Once out of that relationship and starting work, I loved the independence I had from earning money. And I was lucky. I had a boss who recognised my talent and encouraged me to study to become a professional accountant. That started me on my career.

So I worked hard. Very hard.

I thought this was the only way to achieve success and I believed I had to continually prove myself.

Because of where I came from.

Because of the way I spoke.

Because I didn’t have a degree.

There were lots of reasons.

For the most part I enjoyed what I did and I was proud to have achieved the level of success that seemed so far removed from growing up in a council house in east London. But in the end I found myself compromising my values, my relationship and my health.

I was tired of the constant proving and striving and started to question if this ‘success’ was really worth it. So I quit to do something more rewarding and fulfilling, and that would allow me greater freedom, more meaning and a sense of balance in my life.

I trained as an Executive and Career Coach to help others be happier in their work. However, over the years I found other small business owners coming to me for business advice. I was also always being asked to teach about money. At first I wasn’t really interested in doing this until I started studying the psychology and beliefs around money that stop many people achieving their income goals.

Over recent years I have been struck by how many good hearted people struggle to earn a decent living from their work . I’ve also witnessed the rise of the hustle culture in the entrepreneurial world that was so prominent in the corporate world along with the noise of chasing an ever increasing income goal.

And I can tell you that it doesn’t have to be this way!