Relentless Resilience

A Daily Decision

Author’s Note

Happy Easter, Chain-breakers. I hope you’re all soaking up some quality time with your loved ones this weekend.

This week’s piece dives into two powerful words... both starting with R... that I try my best to live by. They’re not just concepts. They’re lifelines. And if you’ve ever felt like life knocked you flat, this one’s for you.

To put this into context, I actually had three different topics semi-prepared for this week’s edition of The Unshackled Journal. But something in me kept pulling toward this one.

It felt like someone out there really needed to hear it this week... so I burned the midnight oil to get it done, writing long after I’d usually be staying up. I hope my inkling was right. If you’re that “someone,” let me know. Message me directly. I’d love to hear from you.

Also... a quick milestone to share… Unshackled now has over 150 members, with 38 Founding Members. That’s all happened in less than a month! And I don’t take a second of it for granted. Thank you all and…

Enjoy this week’s edition of The Unshackled Journal:

Relentless Resilience: A Daily Decision

Two words people have long associated with me: resilient and relentless. That’s not me being arrogant. For whatever reason, they’re the most common words that get thrown my way… and I’m proud to have received such compliments. But those weren’t always mine. I feel like I earned them the hard way.

And here’s the truth: no one gets them for free. And nobody is entitled to them forever. It truly is a daily decision to choose to be relentlessly resilient.

Just this week, a really close mate of mine, Jay, said something that stuck with me. He told me he doesn’t always open up about his struggles to me because they feel too small compared to mine.

I get it. My path’s included prison, detention, and some pitch-black nights of the soul. But let me be clear… pain doesn’t have a hierarchy.

You don’t need a cell door to feel caged. You don’t need a sentence to lose sleep, peace, or hope.

We’re all human. And life hits hard. Grief, trauma, heartbreak, shame, regret, fear. I’ve felt them all and then some… and I’m sure you have too. Some of us have buried people we love. Some of us have buried parts of ourselves just to survive. But whatever your storm is… you’re still here. You’ve survived everything life has thrown at you so far, and that’s a pretty good track record, don’t you think? That counts for something.

Resilience isn’t a war medal you can be presented with and wear with pride forever. It’s not a diploma or degree that you earn and get to leave framed on the mantelpiece for the rest of your life. It’s a flame you have to feed, day in, day out. Or it will extinguish.

Take my dear friend Nathan Corbett, for example. He didn’t become an 11-time Muay Thai World Champion because he hit a bag once and thought, “I was quite good at that. That should be enough to become a champion.” He didn’t earn the name “Carnage” because he threw one good elbow and hoped it worked again someday. He became the best in the world because he showed up relentlessly. Training, refining, evolving. Even on the days when no one was watching.

That’s relentless resilience in motion. That’s inspirational.

It’s the same in other arenas. Steve Jobs (Apple) and Larry Page (Google) didn’t revolutionise technology because they had one good idea and coasted. They failed. They doubted. They were doubted. But they shaped the world we now live in. Not because it was easy, but because they kept showing up when others would’ve walked away.

And then there’s Nelson Mandela. Perhaps one of the most powerful examples of all. A man who spent 27 years behind bars and somehow came out not bitter, but better. He didn’t just survive prison. He emerged from it with purpose and led a nation forward. That kind of resilience isn’t passive. It’s powered by an unshakeable commitment to something greater than yourself. And it only works if you’re prepared to be relentless about it.

Whether you’re a fighter, a founder, a freedom fighter, or a mother showing up every single day for her child, resilience isn’t gifted. It’s earned. And to earn it, you’ve got to be relentless.

That’s the lesson I learned in the rawest seasons of my life. One that I’m still living… and still learning from… right now as I write these words. I’m not only writing them to you guys. I’m reminding myself as well.

In prison, my favourite book was The Art of Resilience by Ross Edgley. This man who decided to swim the entire coast of Great Britain. But it wasn’t just a challenge about endurance. It was about suffering well. About leaning into discomfort. About becoming anti-fragile. Growing stronger because of the struggle, not despite it. Getting up every single day, jumping off the boat and swimming, regardless of the crazy conditions. He was relentless, even when he was nearly finished and came up against family tragedy. He kept going.

In detention, one of the first books I read was Relentless by Tim Grover. Coach to the greats like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He writes about the mindset that separates the good from the great. How greatness never apologises for its intensity. How being relentless means demanding more from yourself than anyone else ever could.

That’s when it all clicked.

Resilience isn’t random. It’s the byproduct of relentless effort. It’s forged in repetition. As Zig Ziglar said, “Repetition is the mother of all learning.”

In choosing to rise, again and again, no matter how tired, afraid, or broken you feel.

And it’s not about pretending to be bulletproof. It’s about showing up anyway.

So if you’re reading this and you’ve ever felt like your pain doesn’t “measure up,” I see you.

You don’t have to hit rock bottom to be climbing. You don’t have to compare your pain to mine or anyone else’s.

You just have to keep going.

You’re already fighting your own war. And you can win it.

Because resilience isn’t reserved for the chosen few. It’s built by ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Like surviving. Like caring. Like choosing to keep going when it would be easier not to.

So be relentless. Be resilient. Be both. They go together like Bonnie and Clyde.

If yesterday sucked, so what. It’s been and gone now. It’s just a memory. It’s the decision of how you deal with today that really matters.

Because this is an everyday exercise. A daily decision. And nobody gets to choose it for you. It’s yours to make.

It’s showing up to the gym when you feel like going on a bender. It’s making the bed. Taking the call. Hugging your kid. Answering the email. Turning the page.

I say this with a heavy heart because I’ve faltered in all of these. As Jay Alderton’s book taught me: “Hard Stuff, Easy Life.” If you cut corners, it will come back and bite you in the ass later. Trust me, it does. You know it and I know it.

Consistency beats intensity when it comes to building the life you want. The life you deserve.

Not once. Not twice. But over and over again.

So keep showing up. Even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.

Keep fuelling that flame... one day at a time.

And here’s what I hope to offer you. Not as a shrink, and definitely not as some guru or self-proclaimed know-it-all. I’m not, and I don’t pretend to be. Truth is, I’m still figuring plenty of it out myself. But what I do have is a perspective that comes from spending a long time on the inside, looking out. There’s that old idea that when you’re too close to something… too caught up in the noise… you need someone outside the glass to help you see clearly. But here’s the twist. I’m the one on the inside, and from this side of the glass, things come into focus that others sometimes miss on the outside. The pressure we’ve come to accept as normal. The silent battles people fight just to make it through the day. And maybe, just maybe, this inside-out view can help you see your own life a little more clearly too.

I’ve watched people go through hell, and I’ve lived through it myself. From where I stand, I can sometimes spot the strength in others that they’ve forgotten is even there. Maybe you're too close to your own fight to notice how far you’ve already come. That’s the thing about resilience… it doesn’t always feel strong. Sometimes it just feels like showing up in silence, hoping no one can see how hard it really is. Just like my friend Jay. He’s resilient as hell. Might just need a little reminder to let him know just how well he’s actually doing.

So, if you're feeling stuck, if the weight of it all feels like it's too much to carry, remember: resilience isn’t about never feeling broken. It’s about deciding, time and again, that you’re not staying down.

It’s not about big victories or flawless execution. It’s about those small moments… those little decisions to keep going, even when the world feels like it’s asking you to quit. Those are the real wins.

I’m not here with all the answers. I’m just someone who’s been inside, seen the worst of it, and managed to find a way through. I’m still finding my way through. So if you need someone to tell you that you’ve got this, here I am. If no one else has said it today: you’re stronger than you know. Keep pushing.

Because every day you choose to rise is another day you’re earning that resilience, one step at a time. And if yesterday was hard, so be it. Today is a new day, and the flame inside you? It’s still burning.

Keep showing up. Keep showing yourself that you have what it takes to be relentlessly resilient.

Stay Unshackled, My Friends.

If you enjoyed this piece and feel a friend could benefit from it, feel free to share. Unshackled is growing quickly and always welcoming more like-minded members.

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