Hi, I'm Simon. I don't have life completely worked out, and that's the point.

I was born and raised in London. At 15, under difficult circumstances, I left home. Or, to be more accurate, I was chucked out.

I had to learn very quickly how to stand on my own two feet and fend for myself. I was still going to school while working evenings in a pub, earning my own money, doing what I had to do and figuring life out as I went along.

My early twenties were certainly not quiet. I saved, I travelled, I owned a nightclub and packed a lot of living into those years.

Life was good.

A Lesson in Life

Then my dad ripped me off financially.

What followed was absolute hell. A decade of pain. His explanation was that it had been "a lesson in life".

Cheers, Dad.

And no, I haven't spoken to him in 27 years.

Building a Life Through It All

At 27, I became a dad to my son, followed by my daughter at 29. Becoming a parent changed everything. I made them a promise that I would always be there for them, and I very much am.

Throughout all the madness, I've raised two wonderful, now fully grown children, owned and managed several successful businesses and been fortunate enough to travel extensively, experiencing different countries, cultures and ways of life.

I later went on to own a medical recruitment company, but my decision to specialise in psychiatric recruitment came from somewhere deeply personal. Having lost two friends to suicide, and hearing first-hand about the failings of a mental health system that had let down so many people, I felt compelled to do something. Listening to the experiences of others who had struggled to access the care and support they desperately needed only strengthened that determination. I knew I couldn't change the entire system, but I wanted to play my part in making a constructive difference. Those experiences reinforced something I believe deeply: everyone deserves to feel heard, understood and supported. It's a belief that has stayed with me and continues to influence the way I approach life coaching today.

In my early thirties, I was diagnosed with ADHD, and it was a real turning point for me. It helped me understand who I was, how my mind worked and why I processed thoughts, emotions and experiences the way I did. For the first time, parts of myself that had never quite made sense started to fall into place. For me, ADHD can feel like both a curse and a superpower. The difference has been learning how to understand it, work with it and use the strengths that come with it.

I've also had several long-term relationships. Some worked for a time and some didn't. There have been moments when I've had to make difficult decisions, walk away and choose my own wellbeing, even when doing so was far from easy.

Life has brought success and failure, love and loss, excitement and disappointment, and more than a few occasions when I've had to start again.

And two years ago, I was fortunate enough to meet someone who simply felt like the perfect fit. She restored my faith in love and reminded me that, no matter what life has thrown at you, you never really know what might be waiting around the corner.

Some parts of that journey were incredibly dark and lonely.

I've known what it feels like when life is going incredibly well, and I've known what it feels like when everything seems to fall apart.

I've come close to losing almost everything.

I know what despair feels like. I know what it's like to be knocked down again and again and, at times, to feel completely isolated.

A refuse-to-lose attitude.

Not because I've had all the answers.

I haven't. I didn't. What I did have was a refusal to lose.

Sometimes I made the right choices. Sometimes I absolutely didn't. I've trusted the wrong people, ignored my instincts and stayed in situations longer than I should have.

But every part of it taught me something. About myself, about other people and about the way we respond when life doesn't go according to plan.