Born as Anthony J. Mahavoric, Tony Robbins entered this world on February 29, 1960 in North Hollywood, California. As the oldest sibling in a family of three children, Tony learned from a young age to demonstrate leadership and solve problems on his own rather than seeking higher authority. Tony's leadership was tested when he was only seven after his parents divorced. With Tony's mother being forced to work long hours, she was unable to care for the children as they needed. Tony filled this position while his mother was at work. Along with being a single parent, Tony's mother was addicted to drugs and alcohol leading to much physical abuse inflicted on Tony and his siblings. For this reason, Tony says he became a psychiatrist before he even graduated high school. Though not formally recognized with a P.h.D., Tony learned to be a keen judge of human behavior and emotions simply as a way to survive his mother's abuse. Following his parent's divorce, Tony's mother dated and married several men but infidelity and impatience lead to divorce after divorce. One of these husbands, Jim Robbins, used to be a semi-professional baseball player. Sensing Tony needed more than a father figure but rather a true father, Jim legally adopted Tony when Tony was twelve years old. Jim's days of baseball were over however and he was forced to take up sales as a way to provide income. Because this work was not particularly flourishing at the time, Jim's paychecks barely covered the bills, forcing the family to sacrifice celebrating Christmas and Thanksgiving for lack of a savings account.