The BraeCompanies
The Brae Companies
Steve White’s ventures and inventions, built from a life he has had to rebuild more than once. The climb continues.
The story behind the name
“The best defense is a relentless offense.”Steve White · Founder, The Brae Companies
Brae is a Scottish word for the side of a hill. I chose it because that is how I see life. There is no plateau. You are either climbing and getting better, or you are sliding down. You are never finished. For me, the work continues until I get to heaven and hear, “Good job.”
The name came at a time when I felt I had failed in every way: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I had ruined relationships with the people in my life, and I was physically dying. I faced a choice: go cry in the corner, or fight. I chose to fight. And I came to understand that fighting for your life means a relentless attack up the hill.
That is where the conviction behind The Brae Companies came from. It is why I keep climbing, and why I want to help other people make their own climb.
The Brae Mindset
We don’t merely look at problems and ask, “Why?” We relentlessly pursue possibilities and ask, “Why not?”
The ventures
Every company here started with a problem Steve ran into himself, or watched someone he cares about struggle with. He asks why there isn’t a better way. Then he builds one.
01 · Purpose & personal development
One hundred days of faith, movement, food, and daily discipline, aimed at a goal you pick yourself. For Steve it was The Last Keep, a seven-mission route through the Wallowa Mountains. For someone else it might be walking without a cane, or keeping up with the grandkids.
Visit Brae 100 →02 · People & connected care
HomeTeams puts everyone who helps care for a person on the same page: family, friends, and professionals, with the person at the center.
It grew out of Steve’s own recovery. He tells that story in the podcast further down this page.
Visit HomeTeams →03 · Everyday spending & opportunity
Part of HomeTeams. The idea is to turn money households already spend every day into access to care and services for members.
04 · Stories & human connection
A way to record someone’s voice, stories, and hard-won lessons while they’re still here to tell them. Their family ends up with more than names and dates.
05 · Care, movement & community
A health, sports, and medical campus in Kennewick, Washington. Primary care, physical therapy, and behavioral telehealth share a roof with the gym, two pools, tennis and pickleball courts, a climbing wall, and a preschool.
Steve took it over once he saw how many people it could help do what he had done. People coming back from a setback train next to athletes getting ready for something big, while their kids are in free childcare down the hall. It’s also where his 350-mile run ended.
Visit Pacific Campus →06 · A best friend’s call for help
If you collapse and can’t reach your phone, could your dog call for help? Rubicon K9 Hero is Steve’s answer, now in development: a device a trained dog pulls to activate Emergency SOS on a compatible iPhone, and a training program to teach it.
Steve came up with it after his own medical emergencies. He brought in Steve Sprague, an EMT turned dog trainer, to build the training. Sprague has seen what happens when help arrives hours too late.
Visit Rubicon K9 Hero →07 · Music & everyday wellness
A music app that layers sound frequencies for sleep and focus into the Spotify playlists you already listen to.
08 · Nature-inspired energy · Concept
A concept for an energy “tree” modeled on the trembling aspen. Solar leaves, plus power from branches moving in the wind. It’s early: how much energy it makes, and what it does for the environment, still has to be proven in testing.
Ways in
Four ways to take part, from a mountain trail to an app.
The mountain challenge Steve built Brae 100 around. Seven missions come before the final climb.
Discover at Brae 100Training built on breath and control, for strength that doesn’t wreck your body.
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The man behind Brae
Serious illness, injuries, surgeries, and loss have knocked Steve down more than once. He came back each time, and he learned what actually helps: a reason to get up, practical support, and people who don’t leave.
Faith and hard physical work still anchor his days. So does a habit of building things for other people while he’s still managing his own health. The podcast below tells the story of his comeback.
Connect with Steve on LinkedIn →A daily goal
I may not be able to change the whole world, but I can change someone’s world every day. That is a goal I choose to live by.
When I began rebuilding my life, I decided to attack problems. I would stop ignoring or walking past the problems of anyone in my path. I may not have every answer, but I can pay attention, care, and take action. Every day gives me another opportunity to make someone’s world better.
Inventor & author
Steve writes, invents, and teaches from the same place: something he lived through, turned into something another person can use. His book, The Best Defense Is a Relentless Offense, lays out how he handles setbacks. You can listen to it free on this page.
His test for a new idea is simple. Will it help someone take their next step?
Giving back
The Last Keep runs on pay what you can, and some people take part at no cost. Steve doesn’t think rebuilding your life should depend on what you can afford.
“Build a life worth keeping” is the invitation behind all of it.
Audiobook & Podcast
Steve’s audiobook · Free to listen
How Steve went from a cognitive score of 16, seizures, and a trailer with one fork and one spoon to a 350-mile run through the Wallowas. The rituals he used, what he keeps in his keep, and the Brae 100 that came out of it. For anyone facing a setback who has decided not to sit in the corner.
“You can’t stand on the goal line and say, ‘Don’t score.’ Do something about it. Go on the offense.”Steve White, on the title
Open the full-screen player → Tell me when the print edition is out →
Steve on the HomeTeams podcast
The night on the mountain with no lighter. The cognitive test Steve scored 16 on, and the word he wrote on his hand before the retest. Why caring for other people turned out to be the healthiest thing he ever did, and how that became HomeTeams.
“Health is not an individual sport. Health is a team sport.”Steve White, in the episode
Coach · Live in the HomeTeams app
Coach is the AI inside HomeTeams. It works from your own records, your routine, and your team, so the answer is about you, not a generic one.
Brae Performance · Coming soon
Training and field apparel from the Brae line.
Founder Series
Training gear cut like a uniform and built like field equipment.
Get notified at launch →
Athena Series
Women’s training pieces made to move in, on the trail or in the gym.
Get notified at launch →
Live Brae
Join the next Brae 100, hear first about the print edition, or talk with us about a partnership. We read every message and write back. No mailing list.