Simon Morrell

Simon Morrell is a martial artist, author and fear-control coach whose life story has inspired readers around the world. Bullied from the age of five and struggling with panic attacks and agoraphobia as a teenager, he found confidence through martial arts, encouraged by his wife Julie and later mentored by the author Geoff Thompson.

Simon went on to become an 8th Dan black belt, competing in full-contact kickboxing and training in boxing, wrestling, karate and Krav Maga. Together with Julie, his partner of 40 years, he runs a busy gym where he coaches students of all backgrounds, many of whom come to him to learn how to manage fear, and the club has produced numerous kickboxing champions.

He is the author of From Bullied to Black Belt, which has a film production company attached, and its sequel, An Everyday Warrior, in which he writes honestly about his recovery from alcohol dependency. He is also developing One Punch, a film project about the impact of alcohol-fuelled violence. His motto: "Where there is courage, there is hope." Simon joined our host for a 1-to-1 episode of The Legacy Bench.