Georges St-Pierre on Building Instinct into Innovation

Georges St-Pierre is one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history: a two-division UFC champion, a Canadian sports hero, and a member of both the UFC Hall of Fame and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. But outside the Octagon, he is charting a new path. The same instincts, discipline, and humility that made him a world champion now guide him as an entrepreneur and innovator.

In conversation, he reveals how innovation, entrepreneurship, and authenticity drive his decisions today, and why the risks he once took in the cage aren’t so different from the ones he faces in business.

Innovation as Adaptation

“Innovation is the ability to adapt yourself to any situation in life,” St-Pierre says. “That’s what it means to me. It’s always been my strongest point as a martial artist, as a fighter. I was never the strongest guy or the biggest guy, but I had a great ability to adapt myself to any problem to be able to solve it.”

That mindset now underpins his approach to business. While many athletes pivot to simple endorsement deals, St-Pierre has chosen a more deliberate path—partnering only with companies and projects that he feels connected to.

“When I partner with a business, it needs to be authentic,” he explains. “In the early days I took whatever came my way because I was broke. But as I progressed, I understood that it’s very important that everything is authentic. Otherwise it shows. Now, when I do something, I want to like it. I want to be part of the project to help the company grow—and for the company to help me grow. It needs to be a real fit.”

Building New Ventures

That philosophy has led St-Pierre into diverse arenas—from health and fitness to media and technology. His next venture, launching later this year, is a digital platform designed to help people live healthier lives.

“My brand is often oriented towards fitness and well-being, and I’m coming out with a big project now with a friend of mine,” he says. “We’re going to start a platform to help and educate people on how they can get in better shape. Not only for professional athletes, but for the general public. It’s going to go beyond training: lifestyle, nutrition, sleep, recovery, even mental tricks I used to push myself when I hit a wall. This venture really excites me because I think it’s going to help a lot of people.”

Storytelling Beyond the Cage

St-Pierre’s entrepreneurial journey also extends into storytelling. On September 29, he’ll debut The Instinct of a Champion at Toronto’s Meridian Hall—a live stage production co-created with Tony Gattillo.

“I’ve always been, I would say, an entertainer,” he reflects. “Whether you’re an athlete, a singer, or an actor, the reason you can make a living is because people come to see you perform. After the success of my book, we decided to test a live show in Toronto. I like to interact with my fans in person. I feel I lose that connection online. On stage, it will be energetic and natural—every show will be different. I think the fans will appreciate that.”

Instinct and Risk

Asked how instinct shapes his business decisions, St-Pierre offers a nuanced view. “People call it instinct, or a gut feeling. Sometimes it’s logic, deduction, lessons learned from the past. Other times, it’s intuition. I believe in that too. Throughout my career, I’ve used different meditation and visualization tricks that helped me grow my confidence. Sometimes you need to follow your gut feeling, and it can serve you well.”

But instinct, he insists, must be matched by preparation. “You need to take risks in life, but they must be calculated risks. Like training for a fight, in business everything starts with good preparation. Most success doesn’t come from a home run—it’s small steps, calculated risks, and learning from mistakes, whether your own or others’.”

The Power of Mentorship

For St-Pierre, entrepreneurship is never a solo act. Just as in fighting, the strength of the team matters most.

“In sport, I was alone in the Octagon, but without my team I would never have had success,” he says. “It’s the same in business. I don’t have the competence to do everything myself. I need lawyers, agents, advisors, and coaches. When I hire people, it’s not because I want to tell them what to do. I hire them because I want them to tell me what I should do. But you need two qualities: competence and trust. If one is missing, you’ll fail. I learned that the hard way.”

This awareness also fuels his interest in mentoring others. “I see a lot of young fighters and entrepreneurs making mistakes. I lost money making mistakes too, but I was lucky it happened early in my career. Now I think it’s important to push the next generation in the right direction.”

Beyond the Octagon

Ultimately, St-Pierre’s definition of innovation comes down to courage, authenticity, and the willingness to step into the unknown. “I never let an opportunity go away,” he says. “Every time life opened a door, I stepped in—even when it meant going outside my comfort zone. Sometimes I failed, but I was never paralyzed by the fear of failure. That made all the difference.”

Looking ahead, his goals are as much about impact as achievement. His GSP Foundation directs 100 percent of donations to anti-bullying and youth sport initiatives across Canada, reinforcing his commitment to empowering the next generation. “Of course, I wanted to be champion,” he says. “But more than that, I want to be remembered as someone who tried to elevate the sport, who was perhaps a good role model, a good person—and to leave a very positive image. For me, that is very important.” 

Don’t miss the extraordinary fighter and global icon at Toronto Life: In Conversation on Tuesday, September 16, 2025.

GSP will be back again for a one-night-only experience that will take audiences on a journey through GSP’s battles inside and outside the octagon. Monday, September 29, 2025. Tickets are available at GSP: The Instinct of a Champion.