Valentine’s Special: Finding Purpose Through Love and Loss - David Walsh

Speaker: 00:00:00

TUCP Intro/Outro: Amy, thank you for tuning in to The Ultimate Coach podcast, a companion to the transformative book The Ultimate coach written by Amy Hardison and Alan D Thompson, each conversation is designed to be a powerful wake up call, reminding us of what's possible for you and your life. So if you're on a journey to expand your state of being, this podcast is for you.

Ipek Williamson: 00:00:37

Are you ready to uncover powerful insights on finding purpose and embracing life's challenges with resilience and grace. In this episode of The Ultimate coach podcast, I have the pleasure of welcoming David Walsh. David is a successful entrepreneur, investor and author whose journey of transformation is a testament to the power of finding deeper meaning, even through life's most profound challenges. Today, we will explore the lessons, experiences and wisdom that have shaped his mission to inspire others to live with intention, turn pain into purpose and view life through a lens of possibility. David, it's truly a joy to have you here. Welcome.

David Walsh: 00:01:35

Thank you very much. It's an honor to be here. Thank you.

Ipek Williamson: 00:01:39

It's not a surprise that I want to start with the profound event that changed your life. Could you please tell us about it?

David Walsh: 00:01:50

Yeah, well, before I get into the profound, profound event, I'll give a bit of a foundation. So 2006 I land in Tampa, I'm doing a NLP course. And as I'm waiting for some friends, someone else was on that course walks towards us, and she goes, hello. My name is Lena, and I looked at her and said, she looks interesting. And I could see, by the look on her face that she was looking me up and down and going, he's an arrogant little beep. So that was our first meeting, and we were two weeks in Tampa. And during that two weeks, we learned more about each other. Lena was the type of person who didn't do quantity, she did quality. So she talked to very few people out of the 24 I think, were there. She talked to probably about six, and I was one of those six. It was evident in the second week we were there when I just finished talking to Lena, and one of the guys came up and says, who's that you're talking to? And I said, That's Lena, and she's she, or whatever? Is she in our group? And I went, Yeah, she's been here for the two weeks. So she was a person who didn't what, wasn't a social butterfly. Put it that way. Um, so she did quality rather than quantity. Now, at the time, we found out that we actually live literally less than a mile away from each other in North London. Yeah. So we had to travel four and a half 1000 miles to meet each other. And the funny thing is, is that we probably pass each other on the street, and we would have never even noticed one another. So yeah, fate brought us all the way over to to Florida to meet and fate was definitely looking out for me then, because at the time, I was living in London, but I was moving back to to Ireland, and I had given up my flat, so I was technically homeless, and all my stuff was in storage, and I had nowhere to live. And I actually had planned to stay with a friend of mine, but that friend was in New York. He was getting treatment for his girlfriend at the time, who had Lyme disease, and back then, New York was the only place in the world that had a treatment for it. So I was texting, I was emailing, I was calling him every day, going, Hey, am I still okay to stay with you? Nothing, absolutely nothing. So it was panic stations at the end of the two weeks. And I said, Well, I've got to ask Lena, can I stay with her? So we're on the flight. She we're on both on an aisle seat. She's literally in front of me, and I go, I've got to ask Lena. I've got to ask Lena. I've got to ask Lena so totally bottle this couldn't pick up the courage to ask her. Then we got to Gatwick Airport, got to the carousel, and that says, I've got to ask Lena, I've got to ask Lena, I've got to ask, Can I stay order? Can I stay with her? So kept procrastinating, kept couldn't, couldn't pick up the courage till eventually, both our bags arrived. It, and we had our bags, and Lena turned around to me and said, great to meet you. Look forward to seeing you again soon. And I said, it's now or never, if I don't ask now I'm screwed. So I said, Well, I'm sort of meant to stay with a friend tonight, and I just can't get hold of him. Is it okay if I sit on your sofa for a few hours while I get in contact with them? And I could see her brain was like, Oh my God, what's this Irish guy asking me to do? I don't really know him. I've only met him two weeks ago, and all of these things were computing, computing in her head. And she went, Okay, like this, like, totally unsure. So I said, thank you very much. Really appreciate it. Yeah, I'll get hold of him, and I'll be out of your hair. So we got back to her place, and parked my bags in the hallway, because I wasn't staying the night, and sat down on the sofa, got the obligatory cup of tea, all the rest, had a chat all the rest. And again, I'm emailing and I'm texting and I'm calling and I'm doing everything I can, and not a sausage out of my friend. So it came to it says, Do you mind if I sleep on your sofa tonight and I'm already in the door? So she goes, Yeah, okay, here you go. So a few hours turned into a few days, and a few days turned it into a few weeks. I never got hold of my friend Till one day, I was sitting on our sofa, a lovely olive green sofa, and as I was getting up, my back went like that, and I couldn't move. So it's about a week in a week or so into sleeping on her sofa. I couldn't move. I was gone. I couldn't I literally couldn't do anything. So she goes, Wait, okay, you take my bed. You can't sleep on the sofa. You take my bed, all of this. So she put an air mattress on her bed, so it was really high. So she took that was another two weeks. Lena took care of me in her own house, in her bed. So it went from a few hours, literally, to her nursing me over over a number of weeks till eventually I got better and I moved back to Ireland, but that it didn't end there. I was working with my dad at the time, and every once in a while, I would hear Hello, hello and Hello. Are you calling me again? Hello, and it was my phone, but dialing Lena, so the universe is going you're not finished. You're not finished. So every once in a while, like at least once a week, maybe twice, three times a week, I bought dialena, and we'd have a conversation. And at that time, things were beginning to pick up from my UK business. So literally, six months later, I was speaking at an event in London, and I made the decision to move back. Everything was going great, so I decided to move back. So who do I call Lena had sold her flat, who was now in a two bed. She was renting a two bed apartment. And I said, Hey, do you mind if I stay at yours? She goes, I've got a spare bedroom. You have no problem. There's one thing though, the landlord, the contract states that you can only stay for two weeks, and says, Fine, I'll stay for two weeks. I can go see a friend for a weekend and then come back. And so that's what we did. I had the spare bedroom, and Lena had her room and stuff like that, and I would disappear, but the landlord lived next door so he could see me coming and going every day, and it got to the point when the contract was up, they said, Look, we know David's living there. We have no problem. He seems like a nice guy. We'll just put him on the contract. So everything was above board. So over that time lean and I grew closer, like we were both seeing different people, but we never we never mixed. I didn't meet her people who she was seeing. She never met who I saw. She knew about them, but she never met them. But over time, we began to get closer, like irrespective of what happened to me with various girlfriends or whatever, we got closer till it was 2000 and it was a two, 2009 I was I was seeing a girl in Turkey, funnily enough, and I was in Izmir for my birthday, and she texts me, going, how's your birthday going? And I just text back and says, not great. I says, I would rather be spending it with you. And so she texts me back, going, Look, you're with your girlfriend. I suggest. I think it's better that you focus there. So I went out, but these feelings were growing for Lean at the time, and I came back, I went to a B. Fauci, which is an island and Mediterranean. And I was working with a client, came back and Lena and I went for a walk. I'm sharing with her that, you know, I think I'm falling for you, that sort of thing. And we got home, and I said to her, Look, I want to be with you. And she said, Well, why should we be together? And I said, Well, if we don't take a chance on us now, we never will. And so that was all she needed to know. Then we were an item from dense, oh, from about May 2009 like, a year two and a half years after we first met, we we got together. So that was the beginning, beginning of our relationship.

David Walsh: 00:10:49

And then in 2021 we got married. I had proposed to her a couple years before. And what we found out after we got engaged is that both our parents got married on March 30. We didn't even know this till we found out lena's parents got married on March 30, and my parents got married on March 30. So we said, well, there's only one date we can get married, and that's March 30. So each year would come and go, but we never had enough money to to to get married until I set a goal in November 2020. I said, I want to like a hit 10. Game of business. Business is doing great. I was bringing Lena into the business as well. She worked in the fashion industry, and I wasn't happy the way they were treating so I brought her into the business and I set a goal that I want to double my business in the next 12 months. So fairly bog standard goal, 2x 2x income in 12 months. I achieved it in two so I went from 10k to 20k in two months per month. And I woke up. I remember it like it was yesterday. I woke up, February 5. It was five past eight in the morning. I said, we can get married. The money was in the bank account. Things were going well, and I realized we can get married. So I ran downstairs, and Lena was having our cereal on the sofa, and I said, Hey, honey, do you want to get married this year? And she looked at me like, are you mad like because we knew it was seven weeks to go to to get married if we wanted to get married at Mars 30, or else we'd have to wait another 12 months. She goes, Okay, so if I show up and you take care of everything, and I went fine, done. No problem. You do that, leave it with me. Because I knew then I was like, I'm one of those people that once I once I put my mind to it, that's it. It's done. Consider it done. So once we started investigating actually, how to get married, we found out that most of the countries in Europe were had you needed a three months notice to get a marriage license. So that was pretty much almost every country we want. We're thinking about getting married in Italy and stuff, but it was like, no we could. So Lila did a Google search places get married in less than two months, and she found a place called Guernsey, which is between England and France in the Channel Islands. So I contacted them, and we booked the date, March, 30, 2pm we were going to get married in the Parliament of Guernsey, but what happened was, is that the information they gave me was wrong to what I needed to do. So two weeks before we were to go, I get a phone call. She goes, hello, and says, Hello. Is that Mr. Watch? She went, Yes. I says, Hi. This is Guernsey here. Where are you? I said, I'm at home. Says, you realize you can't get married? I said, Excuse me, it says you can't get married. What do you mean? Says, Well, you have to live like the rules, where you have to live on the island for a week, wait a week, and then get married. And but the lady told me, he says, you live on the island for a week, wait a day, and then you can get married. So I had, I had calculated eight days for our marriage and currency. She goes, No, no, no, no. So it's you wait a week, live in the island for a week, wait a week, and then you can get married. So long story short, there's a whole thing about that whole story. I won't spoil it for you. But long story short, they found out that we could get married on the island next door, a little island called Sark. It's about, literally about this big you could put it in your pocket. So we could get married on Sark, because you only needed to live on the island for five days, and you can get married the next day. So we were back on schedule, everything we had planned, like because we had planned a ferry to Guernsey, we had everything was sorted. And on March 30, Lena and I, who got married in the most magical dream wedding ever. So that's a a brief, I think he gave me a couple of. This, but, yeah, it's probably a bit over, but that's the brief story of our history together.

Ipek Williamson: 00:15:04

And then what happened?

David Walsh: 00:15:06

Well, we were working very well in the business. We were growing up very nicely. Lena was taking up the areas that I wasn't strong in, and I was doing the areas she wasn't strong in. So we were growing our business very nicely till 2021 the third bout of cancer attacked Lena, and she got very, very ill. It was even at the beginning of 2021 I wasn't sure that she would make it to our next, our second anniversary. So that even on Valentine's Day, I said, I want to give you, oh, I want to give you an anniversary card. She goes, nope, give it to me on my on her anniversary. And I went, Okay, but things came to a head in August, 2021 she got really, really bad. Her cancerous maths was growing every day, and it got really bad that I said to her, you have to go to hospital. I was Ireland had just come out of lockdown, so I was this was the first time was able to travel back to see my mom in 18 months. So end of August, beginning of September, I traveled over to Ireland, and I said to Lena, if you get any sick, you have to go to the hospital. Simple ass. And her sister was living with this at the time, Julia and I says, You have my permission to drag her, kicking and screaming to the hospital, and you put her in a taxi, and you get to the hospital if she gets worse. And Lena, very strong personality, wasn't going to be spoken to like that, and she says, I just said to her, Look, if you don't do it, I'm hopping on the next plane back and I'll take you myself. And she knew I was serious, because that's the I knew. She knew I would do it. So she went in on the Friday the following Friday, the beginning of September, and I was getting updates. And I flew back on the following Monday, and I put my bags. I got home, put my bags in, straight into the hospital. When I went to find her, I couldn't find her in the ward. I said to the nurse, where would I find Lena Georgie Addis? And she saw bed 26 around there. And I was looking at Bed 26 and gone. Why is there a 90 year old woman in my wife's bed, and I'm looking around, going, where's Leland? I'm in the right ward. I'm in the right ward back 26 Where is she? And then I realized that was actually Lena, and that she had aged 20 years, 30 years in a week since I hadn't seen her. And tears streamed down my face and like she was asleep, thankfully, and I could see her, she was waking up, so I quickly wiped the tears away from my eyes, and she said, Oh, what's wrong, honey? I says, nothing, nothing, nothing. Don't worry about don't worry about it. So I said, What did the doctor say? She goes, Well, it's more what he didn't say, I said I gathered from what he's not telling me is that there's nothing they can do. And I went, Okay, but we're the type of people that were gone. That's not the end. We're fighters. We're we don't care what anyone else says. It's what we think and what we believe. So doctor came around and Lena said to him, so doc, plus the diagnosis. And again, he said, Nothing. She went, look, you can tell me straight. There's the don't. There's no point in beating around the bush. Just tell me. And he goes, Well, there is literally nothing we can do. The best thing we can do is to send you home. There's nothing we can do in this hospital. And as soon as the doctor left, I said, Honey, I'm taking you home to live because they don't think you will. They didn't even expect her to last a weekend. So this was the Monday they didn't expect her to survive past Saturday. And they said, right, Friday, I'll arrange for an ambulance to bring you home. And says, No problem, I'll be here. I'll go home with you. So I said, Honey, I'm bringing you home to live. And again, they didn't expect her to last the fuck that following weekend, five and a half weeks later, unfortunately, Lena did pass away. And during that time I was just we were just focused on one thing, how can we get Lena back to full health? I even asked the doctors and the nurses that were coming to her house every single day, what do we need to do to get Lena back to health? And they were looking at me like I had sprouted 26 heads and going, looking at it like she's going to die and we're going, we don't accept that. We don't accept that we are fighting every single day. And that's what Lena said to me, is that, honey, I am fighting this as much as it kind of says, Yes, honey, and I with you every step of the way.

Ipek Williamson: 00:19:52

Wow. It is such a touching, loving. And powerful story. Thank you so much for sharing it with me and with the audience of this podcast. So I know that you turned this profound pain into purpose in your life, absolutely so I want to ask you, how did the loss of your beloved wife led you to this mission of helping others find their purpose, especially after significant life alter altering events.

David Walsh: 00:20:42

As soon as I realized Lena took her last breath, literally, a switch was flipped in me. I knew it like that split second Lena had passed like I was a totally different person, and I knew I was different. I knew I was not that same person that I was literally a couple of minutes before. And Lina and I had so many dreams. We had our whole life planned out. We knew exactly what we were going to do, we were going to live in different countries, we were going to grow our business. We were going to have many adventures together. But that all came crashing down as soon as took Lena, took her last breath, and few days afterwards, I asked myself, What the f am I here for? Because I knew it wasn't like I had a YouTube consultancy at the time, and it was helping businesses grow their YouTube channels for the business. And I know gone. I am not here to help people grow YouTube channels. That's not what I'm here for. There's a bigger thing here, because I'm not going through this massive loss right now just to continue doing the same thing. And when I asked myself that question, I got an answer, and I got it straight away, and it says, You're to inspire a billion people. And I went, Okay, so something small then, and me being the cheeky me that I am, says, okay, so how am I meant to do that? Then, thinking I missed her YouTube, so I can do it on YouTube and socials and whatever it says, oh, live on stage. And I went, Ah, crap. Okay, so the easy way. Then I thought, so. And okay, so, of course, being human, I jumped into it. Well, no, I didn't. So I practiced because I had a business to run. And I thought, yeah, I'll get round to that purpose thing at some point when it's convenient. So 12 months passed, and this thing was in the back of my mind, and it was growing and it was festering, and it was like, hello, I'm still here. Hello. And every once in a while ago, oh yeah, yeah, I gotta do that thing. Gotta do that thing about inspiring a billion people, yeah, yeah. I gotta do that. Gotta do that. And then I said, Oh yeah, I've got a client I've got to take till December 2022 it said, Enough is enough. That's it. I'm not putting up with being ignored anymore. And it got so uncomfortable to ignore it. I said, I have to do something about this. I have to do it. So I took the decision to close my YouTube consultancy. I refunded a metric boatload of money to clients because I said this, this purpose is far too big for me to to just ignore it anymore. I've got to go ahead and I've got to follow this mission. So clients that had paid me for 12 months up front, and I'd already worked with them for eight or nine months. I refunded them all their money. Other clients who were who are paying monthly I said, Here's your money back. I don't like you to feel like you owe me a thing. I've got this mission, and I'm going to do it. So that was it. That business closed down. So I said, Okay, I've got my mission. What do I do now? And I went, Oh, okay, so I looked at what, what I could build a business around the mission. I created one business that fell flat in its face couple of months later. I said, Okay, I could do this that would be sort of following the mission that fell flat in the face. So September 2022, I had two business two businesses didn't go anywhere. Went absolutely nowhere. And I'm going, what is it about these that they didn't take off? And it was like I'm following the money. I was looking for the money rather than the mission. Going, okay, but I was, I was still no closer, you know, as I was living on savings and stuff and things began to get stressful, till it got to the point where I was going, I don't know what. To do. I was completely overwhelmed. I had no more business ideas in my head, and I was going, I don't know what to do. And I remember, I was literally on the sofa crying my I was bawling my eyes out, going like those who and across from me, beside the TV was a picture of Lena, and I just said to hers, honey, I don't know what to do. Give me a sign, and I'm totally overwhelmed. Not Not a clue what's going to happen. And at the time, I was watching TED lasso. Now, if anyone knows Ted lasso, it's an American football coach who goes to England, the premiership, to coach a football team, or soccer team, as you call it in America. And sure enough, Lena, being Lena, she gave me an answer. It was the it was an episode where the team that TED is coaching, we're losing two nil at halftime, and they're in the dressing room at halftime, and Ted gives an inspirational speech, and Ted at the very first episode, writes a handwritten sign, and he places it above the door in the dressing room. And at the end of that particular scene, all the players go up to the sign, and they put their hand on that big yellow sign, and the word on that sign said belief. And I was like, okay, honey, right. Believe, okay, right. I got okay. Now believe, believe I was still no closer, but I was just like, okay, believe I've got that I got, I got the sign, which was an actual sign, so I got that. Then two days later, a friend of mine texts me, says, Lena came to me in a dream last night, and I went, Okay, here we go. And yeah, she told me to watch a film that I used to watch when I was young called the Land of time forgot. It's a 1993 animated film about dinosaurs. So I got access to the film, and I'm watching it. Going, okay, lean is giving me this particular movie to watch. There's some there's a message in here somewhere. And I'm going, Okay, so I'm watching the movie. And I'm watching the movie. You know, the young dinosaurs get separated from their parents. You know, they're two dinosaurs that don't get on with each other. Blah, blah, blah, your usual antagonistic story, and so they're on their journey to try and find their parents again. Then it hit me. It was the theme of the movie, and the one little dinosaur said to the other little dinosaurs, it says, My mama always told me, follow your heart, ooh, and you'll always find your way home. And I went, Holy crap, holy crap. So I went, fine, okay, so I had believe and follow your heart, and you'll find your way. It'll always find your way home. And I went, Okay, so that was at that point I'd realized the previous businesses had been focused on the money. Now I needed to focus on what my purpose was and doing that, and the money will come. And I went, Okay

David Walsh: 00:28:24

So few weeks later, I was going, what, what have I done in my life that people would be interested in? And then I went back to, well, I created an amazing wedding. I doubled our business in two months. I also, when I moved over to the UK, I did that in two months. I tripled my salary and had a car paid for. I had a accommodation paid for for a month. I was flown to Seattle for two weeks, all of these things. And I said, I wonder if somebody would be interested to find out how I did that, so I put up a post on Facebook going, who would be interested in looking for looking for some business owners who are looking to achieve 10x goals. I got 15 people apply. Worked with 10. I found that what I had done was actually replicatable, and that I was able to teach people to do it, and in doing so, I was able to help. I was inspiring. That not only inspiring them, but that was helping inspire other people too, to unlock their greatness and to basically live the life that they wanted. So out of that grew my business and possible goals. Now I'm growing that to help more and more people across the world to unlock their greatness.

Ipek Williamson: 00:29:51

Well, this is you're a great storyteller, David, let me give you that you made me cry a few times. Times throughout this

David Walsh: 00:30:01

I made myself cry too.

Ipek Williamson: 00:30:03

Yeah, it's so emotional and so loving. Thank you for sharing all of that, and I am a big fan of TED lasso show too. I got so much from that too. But there's also a book that you have written, right? I want you to tell us about the book too, a little bit.

David Walsh: 00:30:25

Yeah. So the book is called, thank you. I love you, and I've got a little short story about that. When I was caring for Lena in her last five and a half weeks at home, Lena is the sort of person who doesn't like to be made a fuss off, and so it was difficult for her to accept people having to take care of her. So every day, she would say to me, Honey, I'm sorry. And I knew I had to change her mindset, and I had to change it very quickly, because her fight wasn't with me or people who are taking care of her. Her fight was with the cancer, and I wanted her to focus all of her energy on that. So I was going, what can I like this? Quick deals. Go, what can I do? So I said, Honey, honey, honey. I said, I should go, what? I says, just we don't do. Sorry here. And she looks at me, I says, what do we do? I says, we do. What do we say? She goes, thank you. I love you. I says, Yes, honey, we do love and gratitude here we don't do sorry. I said, Honey, thank you. I love you too. And I was actually thanking her and loving her just as much as she was with me, because I was learning so much like I had to step up as a husband. I had to step up as her protector. I had to step up as the person who was literally taking care of her when she couldn't take care of herself. And my growth in those five and a half weeks was massive. It was literally exponential. Went in as and what it came out as were two very different men. And so I was thanking her every single day for the lessons she was teaching me, and she was thanking me every single day for being there for her and being her rock. And that's why I called the book. Thank you. I love you. Now, how the book came about shortly after Lena had passed, our friend who had dreamt had came to who Lena had came to during her dream, had came to her after she passed, and she goes, You have to get the book out. I says you have to get the banner go, what Lottie book? I have no idea about a book. What book? And I know, is it a YouTube book? Is it a this? Is it a business? And I'm going, what book Am I to get out?

David Walsh: 00:33:01

But January about, yeah, January, January 2022, I just got this feeling, I have to write Lena story. I have to write Lena story. And so I said, right, I'll spend a morning. I'll spend an hour in the morning. I'll just write up story after story after story. So I said I'd give myself if I write, if I write 1000 words in the morning, fine, that's enough. I can put it away and then get back to doing my day job. Now, what I quickly found is that I would spend 123, hours, and I am just writing, and I'm writing, and I know I felt like it was one of the moppets, and my hand was just like going non stop, and I'm thinking, Oh, that's a good story. And then then that would be another one, and another story would come, and another story would come, and another story would come. And within, I'd say, four months, five months, I had the majority of the book written, and I don't even remember a bit of it, I was completely in flow. It was a cross between being in flow and Alina channeling the book through my fingers. It's like she had control of my fingers, and everything was just coming up into the document. So that was there. And then I was working on some stuff. Then I got working on the impossible goals. So I got parked to one side till June, June last year, when they had the the BU event in Birmingham. So the wonderful Eric and Julie were on the way to the event. Eric Thorson were on the way and said, Hey, we're coming through Dublin. Do you have fancy meeting up for the day? And it says, Sure, let me know when you're coming in. So they were landing on the Wednesday, and I forgot all about it till the Monday. And he goes, Oh yeah, we're coming on Wednesday. And it says, Well, you're in luck, because. My whole day is free. So I said, Yeah, we can meet up. So Eric said to me, it says that we're going to this event. Didn't tell me anything about it. We'd like to invite you. What are you doing on the weekend? And I'm going, it's a bit short notice, isn't it, you know? So I looked at the calendar. It wasn't happening. It's like, I wanted to go, but it wasn't happening. So it says, look, look, we're We'll buy you a ticket, and you just get over there. You can stay with us. We've got an Airbnb, whatever. It says, okay, so I sort of checked in and says, Am I going to the event? Yes, okay. But why can't I go? I said, because every time I checked for a flight on the Saturday, I couldn't get it. I couldn't get it, I couldn't get a flight. All flights are booked. Nothing was event. I'm gonna go. What is it? And I was, I was checking in again, am I going to the event? Yes, okay. But why can't I get a flight on the Saturday? And then I sort of asked again, am I going to the event? Yes. Am I to go on this Sunday? And I got a yes. And all of a sudden, when I changed my flight from Saturday to Sunday, everything was available. So there was a reason. I wasn't meant to go on the first day, but I arrived there at the BU event in Birmingham on the Sunday, and Eric had set it up that I would have a meeting with Steve Hardison. So I had the book in the back of my mind. I had no expectation of the meeting or whatever. And so we got around to talk about the book, and he goes tell me about the book. So I gave him a brief overview. I told him about the story, about Thank you, I love you, and how did the title came about. And he goes, You have to publish it. I went, Ah, crap. Says, How could you send me a copy? And I went, Well, I've got four chapters to finish, and then I can send it to you. He goes, right. Here's my email address, here's my phone number. Send it to me. Text me when it's done and let me know you have email to me. Okay, so I'm like, right? I'm under pressure now to get this thing done. So as soon as I got back from Birmingham, I'm like, I've got to get it finished. I've got to get it finished. So wrote the next four chapters, read it through a couple of times. Made sure there was as many typos taken out as possible, that it was it was legible at least, that somebody could understand it, and emailed it off to Steve. Two weeks later, he goes, You have to get this out in the world. You have to get this out in the world. Let me know how it can help. So decision was made, and I was looking at a date, and I said, Well, lena's third anniversary of our passing was coming up. I think that would be the good date to release the book. So did everything I could. It was like going hell for leather. But we launched a book on October 10 last year, and here it is in the flesh.

Ipek Williamson: 00:38:04

It's beautiful, beautiful, and it is an amazing testament to your commitment, to Your late wife, beautiful wife, and to your purpose, really,

David Walsh: 00:38:18

Yeah, because, like, this is part of that too. It's to, you know, it's, it's not just a book about Lena and I. It's actually a book about helping you overcoming a tragedy in your life, and how you can turn that around into a triumph, like I did, like when Lena took her last breath, my world literally collapsed. I had no idea what to do. I was sobbing. I was crying. I had I, you know, this is the first time I'd lost a wife, you know. So it's not something you learn in school or anything. So it's like I had no clue. Everything that I believed in and had thought was going to happen had just evaporated in an instant. And so being able to take that and being able to take the unconditional love that Lena was teaching me to experience and teaching me to give her when she was ill, was that thing that flipped it around and then understanding why Lena died the way she did, also gave that purpose to as well that we had, she had, actually it was her plan to die the way she did, because she had the strength to take on the cancer, not just once, not twice, but three times, and to take on the suffering that the cancer was going to cause her. And I had the strength and resilience and endurance to be able to take that life altering moment and then be able to turn that into something good,

Ipek Williamson: 00:39:53

Using it as an inspiration

David Walsh: 00:39:55

Absolutely every single day, every single day. Guy, because, like, I know that Lena did not die in vain. It was her plan. This was what she took on for, literally, for the world, and that it's my purpose to use that and to share that and to help others with that every single day. Yeah,

Ipek Williamson: 00:40:17

I believe David. Every adversity, every heartache comes with three gifts. One is knowledge, learning from that experience. Second is power, making us stronger, more resilient, and the third is inspiration to pass it along to others and you, I see that this, everything you experienced, gave you all those three gifts, and that came through your beautiful wife, Lina, absolutely. Thank you. I want to ask you something that I would like you to share with the business owners and entrepreneurs. What advice would you offer to someone who feels stuck, overwhelmed or disconnected from their deeper purpose? Deeper why?

David Walsh: 00:41:18

Great question. Great question. And funnily enough, I've been working with a number of people who were in exactly that same situation, and that's where I was, too. And the thing is, it's about reconnecting with that little voice that's been inside of you probably since you were a child, about this thing that you really, really, really, really want to do, but you are so scared of bringing that out to the world that people will not like you for or people will just run away from you. It's this thing that you're most scared of is the thing that you're here to do, and this is why I like even though I ignored shutting down my business for 12 months. It it got to the point where it was not going to be ignored anymore. It says you have this thing you have to do, and people who are stuck are the same. They're focused on on a thing over here, which they think they've to do. But in fact, it's probably over here, or it even could be right beside it. It could be just minor shift to realize, Oh, it's this little thing here, not this big thing over here, but that minor shift will give not just our purpose, but fulfillment too. Because when you are able to take something that you want to do yourself, where you want to have that autonomy to do and you share that with other people, and you because everybody has this gift inside them that can help other people. And when you're able to, as I said, have that autonomy to to not only share the gift, but express that gift that you have and then be able to help other people with that gift, irrespective of whether it is 10 people or 10 million, it's not about the quantity, it's about the quality of your gift. You could help 10 people that will help 100 million people. That's a billion people right there. It's not about the quantity. It's about the value of your gift. And everyone's value is going to be different in different areas. Some people are going to help more people, some people are going to help less. It's not about the quantity, but you have this gift, and when you can tap into those and help those people, that your gift is to help, that's when you will have the most amazing fulfillment ever, because you are fulfilling what you are being put on this planet to do.

Ipek Williamson: 00:43:46

You're preaching to the choir, David. Because what I believe is people are like icebergs. The tip of the iceberg is what we see. Yeah, but the potential they have is what we don't see under the water

David Walsh: 00:44:06

Absolutely. And it's that thing that we hide, is the thing we have actually to show that the thing that we're showing we think the world wants to see and stuff like this. No, it isn't. No, it isn't. Because when you can show that real you, that authentic you, those people who who have that facade too, are going, Oh, thank God. I was like, I wanted to do the exact same thing, but I felt I couldn't see you. Give people permission to be themselves too, because in the world of where everyone looks gorgeous on Instagram and everything's filtered blah, blah, blah, and Bo talks to the nines, and when you can turn around and go, I don't need any of that. I'm being me, sharing me with the people who want to be around me. I don't need 100 million followers or a billion followers. On Instagram to feel that I have worth it could be 10 people. It could be 10 million. It doesn't make a difference. I know my true value. I know who I can help. I know my who my tribe is. I know who, who are the people I love to be with, and I know who I don't love to be with to and when you can step up and go, I own that that is me, then everyone else will be jealous because you're doing what they want to do, but they feel they can't.

Ipek Williamson: 00:45:34

Yeah, because you are in your element, you are in flow, as you say,

David Walsh: 00:45:39

Exactly you are you? You are that raw thing that no one can do anything to. Like when I lost leader, I was like, I realized I was the one of the most dangerous people on the planet, because I had lost everything, no one could take anything else away from me then, and I says, I have an opportunity now to build the world the way I want it, because I literally have nothing, nothing. My heart was ripped out. My life didn't seem like it was worth living for till I realized I now have this just this Ember, this Ember is left that love that Lena left me with, and I still have today. I have that and that little Ember is what turns you into the Phoenix, and that's what turns you, turns your life around from being utter nothing to the world and the universe that you want to create and live in

Ipek Williamson: 00:46:38

How beautiful. So now I want to ask you the my signature question. Oh, yes. So on the ultimate coach book, as you know, there are some questions on the back of the book and on the first part before you begin section. So when you look at those questions, which one resonates with you the most at this point in your life, and why,

David Walsh: 00:47:13

The question that always comes back to me, especially, especially when you get stuck, is, who do you want to be like, who like? What is your identity? Who do you want to be in the world? And that one, that one always comes back like, because a couple of weeks ago, I get I was, I was in a stuck state, and I was like, going around. What am I doing? I had, I hit this barrier, and it just had me confounded. But then it was like talking with some friends, and they just brought me back to, who do you want to be? Who do you want to be? And it's like, oh my god, doll. You know, what is your identity like, what? What is that thing that you aspire to be? Because I knew I wasn't doing it, but I had, I have every potential to to be that person. Then I recognize, well, I'm actually 98% of the way there, but I'm just don't realize it. But when you pull it back to No matter when you're in a good state, bad state, or whatever, waking up every day and asking yourself, Who do you want to be?

Ipek Williamson: 00:48:31

Yes and who you are being, is everything,

David Walsh: 00:48:35

absolutely every single day, every single day, and like, when I'm working with clients, that's the one thing. It's like, oh, I want I can't do this and I can. Well, what do you want to do? Who? Who is that person you want to be? Oh, I'd like to do this. Well, why don't you do that? Then? Oh, yeah. It's a simple question, but it is, it is sometimes one of the most difficult ones to answer,

Ipek Williamson: 00:49:02

Difficult and powerful at the same time.

David Walsh: 00:49:06

Absolutely. And I thank those people around me who keep bringing me back to that question when I'm stuck. Okay, well, who do you want to be? I was like, Oh crap, yeah. I forgot Megan. You know, when things get really tough. It's this, like everything goes out the window. It's like, up back to who do we want to be? Yeah, okay, yeah. All right, gotcha,

Ipek Williamson: 00:49:27

Yes. Okay. Now my rapid fire questions, okay, the first one, if you could capture your wife's impact on your life in one word, what would it be love that's so sweet

David Walsh: 00:49:43

All day long, only one word.

Ipek Williamson: 00:49:45

Okay. Second question, what is one practice or habit that helps you stay connected to your purpose?

David Walsh: 00:49:55

Oh, great question. It actually is to really. Write down who I want to be. And recently, I've actually started to write down my intention for the day too, because I look at what's my long term goal books, what's my more immediate one, what do I want to get out of today? And so I write down my intention on my planner for the day, and also to be thankful. Gratitude Journal is an amazing tool, just a simple page, and ask yourself, What are your great three things you're grateful for today? Simple but so powerful.

Ipek Williamson: 00:50:33

It is journaling, writing. It's always so helpful, impactful and motivating. Too Absolutely.

David Walsh: 00:50:41

And in this day and age of of mental health and stuff, it, for me, it's one of the things to just get the stuff out. And when you look back, you can look at the pattern of, Oh, I was a bit low here. Oh, this is what I was thinking. Oh, I was bit low over here. This is how this, oh, there's a similarity and stuff like, then you can, you can start, can begin to recognize why, you know, what are the triggers that put you into that? And I've understood it's, it's sugar. For me, when I'm on a serious sugar binge, whether it's stress or travel or whatever, that I get very low thoughts. So as I Oh, interesting. So minimize my sugar intake, especially when I'm traveling and stuff, and I won't have major downs and stuff like that.

Ipek Williamson: 00:51:32

So interesting. My word this year in 2025 is awareness.

David Walsh: 00:51:38

Nice.

Ipek Williamson: 00:51:39

You see, by doing that, by keeping a journal, a diary, you raised your awareness around what triggers, what for you

David Walsh: 00:51:51

Exactly. I've now extended that to other areas, so it's like I'm keeping track of different metrics, like how you know, on a scale of one to 10. How am I feeling at the beginning of the day, how I'm feeling at the end of the day, how's my How am I feeling mentally, physically, that sort of thing, emotionally. And I'm looking forward to seeing how that what that looks like in a couple of months. So like, okay, here, here is a great month, but okay, this week over here wasn't so great. What was happening. And then I can tie back, oh, because I'm tracking my diet too. So I said, Oh yeah, I was traveling. Oh yeah, hotel food, oh yeah. I can say, yeah, yeah, gotcha. Gotcha. Got jet lag. Okay, yeah, yeah. So yeah, it, it's again, as you say, it's having that awareness of what are those internal and external things that are affecting us and the way we're living.

Ipek Williamson: 00:52:43

Absolutely okay. My third and last question, your music preference for work? Do you listen to music while working every day? If so, what kind?

David Walsh: 00:52:55

Okay, so it depends on what I'm doing. So if I'm cooking, then it's Frank Sinatra. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. So I'm literally shouting at the top of my voice, singing along to good all blue eyes. And when I'm in the gym, then it's 90s dance music without a shadow, without so yeah, all those, all those hits. So we enjoyed clubbing in the 90s. I'm getting sweaty and pumping lots of iron with with them beating in the background.

Ipek Williamson: 00:53:23

Yeah. I so love that kind of like Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, all those era

David Walsh: 00:53:32

It's perfect music. Whether I'm cooking or baking or anything in the kitchen where I'm making food, it's on straight away, straight away. That's my go to

Ipek Williamson: 00:53:41

That's beautiful, unforgettables for me and my husband, when we cook, we like to dance. So always it's Latino music.

David Walsh: 00:53:49

Nice. That's it south around the table, perfect.

Ipek Williamson: 00:53:54

Well, David, thank you. Thank you so much for everything you shared, for your vulnerability, for your stories. We are at the end of this episode already.

Ipek Williamson: 00:54:06

Yes, yes, it was lovely, but since then we just started. It seems like it right, but your story reminds me, and I believe anyone who has been listening to you, that even in the most challenging moments, there is an opportunity to find deeper meaning and purpose. It seems like through the loss of your wife, you discovered a mission to guide others on their journey of healing transformation and creating a life of impact. So I thank you so much on behalf of all our listeners for sharing your wisdom, vulnerability and inspiring journey with us today, until next time, keep stepping into the best version of who you are being our dear listeners to. Care and see you on the next episode. Thank you, David.

David Walsh: 00:55:04

Thank you very much. Bye, bye.

David Walsh: 00:55:08

TUCP Intro/Outro: Thank you for joining us today. If there's someone you know who could benefit from this conversation, please share this episode with them. Also check out our website, being movement.com you'll find valuable resources and links to connect to an engaging and wonderfully supportive community. Together, we can inspire and support each other on the path to a greater understanding of being until next time, take care and be kind to yourself. You.