From chasing the dream, to living the dream

What happens when the dream you thought you wanted and chased for years, turns out to be so far from what you wanted when you finally get it?

Hamilton born and bred Willy Munro, 28, started playing American football at the age of 15. Fast forward 10 years and he was coaching the sport in America, something he’d dreamt of for a long time.

But three days in, he realised he didn’t want to be there.

Now, he’s running his own business with clients from Waikato to as far as Europe and Venezuela, but how did he get there?

Willy had played American football for nine years when he decided to set himself some goals and started researching personal development to try to live up to his full potential. It was around that time when his team was looking for a new coach.

“I was studying leadership and our head coach left and moved back to the States and I was like, I could coach.

“I gave it a go and then I started applying everything I’d learned and it went really well. We won the championship in my first year.” 

It was then Willy decided to keep reaching for his dream. He was determined that if he wanted something to happen, he would make it happen. His hard work started paying off when he got to coach a New Zealand U19s team.

“Then I decided I was going to go to the States. I thought, if that’s the pinnacle of what I want to do then I’m going to make that happen. So, I made it happen.”

But just three days in to his new coaching position it dawned on him he wasn’t where he wanted to be.

“I realised this isn’t what I want. But it was a dream I’d had my entire life, so it wasn’t a bad thing. It was still the greatest decision I’ve made because I’m never every going to regret that, I closed the door.”  

Willy stayed on for the three months he’d signed up for, working 70 to 80 hours a week.

This was a massive change to when he worked in New Zealand and coaching football was his hobby.

“It was something I did for fun and then when that became the only thing, I didn’t think it was for me as a full-time career. But I never would’ve known if I didn’t go, so I had to go to figure it out.

“I still went hard, which was a unique challenge in mindset, still being committed when you’re not emotionally committed.”

Willy said he spent all his spare time figuring out what he was going to do when he got back to New Zealand. 

He’d figured out he still wanted to coach, as seeing people succeed was one of his greatest pleasures.

“I asked myself how I could give people an idea of their potential and what they’re capable of.”

As a coach he loved giving people the tools and strategies to fulfil their goals. 

“When they came back to me and they’re making this progress and fulfilling this potential that I’ve outlined - that was the greatest feeling I’d experienced in my life.”

Willy decided he was going to start his own business as a mindset development coach.

“When I got back to New Zealand I was very gung-ho. I was like, ‘I’m going to do this, I’m going to go full-time straight away’.”

Then reality hit.

“I didn’t know how to build a business and I’d decided to build a business in something that’s very hard because it’s such an intangible personal thing for everybody.”

He started by putting the word out on his personal Facebook page.

“I said I was looking for a couple of people just to start working with. I didn’t make my own method, I wanted to start with my demographic and see what their issues are, what are the challenges that they’re facing.

“I had my own story, I’d gone through that process of radically changing my entire world, but it was more about what did the people that I was working with need?”

It wasn’t long before Willy started working with people, but he had to get a part-time job to help cover costs while he got up and running. 

“Now, just four, almost five weeks ago I left that job two years later, to go full-time on my own business… that’s super exciting.

“I’ve built a massive online course – it’s what I do with people who want to make serious changes, but don’t know how… [it teaches] the core fundamentals of mindset and personal development.

“I created the course for people to go through as they might not be willing to reach out to me and work with me personally and share everything in their life. They can still learn all the core fundamentals of what I teach, but in their own home online.”

The course is called The Pursuit Academy and will launch this month. The course takes four weeks to complete and is made up of six to seven video lessons per week that concentrate on helping people build momentum in their lives, enabling them to reach their goals.

“That’s massive for me, and I’m working with clients all around the world – Europe, one in Venezuela at the moment, and just all over. We’re living in a digital world where there are no barriers as long as you have an internet connection.”

Willy has taken a year off football, but he said he would like to take it up again as a hobby as he will always be passionate about it.

Right now, he wants to better as many lives as possible.

“I’m in this to help change peoples’ lives and the goal is to do that at a large scale.”

Willy believed there were a lot of people that wanted more, but didn’t know how to make it happen.

“We are given the most sophisticated tool known to man – our minds – but we’re not given a manual. You have to figure it out… If you want to be above average you have to go on your own journey.”

The young entrepreneur said he didn’t like to use the term “life coach”, as he’s still young.

“For me it’s a mindset, it’s perspective, it’s beliefs, it’s habits, it’s creating clarity, it’s discipline and that all stems from the mind.

“I’m still 28, I haven’t lived life. I think a life coach typically touches people’s lives in a broader sense.”

After The Pursuit Academy is launched, Willy’s next project would revolve around interviews that would shed light on other people’s stories.

“It’s about shedding light on the side of the story that doesn’t usually get shone on. With successful people, we see the success, but the sexy part isn’t the grind… the ten years of hustling adversity. All success is is perseverance.

“I want to make that side of the story understood – not just the success, but the journey, the mindset, how people get through tough times.”

He said that kind of story was what people related to and he wanted to give people a different side to successful peoples’ stories. 

“My ultimate goal is to make personal development cool. I want it to be something people want to talk about.”

Willy said he was continuing to refine his theories and principles. Eventually, he said, he’d like to help people in lower socio-demographic areas that would otherwise not be privy to the tools that have helped him.

“I think everybody deserves to see what their life would look like if they went in full on themselves. Some people never have that opportunity, they just see what their parents have and think that’s all there is.

“If we can change their lives, then their kids can have better lives and we can break cycles. I’m not saying my way is the right way, I have several different ways of how I teach the same thing. It’s all about how people learn and how everybody’s mind works and finding what works for you. It’s important that people don’t look back on their lives and regret the way they live. 

“I just made a decision a couple of years ago when I started this that I’m not going to look back on my life and regret the way that I’ve lived. I refuse to.

“This thing I’m doing know, was hidden behind football and if I didn’t take the leap to go to the States I don’t think I ever would’ve got to where I am now.”

For more on Willy's story and about his business check out his website here.