Episode 9 Soldier, Prisoner, Athlete
In today's episode I sit down with Will Mahaffey who talks to me about how the trauma he experienced growing has turned him into a relentless athlete is search of ways to challenge himself mentally and physically whilst raising awareness for mental health. Will shares how at a young age he experienced the loss of his dad and his uncle to suicide within a week of each other and how after leaving the family home in his early teens he started selling drugs to finance himself. He decided to join the British Army at 21 in order to get some stability in his life and within 6 months of joining the Infantry Will was posted to Afghanistan in a period deemed to be the most horrific times any military personnel would experience in front line battle.
After leaving the army, Will turned to drugs and went to prison, whilst in prison Will was still not dealing with a lot of his issues but had the opportunity to enrol on the 'Learning together program' and earned himself a 2-1 degree in criminology. He went on to further his education and after being released was asked to attend an awards ceremony in London Fishmongers Hall on 29th Nov 2019. Will was caught up in the terror attack that took place in London Bridge and was and unsung hero getting bystanders to safety before casually getting the train home. You can hear the full account in the episode, I'm still speechless at his actions.
Will is now a dedicated athlete who has competed in the Iron Man competitions and is currently in training to swim the channel next year. Will's resilience, relentless and passion to help and support others really shines through and for me is incredible for taking back his power and is owning and sharing his space.
Will can be found on Instagram @william_mahaffey_ go give him some love and sponsor his channel swim via the link in his instagram bio.
Lee can be found on Instagram @thestrugglingmindpodcast and @leeandersoncoaching and LinkedIn leeandersoncoaching www.leeandersoncoaching.com For any inquiries regarding Life coaching or mentoring from Lee please email lee@leeandersoncoaching.com
If you've been affected by any of the issues mentioned in any of the episodes, you may find these organisations helpful; Mind Charity, Samaritans, NHS Mental Health, Papyrus, Crus Bereavement, Victim support, Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, www.prisonreformservice.org
Music credit 'check it out' by Mountaineer
