ActionCOACH franchisee beats the odds

ActionCOACH has shared the inspiring story of one of its franchisees who overcame homelessness and serious mental illness to achieve success.

An ActionCOACH franchisee has been inspiring his clients with the incredible story of how he overcame countless setbacks to achieve both personal and professional fulfilment.

James Burke had a troubled start in life, which saw him thrown out of school and homeless by the age of 16. The Manchester native struggled to pursue a budding career as a boxer and sofa surfed for two years while he chased his dreams. However, by 23 James’ boxing dream had been shattered by a broken jaw and an osteoporosis diagnosis.

“Boxing was all I ever wanted to do," recalled James. "That's what people knew me for and then it was taken away from me."

Already suffering with depression after the loss of two people close to him, James developed serious psychosis and struggled to stay healthy. At the age of 23, James finally took control and got help, before securing a job at a local estate agents.

His career quickly took off and after just two and a half years he was an award-winning branch manager. He was even appointed regional director at Yopa and had finally achieved the stable career he’d always craved. But James wanted to take his success to the next level and help others overcome the things that were holding them back.

So, he became a franchisee with business coaching franchise ActionCOACH, drawing on his own tough start and professional experience to help other business people reach their full potential. He’s also in the process of writing a book about his own experiences and now has two children with his long-term partner.

Speaking about his decision to become an ActionCOACH franchisee, James said:

"I decided that I wanted to contribute to the local community and help start-up businesses to achieve success. It has been amazing so far and is going from strength to strength."