Duty happy bloke

Duty happy bloke Coach
Freedom Starts Here! Alcohol Removal
Positive Psychology

Former Commando
Mountaineer
Ultra Runner

Tree work keeps finding me. I tried to walk away from it more than once - and it just doesn’t let go.Truth is, I love it...
02/09/2026

Tree work keeps finding me. I tried to walk away from it more than once - and it just doesn’t let go.
Truth is, I love it. Always have. It’s problem solving with real consequences.
My last 3 clients have all come from the tree world, and it’s because I’ve been there. I’ve run a tree business. I’ve been robbed. I’ve had the awkward clients. I’ve chased payments for months waiting to get paid what I was owed.
Rigging, arb, running the business side of it all - I’ve lived every part of it.
So here’s what I want other business owners in this trade to hear:
You can do this and still enjoy it. You don’t have to wake up dreading the day. There’s a way to run your firm well and actually like your life while you do it.
That’s the work I do with clients - getting the chaos under control, building a plan, getting your ducks in a row so the business serves you instead of the other way round.
There’s no job like it. Never has been.

31/08/2026

Here is a snap shot of mine and Kev’s life for the last decade. He’s a true friend and amazing father ❤️ He has made my life incredibly interesting 😂🙏. We even went to war together so… 5km Every Hour for 48 Hours , On 11th September 2026, and I will be attempting to run 5km every hour for 48 consecutive hours, totalling 240km.
We will be raising money for the which was established to support individuals with the ultra rare genetic syndrome OCNDS and fund vital research into the condition.
This cause is incredibly close to us as Kev’s son, Hunter, was diagnosed with OCNDS in 2021.
Every lap will start and finish on New Road, Broomfield, Essex and we’d love as many people as possible to be part of it. Whether you want to run one lap, two laps, or as many as you like, come along and join us. Its totally free we just ask that you make a donation.
If you can’t make it, you can still help by donating. The link to our JustGiving page is on Kev’s Instagram but I will add to Stories. Every donation, no matter the size, will help support the incredible work of the CSNK2A1 Foundation, to raise awareness and fund vital research in to this rare condition.
Please share this post so we can get as many runners and supporters involved as possible.

Today marks 16 years since Master Sgt Dan Fedder was killed in front of me in Afghanistan. He was defusing a bomb. I was...
27/08/2026

Today marks 16 years since Master Sgt Dan Fedder was killed in front of me in Afghanistan. He was defusing a bomb. I was caught in the same blast - not physically hurt, but changed forever.

For years, I was angry at him. Angry that we were in that position, Angry that he left a hole that never closed.

It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t fair on him either - he was doing his best, in an impossible job, and it cost him everything.

It’s taken me a long time to see that clearly. Dan was doing the hardest job there is, trying to keep the rest of us safe - and it took his life. The anger I carried was never his to carry. It was mine, dressed up as his.

I was reminded of this again today, on my podcast, after speaking with Bradley Knight - author of Brimstone, a bomb searcher who did work I have nothing but respect for. And again in a session with a client, working through pain tied to his father. The pattern is always the same: we point our anger at the person who hurt us, when really we’re grieving, or we’re angry at ourselves for surviving, for not saving them, for still being here.
Understanding that doesn’t undo the loss. But it changes what you carry.
Rest easy, Dan. Thank you. ❤️
See you in the Re-Org

27/08/2026

Testing out the Pilgrim Journey Brecon 40L backpack yesterday up Moel Famau. I had it loaded. My friend is down and wanted to show him the sites but the clag came in. Fortunately cleared on the way down 🙏. Great bag especially for the price. It’s got all the features you need. Good sized top pocket, waterproof cover, side pocket for water bottle, loops for poles and axes. I’m testing out gear for Pilgrim and hoping for some wet and windy weather soon. Check out the website and use the code DANPG001 for 10% off. So far I have been impressed with the kit especially at £80 for the bag!

Before podcasts. Before Coaching. Before any of this.I was up a tree.The Marines is where it all started - that’s where ...
19/08/2026

Before podcasts. Before Coaching. Before any of this.
I was up a tree.
The Marines is where it all started - that’s where the discipline came from. But tree work is where I really learned how to manage people and manage pressure. Real pressure. The kind where one bad call up a rope isn’t a mistake, it’s an emergency.

This last year alone, that background has taken me places I never expected. I ran a large rigging job on a major film production (more on that soon - can’t say much yet 👀). I flew out to the Isle of Scilly to help deal with some serious storm damage, the kind of job that tests every ounce of judgement you’ve got.

And every time I’m back doing that work, I’m reminded why it mattered. Leading a crew through a technical, high-stakes job teaches you things no classroom or stage ever could - how to stay calm when it counts, how to trust people with your life, how to make decisions fast and live with them.

I miss my team daily. We still talk, still see each other, still laugh about jobs that should’ve scared us more than they did. But that chapter is where I actually learned to lead.

Don’t forget where you came from. Some of it is still holding the rope.
🌳🎙️

Life doesn’t slow down to let you catch up.Moving up North was a massive change. I left a base I’d spent years building ...
04/08/2026

Life doesn’t slow down to let you catch up.
Moving up North was a massive change. I left a base I’d spent years building - the relationships, the routine, the sense of knowing how things worked.
Now I’m rebuilding all of it while trying to be a good boyfriend, a good friend, a coach who actually shows up for people, a business owner, a tree climber, someone recording episodes of the podcast whenever I get the chance, and someone training for a 200 mile race. Some weeks it feels like I’m doing five jobs badly instead of one job well.
Sound familiar?

That’s the juggle. Nobody’s exempt from it - not me, not you.
But every so often, something cuts through the noise and reminds you why you’re doing any of it. For me, it’s been the feedback from clients this past week. One doing hill sprints at 6am because he finally wanted to, not because he had to. Another telling me she’s started enjoying the things that used to terrify her. Another finally understanding why no amount of money was ever going to make him happier. And Kyla - who faced her fears and went back to the very place that caused her PTSD.

That’s when it hits you. That’s the reminder that the work matters. That the slightly unconventional way I do things - finding the actual root of someone’s problem instead of just the symptom - is the whole point. That’s my strength, and it’s why people trust me with the hard stuff, whether that’s in a coaching session or on the podcast mic.

So as I head off on this next journey, I just want to say it plainly: I’m committed. To the work, to the people I get to help, and to making things that little bit better - even when my own plate is full.

Because that’s the truth about balance - you don’t get it by doing less. You get it by staying anchored to why you’re doing it at all. 🙌

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