The Iron Minds Academy website is live, and this is only the beginning.
A website might not sound like much. For me it’s a marker. It says this is real, this is what I’m building, and this is who it’s for.
Why I started Iron Minds Academy
I created Iron Minds to help young people build discipline, confidence, resilience and purpose. I do that through boxing, fitness, peer support and mentoring, and I use my own lived experience to show them there is another way.
I want to work with the younger generation and prove that positive intervention can change lives. I know change is possible, because I’ve lived it.
What too many young men are missing
Too many young men are being pulled towards addiction, crime, prison, isolation, depression and destructive behaviour.
A lot of the time that happens because they haven’t had the right people around them, the right support, or a positive example of what masculinity can look like.
I want Iron Minds Academy to be part of changing that.
What positive masculinity looks like
Positive masculinity isn’t a slogan to me. It comes down to four things I want every young man who works with me to take away:
- Discipline instead of destruction.
- Purpose instead of pressure.
- Brotherhood instead of isolation.
- Strength with responsibility.
In practice that means learning to respect yourself and respect others. It means controlling your emotions instead of letting them control you. It means taking responsibility for your choices and becoming the strongest version of yourself, mentally and physically.
More than a boxing or fitness programme
I’m building something bigger than a boxing or fitness programme. Boxing and fitness are the way in. They give young men a reason to turn up, something to work at and a place to let off steam.
What I’m building around that is a community. Somewhere young men can train together, talk honestly and have people around them who expect better of them and back them to get there.
I know I can’t save everyone. But if what I’ve lived through helps even one young man avoid a path that could destroy his future, it’s worth it.
Thank you, David
I want to say a massive thank you to David Morgan. I couldn’t have done this without his help, his support and his belief in what I’m trying to build. I appreciate everything he’s done to get Iron Minds Academy to this point.
How to work with Iron Minds Academy
If you work with young men who need a different example in front of them, there are three ways I can help:
- Group sessions and workshops: boxing, circuits and fitness with honest conversation built in, for schools, charities and youth organisations.
- Talks: my story of addiction, prison and rebuilding, told straight, for pupils, staff teams and events.
- One-to-one mentoring: regular time with a young person to listen, set goals and build habits that stick.
I work with schools, charities, prisons and families. Parents and carers are welcome to get in touch directly.
Follow the journey
This is positive masculinity. This is discipline. This is purpose. This is Iron Minds.
If you believe in what we’re building, follow the journey on Instagram and share this with someone who needs to see it.
And if you’d like me to work with your young people, get in touch and we’ll start with a conversation.
Let’s give the next generation something worth fighting for.