Simon Woodroffe. OBE is an original Dragon on Dagon’s Den and founder of the Yo Sushi restaurant chain. He believes in people doing things that are outside of their comfort zone. He talks about abandonment, being sent to boarding school aged seven, and being bullied and abused by the the Headmaster. The subsequent fear, low self esteem and anger he experienced into his thirties’ were masked by bravado and drink, sex and drugs. The latter resulting in a short spell in prison.. He then took hold of his life , immersed himself in 12 Step Recovery and self help. Acting as stage designer to Rod Stewart. Fleetwood Mac and George Michael took him to another level. TV fame came next with Dragon’s Deb. Eventually, founding Yo! Sushi and other successful companies. Generous, courageous, shooting straight from his practical hip…inspirational.

GARDENING
– At home with Pim in the North of Thailand or at our hut in the jungle near Hua Hin

HOBBIES
– Climbing: Have a “thank God hold”
– Sailing

TV
– Don’t watch much TV, other than on YouTube, and The Crown and Clarkson’s Farm

FILM
– Sound of Music and Spinal Tap

BOOKS
– Don’t read novels but read just about every pop biog, history biog and autobiog from business to entertainment and could answer MasterMind subjects on Mountaineering or adventure expeditions from the exploration of the south pole to John Hunt on the ascent of Everest and Chris Bonnington’s life.
– Joe Simpson’s Touching the Void

MUSIC
– Free Solo, Dawn Wall
– Know a lot of song lyrics from Ian Dury and Billericay Dicky, that I can recite, to much of the Beatles and Rock music of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

POEMS
– How to get rich, a poem by Felix Dennis I never get tired of, or
– Stop the Clocks, W H Auden on life and death

OTHER
– Insight timer: an app that, for 20 years, I have used both for meditation and my own version of yoga at 6am for 50 minutes, usually.

Scottish Doctor declared you need three things to be happy:
– Something to do
– Someone or something to love
– Something to hope for

If a young man aged 22, similar to yourself, knocked on your door, asking for directions, what would you say?
Curiosity and ability not to give up/resilience