Honouring you this SPECIAL Mother’s Day, which just so happens to also be YOUR BIRTHDAY! I LOVE you Mommy B. Thank you endlessly for the countless times you poured into me, when it must have seemed a fruitless task. I wish I knew then , what I know now. You were my anchor. My constant supporter. Your generosity in putting others first, and doing it with grace, has always made me incredibly proud of you. Thank you for being a quiet beacon of hope, and one of the pioneers of the vastly under appreciated WIND RUSH GENERATION. You sacrificed and endured, so I and so many others could follow our dreams and prosper as best we might.
Thank you for embracing, loving, nurturing, guiding, and pouring into the Cub. To witness you both in the kitchen together is heartwarming in every way. The firm discipline, and steadfast values that you try to pass onto him, will help him to become the incredible young man we know he’ll be. Although I’m 5,000 miles away, know that I love you more than I can ever express, miss you more than words can relay, and admire you more than my actions can demonstrate. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mommy. Xx
It really does take a village. Thank you @dmayid for helping shape this young man’s mind. From training him from the age of five when he was taken to your classes, having the integrity to fail him on a test when he didn’t have the right attitude and aptitude, was such an important lesson for him to learn. Then… COVID arrived and his love for Muay Thai dissipated. Cut to September of 2025 and the Cub expressed a desire to take up martial arts again. There was only ever going to be one Kru that I trusted to guide him on his renewed chosen journey. Thank you for welcoming him back and guiding his rediscovered love of the discipline. The manifestation in other parts of his life is wholly apparent. Your gracious speech yesterday, spoke volumes about who you are and what you’ve built @mayidmartialarts The Cub is focussed and ready for the challenge of attaining his next prajiad. Thank you also to @kru_sebastian and Kru Bri for your continued support and empowerment. And lastly. @hendrixtitusbarrow2013 So PROUD of you!! Keep going. I LOVE YOU!!! ALWAYS. Xx 👊🏾🙏🏾🫶🏾
Jet lag, an intense day of training, before three days of football in humidity whilst battling a cough and cold. Mucinex is the knight in shining armour. Challenge accepted. Coming off the bench with 15 minutes to go and finishing with an assist which was MASSIVE for the team for sentimental and emotional reasons, could only have been bettered by a goal, which the cub was rewarded with. We’re still climbing the mountain one step at a time, but the footing is becoming firmer by the day. Thank you @psgacademyusa for providing such a fertile environment in which to grow.
And just like that, the chapter that was summer break 2025 comes to a close. First day back to school today, and a year of new discovery and multiple adventures. Mountains to climb, obstacles to overcome and triumphs to celebrate. Love you SON. Excel, in ALL you do. Embrace the failures, and revel in your success. Upwards.. always ascending . Now soar. 👊🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
Another SON DAY in the books. However, commercially, today was FATHERS DAY. For those of us lucky enough to carry the title, EVERY DAY IS FATHERS DAY. Some days are better than others. Your mettle is tested constantly, the responsibility to curate and inspire, challenge and nurture tomorrow’s free thinkers, game changers and brilliant minds, is immense. Oftentimes, you’ll think of yourself as a failure. Sometimes…you’ll be so confident in your parental abilities, you almost convince yourself you should write a book which turns into the blue print for perfect parenting. Alas, those days are rare, and truth be told, a notion of fantasy. In my own experience, raising and guiding, supporting and challenging, often opposing, many times championing and ALWAYS LOVING my mini me is EXHAUSTING. In the last few years, the journey has been painful, brutal and, if you listen to your inner voice too much, a failure. In raising a free spirited, larger than life introverted extrovert, who’s opinionated, full of granite like will power, has a comic turn of phrase that can leave you in tears, yet still converse with you about world events, from a social, political and religious perspective, AND STILL WANTS to hold your hand when he walks down the street, and for you to tuck him into bed last thing at night, it’s at these moments, that the burden of Fatherhood broadens your shoulders, drys your tears, emboldens your heart, fills your tired body with love that’s incomprehensible, and makes this whole FATHERHOOD journey, the most exciting and terrifying but rewarding journey to embark on. HAPPY FATHERS DAY. I LOVE you beyond measure son, NEVER FORGET THAT. 🫶🏾🙏🏾
There are coaches… and then there’s these two!! In the minefield of various levels of coaching capabilities in LA, @thomaselliott.9 and Adrian Lamb are simply the BEST. Qualifications are one thing, but what they both bring to their sessions is a wealth of unparalleled experience at the highest level. Thomas made his league debut for Leeds United at 16 and went on to make over 400 appearances as a striker in his career. Engaging, supportive and always encouraging- his tailored sessions with Adrian Lamb as his strength and conditioning coach, equips players to be at their optimum for their challenging, but ultimately rewarding sessions. To all the young ballers that I know based in LA, if you’re serious about taking your skill set to the next level, see the link for the forthcoming pre season elite camps, and sign up for the nearest you’ll get to premier league pre season prep sessions in the U.S.
