Joel is a man of compassion, courage and community. His life and career reflect a deep commitment to giving back and passing on the baton. Having successfully honed his expertise in the fitness industry as a personal trainer (PT), he is determined to equip, primarily but not solely, 100 black men to replicate this achievement in their own PT business journeys. This is a man on a mission but there was a time in his life when he was lost. Like a ship without a sail, Joel found himself directionless, at risk and vulnerable to peer pressure which subsequently drew him towards street life.
Joel grew up in a strict Christian Caribbean home. Both of his parents were pastors and heavily involved in various activities that came with leading a ministry. Church provided community and fellowship but also dictated rules which often felt, for Joel and many young people, confining, especially as they try to fit in with their school friends.
“There’s an element of being forced to go to church… Once you got to that age, it was like, okay, that’s me. I’m out”
This was the beginning of a slippery slope for Joel. In his attempt to escape, he went from one extreme to another. He was on a quest to find his identity, feel accepted and take his place in the world – on his own terms. Leaving home at 16 years old, Joel navigated the world on his own, relying on his wit and charm to find opportunities to survive. This led to him often being around the wrong crowd.
“I had an identity. I had a new community. I stayed out late, smoked a lot of weed, drank and went to every bashment rave around.”
In the shadows of this ‘dream life’ lurked violence. Joel explains that his life was threatened on more than one occasion.
“You could be walking your dog…and the next thing you know, you’re being chased with a gun/knife and even being shot at”
But this didn’t deter Joel: “We just wanted to feel accepted and fit in. We were just a group of boys in Hackney, no direction, no understanding of who they are, and just following the other one, because the motivation was to get girls, make money and be recognised for not putting up with nothing. We were all hungry to be somebody.”
One day everything changed. “I got shot” says Joel. Fortunately, he survived and while he was recovering in hospital, two things occurred. Firstly, he saw other young men that he knew also recovering from gunshot wounds. Nothing new – it happened all the time because guns were their accessory and violence and death was their normality. He explains:
“The gang is protection; if you’re not part of it, you become the prey…”
Secondly, the elders who visited him in hospital were upstanding and respectable people who knew him for being a helpful bright young boy. When asked what he was doing, he lied, not willing to face the truth that he was lost and following his own path. This was the turning point. Once discharged, Joel enrolled in college on the other side of London and once again found himself on the hunt for a new identity.
“I wanted to start a new path and try to go down the mainstream path of success. One that for a long time I didn’t feel was for me.”
After college, he went to University and discovered a love of sociology, psychology, communication and culture. During his spare time he was working for charities and community organisations – helping NEET (Not in education, employment or training) individuals, often black youth people get back into work.
“I wrote a dissertation about the second and subsequent generations of Caribbean boys and their existence with the mainstream culture in London.”
Joel was beginning to understand how and why things happened to people like him. He wanted to steer clear of the path paved for him to fail and decided to go to Zambia for a charity project. This opportunity opened his eyes more to culture, identity and opportunity. Joel returned home and was fired up to make a change. He applied for various roles without success and took on lower paid jobs to earn money.
Joel realised he had a lot to change in his life starting with his health. He was overweight and a poor routine leading to poor mental health. He took a personal fitness challenge. While filming himself and sharing his journey online to hold himself accountable, Joel finally got the transformation that he wanted: “Everyone was surprised by the huge change. People wanted me to show them how I did it.”
Joel saw this as another opportunity to help. Putting a course together, Joel discovered that while people may love the results, they didn’t want to pay for the course. Unable to understand why, he enrolled in a programme designed to help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into a reality. This was the game changer.
Joel was ready to take his PT business to the next level. He successfully diversified his client base, demonstrate his success on clients and the bookings continued to flood in.
“I would be fully booked but other trainers were dropping like flies after a few months in. Most of whom were minorities”
Little did Joel realise that the seeds for Base Wellness were being sown and cultivated. When a local gym opened, Thomas seized the opportunity and started his PT business to help the community. His diary was full but once again saw new PTs start and leave within a few months because their business wasn’t growing.
This is when the “ah ha” moment happened for Joel.
“They didn’t know how to position themselves, price themselves, communicate about their services. I need to do something about this. “
Joel wanted to grow his business in a way that would achieve 3 things:
- Support newly qualified PTs – especially those from disadvantaged starts.
- Create something that has wellness at its core.
- Foster an environment where trainers, particularly those from minorities felt like they belonged, supported and had a sense of community.
Together with his brother, they started Base Wellness in 2023. They now have a cohort of young Personal Trainers building their businesses; offering mentoring, coaching and equipping them with opportunities to build their client base. Many of their PTs are young, black men who come from a similar experience as Joel did growing up. The holistic approach from Base Wellness helps the individuals both personally and professionally. Having values and knowledge that help foster the right mindset is something Joel imparts to all his PTs.
One thing clear from Joel’s story is that the journey of identity and acceptance can be painful and confusing. Finding your place in the world takes time and requires courage, and strength.
“Probably took me a long time to accept myself as a black male from Hackney, but now I’m standing in it very firmly….I’m a mentor, a husband, a father, a PT and business owner…my identity is forever changing. Like everyone, I’m a mosaic of my experiences”
Joel’s drive to pass on the baton has fueled his desire to give back to the community and his personal journey to fitness has increased his passion for wellness. But perhaps it’s Joel’s yearning to belong and make a difference that has been the most inspiring. His sheer determination to help the next generation of black men have the physical and mental power to stand firm in their identity is a legacy he can be proud of.
To find out more, visit: www.basewellness.co.uk