SIT DOWN, BACK STRAIGHT

- If it makes you more comfortable, this is my origin story.

EARLY BEGINNINGS - A WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN

My story begins in London, born to a French au pair mother exploring life in the bustling city and a dedicated Chinese father, a scholarship recipient and top honours graduate in law from LSE. My early years in West Hampstead were filled with love and comfort, shared with my sister in a wealthy household. However, this happiness was short-lived.

When I was 9 years old, my world was shattered by my mother's passing due to breast cancer. Around the same time, my father, for reasons unknown to me then, was sent to prison. I find it hard to explain the loss and pain of losing my parents, but also losing a sense of my identity. This was compounded as my sister, and I went to live with a foster family from the Caribbean for 8 years. We were white children in a black family, trying to find our place in a world that suddenly seemed so different.

There was lots of joy but mostly suffering and longing for my old life. I disliked my step-mum and loved my new step-brother. During this period, I grappled with feelings of being an outsider, of not belonging. This sense of isolation haunted my childhood and, to some extent, lingers with me today.

EDUCATION AND EARLY RELATIONSHIPS

I received an excellent education at the London Oratory School, where the children of the elite went, like David Cameron and Tony Blair. It was a Catholic school, so I went to Sunday school and was baptised a few days before the first term began. I felt scared most days, the fear of embarrassment, but also searching for connections with people to help me fit in.

aced my GCSEs, but didn't do so great with my A-levels, but I met a Korean girl and fell head over heels. Throughout our two years of college, she continuously cheated on me, and my inexperienced heart would rather go through the pain of betrayal than to lose her. This was one of the lowest periods of my life - I had finally found someone to love and felt like I belonged again, but that wasn’t to be.

It's not something that I speak about much. Still, at the same time, I was hanging around with a group of Portuguese kids older than me and for over a year, we spent nearly every day together, drinking, partying, taking drugs, and it felt good to be surrounded by a team. This ‘team’ split up when I discovered that these so-called friends had stolen over 10k from my dad's savings over the months, using his credit card that they found.

Thankfully, with the police's help, we got the money back, but the betrayal hurt more than losing the money. It was a hard lesson about trust and being careful about who I let into my life. It taught me that not everyone deserves my trust or my friendship, no matter how much I want to give it, and I was desperate to give it.

UNIVERSITY LIFE AND SELF DISCOVERY

After returning from China, I worked for 16 years at PKWARE, a company that sold software. Honestly, I wasn't really into the software part, but the people were awesome, like a big family, so I stayed. As I moved up to a higher position, I improved at selling, building the business, marketing, and taking care of customers. These are really important for a big business to do well. My job let me meet people worldwide and learn about different ways of doing things. It was more than just a job; it let me travel, meet different kinds of people, and learn a lot from each experience.

But everything changed in 2020 when another company took over, and I got a new boss who wasn't good at leading our team. Even as a Mindfulness coach and expert, I suffered two solid months of severe depression. The learning from that time was profound and added so much value and understanding to my teaching. Every skill I picked up and every friend I made helped me get closer to my real goals. I knew there would come a time when I'd have to go after my dreams and work for myself. 

By the summer of 2022, I was ready to leave. I didn't want to work in software anymore. I wanted to do something more meaningful, like helping people and teaching mindfulness, to be the hero in my own story.

A NEW CHAPTER: MINDFULNESS PODCASTING AND TEACHING

I started a podcast back in 2011, talking about important and deep stuff before it was a popular thing to do. Then, a year later, I got into mindfulness, and it changed my podcast to focus on that. I've been learning and practising mindfulness for over ten years, meeting and talking to some of the top experts in this area. I've talked with famous people like Jon Kabat-Zinn, Daniel Goleman, and others and learned much from them. All these talks and the things I've learned in over 200 episodes have helped me and are a big part of what I teach others.

JOURNEY INTO MARTIAL ARTS

You might recognise my work with elite athletes, where I've brought mindfulness to the forefront of their training. My collaboration with One Championship contenders like Felipe Lobo and Liam Nolan, UFC's Michael "Venom" Page, and my role as the mindfulness coach for the Gymbox Team Tieu, the Muay Thai Grand Prix (MTGP), and the White Collar Fight Club, underscores my commitment to enhancing athletic performance through mental training. This unique perspective is built on a foundation of understanding the specific challenges and pressures fighters face in the ring. My approach to mindfulness is tailored to these experiences, drawing on insights from over a thousand fighters to address their most significant challenges and the strategies they use to overcome them.

CORPORATE MINDFULNESS

During my 16 years as a Global Partnership Manager for PKWARE, a Milwaukee-based software company, I discovered a profound connection between the demands of the corporate world and the peace offered by mindfulness practices. It wasn't just about selling software or forging partnerships; it was about the people, my colleagues, who faced daily stresses and the daunting challenge of public speaking and presentations.

As I climbed the corporate ladder, my passion for mindfulness grew, intertwining with my professional life. I began informally, offering guidance to colleagues overwhelmed by stress, helping them find their footing, build confidence, and master the art of public speaking. These small sessions, often held in quiet corners of the office or during brief moments of respite, laid the foundation for a larger movement within the company.

By the summer of 2021, it was clear that my path was veering towards a new horizon. The skills I honed in implementing long-term cultural changes within partnerships were now channelled into developing mindfulness programs. These weren't just sessions; they were transformative experiences designed to resonate deeply with corporate professionals. My departure from PKWARE wasn't an end but a beginning to a new chapter where mindfulness wasn't just a practice but a way of life that I was eager to share with the world.

This new venture was the culmination of my life's work, blending my passion for mindfulness with my corporate experience to create something truly unique. The programs I developed were designed to teach mindfulness and integrate it into the fabric of corporate culture, making it accessible and impactful for everyone from entry-level employees to top executives. It was here, in the intersection of corporate demands and mindful practices, that I found my true calling, crafting the most powerful and transformative coaching programs I had ever created. This wasn't just my job; it was my life's work, the thing I enjoyed doing the most.

CONCLUSION: AN INVITATION TO MINDFULNESS

As a father of two, I cherish every moment to impart the wisdom accumulated through my remarkable life. My sense of not fitting in and not belonging led me on a journey to help others, to explore the world, and to grow into one of the most influential mindfulness teachers globally. My mission is to continue giving back, helping others en masse, and sharing the invaluable lessons and insights I have gained. Word of mouth has been huge in the growth of my business, and the biggest feedback I get is that I am friendly and genuine, and most importantly, the courses are transformative.

The courses and content that I am teaching now are the best that I've created. It's more than just a way to teach; it's built on real experiences and deep talks, and my strong belief is that mindfulness can change things. It's about helping people find their strength, stay focused in the moment, break free from what holds them back, and handle life's challenges smoothly and strongly.

This journey, woven with diverse threads of culture, adversity, learning, and teaching, is not just my story – it’s an invitation to join me in a shared exploration of mindfulness, empowerment, and connection.

Yours truly,

Guillaume (aka Gui)