I’ve had a passion for inclusive fitness for about 11 years, but only done something about it for about 23 months. I never thought I’d find myself in a position where I’d start a company and have people follow me on this path. It’s weird, but so am I.
From ideation with the OG collaborators Larry, Benji and Ches, to the current Board of Directors and our wonderful investors I’ve been asked the same question – what’s my ‘why’?
As cliche as that question has become it’s an important one to ask someone, especially the founder of a business like WeFlex. I’ve had a range of answers which have all been true. But none of them have felt like a bullseye. Identifying and explaining a passion that is so central to who you are that it’s a piece of your soul is really difficult.
However I think I finally have an answer.
I love my brother… and I don’t know what I would do without him.
You see I’ve spent my whole life watching him navigate a world that wasn’t built for him. His ‘autistic’ label changes the way he is seen and treated. We had the same upbringing, and have been inseparable since birth – but because of his label we are treated differently. Our experiences of the world have been different. He’s had to carry the weight of that label whilst I’ve been free of that consideration. Don’t get it wrong, most of the time I care more about the challenges Jack has had to deal with than he does.
But I’ve learnt that these labels are only as heavy as the world makes them. As the world becomes more inclusive labels hold less weight, they interfere less, they shrink, they make way for the human being underneath.
An inclusive fitness industry is a small but important step towards that world, and I won’t stop until it’s here.
That’s my ‘why’.
