Misery was taking over my life. I barely recognised myself anymore. So, I quit. I had no idea what I would do next. It is just as well I have a good head for heights! But I found my new path to happiness and fulfilment – and now I help others find their way, too.
School offered little beyond distraction. Being placed in bottom sets for everything just affirmed the inevitable course. Will left school at 16 with no qualifications. For five years he was stuck in an endless cycle of dead-end, minimum wage jobs and unemployment. A future of debt and unfulfillment stretched out before him.
"I felt trapped in a dark place, dissatisfied with my life. Somewhere deep down I knew I was better. I wanted a future. But I knew I was going to have to fight!"
What Will could not foresee was just how hard a fight it was going to turn out to be.
It was meant to be the fairy-tale, instead it was rock bottom. The one thing you cannot run away from is yourself. This defining moment changed my life forever.
Battling with internal demons, Will set out to change his life. Leaving everything he knew behind him, Will set out on a journey across Europe to start a new life in Switzerland. It was full of promise and hope. A new job awaited in a high-class hotel nestled in the beauty of the Alps. Always most at home and at peace in the mountains, this was the perfect place for Will to build a new future.
Unprepared for the realities of travel, it remains one of the most challenging journeys Will has ever taken. He arrived exhausted and without food or drink for 30 hours at the destination of his new life. But as the days passed, Will could not shake an overwhelming feeling of doubt. Then the moment of realisation hit. He had not come to the mountains to run away from his life; he had come to run away from himself. Will was standing in a picture postcard scene, but he was still exactly the same and true life-changes start from within.
“It was meant to be the fairy-tale, instead it was rock bottom. The one thing you cannot run away from is yourself. This defining moment changed my life forever.”
Leaving Switzerland was initially empowering. Will realised that he could be anywhere in the world and find his own way home. But back in England, he felt a failure. Trapped within himself, Will hit rock bottom.
Sometimes you have to be in the dark before you can see the light. The answer was always there, I just had to see it.
A long, dark and isolated year followed. Will shut out everyone and everything around him. The fight was on – he just hadn’t realised the battle would be within himself. It was during this lowest point that Will learnt first-hand that if you are lost, you must start by finding yourself. It was this journey of self-discovery that illuminated the way. From that moment on, Will knew who he really was and found a pathway to his true potential in life.
“Sometimes you have to be in the dark before you can see the light. The answer was always there, I just had to see it.”
At the age of twenty-one Will set a daring dream – to be the first person in the history of his family to go to university and graduate. With a plan in place, he embarked on the first steps of a six-year journey enrolling in college to take GCSEs and A levels, holding down four part time jobs simultaneously to fund the vision.
Getting to this point in my life was a huge milestone.
Will’s focus became more resolute when his application to one of England’s top universities got rejected. For Will, the response was not acceptable. He wrote a passionate and persuasive letter in the absolute belief that his dream would be realised. Stepping through the university gates on his twenty-fourth birthday, his resolve had worked.
“Getting to this point in my life was a huge milestone. The determination and focus paid off -I was the first in my family to reach higher education.”
Will graduated three years later; he did so with honours.
Since then, Will has attended some of the most prestigious universities in the world going on to gain two master’s degrees and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. He has overcome crippling personal debts and built a highly successful career working with young children in UK schools and overseas. Will achieved Advanced Skills Teacher status in 2012, recognition that enabled him to coach adults at a professional level. He became a senior school leader in the same year and climbed the career ladder to reach headship in 2018.
Once I understood the obstacles that first stopped me were in fact my strengths, I was on the path to success.
Throughout his career in education, Will has taught and inspired children of all backgrounds to have the self-belief and confidence to embrace the unlimited opportunities in life. His work dedicated to mentoring and coaching adults has spanned over 14 years, supporting people from all walks of life achieve successful career and personal development.
“Once I understood the obstacles that first stopped me were in fact my strengths, I was on the path to success. Developing that in others empowers them to be successful, too.”
Although a passionate educator with many happy, fulfilling years working as a school leader, an ethical mismatch led to dramatic consequences. It emphasised to Will just how important it was to have his values aligned with a workplace culture. The impact on his happiness and well-being meant only one course of action - change.
“I just jumped off the top of a high cliff without a parachute. I could not stand another day in my long-standing career. It was making me ill. Misery was taking over my life. I barely recognised myself anymore. So, I quit. I had no idea what I would do next. It is just as well I have a good head for heights! But I found my new path to happiness and fulfilment – and now I help others find their way, too.”
Today Will is still appreciative of his humble beginnings. This, alongside his unique life experiences enables Will to have aspirational perspectives, yet remain grounded and true to his values. Happily married to wife, Jo, together they embarked down a long and challenging IVF road and after much loss, were blessed by God 5 years later with a gorgeous son. Despite their new-born contracting pneumonia and sepsis, which left him fighting for his life in critical care, Noah fully recovered to be a happy, confident and loving boy, now aged 3. As a family, they love being in the countryside and exploring new places.
Will is a British-Canadian citizen, with a passion for travel and a spirit of adventure. He loves the wild freedom of The Great Outdoors and still feels most at-one in the mountains. As an accredited, qualified life coach, Will has an unapologetic, genuine belief that we are only limited by what we think is possible and it is never too late to start the journey. With dedicated guidance and support, Will empowers people to fearlessly chase a better future.