Ben Ford

Mission Ctrl

Mission Ctrl delivers digital sovereignty for service businesses scaling past $5M in revenue.

Unlike traditional consultants or SaaS platforms that create dependency, we build AI-powered business operating systems that clients completely own and control from day one.

Our Ops Ctrl solution transforms service businesses from selling time to selling outcomes by:

✅ Capturing expertise into systems that scale beyond key individuals
✅ Ensuring consistent service excellence regardless of who delivers it
✅ Growing revenue without proportional cost increases
✅ Eliminating vendor lock-in through client-owned infrastructure
✅ Deploying military-grade methodology with technical implementation

We're highly selective, working with only 2 new clients per month to ensure exceptional implementation and results.

Want to transform your service business from expert-dependent to outcome-focused? Message me to explore if we're the right fit.

Founder & CEO

The Cold Water Club

Founding Member

The Pioneers

Applying cutting edge technologies to help businesses build coherent, systematic and innovative employee experiences.

We design and build people operating systems to create a culture that drives your growth and gives you a sustainable source of competitive advantage

Tech Partner

Commando Development

I've lived and breathed teams and people for the last 10 years in tech, but it's only relatively recently that I realised just how much I learned about high performance and operational excellence when I was in the Royal Marines.

Commando Development blends the kind of cutting edge tech powering the current generation of billion dollar unicorns with ages old military strategy. We empower businesses to build the technical foundations to make the right decisions and operate at the pace the modern world demands.

Founder and CEO

TechVets

TechVets is an incredible organisation whose goal is to build a bridge for veterans into a career in technology. I couldn't be prouder in taking on this advisory role to help accelerate their impact. We're making this bridge stronger and better signposted.

From teaching myself the basics of Python and Linux on HMS Ocean on the way to the Iraq war in 2003, tech has been an incredible journey for me. It took me the best part of a decade to realize it, but so much of what made me successful were skills and values I had learned in the Royal Marines. I will do everything in my power while I'm part of the TechVets community to ensure that people leaving the forces are extended the same opportunities in tech that I was lucky enough to find!

As the world becomes more and more exponential in its pace of change the skills veterans learn about operating in ambiguity and complexity while achieving their mission will be inceasingly important. After all, anyone who's served has had about the equivalent of an MBA spent on their development.

Think about that for a sec. Everything we do in the forces is about hitting the ground running, without a full picutre and making things happen. It's time business saw that value.

Chief Technical Advisor

Tweag I/O

Haskell/Business development

Standard Chartered Bank

Joining the highly successful Standard Chartered Strats team, I've been involved in implementing bank wide, high profile projects in the internal Haskell dialect, Mu.

Quantitative Developer

Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Developing robust, high quality Haskell code.

Contract Python Developer

Fynder

Built one of the best software teams I've ever worked with and led them in the development of a Haskell backed web start up.

Developing a middle office reconciliation framework on the Quartz platform.

Contract FX Options developer

I help service business owners scaling past $5M achieve what their competitors can't: complete technological independence while transforming expertise into scalable outcomes.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗠:
Service businesses face a critical choice when scaling:
▪️ Build disconnected "Frankenstacks" of SaaS tools creating perpetual dependency
▪️ Hire expensive in-house technical teams with fixed costs regardless of project needs
▪️ Work with consultants who deliver reports without implementation

The result? Vendor lock-in, escalating costs, and systems that fragment as you grow.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡:
At Mission Ctrl, we build client-owned, AI-powered operating systems that:
▪️ Transform your expertise into systems you completely own and control
▪️ Deliver consistent service excellence regardless of who delivers it
▪️ Scale your revenue without proportionally increasing costs
▪️ Convert your business from selling time to selling outcomes

𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗪𝗘'𝗥𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧:
▪️ Military Inspired Methodology: As a former Royal Marines Commando turned software engineer, I bring 20+ years of technical expertise with military precision to business operations
▪️ Client Ownership: Unlike SaaS platforms, you own all code and infrastructure from day one
▪️ Rapid Results: We deploy functional environments in under a day and achieve cash flow neutrality within 4 months

We're accepting only 2 new clients per month. If you're scaling a service business and want a ompetitive edge that drives growth without proportional costs, let's talk.

Co-Founder

Mission Ctrl exists to ease the growing pains of scaling businesses by building custom digital infrastructures that enable internal operations to scale.

We help you build a custom platform that's yours from day one, using the most cost effective and powerful open-source technology available.

We call it Organisational Engineering As A Service.

Launch your business into the future by building a platform to integrate your people, processes and technology.

✅ Free people's capacity to innovate
✅ Implement and digitise process to scale
✅ Harness technology to eliminate repetition

Get in touch if your want us to help engineer competitive advantage into your DNA

Loopin

Driving Loopin into the future as the world's first AI-powered customisable coaching tool, dynamic to every business and user.

Chief Executive Officer

As a co-founder of Loopin, I play a part in overseeing the daily operations of the company. But my main roles is ensuring the organisations product delivery team stay aligned, efficient and cohesive whilst developing our software. 

I love to empower my team and allow them the freedom in pouring their ideas into the product, which I believe is where the magic really happens!!

Loopin inspires inclusive speak up culture within organisations. We increase employee morale, motivation and retention -  for happier, more positive people.

We’re intelligent software that delivers real-time employee mood-measurements, insights and mentoring directly to organisations and their teams - bridging the gap between digital engagement and employee wellbeing in the workplace. 

Loopin integrates with internal communication platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams, and helps organisations to understand how their people are feeling. Employees are able to see their own and their wider team mood measurements, while managers receive comprehensive insights, so they can understand their people better and develop effective leadership strategies.

Uniquely with Loopin, our platform is also a convenient and affordable way for organisations to access world-class coaching for their people. Employees can access online mentoring and coaching materials in leadership, performance, development, and wellbeing.

Loopin sees this combined approach as the future of creating the cultural transformation organisations will need to survive within an ever changing workplace. 

Loopin’s aim is to promote a culture of authenticity, integrity and trust within organisations - which in turn creates a better sense of community where people can express their honest emotions. 

To contact us or book a demo please visit: www.letsloopin.com

#speakupculture #inclusion  #wellbeing #engagement #personaldevelopment #coaching #mentoring

Chief Product Officer

Loopin bridges the gap between digital engagement and
wellbeing in the workplace, where we understand how people
feel right now, forecast trends to empower proactive action,
and unlock speak-up culture to highlight the issues that really
matter.



We give colleagues collaborative spaces to share how they feel
and what they think. We provide trusted wellness advice and
guide meaningful human interactions. We give leaders insight
into their team's mood, and help highlight current and potential
issues, before they can do harm.

“We help organisations understand and forecast how their people feel, so
they can proactively maximize performance and retention.”

Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Along with my business partner, Antony Thompson, we will be both leading the Tap App Group Ltd into the future with our incredible digital products that are soon to launch.

Check out our unique engagement platform www.letsloopin.com

CO-CEO

Penguin Business

Author 

Penguin Random House

Author

Vanguard Global Solutions 

Royal Marines

Moved to within a small team of selected training instructors tasked in the professional rehabilitation of recruits who have failed professionally or physically in training. 
A demanding role retraining recruits with very poor performance levels within in a short time frame with the intention of returning the recruits to training. 
A highly rewarding role that has highly tested my ability to coach and mentor some of our hardest recruits to train with rewarding outputs when recruits are successful, return to training and pass for duty. 
I have achieved a number of qualifications in coaching and mentoring with this role also working within a number of unique tasks away from Royal Marines training.

Royal Marines Rehabilitation Training Instructor

Working in the training environment dealing with the progression and success of Royal Marine Recruits.

Royal Marines Training Instructor

Simon Sinek Inc.

I delivered the ICE mindset course on Simon's Ignite Platform, during the COVID-19 Pandemic. A short course on helping people tap into what Inspires them, to use as the foundations of their Courage, so they can move forward and Enact on their dreams.

This course helped people unlock their potential and live a more fulfilled life.

Coach

Became a member of training staff within a rehabilitation system for injured recruits. 
Was in charge of continued training support of recruits not progressing in training because of their specific injuries. Dealing with a high amount of recruits struggling with motivation and performance struggles due to their set backs in training. 
A testing environment  for myself continuously testing my leadership qualities and management abilities in a demanding role.

Royal Marines Corporal Rehabilitation Instructor

Working as a Royal Marines recruit instructor taking young men from civilian to fully trained Royal Marines Commando. 
Established a number of coaching and mentoring qualifications as well as 1st line management qualifications. 
Was awarded most inspirational Corporal on completion of my first recruit troop.

Royal Marines Corporal Training instructor

Serving as a section commander within a fighting unit. In charge of up to 8 Marines within an operational frontline unit. Developed a large amount of man management experience working in a large scale management system. 
Achieved a number of team leading and management diplomas and qualifications.

Royal Marines Corporal section commander

Royal Marines Commando. Working as rifleman and then a section 2ic in charge of up to a 4/5 man team. Deployed to numerous places and environments around the world including live operations in active war zones. 

Started to build a small amount experience in man management and team management.

Royal Marine

Recruit

From the battlefield to the boardroom, my journey from Royal Marines Commando to tech entrepreneur has been one of transformation, resilience, and purpose. Today, as CEO and co-founder of Loopin, I lead a mission to empower leaders and their teams to achieve high performance through cutting-edge digital coaching.

In the Royal Marines, I learned the essence of leadership, teamwork, and endurance under the most challenging conditions. Earning the green beret wasn’t just about service—it was about embracing an unwavering pursuit of excellence. This mindset now drives me to help organisations unlock the potential of their people and build high-performing teams.

After a decade in the Marines, I transitioned to entrepreneurship as a business and performance coach, sharing the ‘Commando Mindset’ with individuals, organisations, and even the England football team. My bestselling book became a blueprint for resilience and leadership, lessons that are now embedded in the DNA of Loopin.

At Loopin, we combine the core principles of high performance with innovative technology to help businesses build trust, drive engagement, and foster growth. Together, we can shape the future of leadership, empower teams, and achieve the extraordinary.

Ben Williams

In the Royal Marines, everyone had an opinion on the plan. 

The day before we fly out to suspected IED-making facilities, we're standing around the model pit. Empty ammo boxes represent compounds. Tape for roads. Leaves for vegetation.

Everyone is staring down, familiarising themselves with the terrain, vulnerable points, and areas of cover before we land at 4 am.

The Boss, Al, OC Lima Company, is finishing his two-hour brief. It's a dangerous mission. 100 people are boarding two Chinooks and heading towards known IEDs in the ground, a high enemy threat, and a very real risk to life. He knew it was going to be a tough one.

Nervous. Excited. Ready. I stare at the model.

"Gav, anything to add?"

Gav, a marine with previous Army service, shakes his head. "Nothing to add, Boss."

"Vicey. Anything to add?"

Vicey, an experienced corporal with multiple tours, mentions a doorway near a breach point. The Boss nods.

"Ben. Anything to add?"

I look up, stunned. I'm a junior marine. First tour. "Nothing from me, Boss."

Then he does something remarkable.

He goes around the rest of the group. Name by name. Face by face. Every single person.

It hits me what he's doing. Just because it's his plan doesn't mean he's right.

When the fighting starts, Al won't be at the front. It will be us stepping through doorways, fighting toe to toe, hitting the ditches when the rounds start flying. The Boss will be near the back, where he needs to be, commanding the operation while we execute.

The finest leadership I've ever witnessed.

'This is my plan. But I want you to feel confident in it. Ask questions.'

We'd rather talk through concerns now than go out unprepared. Others might not have noticed something. It could save lives.

Leadership isn't about telling. It's about asking.

For Business Leaders:

I know what some of you are thinking: "If I ask everyone's opinion, won't it create complaining? Muddy the mission? Drag things out?"

Here's what Al taught me: Invite opinion, but control the narrative.

If you spoke up in that model pit, you'd better be able to back it up. No vague concerns. No moaning. You knew where you stood. Al would listen, assess, decide, then move on.

The difference between input and chaos is how you lead the conversation.

When you present your next strategy, try this:

Go around the room. Name by name. Not "Does anyone have thoughts?" But "Sarah, anything to add? Marcus, anything you might change?"

The newest hire might see the flaw in your plan that saves the quarter.

Your team won't be fighting with bullets. But they'll be fighting in customer meetings, in product decisions, in daily execution. They're at the front. You're coordinating from the back.

Remember, when the mission starts. When the launch happens. When the deadline hits, you need people who believe in the plan, not just people who heard it.

Ask them, and go as one.

#leadership

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Yesterday when in London, I saw our nation.

Not in Parliament. Not in the headlines. Not in the endless debates about what’s broken.

I saw it in the poppies.

They were everywhere. On coats and lapels. Wrapped around lamp posts. On the front of buses and Tubes. Displayed in shop windows across the city. Illuminated on buildings. And the queues. Queues of people at every stand, buying pin badges, paper poppies, wristbands, wooden crosses.

I’ll be honest. I’ve been part of the noise lately. Part of the conversation about how we’re falling apart. The government chaos. The immigration tensions. The cost of living crushing families. The endless divisions. The sense that we’ve lost something fundamental about who we are.

And those challenges? They’re real. They’re not going away tomorrow.

But yesterday reminded me of something I’d forgotten.

We’re still here.

Not just as individuals going through the motions. But as a people who still believe in something. Who still show up. Who still remember. Who still care enough to stop, reach into their pockets, and pin on a poppy.
That’s not nothing. That’s not a nation that’s given up.

As a veteran, seeing those poppies meant the world. But as a Brit? It meant even more.

Because what makes us British isn’t that we’re perfect. It’s not that we always get it right. It’s not that we don’t struggle or argue or stumble.

What makes us British is that we fight.
We fight for what matters. We fight to remember. We fight to do better. We fight to stay who we are, even when everything feels like it’s pulling us apart.

Yesterday, I saw that fight. In every poppy. In every person wearing one.

And it reminded me: we’re not done yet. 🇬🇧

#poppyappeal #rememberance #britain

For the first time in a VERY long time, I’m up early on a Saturday, planning something that I have been working on for a while, and can’t wait to share it soon. 

After a lot of internal pain and suffering, I’ve hit my next chapter of life, and it’s flipping amazing to feel like me again. Back with a pupose, motivation and drive. And still husband and dad. 

Watch this space!

Today is International Men’s Day.

And I’m going to be honest with you: for most of my life, I didn’t feel like a man.

I felt like I was playing one.

I was a Royal Marines Commando. Served in Afghanistan. Like combat sports. Built businesses. Lifted weights. Did all the “right” things.

But inside? I was terrified.

Terrified to feel anything. Terrified someone would see through the act. Terrified that if I stopped pretending, I’d crumble. Terrified that the mask might come off. 

So I hid. From my emotions. From who I actually was. From myself.

I thought being a man meant being invincible.
Turns out, it just meant being alone.

This year, I stood on a cliff edge. Literally. Ready to end it because I couldn’t carry the weight of pretending anymore.

The weight of “being strong.”

The weight of “not showing weakness.”

The weight of being the version of a man I thought I had to be.

But here’s the twist: the moment I finally admitted I was broken was the moment I actually became strong.

Not strong in the “chest-out, chin-up” way. Strong in the “I’m terrified but I’m going to deal with this anyway” way.

I got therapy. I quit drinking. I cried….a lot. I told people I wasn’t okay.

And guess what? I’m still here. Still a man. Just a real one now.

Lads, if you’re reading this and feeling like you’re faking it:

You’re not broken. You’re not weak. You’re not less of a man.

You’re just human.

And the world needs you to stop pretending you’re not. We need more humans. 

You don’t have to suffer in silence. You don’t have to carry it all alone. You don’t have to be invincible to be valuable.

Real strength isn’t about never falling apart. 
It’s about having the balls to put yourself back together.

You can be strong AND cry at Toy Story.

You can lift weights AND go to therapy.

You can check the strange noises at night AND admit when you’re scared.

You don’t have to choose. You get to be both.

So today, on International Men’s Day, here’s what I want you to know:

It’s okay to not be okay.
It’s okay to ask for help.
It’s okay to change.
It’s okay to be a man. 

Change saved my life. It might save yours too.

You’re not alone.

#InternationalMensDay #MentalHealth #MentalHealthMatters #VulnerabilityIsStrength #ItsOkayToNotBeOkay

Have we forgotten how to laugh?

Yesterday, I sat with a friend talking about the state of the country, about what makes Britain great. The conversation shifted, and I found myself asking: what makes us great?

I’m going to stick my neck out here.

I think a lot of us in this country are depressed right now, especially me. Genuinely depressed. We’re tired of the constant noise, the endless problems swirling around us, and instead of reaching out, we’re going inward. Shutting down. Going silent.

I was one of them.

This year, I had a mental breakdown. And when I look back at what led me there, one thing stands out: I’d forgotten how to laugh.

I spent almost all my time at work. I convinced myself that my leadership role meant I had to be serious, that I couldn’t muck around, that humor was somehow unprofessional. I stopped seeing my mates. And on the rare occasions I did laugh, it was brief, shallow, before I went straight back to the grind.

The thing is, lack of humor is killing us. And ironically, it’s the very thing that makes us British. 🇬🇧

It’s taken me years to truly laugh again. And I mean really laugh. And God, I’m glad I am. 

Because laughter isn’t just nice to have. It’s medicine. It’s a tonic we desperately need, especially through these hard times.

So let me ask you:

When was the last time you laughed so hard you almost peed yourself?

When did your cheeks hurt from smiling?

When did your belly cramp from laughing until you couldn’t breathe?

How do you feel right now, thinking about that moment?

And more importantly, how long has it been, and how often is it?

Laughter isn’t frivolous. It’s not a luxury we can’t afford. It’s the very thing that keeps us human, that keeps us sane, that keeps us connected.

If you’re someone reading this and you can’t remember the last time you had a proper laugh with your mates, I see you. I was you.

It’s time we gave ourselves permission to be less serious. To muck about. To find joy again.

Because we all deserve to laugh until our faces hurt.

It’s a short ride on this green and blue marble. 

#mentalhealth

My exact journey back from rock bottom. ⚠️ Suicide Reference

I almost didn't write this. But for the one person who needs it, then it's worth it.

📅 2007-2024: Years of trauma. Afghanistan. Business stress. Life events. All buried deep.

📅 November 2023: My daughter fell ill with pneumonia. I started to crack.

📅 2024: Pushed everything down. "Don't show weakness. You're a leader." Exhaustion building.

📅 November 2024: Extreme burnout. Suicide ideation. I can't escape this.

📅 Christmas 2024: Emotionally volatile. 📸 The photo? Fake smile. Drinking heavily. Not me. Masking.

📅 January 6th, 2025: Accepting my fate. Switching off from life.

📅 January 14th, 2025: Standing on Exmouth cliffs. One phone call saved me.

📅 January-March: NHS crisis team daily. Medication. Clinical psychologist through Walking With The Wounded. Still suicidal. Still crying. Still broken.

📅 April: Tiny turning point. Meds and therapy are starting to work. Tried to return to work. Couldn't walk into an event. Tidal waves of anxiety. Still fragile.

📅 May: Massive relapse. Drinking spiral. Suicide plan back in focus. Three steps backwards. The junction: Leave Earth or change? Stopped drinking.

📅 June-July: Progress. Feeling normal for the first time in years. Stepped away as CEO. Started EMDR treatment.

📅 September: PTSD revelation - it's all guilt and shame. Everyone I've let down. Investors. Colleagues. Family. Hated myself. Dark thoughts returned. "Coward! You let people down."

📅 September 16th: Stepped back from everything. Full personal rebuild. Guilt. Shame. Selfish?

📅 October: EMDR working. Light appearing. Reconnection with my family.

📅 November 1st: New venture? Self-doubt! I can’t do this. 

📅 November 2025: Therapy finished. Low moments still come. The most normal I've felt in nearly twenty years. Six months sober. New path?

Here's what you don't hear:

There is no magic moment where everything clicks into place. No Disney ending where the darkness disappears forever.

Some days you'll feel invincible. Others, you'll barely recognise yourself again.

The darkness? It comes and goes when it wants. Not when you're ready for it.

You'll have setbacks that feel like complete failures. You'll question if you're strong enough. You'll wonder if it's worth it.

But here's the truth:

You CAN make it through. Not perfectly. Not in a straight line. But you can.
First, you have to acknowledge it.
➡️ Then admit it.
➡️ Then seek help.
➡️ Then invest in that help. Open and vulnerable.
➡️ Accept the massive setbacks.
➡️ Accept it won't be perfect.
➡️ Accept that the harkness comes and goes.
➡️ And accept that you WILL get through.

I'm not "fixed." I'm not "cured." I'm rebuilding.

And that's enough.

So I'll ask you: What stage are you at?

Are you still burying it down? Pushing through? Standing at your own cliff edge?

Wherever you are, you're not alone. And it IS achievable.

But only if you start.

#mentalhealth

Tackling my anxiety in busy public places.

This weekend, my wife and I took a break to the City, just the two of us, to do some sight seeing and see Ricky Gervais.

I almost didn’t go.

Busy public places have become more and more of an issue for me this year. Where I’ve found myself mentally, I’ve craved nothing but quietness. Stillness. Space.

The thought of crowds, noise, and chaos made me want to stay home.

Not long ago, I would have canceled. Made an excuse. Found a way out.

Because the last time I tried something like this, I couldn’t handle it. The anxiety hit me like a wave. I was sweating. My mind wouldn’t switch off. Every sound felt too loud. Every person felt too close. I couldn’t breathe properly.

So I hid. I left. I told myself it was safer to just stay away.

But this time? This time was different.

I went. And I didn’t just survive it.

I was calm. Content. Present.

No panic. No sweating through my shirt. No counting down the minutes until I could escape. No mental spiral.

For the first time in years, I felt… relaxed.
I won the battle in my mind. And that’s something I haven’t been able to say for a very long time.

This is what therapy does.

It quiets the noise. It helps you face the things you’ve been avoiding for years. It gives you back the life anxiety stole from you.
I’m not fixed. I’m not “cured.” But I’m here. And I’m living again.

Here’s the truth: Avoidance doesn’t make fear smaller. It just makes your world smaller.
Every time we avoid something that scares us, we teach ourselves we can’t handle it. And slowly, our world shrinks.

Recovery isn’t about waiting until you feel brave. It’s about showing up while you’re still scared. It’s about getting the help you need. It’s about doing the work, even when it’s hard.

So here’s my question for you:

What are you avoiding right now that’s keeping you stuck?

Is it a difficult conversation? Returning to work? A social event? Asking for help? Starting therapy?

The fear won’t disappear before you face it. It disappears because you face it.

And sometimes, you need help to get there. That’s not weakness. That’s wisdom.

You don’t have to feel ready. You just have to show up.

And when you do, you’ll remember something you forgot: You’re stronger than you think.

Giving up drinking saved my mental health. Here’s how.

I wasn’t an alcoholic. But I had a terrible relationship with alcohol.

I was a d### when I drank. I couldn’t stop once I started. And this year, while navigating depression and suicidal episodes, I was drinking through a lot at the start of it. 

I was using alcohol as a mask to hide the pain. Taking medication for my mental health while still drinking. Slowing my own recovery. Sabotaging myself.

May 4th 2025, I spun out at a friend’s BBQ. Fell completely apart.

The next day, hungover and broken, I woke up and knew: it was time. The fist photo below, is the next day, deep in that hangover. 

The smile is fake. The feeling is shame, remorse and guilt. This photo reminds me of the day I truly made change. 

But here’s what nobody tells you, change comes at the worst possible time.

I was already in therapy. Already stepping away from the company I founded. Already fighting the hardest mental health battle of my life. And now I was adding alcohol withdrawal on top of it all.

The first few weeks were relentless. It was coming into summer. BBQ season. Pub gardens. Refreshing beers. When days were shit, I wanted a drink. 

I’d just taken away my main coping mechanism.

Those cloudy Mondays when I couldn’t think straight? That’s alcohol pounding away at my prefrontal cortex. Executive dysfunction. I was showing up broken every week.

Today, I’m 6 months and 6 days sober. Here’s what I’ve got back:
⚡ Energy for the things I love doing again.
🌅 Clarity on weekend mornings.
👁️ A different way of seeing the world.
❤️ A better relationship with my family. 
🔥 Huge amount of motivation.
🎯 Clear purpose. 

The other few photos, are the last few months, winning life back. 

But this post isn’t really about alcohol.

Mine was alcohol. Yours might be something completely different. The job you dread every Monday. The relationship you’re too scared to leave. The business idea you keep putting off. The mental health struggle you’re white-knuckling through alone.

You already know what it is. You’ve known for a while.

The question isn’t what needs to change. You know that already.

The question is: how much longer are you willing to betray yourself?

Because one day, you’ll reach your breaking point. And you’ll realise the cost of staying the same finally outweighs the fear of changing.

That day might be today. It might be six months from now. But it’s coming.

What are you waiting for?

#mentalhealth

I’ve had so many people message me wonderful things recently, and have had such a positive response to me being more open about my mental health, and sharing my journey. 

So putting it back to you. Firstly, thank you for the support. It means so much. Step by step, we continue to normalise it being ok, to not be ok. And I just hope we continue to improve the positive message. 

Secondly, I wish that whatever it is this week that you are waiting for. That news you really need to come in. The break in the storm. That positive feeling you want. I hope whatever it is, it comes your way. You deserve it. 

Have a great week everybody.

For the vertans who might be suffering in silence today, or this week. If you need them:

Veterans' Gateway: 0808 802 1212
Combat Stress: 0800 138 1619
The Royal British Legion: 0808 802 8080
Help for Heroes: 0300 303 9888
Veterans UK Helpline: 0808 1914 218
Army Benevolent Fund: 0800 138 1619
Samaritans: 116 123

I’ve used them.

I'm Heading Back to Speaking on Stage.

I've booked my first speaking. And honestly? I'm terrified.

On Friday, 30th January 2026, I'll be speaking at the Wit + Grit Podcast Live, at Millennium Point in Birmingham.

But let me be real with you, but back in January, this wasn't just unlikely. It was impossible.

What will be 381 days, when I take to the stage, I was in a dark place, not wanting to be here anymore. The depths. 

Speaking on stage? Being in public? Being here at all? None of it felt possible.

Yet here I am. Nervous as hell. But ready.

I want to thank Andy Dawson and PJ Ellis for not just letting me speak, but for allowing me to be part of the journey. For bringing me into the Wit + Grit story, where we share ideas and tales of people who overcame challenges, whilst never losing their humour.

What I'll be sharing on the day: The famous Royal Marines Spirit, how to find cheerfulness in the face of true adversity. 

Not toxic positivity. Not "good vibes only." But real, hard-fought, messy resilience when life is trying to break you.

The tools that actually worked. The setbacks that nearly destroyed me. The truth about rebuilding when you've lost yourself.

This is more than a speaking gig for me. It's proof. Proof that 381 days can change everything. Proof that rock bottom isn't the end. Proof that the stage I thought I'd never stand on again is exactly where I need to be, to help others push through their own challenges.

If you want to start 2026 with something real, not another motivational speech, but a raw conversation about what it actually takes to come back, as well as meet new people, we would be honoured to see you there.

Wit + Grit Podcast Live
 📅 Friday, 30th January 2026
 🎟️ https://lnkd.in/e7TGY77S

Let's kick off the year with the truth about resilience. The uncomfortable, inspiring, achievable truth.

#event #witandgritlive

In the face of adversity (and budgets that make us wince), cheerfulness is our secret weapon. 💪

It’s what got me through the toughest times in the Marines – and it’s exactly what I’ll be sharing at Wit + Grit Podcast Live on 30th January 2026.

I’m absolutely over the moon to be partnering with Andy Dawson  and PJ Ellis to bring this to life!

So, what is Wit+Grit Live?

It’s a high-energy, one-day event at Millennium Point, in Birmingham, designed to get you unstuck. 

Expect lightning-fast talks, powerful panels, and interactive moments that build real connections. 

You’ll hear inspiring stories from speakers who’ve been there, done that, and come out the other side ready for the next challenge. 

No fluff. No corporate jargon. Just practical takeaways, purpose you can feel, and a community you’ll want to be part of long after the day ends.

Now for the good bit – tickets! 🎟️

Tomorrow, we’re launching our Pre-Budget Sale because let’s be honest – after the budget, everything’s going up. (Thanks for the timing, Rachel Reeves! 💷)

Here’s the deal:
✅ Pre-registered folks get first dibs (check your emails… or your spam… or potentially quarantine – the cyber gods are unpredictable)

✅ Budget-friendly prices until November 26th.

✅ Then? Prices go full “post-budget” on you.

✅ General sale opens tomorrow (exact time TBD by PJ’s extremely important schedule ⏰)

We’ve got 319 spaces. That’s loads! Until it’s not. You know how this goes.

Your mission:
1) Grab your ticket tomorrow
2) Drop a comment below when you do (we need the validation)
3) Follow Wit + Grit Podcast for all the deets

Think of this discount as a gift from us, before the budget says we can’t buy gifts anymore 😂. 

Register link is in the comments. 

This one’s not to be missed. Who’s in?

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Ben Williams

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ben Williams's LinkedIn Performance

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