Sometimes the biggest lessons come wrapped in failure and it’s only in hindsight that we see them for the gifts they are.

Over the last few months, I’ve been working hard to come up with a coaching offering that provides real and tangible value to you as an individual and as a runner. Something that’s a true extension of my own ethos and approach to training and life. Something I know to have worked for me and comes from an authentic place.

Today is Day 1 of realising that vision and I want to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point. For years now, I’ve worked hard to offer free information and insight on social media, in this newsletter, and Podcast. Now, I want to level up the information I provide and create a repository of in-depth and high-quality content that’s not beholden to it’s performance, but just provides value. 

None of this is possible without your support.

However you choose to support the Coaching Hub, whether it’s through the community page, purchasing a collection of videos, or becoming a Standard Member, I want to thank you sincerely for supporting at this early stage.

Something to Think About 💭

If everything’s always going right, you’re probably playing too safe.

Something to Ask Yourself ❓

Where are you currently failing, and what might that be trying to teach you?

Article of the Week 📄

This piece unpacks the real value of failure, and it’s not just about resilience clichés. You’ll explore how failure sharpens self-awareness, redefines priorities, and teaches us what doesn’t work, which is just as crucial as knowing what does. Expect a smart psychological take that’ll make you rethink why your worst moments might be your most useful.

Track of the Week 🎶

Aquemini is Outkast’s best album (fight me about it!)

this week’s Track of the Week is:

Aquemini by Outkast (1998)

By the way, if you didn’t know, I put all these tracks in a Spotify playlist…

Personal Lesson

A few years ago, I’d finally done it, I’d left the corporate world to pursue what I thought was my dream. I moved to Bristol, qualified as a Personal Trainer, and launched a coaching business called STEPBACK FITNESS. The name was meant to reflect a holistic view of fitness… “step back to move forward” or something like that (it made sense in my head) but let’s be honest, it sounded like a regression. And in many ways, that’s exactly what that time in my life became.

I worked day in, day out, trying to launch this coaching business. I was working shifts at a PureGym (a budget gym here in the UK). I was paying for the privilege and hardly breaking even on income from my coaching. By working shifts at this gym, on minimum wage, I was barely paying off the rent I had to pay to operate as a PT there. I was offering free tasters, trial sessions, discounted programs, I even coached a few people for free just to get a testimonial – anything to get clients. But the truth was, I was failing miserably and quickly running out of money. I had rent to pay, a car to run, food to buy. Bills to keep up with, and no matter how hard I worked, I just couldn’t make it work. I remember sitting in the gym staff room, behind my laptop, trying to think of ways to attract clients who’d be willing to pay me to coach them and all I could do was reflect on how, 6 months prior, I was working for an exciting Financial tech company in London, surrounded by close friends, supported and lifted up by colleagues, and advancing a “respectable” career. And now, I was failing… hard.

I’d taken this huge leap of faith and landed flat on my face. I wasn’t making even close to enough money, I felt completely invisible in a saturated industry, and worst of all – I started to doubt myself entirely. Eventually, the money ran out. I swallowed my pride and returned to the world I thought I’d escaped, back to a steady paycheck, back to the commercial comfort zone I’d tried to leave behind. It felt like failure in every sense of the word. That wasn’t the end of the struggle. The climb back from the bottom was long and hard, but steadily, I didn’t give up on myself, and kept tapping away.

With time and space, I came to see  that time in my life differently. That brutal year taught me more about myself than any success ever could. It revealed what I really care about in fitness – connection, meaning, mindset, and longevity over aesthetics. It clarified my values. It humbled me. And in many ways, it planted the seed for everything I’m doing now. The Coaching Hub I’m launching today? It wouldn’t exist without the pain of that first attempt.

Failure burns. But sometimes, that’s how transformation begins.

Running – Life’s Metaphor

In running, we often celebrate the PBs, the finish lines, the clean Strava graphs. But it’s the injuries, the DNFs, the bad runs where everything falls apart that’s where the gold is. Those are the moments that shape us. Running teaches us that failure isn’t the opposite of progress. It is progress, disguised in discomfort.

Final Thoughts

Failure is uncomfortable. It strips us down and shows us who we really are when we’re not being applauded or validated. But if we can sit with it, really sit with it, we often discover the exact thing we need to move forward with clarity.

The most successful runners, creators, and thinkers in the world? They don’t just tolerate failure. They pursue it. Because they understand it’s the fastest way to learn. You don’t get to evolve without stumbling. You don’t find your voice without first losing it.

So, where are you currently falling short? Where are you pretending things are fine when they’re not? Own it. Name it. That moment of honesty is the start of something powerful. Whether it’s in your training, your work, or your relationships, let yourself fail better. It means you’re trying. And trying, even when it doesn’t work out, is what keeps us alive.

You’ve got this. Keep showing up, even if it’s messy. Actually, especially if it’s messy.