The Unmapped Path: Alumnus Josh Luckow on the Power of Study Abroad

In the summer before he graduated, University of Arizona alumnus Josh Luckow (BSBA '99, MBA '08) studied French in the French Riviera through study abroad. The experience lit in him a hunger for the unmapped path — one that would shape the arc of everything after.  

Today, drawing on his 14-year executive career at Canyon Ranch—a globally recognized health and wellness destination that his family helped found and operate for nearly four decades—Josh is the founder and CEO of SolaVieve, a company that partners with employers to improve employee well-being.

SolaVieve is a high-touch, high-tech company that supports thousands of employees each year through workplace well-being programs, including onsite and virtual coaching from a holistic health team; wellness challenges, classes, and workshops; and a digital platform that provides personalized, on-demand guidance and helps employees track their health and lifestyle activities. 

These services help employees reduce burnout and live healthier, more fulfilling lives while helping employers build healthier, more resilient workforces and reduce preventable health-related costs. Its clients span the private and public sectors and include Roche, Los Angeles County, and Pima Community College. 

Q: You almost didn't make it abroad at all. What happened?

"Right before I graduated, I did a summer program in France. I originally was planning to go to Paris, to the Sorbonne, and then I caught pneumonia right before my flight. My doctor told me, 'I can't let you get on that plane.' But the study abroad team said they had a later opportunity in Cannes, in the French Riviera. And in my head I thought, naively, 'What's the French Riviera?' I had zero comprehension of what that meant."

Q: What was it about the experience, once you were there, that most stands out to you, even now?

"In study abroad, you're surrounded by people in a foreign land, all trying to understand it, adapt, and connect across cultures and perspectives. Everyone there is a seeker, an explorer—all within a very concentrated space. So it's very enriching. Just a single conversation can be eye-opening. For me, the experience was genuinely life-changing. I was drawn to that phenomenon right away."

Q: You're an entrepreneur who's built a business with roots on two continents. Do you see a connection between study abroad and what it takes to do that kind of work?

"The power of not knowing everything can be amazing. Being an entrepreneur requires calculated risk, but it also requires a beginner's mind. Chaos happens, and you have to have a tolerance for that. You constantly have to pivot. You think your vision is exactly what's going to be actualized, and often it's not. So then you've got to keep adapting. You use that beginner’s mindset to make those leaps."

Q: What has that early international experience meant to you professionally?

"Study abroad helped me see the commonality of our humanity. We speak different languages. There are different cultural norms. But people everywhere experience stress, struggle to exercise regularly and sleep well, and want to feel healthy and connected. That recognition has shaped how I think about well-being: the details vary across cultures, but many of our underlying human needs are universal."

Q: What would you say to a student who's on the fence about study abroad?

"This is an opportunity to dramatically change and broaden your perspective, and it's one of the easiest ways to achieve that kind of breakthrough. Going overseas later can be a lot of work. You have to navigate so many elements. But with study abroad, much of it is turnkey. Study abroad is an acceleration. Take that acceleration. It's worth the money. It's worth the time. And you don't know how these early experiences will influence the trajectory of your life. I recommend study abroad to every student I meet."