Adam's Story: Leaving journalism to find community

Adam escaped sports journalism to work full time on his latest project, Ambigo. Ambigo aims to connect communities around the world to help people achieve their ambitions. Here, he shares his story of transition...

I was one of very few people in the Escape Tribe [now the Startup Accelerator], who was dedicated to a career that was enjoyable; sports journalism. I was - and for three more months still will be - a TV commentator/reporter for tennis, mainly.

I felt proud of where I had got to in my career because I was living out my childhood dream of travelling the world commentating on sport, but had reached a stage where it was no longer fulfilling because my personal priorities had changed. I realised I wouldn't be truly content unless I was doing something that had a direct and significantly positive impact on people's lives. My problem was, I didn't have a clue what I wanted to transition into.

To make matters more confusing, I didn't assess what made me passionate thoroughly enough and so set about working on projects that were far away from what I really wanted to achieve.

For example, I dedicated myself for two months to opening a café which would give work opportunities to people with learning disabilities. I then came to the realisation that I had absolutely no motivation to run a café. I needed help figuring this stuff out.

I enjoyed reading the Escape Job Opportunities Newsletter and then one day I received an email about the Escape Tribe and how they cultivate a community of 50 people, which strives towards creating a life that revolves around our own definitions of success.

Initially, I baulked at the price tag because I barely had enough in the bank, but I felt it was a risk worth taking if it meant that I would come out much closer to forging a fulfilling career. It was the best decision I could've made.

It was the inspiring people around me that left me feeling a tingle of excitement in the belly each week in anticipation of heading to Escape HQ. Being part of a Tribe of 50 supportive, ambitious and intelligent escapees who all have the same goals and can understand and help you tackle the obstacles ahead was invaluable.

We forged an incredibly tight bond, so much so that many individuals felt comfortable sharing some gut-wrenching tales from their lives, enabling us to better understand them and support them to greater success.

I learnt so much about myself simply by being asked questions and being able to discuss my responses with other escapees.

For example, when one career coach asked us all the question "When was the last time you felt alive?" My response of "Er...well...giving somebody a Christmas present" didn't immediately feel very revealing, but when my partner in that exercise urged me to dig deeper, it unveiled to me one of my key ingredients to fulfilment: to do something that makes people feel valued.

It might not sound like an earth-shattering revelation, but it made me dewy-eyed because I realised at that moment that I had a clearer path ahead in order to work out what I truly wanted to achieve in life.

In the past year I've been hopping around the world - making the most of my last year in sports journalism - to continue to work on projects I’m excited about. I'm writing this on a coach on my way to the Spanish Pyrenees where I'll be gathering with some inspiring doers in order to work out ways to help ease the refugee crisis.

This has become a fundamental aspect of what I'm now working on after being profoundly affected by my time volunteering on the ground in Greece. All of this is to say that I've created the time to meaningfully explore my deep interests - known in Escape terms as 'chasing the tennis balls' - rather than playing it safe and chasing more journalism work.

To learn more about Adam's project, Ambigo, visit his website or connect with him on Twitter. 

Curious about the Escape School? Click here for more details.