From the Ground Up - A Story of an Amputee

I was a few days old when my mum was told I had hip dysplasia, but after further examination, it was discovered that it was much worse than that.

I had a small fibula, a small tibia and no femur, and the radiographer went as far as saying?“I shouldn’t be able to walk”?let alone do some of the things I later went on to achieve.?

A few months later, my grandmother told my mum,?“What is James going to do? How is he going to cope and what if he is in a wheelchair for the rest of his?life.”

Early in primary school/elementary school also wasn’t a walk in the park,

My mum found me playing in the sandpit all alone, and my friends were playing off somewhere else, and she asked me,?“Have they left you here, or are you playing by yourself?”

That is one thing that will never happen to you, and I can guarantee you this!?

You won’t be left alone to your own devices because you will have me in your corner.?

Imagine how supported you will feel being surrounded by individuals on the exact same journey as you.

I provide a caring and close-knit community where every individual is welcomed with open arms and given the support and love that they need in order to succeed. Not only will you achieve your ultimate body and mind transformation, but you’ll also become part of my Tribe.?

I Learned to swim butterfly?a lot earlier than most, I was 11 or 12. It was something my coach, Mike Stone and my mother came up with together.

“How can we make his disability an asset?”

And by that time, I was starting to be quite well-built in the upper body.

I faced yet another moment of adversity at 15 because my mother had enough of me falling academically! From the age of 3 until 15, I had always been in the Belgian Section on the NATO base; I grew up in Belgium.

However, once I was in high school, I started to fall behind academically and was labelled a failure and even one of my teachers went as far as saying,?“I wouldn’t amount to anything.”?I had already had to repeat the 8th grade, and my mum didn’t want to go through that again in the 9th and beyond, so I went to the American section.

When it came time to apply to Universities because I was told for so long in the Belgian school system that?“I wouldn’t amount to anything”, self-doubt crept in, and I started believing that statement to be true and I even found myself second-guessing myself and whether or not I should even apply to go to University, thinking I wasn’t good enough to attend university and I thought I would be out of my depth.?

Yet another setback occurred when I was dropped by British Swimming at 19 and in my first year of university, my first of many setbacks in sport. Most people only up to this point would have seen, read or heard the highlights of someone’s sporting career, so I wanted to share that it was far from smooth sailing throughout what ended up being a very illustrious career, but from that moment, it all could have been very different!

After retiring from sports at 26, I spent 2 years unemployed, and I was lost and not knowing what I wanted to do in life now that everything I ever wanted to do was over. But after 2 years, I decided I was fed up with sitting around and feeling worthless.?

So, at that point, I decided to join the fitness industry; I didn’t think about it, didn’t think twice, just pulled the trigger. However, by the time I turned 29, I failed with my first fitness business and had to go into the ‘real world’ to pay the bills. But, within 2 years, I had chosen to leave the life of security and try my hand a second time around in the fitness industry and that brings us up to where we are today.

So how did I overcome all that and much more???

Here’s how and how this can help you:?

I place a big focus on mindset as I truly believe that when you’re in full control of any situation that is presented to you, you’re unstoppable.?

My 3-step AIM System takes you through the fundamental aspects of weight loss by providing you with all the tools and knowledge so that you know what you’re doing and, more importantly, why you’re doing it, too.

These two combined will see you keep your newfound body in shape for the rest of your life rather than quickly going back to square one again.

WARNING: Hiring me can lead to one thing you won’t like about me, though: you’ll probably need to go on a shopping spree for a new wardrobe…?

I'm sorry about this.?

I mean, after all, I can’t be perfect ??

I tried to keep this first newsletter short and sweet. In next week's instalment, I will begin unpacking The AIM System.

Until then, thanks for subscribing, and I can't wait to meet you ??

Big love - James

Resources you might find useful:

#1 >> Join our community for Ambitious Women Looking to lose weight and drop a dress size -?HERE

#2 >> Book a Game Plan call with us -?HERE

#3 >> Listen to my podcast -?HERE