words, a remarkable life. Steve begins his story recounting the 2004 horrific avalanche in British Columbia that he survived, but which took the life of his skiing partner and friend. Steve has lost five friends. Concurrently, Steve and his wife were trying to start a family. Over the years, they experienced five miscarriages. Eventually, they gave birth to two beautiful daughters.

In 2019, fifteen years after the avalanche and years of grief and depression, Steve came to the Hoffman Process. His children were under ten. Steve shares how clearly he saw how he was passing down these patterns of depression, worry, and stress to his daughters. Upon his return home from the Process, his daughters greeted him and told him that he’d “lost his stress face.”

One of the deeper threads that runs through this conversation is that of spirit, the afterlife, and other planes of existence. Steve recounts an experience of the ‘other side’ during the avalanche. And he shares his profound experience during the Process when he went outside after an intense experience. “I’m just seeing things like I’ve never seen them before. … I was seeing, the color in the trees, and I go on this hike, and I mean, it was just like mind-blowing, how visual and how in tune and how present I was. It was one of the greatest moments I’ve ever had.” 

Steve is now writing a memoir. He says he hopes “his daughters will see that their dad’s vulnerable, that he’s being authentic, that he’s had a lot of difficulty in his life, but he’s got back up, and he’s been resilient. He’s marched forward in the face of a lot of loss and still has a lot of joy. He’s trying to put his right foot forward all the time and lead a good life.”  

We hope you enjoy this remarkable conversation with Steve and Drew.

Please be aware that this episode includes details of traumatic events, reproductive grief, and substance abuse, and might not be suitable for all audiences. Please use your discretion.

Steve Cieciuch moved to Aspen in 1979 at age 18, drawn by a love of skiing, freedom, and the Rocky Mountain lifestyle. After deciding to make the mountains his permanent home, he began his real estate career in Telluride in 1987.

Over the past four decades, Steve has built a distinguished career in the San Juan Mountains, helping clients discover exceptional properties while developing and selling custom homes and ranches, building seven homes of his own—ranging from a historic renovation to a striking modern residence perched off a mountainside.

In 2019, Steve attended the Hoffman Process. This pivotal experience helped him process the anguish from the loss of five close friends, recognize lifelong patterns, and reshape how he relates to his family, work, and himself.

A husband and father of two daughters, Steve lives in Telluride with his wife, Kendall. He is an avalanche survivor, lifelong skier, fly fisherman, and pastel artist currently writing a memoir—a metaphorical journey through the eyes of a fly fisherman exploring deep friendship, tragic loss, and transformational renewal with the help of the Hoffman Process.

Steve has served as managing broker of Telluride Properties, consistently ranking among the region’s top producers. He contributes to his community through nonprofit leadership, including serving as Chairman of Mountainfilm.

Today, Steve views life as an ongoing process of growth, awareness, and deeper connection.

To find out more about Steve and Telluride Properties, follow him on Instagram and YouTube.

Free Ride, Big Mountain

British Columbia avalanche, 2004

Kevin Eyres, Hoffman teacher and coach

Jud Wiebe Trail, Telluride, CO

Karma

Fly fishing

Hoffman Process tools and practices

Morning Quad Checks and Evening Appreciation and Gratitude: