How tenacity and timing changed my life!

This post is a bit more personal and [TW] mentions suicide…

I can't believe one year has gone by...

If you’ve followed my story, you will know that this was a very emotional and iconic moment for me.

When I was younger, I really struggled with my head, I didn’t really fit in and sometimes I just felt like exiting stage left.

After a fairly traumatic suicide attempt, my parents were desperate for me to see what they saw; a unique and different child, ‘special’ they said.

My dad wanted me to find some hope, and encouraged me to write a letter to someone who inspired me.

Now, my dad was also called Richard, and he had a little recording studio on the Isle of Mull, so he loved Richard Branson—and when you read about Branson, he’s so like my dad!

Wild, entrepreneur… except my dad was nowhere near as successful being a sheep farmer on a scottish island amongst many other things

So, at 14 years old, I wrote a letter to Richard Branson.

I told him about my dad and how similar they were, and I wrote “I’m gonna change the world one day and I’m looking forward to having lunch with you.”

Just like Richard, I left school at 15 to set up my first business, but unlike him, none of my businesses were as successful. In fact, I had five unsuccessful companies by the time I was 25, and called myself a serial failpreneuer.

I thought I would never get there. And then, when I became an oil broker, I got paid too much and I drank too much, so it was easy to forget the truth of who I was, and ignore my big dreams and big goals. Instead I drowned myself in alcohol.

When I took a break from alcohol, I remembered who I was, and part of that old me came back. The driven one; driven to have an impact on the world, driven to make a difference in people’s lives, driven to help people.

And that’s why I knew @OYNB was my future.

I always kept in my dreams that one day I would meet Richard Branson and have that lunch, but it never seemed to happen.

I never doubted it would, I just had to trust and believe and keep going forward.

Around about 2019, just after raising investment and having told hundreds of potential investors the story about the letter to Richard Branson in every pitch and presentation, I talked about the story publicly—sending it out to the world.

One of our OYNB members reached out to me. They were just celebrating their 365-day alcohol-free? success, and it turns out they were very close to Richard. This was awesome. I knew I was getting closer.

Later I got another message from someone else close to Richard—they were also on a 365-day journey. And over the years, slowly but surely, more people reached out and let me know that they knew about OYNB, what they were doing at OYNB, or that we had helped them.

So again, it felt like it was only a matter of time.

Sometimes I wondered if that time would run out. Sometimes I wondered if I needed to push harder and make it happen, but I just trusted.

In 2020, a friend reached out after seeing me post the story on our social media again. He said, “I’m going to Necker Island—why don’t you come and join me?”

And I thought, “This is it, this time it’s going to happen, I’m going to meet Richard.”

I was so excited to get the invite.

I was so excited to be there.

The organiser of the event, Yanik, told me his own story of changing his relationship with alcohol, and how much the project we had resonated with him.

He was also very excited about the story, about my history with Richard Branson, and he said, “I can’t wait to sit you next to Richard for you to tell your story, and maybe you can FaceTime with your dad and show him just how powerful that hope was that he gave you.”

I excitedly dreamt of what I would say to my dad in that moment.

I wanted him to know that his love, both my parents’ love, saved me, and not only that, but it made me who I am. It’s because of them this impact is happening on the world.

Sadly, that was when the pandemic hit. The Necker Island trip got cancelled.

I was sad, but I thought there would be another opportunity.

More sadness. My father died just two months after the proposed trip.

I was gutted. I would never get to show him that I made it.?

There was so much wrapped up in this for me—proving to myself that I was good enough, proving to my father that he was right, proving to my parents that their love was what helped me not just help myself, but go on to help many, many other people.?

When we moved to Majorca and I heard Richard was building a new hotel here, again I thought it was only a matter of time.

One morning, I woke up around 2am (which was rare for me), and thought I would just flick to the local news here. The front page was a picture of Richard opening the new hotel.

I reached out to one of the people who had been in touch just in case they were here… and they instantly replied “Would love to meet you!”

When I arrived at the hotel, I saw Richard, just standing at the balcony staring out at the incredible view. I wasn’t really supposed to be there, but I know fortune favours the brave, so I walked up and just said, “Isn’t this the most incredible view?”?

“Yes,” he said.

“Richard, can I tell you a story?”

“Yes, of course, is it a good one?” he said jovially.

“I think so, it may be slightly emotional for me.”

“Go on then,” he said.

I started to tell him my story. It was hard not to get emotional because it meant so much for me and my relationship with my dad.

Richard listened and heard me out. He added in some wows, and when I told him my dad had passed, he immediately gave me a big hug. He was so kind.

We chatted a bit about what we were up to at OYNB. I know Richard is a strong advocate for drinking less alcohol.

He loved what we do and offered to do some promotion.

And he also invited me to dinner! I can have that moment I’ve been waiting 28 years for.

I video called mum instead.?

A lot of serendipity has happened around OYNB over the years. Lots of crazy things have happened, and they happen often and regularly, like my meeting with the Dalai Lama.

I think this is what happens when you do good work.

It’s a sign you’re going in the right direction.

Be tenacious, never give up, focus on what you want, and really believe; believe it’s possible.

Dad, I love you so much, I miss you, and I’m so grateful for you.