If you’ve spent any time around the Our Local Life community, chances are you’ve felt the presence of Dustin DeFrates long before he ever introduced himself. There’s something unmistakable about how he shows up. As co-founder of Our Local Life, a collective platform for community, wellness, and entrepreneurial growth, DeFrates doesn’t just build companies, he builds people, cultures, and the spaces that allow both to thrive. With a spirit rooted in service and a rare blend of vulnerability, vigor, and visionary insight, he brings coherence and connection to everything he touches.
“I love building people, companies, and the real estate that houses them,” DeFrates shares. It’s a mantra that reflects his multidimensional life, from leading multiple businesses to leading by example in emotional growth, health, and spiritual alignment.
Dustin’s path has been anything but linear. His “Soul” journey began in the pews of a church, touring Latin America in a choir as a child. That structure gave him discipline, but the spiritual layers came later, after shedding old identities and confronting the inner dissonance that so many silently carry. “I had to re-find myself through necessity,” he reflects, recalling the moment he realized his life had drifted from alignment.
His “Mind” has been forged through trial and truth. From relationship ruptures to business betrayals, personal loss, and divorce, his path has been anything but theoretical, it’s been lived. “I’m still fighting that version of me that had to put walls up,” he admits, and yet his commitment to transparency remains unwavering.
Mind, body, and soul in practice
On the “Body” level, Dustin’s reflections are refreshingly honest. “I took a nap last week,” he laughs, “and I’ve never taken a nap in my life!” Aging gracefully, he’s learning to adapt to a new rhythm, one that honors performance but doesn’t chase youth. It’s about sustainability now. Strength that endures.
A self-declared lifelong learner, spiritual seeker, and father, Dustin sees Our Local Life as a place where you don’t just network, you remember who you are. Inspired by Napoleon Hill’s concept of a mental board of advisors, he hopes the platform becomes a kind of living boardroom, filled with body, mind, and soul leaders others can learn from, helping members tap into their own “superpowers.”
DeFrates is not just an entrepreneur, he’s a bridge-builder. He’s active in a secular men’s group focused on emotional intelligence, practices Kundalini Yoga, attends church with his kids, and regularly joins sound baths. With seven companies and counting, he still carves out time for spiritual grounding. The communities he’s part of reflect the integrated man he’s become.
That integration also drives his vision for the spaces he creates: curated community environments that don’t just look good, but feel right. “Whether it’s a business setting or a spiritual setting,” he says, “the space has to match the work.” Dustin doesn’t compartmentalize his roles, he integrates them. And that’s what makes him magnetic. He’s not interested in perfection, but in presence.
Asked what he hopes people see in him, Dustin replies without hesitation: “Truth and authenticity.” His intensity and perfectionism may come across as sharp edges, but they’re forged from a sincere desire to uplift those around him. “Even when I fail, I hope people know I meant well.” Leadership, for Dustin, doesn’t have to be loud. It has to be rooted. And when it is, it builds more than business, it builds legacy. Whether in a boardroom, on a yoga mat, or designing a space that holds community intention, Dustin DeFrates shows up to build something real.