About
I've struggled for 40 years with ADHD and been down the dark hole of poor mental health and addiction. I've managed pulled myself through and build an amazing life free of my demons. I now want to help others who are struggling to gain self knowledge, raise self esteem and fulfil their potential. I also want to educate neurotypical people what it is like to live with neurodiversity.
GROWING UP BEING NEURODIVERSE WAS really challenging...
Main stream schools just didn't work for me. There was too much noise, people talking over each other, bells, music, and so much going on. I tried hard to stay focused but found school very overwhelming. I just couldn't understand why I wasn't able to do what the other children were doing and I started to act out. I was expelled from two secondary schools and struggled to finish my education. I was then in and out of minimum wage employment unable to hold a job down for more than a few months. My self esteem was super low as I compared myself to my neurotypical peers climbing the corporate ladder, my mental health was rock bottom... the only thing that helped was alcohol which then progressed to drug taking to numb my pain.
My Recovery took a huge amount of mental resilience
I’m now 9 years sober which started with a stint in residential rehab, followed by completing, and continuing to work the AA 12 step programme and a huge amount of self-development including books, podcasts and online courses.
​
Drink was what I turned to after a tough day at work, to relax and unwind, it was my crutch to deal with the negative voices in my mind, the ones telling me “I’m not good enough”, “I need a drink to have a good time”…… I started to drink each night and eventually I was counting down the hours to finish work to get to the pub or eventually missing work due to my drinking. Over time alcohol started to numb the pain less and I started to introduce more and more cocaine. My life eventually hit rock bottom….and after lots of encouragement from family and friends I sought help.
​
In early recovery each day was a battle…. Even just to get out of bed. The demons in my head were just conditioned to telling me “have a drink, have a drink”. It was about setting small daily goals and just getting through one day at a time without a drink.
I also started to focus on my diet and exercise. I needed something to occupy my mind so it wasn’t thinking solely about having a drink. I found the AA 12 step programme and set myself the target of doing 90 meetings in 90 days. Once I’d settled into the fellowship of AA I was comforted to know I wasn’t on my own but also to see how many people had made it out the other end. In early recovery I sat back and listened to the old timers with may years of sobriety under their belt – if they had achieved sobriety then so could I, they gave me confidence that there was a “life after alcohol”.
​
I've turned ADHD INto my superpower
Fast forward 9 years and I’m sober and the happiest I’ve ever been. I've spent a lot of time building my knowledge about ADHD and neurodiversity and I finally understand myself - it's like a light bulb has switched on and I know how to work with my ADHD..
​
My brain is wired differently which gives me a huge amount of mental resilience and focus when channelled correctly. I have managed to break my ADHD shame cycle. I have also developed the six pillars of health which keeps my mind set positive and body healthy which is conducive to learning. I have put my own victim mind-set behind me, I no longer blame circumstances or people for why I wasn’t able to achieve – now I actively go out and set world endurance records and inspire others to achieve their goals.
I’ve learnt to deal with my mental health issues with a sober mind and not use alcohol as a crutch. I’ve achieved a Guinness World Record in June 2022 doing 70 x 70.3mile triathlons which took a huge amount of mental and physical resilience and I'm trainig for my next huge challenge to swim across the Atlantic Ocean.
I’ve been on national TV and I’m having a documentary being made about my journey - look out for "Substance Abuse to Superhuman" which is currently doing the rounds at the film festivals and has won over 24 awards so far.
​
