At 16, with no formal education and a literacy level that left me barely able to read, I took a leap. I left school and began working with my hands, earning £23 a week, half of which went to my mum for board. But even then, I could see an opportunity in the simplest of things. I noticed a local artist, Mr. Green, who had leftover wood scraps, and asked if I could take them. With those scraps, I began my first venture—making picture frames and selling them to anyone interested. My mum's cellar became my workshop, and I began creating a world better than the one I knew—one frame at a time.

That picture framing venture wasn’t an official business, but it was where I learned some of life’s most important lessons: the value of creative action, the necessity of taking risks, and the realization that "the more I do, the more I can do." This mantra became a key driving force for me, propelling me through those early, uncertain years and forming the foundation of how I approach challenges to this day.

At 17, I took another leap and moved out to work full-time voluntarily for a community/church project. It was an environment that demanded personal growth, responsibility, and accountability. I worked hard to raise the funds I needed to support myself, and I managed to live debt-free. During that year, I finally learned to read, completing my first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was a huge achievement for me, and it changed something deep inside.

My second book was called Tough Love, and it was a game changer. It talked about co-dependency—something that ran deep in my family. That book gave me the tools to start freeing myself from the cycles of fear and dysfunction that had trapped my family for generations. I knew that it wasn't my circumstances that would determine my life; it was my beliefs about myself. And if I could change those beliefs, I could change everything. That realization—that my inner world would define my outer life—became the most important lesson of my life.