A Brief History

Me

Right, so once again it's been a while since I last wrote a blog, and since I last wrote a lot has changed.

I thought that first I would catch up those of you that don't know me or what I do.

A Brief History:

School: My entire education was at the Steiner School in South Devon, UK, an alternative, creativity based education, with a high population of hippies, veils, rounded corners and boys with long hair and unisex names.

College: This was a blip. I went to Exeter college, where I didn't really get on board with being forced through the sausage factory of white boards, text books and boring teachers. So I lasted a year, good grades, full of potential, left to follow a dream, that old chestnut.

Next: So after leaving college I worked for 6 months to save up for a course in Guitar Making. This was incredible, chilled out, creative woodwork, with an amazing teacher.
This course was in Totnes, where Chia Seed energy balls replace Red Bull, Barley cup is an acceptable substitute for real coffee, and there is nowhere to buy a pair of Trainers, but 125 different places to get your Chakras aligned.! You get the idea.

Chia seed energy balls

After the Guitar Making course I tried my hand at being a guitar maker, and aft
er a few months realised that I'd be better off trying to make money being a pig farmer in and Islamic community. So After meeting my wife and planning a family, I took up timber framing, and quickly went from timber framing into starting a building company with my brothers. and 6 happy years later ended up Bankrupt.

So, at 25 and bankrupt with 3 Children. I needed a sensible job that would be a guaranteed income for my growing family. A self-employed silversmith, perfect!

After a year or so stocking local galleries, doing shows, markets and parties, I decided the Jewellery game wasn't really for me.

Life in the van, Summer 2013 Pyrenees

So, I thought, obviously a change is in order. I took the only logical next step and started up a company selling Organic Superfoods. After about 15 months of this I got bored of putting dried food into packets hour after soul-destroying hour, and sold the business. 

With a new baby, taking our child tally to 4 (who we were home-educating at this point) we used the money in the only sensible way we could think, promptly bought a Van, converted it and went travelling around Europe for the next three months. Still to this day the most amazing thing we have done as a family.

After returning from our travels, the children tried a spell at school, then we decided for good to give home-schooling a real proper go. The children are immeasurably happier, more confident and our whole family life is crazy, but wonderfully fulfilling.

During this time I decided that I should get qualified, so following in the textbook style decision making process that I had taken so far I decided to be a personal trainer. This went well and it may surprise you to hear that I still practice as a personal trainer to this day.

Now, one thing that I forgot to mention is that since the age of 17 I undertook various trainings in leadership, coaching, mentoring & training. So after practicing these skills a lot over the years I decided to combine this with the personal training, so I am now a fully fledged life coach & personal trainer. And loving it.

I promise my future blogs will be shorter, but I thought that fitting my whole life into 500 words quite an achievement.

From now on this blog will be a place where I will share how our crazy life works, being self employed home-schooling 4 children deep in the Devon counrtyside, with pets, crazy neighbours, health foods, and sometimes managing to get the kids dressed in the morning. In the hope that either you may learn something from my ramblings or perhaps it'll just bring a smile to your face, knowing that someone else out there also doesn't know what their doing!

Home School

Until next time.......

Peace out,
Oliver