From Goldman Sachs to the mountains: the honest version

I didn't grow up outdoors. People who know I run an adventure company sometimes assume I spent my childhood hiking and climbing in Devon. The reality is, I grew up in a council house in Honiton with a single mum who can't drive. Without someone to facilitate adventure sports, they don't happen. Most of my childhood was computer games, a bit of rugby, and cruising around on a bike or skateboard.

I wasn't interested in school but managed to scrape into university to study pharmaceutical science. This was my chance to broaden my horizons.

Bodybuilding at 108kg and the Mongol Rally

At uni I joined the Officer Training Corps — mostly for the social life. My real passion at the time was bodybuilding. For some reason I had a desire to get "as big as possible." Running was awful — at 108kg, my legs would chafe and bleed after a couple of miles. The whole thing felt like a lot of effort.

My mum had never been abroad, so I'd barely been on holiday. When a group of friends encouraged me to sign up for the Mongol Rally in a 1950s fire engine, I was nervous but really excited. That was my first real taste of adventure — stepping into the unknown with a team of people, battling fatigue, with no certainty of success. It changed something in me.

The Royal Marines

I wanted to join the Royal Marines as an officer. To get there, I ditched the bodybuilding, converted to a mix of circuit training and running, and dropped a lot of bodyweight. Then I failed my first Potential Officer Course — I couldn't complete the final 4-mile run.

The advice I was given: less CrossFit-style work, more long-distance running. I didn't agree with the rationale at the time, but with the understanding I have now, it makes perfect sense.

The training course itself was brutal — 64 weeks, day after day of intense pressure under heavy fatigue. For the first month I was hanging on, setting a goal to get through each day as it came. Looking back, it was by far the best experience of my life. I was exposed to every possible fear and came out the other side with the confidence to feel like I could do anything. Sharing the highs and lows with others forged the closest friendships I could wish for.

Why I left the Marines — and then finance

The Royal Marines gave me a lot of opportunity for travel and adventure. But as I gained seniority, I also gained more office-based responsibilities. I decided to leave and start a new career in finance.

I joined Barclays Business Bank in 2018. It was a real shock to the system — but not in the way I expected. The job was easy, the culture was very soft, and I quickly realised that as nice as it is to go to the gym twice a day, I was learning nothing. So I switched to Goldman Sachs, working in their wealth management division. That was the polar opposite — I barely had time for anything else.

For the first couple of years in London — pre-COVID — all I did was gym, work, and go on nights out. It was great fun but ultimately unsatisfying. I met lots of new people but made very few actual friends. I did manage to go on some amazing adventure trips to learn new skills in climbing, mountaineering, and skiing.

COVID and what came after

When COVID hit, all I did was work — often from 7am to 10pm. Unlike many, I lost all motivation to train. I basically did nothing and really struggled.

It wasn't until the lockdowns started easing and I could set goals again that I started to get excited. At that point, lots of my military friends joined me in London. We made an effort to get outside — climbing, hiking, kayaking — at least one weekend per month. That got me back on track. I signed up for half-marathons and trail races to keep my training focused. Adventure trips became my motivation to stay fit and keep learning new skills.

The moment it became clear

Fast forward to summer 2024. I realised there must be lots of people who want to achieve amazing things and explore the world — not just the touristy parts — but don't have the knowledge, fitness, or group of people to do it with.

So I quit my job and put all my life savings into creating Jove Club. Our mission is to help people make the most of their free time through real adventure — by helping them get fit, develop new skills, and bringing together a group of people to do it with. I gained fitness coaching and mountain qualifications to formalise what I'd spent years learning and practising.

Jove Club is not just another ex-military bootcamp programme telling you to try harder and do more. It's shaped by my whole life experience — from the unconfident computer-gaming child, to the Royal Marine officer, to the city drone. I've been where you are.

Starting this business is the hardest thing I've done. I've received no funding of any kind — including from family. I've quit a lucrative career, forgoing years of potential earnings, pension contributions, and private healthcare. But I'm all in. And I truly believe I can make people's lives more meaningful through adventure.