Meet Lee Perreira: Marathon Musician | Full Time Musician, Ultra-Marathon Runner, Non-Profit Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lee Perreira and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lee, how do you think about risk?
I believe risk is so important. With risk comes growth, learning and new possibilities. They say, if you always do what you’ve always done then you will always have what you have always had. It is in taking steps into the unknown that we truly learn about ourselves. Over the past several years I have been more focused on investing in myself as a person, as a human and it has paid off more than anything else that I could’ve spent time on. As we increase our personal value we will see our financial value grow as well. By taking risks like running 16 marathons in 16 days for Charity, which I have now done twice, I learned so much about myself and the impact I can have on my community. I had never done anything like that before in my life but I took the jump and the road literally was laid out before me. I now own a non-profit called 16×16 Inc and giving back has truly changed my life. It was a risk to do what I did. There were hardships and struggles that came with it. BUT it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made because it developed new areas in my life, my mind and my heart. We can’t just stay in the same place all the time. It is in the unknown that magic truly exists.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a full time musician. Specifically I’m a singer, guitarist, song-writer. I have been playing music for a living for 13 years now. It’s been a long journey of learning and growing not only as a musician but as a person. You can hear that in the progression of my music and the content I’m singing about. I am most proud of the fact that I am respected by my peers. That was always very important to me. The best musicians in town love to play gigs with me. I feel that it is a combination of my talent that I’ve worked hard at to develop as well as the person I am. We have a saying that gigs are composed of 3 elements. The bread (pay), the music and the hang. If you’re lucky all 3 are awesome. I think at the very least we always have 2. Good music and a good hang. I love playing music and getting to perform with like minded people who are not only talented but amazing humans. I’m very grateful to be at this moment in my career. It’s taken a lot of hard work and consistent dedication to get here and I intend to keep on raising my level through that same consistent dedication to get better every day. I want the world to be inspired by me to do better. To give back. To inspire others. One of my absolute favorite things I’ve heard lately was “By becoming who you were meant to be you will bless someone else.” I encourage you to find a way to use your gifts to give back and inspire others. What you receive will be worth more than money. A couple years ago I started donating my time every month to Children’s Hospitals, Alzheimer Facilities, Abuse Shelters, etc. I go every month to these places and i play an hour of music for free for the residents and THAT changed my life forever. To realize that I really could bring smiles to peoples faces who were in pain and who were suffering changed my life, my perspective, my level gratitude and so on and so on. If I had one piece of advice it would be for you to find a way to give back and feel how YOU can make a difference in this world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, I love music so it’s no surprise I would recommend going to any of The Vig locations, Ladera, The Vintage Arcadia, Kazimierz and enjoying some live music! Besides that I love running trails and being out doors so I would recommend going on any of the hikes around town and just getting to the top of a mountain and enjoying the view! Prescott is a great day trip too! And they have some great little vegan restaurants and awesome shopping!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Far and away the most amazing and supportive person in my life is my fiancé Serenity Risvik. We have known each other for around 10 years and we have been in a relationship for 6 years this coming March 3rd. She has celebrated all of my successes and lifted me during every struggle. She has inspired me to give up drinking and eat vegan (she has a vegan youtube cooking channel) and live a healthier life style. I’ve never been happier in life and happier with who I am as a person and I owe all of it to her presence in my life and who she is as a person.

Website: https://www.leeperreira.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeperreira/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leeperreira
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leeperreira/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/leeperreira
Other: SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3V53dFmUvr98CAjHs9TQJJ?si=h4Sj0JIdTOCXVXIx7iblXA

Image Credits
Ethan Risvik Cowgirl Zen