The Gym That Proved I Wasn’t Crazy
In 2014, I co-founded Momentum Training, a gym tucked away in East London’s gritty backstreets. To most people, it looked like just another CrossFit box.
To me, it was everything.
It was the moment I finally proved, to myself and everyone else, that I wasn’t crazy.
Six years earlier, I’d walked away from a secure, well-paying corporate job in Australia. Four years before opening the gym, I’d stepped off the corporate ladder entirely to become a personal trainer.
I left behind the suit, the steady paycheck, and the “respectable career” I’d worked so hard to build.
My dad thought I was nuts. My mates didn’t get it.
But deep down, I knew I couldn’t ignore the pull any longer. I was drawn to health, fitness, and a different kind of life — one that felt purposeful, real, and mine.
Opening the gym was the culmination of that decision. A bold, terrifying, exhilarating leap. And it worked.
From day one, the gym was a success. We opened with over 100 members and grew fast. We offered personal training, CrossFit, strength and conditioning, and metabolic conditioning classes. I was head of programming and poured everything I had into creating sessions that changed people’s lives.
I went from coaching 30 clients to influencing 300.
We built an incredible community. The kind you don’t just train with, you share life with. Every morning I’d walk into that space and feel alive. Fulfilled. Lit up by the energy of people pushing their limits, showing up, getting better.
Some mornings I’d sit back, look around, and think, “Is this real?”
I even launched one of London’s first inter-gym CrossFit competitions, The London Box Battles, which grew to include 17 gyms across the city. I was building a name for myself, as a coach, a business owner, a leader.
But under the surface, another story was unfolding.
The Hidden Cost of Chasing the Dream
What most people didn’t see was the cost of that success.
I hadn’t been in a relationship since 2008, when I split with my girlfriend and moved to London. I was working long, unsociable hours. Friendships faded. Nights out disappeared. My life was work, training, and sleep.
I wasn’t drinking. I wasn’t partying. I was living the dream. Or so I thought.
In reality, I was burning out. Quietly. Steadily. But I kept pushing. Then came the betrayal.
One of my business partners was caught stealing from the business. Trust evaporated overnight. The vibe shifted. What once felt energising now felt heavy. I found myself doing more, not out of passion, but out of obligation. Holding things together. Managing chaos. Playing damage control.
And somewhere in that grind, I began to feel a growing sense of misalignment.
I was preaching health and balance to my clients… But I wasn’t living it myself. Sure, I trained hard. I ate well. But I was under-slept, over-stressed, anxious, and exhausted. And I was living in a city that no longer matched the life I wanted.
That’s when the internal shift began. The dream, or at least this version of it, wasn’t sustainable.
So I made a new plan:
Get the business to a place where I could sell my shares.
Move home to Australia.
Rebuild my life from a place of health, values, and alignment.
Because I didn’t want to just survive London. I didn’t want to die there either.
What I’d Tell That Younger Version of Me
Looking back now, I’m proud.
That gym gave me so much: confidence, leadership, resilience, purpose. It taught me that you can follow your passion. You can make a difference. You can build something that matters.
But if I could sit down with that younger version of myself, the one burning the candle at both ends, I’d say this:
👉 Slow down. Loving what you do doesn’t mean you have to destroy yourself for it.
👉 Choose your partners wisely. Shared values matter more than skills, credentials, or enthusiasm. Integrity is everything.
👉 Don’t lose sight of the life you want. Success that comes at the cost of health, connection, and peace… isn’t success.
Why This Story Matters Now
I share this story because I see too many men in midlife caught in a similar trap. They’ve worked hard. Built the career. Maybe even a business. From the outside, they’re successful. But inside, they’re tired.
Disconnected from their health. From their purpose. From the man they thought they’d be by now.
At Midlife Mavericks, we help men hit pause. Reflect. Reclaim their health and vitality. Redefine what success means — this time, on their own terms. Because real success isn’t about grinding yourself into the ground. It’s about building a life that aligns with your values.
For me, those values are:
Purpose & Impact
Integrity
Health (true health — not just fitness)
Freedom & Autonomy
Growth & Leadership
Those are the values I live by now. And those are the values we help our Mavericks reclaim.
Where Are You Headed?
If you’re in midlife and feeling that disconnect — like the life you’ve built no longer feels like yours — you’re not alone.
You’re not broken.
You’re just in transition.
And with the right support, you can realign, rebuild, and create a life that energises you from the inside out.
That’s the work we do inside Midlife Mavericks.
Ready to see where you stand?
👉 Start with the free Midlife Assessment Scorecard and take the first step toward clarity, connection, and a future you’re proud of.
