Mytime Active Stories - Sam
Sam, 35, is a Personal Trainer and Gym Instructor at Mytime Active, specialising in helping people overcome addiction and find healthier lifestyles. However, his own wellbeing journey hasn’t been straight forward. His transformation from a heavy-drinking, fast-living broker life to wellness advocate wasn't planned – it was born from personal tragedy and a moment of complete burnout.
Sam’s early career began at 18 when, despite having no idea what the role entailed, someone noticed his natural charisma and suggested he would make a good junior broker. Sam explains: “I worked in sales in software and finance firms in London for 16 years. It was very, very boring and very corporate – think brightly coloured tie, hanky and sock combos and three-piece suits.” But Sam embraced the lifestyle that came with it: heavy drinking, cocaine use and a party culture that dominated his twenties and early thirties.
Six years ago everything changed when his mother suffered a brain aneurysm. Sam and his daughter found her. “That one moment made me question how I was living. It started to shift my perspective on health, my own mortality and the role model I wanted to be for my little girl.” His mother survived but remains in a care home, requiring round-the-clock care.
Despite this wake-up call, Sam’s transformation wasn't immediate. He describes a particularly dark period in 2022-2023 when he was living alone in a small flat in Petts Wood. He says: “I was in the pub or in the snooker hall almost every night of the week. Every penny I earned was going straight back out on either coke or drinking. I was eating anything I could get my hands on off the high street – I didn't cook a meal for six months.”
The breaking point came in September 2024. He says: “I walked into my office, I think it was a Wednesday, and said to my manager ‘I've had enough of this. I can’t call another person and get them to buy something they don't need.’ I was done and I wanted to help people instead.”
Sam retrained as a personal trainer, achieving his Level Two and Level Three qualifications by February this year. However, first he knew he also had to transform himself. At the time, weighing around 16 stone and living an unhealthy lifestyle, he didn't look the part of a typical fitness professional.
His personal health transformation was comprehensive. After starting at age 12, Sam quit smoking, stopped vaping, quit drugs, dramatically reduced his drinking and completely changed his diet and exercise routine. “It's chalk and cheese,” he says about the difference. “My mental clarity is a big one and my energy levels are through the roof. I got up the other Sunday and ran to Tower Bridge, took a picture of the sunrise, ran over to London Bridge and then ran home again. For no reason, just because I had the energy to get up and do it.”
Now working at Mytime Active, Sam teaches functional fitness classes and runs circuit training classes at the The Pavilion in Bromley, as well delivering his own personal training sessions. But perhaps his most rewarding work comes through Mytime Active's ‘My Club’ programme, where he leads exercise sessions for adults with learning disabilities.
His ‘My Club’ sessions combine basic body movements with games - such as the traffic light game where participants touch the ground for ‘flat tire’ or spin around for ‘roundabout.’ Each session ends with a disco and the hokey cokey. Sam says: “I love working with the members of My Club. It’s so life affirming, and I truly know I am making a difference to their day-to-day life. The sessions are all about movement, getting them out of the house, meeting other people and doing something different. I turn fitness into fun. This work represents everything I now value in my new career - the personal connection and the ability to make a meaningful impact, rather than selling meaningless products.”
Sam’s niche PT work within the fitness industry focuses on helping people in recovery. He recognised that many personal trainers target specific demographics and identified a gap in the market for supporting people overcoming addiction. He says: “There’s loads of people that want to quit alcohol in their 30s, 40s, 50s – the older generation that perhaps grew up in that lager culture. It’s a challenging market. Most people that have addiction problems can think of other ways of spending their money rather than on their own health. I understand from my own personal experiences that addiction, be that food, drink or drugs, is often about loneliness and a lack of self-worth. Hopefully, alongside support from organisations like the AA, I can help individuals replace the feeling of emptiness with physical activity and positivity.
“Since quitting my own unhealthy lifestyle I am much happier. I have so much more time and bundles of energy. I’m finally in a good place – with myself and my relationships. My fantastic partner, Sarah, has supported me throughout my journey and has been there even when I hit rock bottom, from office job to PT, fat to fit and addiction to sobriety! She really benefits from the better person I have become, and I’m so glad she hung in there for me. Plus, I’m so pleased to know my teenage daughter is proud of me and the changes I have made.”