👋 Meet Adrian Close
From Silent Struggles to Global Leadership trainer

5 am club

Multi-award-winning business owner

Leadership trainer

Author

Mentor

Husband and Dad

  • Volunteer D of E Supervisor and outdoor leader
  • Eternal optimist
  • Adventurer

… and once upon a time, a teenager who couldn’t read out loud in class.

Grow in Confidence and Life Skills

Learn From Real Experience

Unlock Your True Potential

A Real Safe Space to Grow

Confidence didn’t come naturally to me.

At school, I struggled. Not with the work, but with believing in myself. I couldn’t speak up in front of people, never read in class, and spent years hiding behind a mask of false confidence by hanging out with the wrong crowd. It was easier to act tough than to admit I was scared. Scared of being judged. Scared of failing. Scared of not being enough.

I drifted through school and into college with no real direction. I couldn’t even speak to people outside my age group - and speaking to girls? Forget it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

But everything changed when one person believed in me. A mentor. Someone who took time out of her day to help me take small steps toward becoming more confident. Step by step, it worked. That spark changed everything.

🌱 The Long Climb

I studied Sports and Leisure Management for three years, joined the Territorial Army, drove armoured vehicles, and even trained overseas. You’d think I’d be confident by then - but I was only 19, still finding my way.

A summer season at Butlin’s in Skegness helped me grow. Then I took a leap of faith and spent a summer in the USA counselling troubled teenagers and young adults at a summer camp. I was becoming someone I could be proud of.

But life had more tests in store.

I lost my job, income, car - all in a couple of weeks - and ended up homeless.

The only work I could get was cleaning floors in leisure centres. But because of the journey I’d already been on, I now had resilience. I cleaned with pride. Soon, I was back coaching sports and lifeguarding poolside - slowly rebuilding my life, and myself.

ButlinsAdrian in his 'Reds'

🚀 From the Poolside to the Podium

Eventually, I moved to London to learn how to run pubs and restaurants - very big ones. I worked hard, led teams, and won multiple national awards for leadership and innovation. That shy teen had come a long way.

Today, I run a global leadership and management training consultancy (Ultimate Leadership Training Ltd), working with organisations of all sizes to help people unlock their potential - just like I learned to unlock mine.

I’ve written three books, available on Amazon. I’ve climbed some of the highest peaks in the world, including:

  • Piton de Neige (Reunion Island)
  • Toubkal (highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, North Africa)
  • Machu Picchu (Inca Trail, Peru)
  • Kilimanjaro (the highest freestanding mountain in the world)

But my proudest adventure? Becoming a dad to two amazing children. I see their challenges in this always-on, social-media-heavy world - and I remember mine.

That’s why I created Bravory.co.uk.

Killi

💬 Why Bravory?

  • Because I know what it’s like to feel invisible
  • To doubt yourself
  • To think, “I’ll never be confident like them”

But I also know how to turn that around - and I can show you how.

Bravory isn’t about pretending to be fearless. It’s about becoming brave - one small step at a time. Just like I did.

Ready to write your own brave story?

Let’s begin.