I spent the early part of my adult life desperately trying to fit in. 

I come from a family of six boys and two girls, raised largely by my mum.  I left school at 16 in 1977 with the belief that I could learn anything I wanted to, so I could do anything I wanted to. I was ambitious. I achieved early career success: HR Director by age 29, and CEO and award-winning writer by age 36. 

But I was still obsessed with how I could get people to like me. It took me until my forties to figure out that I needed to like myself first. Rather than trying to mould myself into this non-threatening figure. (This is a common story for guys who look like me). 

That way lies self-sabotage. It happened all too frequently alongside my career success. I had periods of brilliance. I also made crass errors and poor decisions. I paid a heavy price for these mistakes, usually my job. 

So I changed direction at the turn of the century. I needed to – I was a dad to three girls, passed 40, knew that I was the common denominator in everything I’d experienced. Did some corporate and interim work, alongside the self-discovery I needed to lose bad habits.

Or so I thought.

Fast forward to 2014, which became my personal ‘ground zero’. 

I could have died in my bed that Christmas from a heart attack.

I’d been through a lot: depression, losing my home, relationship breakdown, and grieving for my older sister.

Since then, it’s been a process of constant building and rebuilding. 

I trained as a coach in 2017, consolidating 25+ years of real-world experience.

I took up cycling in 2015. Since then I’ve completed the cycling equivalent of the London Marathon three times. (That’s a 100-mile ride, if you didn’t know.) I’m also a Level 1 cycling coach.

I’ve led the creation of a product range within a training business. I developed hundreds of leaders across sectors, and generated over £500k in revenue.

I’ve served as finance lead on the Board of one of London’s most successful social enterprises tackling youth violence and knife crime. We’ve influenced thousands of young lives, and grown our income fourfold in six years to over £1m.

Now I have the best years of my life ahead of me. I’m here to serve, and to collaborate with others who share my energy to create a more inclusive world. It all starts with that capacity to learn – the same passion that the 16-year-old me had.

The influence we have on others through what we think, say, and do is more powerful than we realise. Work with me if you want to tap into that for your own benefit and that of others.

So it’s over to you. I’d love to hear from you if I’ve sparked your curiosity. Connect with me here to set up a free initial consultation.