The Lonely Chapter | Life Lessons from the Moments That Change Us

The money was gone. The guilt stayed with him.
At 17, Will Gryba believed he’d found a way to get rich quick. When the Ponzi scheme fell apart, he had more than his own losses to think about: he’d encouraged other people to join.
Now the creator behind Next Gen Personal Finance, Will joins me on The Lonely Chapter to explore why we fall for get-rich-quick schemes, how social media feeds the pressure to look successful, and what it takes to change your relationship with money.
Will also recalls losing £2,000 on dropshipping, using money his parents had saved for him since childhood. He shares how he later became so focused on saving money that he struggled to enjoy spending it, and why understanding his money habits meant looking beyond the numbers.
We explore money psychology and childhood experiences alongside practical lessons on credit card debt, emergency funds and preparing to leave a regular salary. We also talk about guilt-free spending, money conversations with a partner and the trip to Japan that helped Will see financial freedom differently.
What do you actually want your money to make possible?
Will Gryba:
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/nextgenngpf/
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@nextgenngpf
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdau2ah6Sxhb-jgpk2TnGWw
Between the Chapters, my Substack
https://lonelychapter.substack.com/

What if the life you worked for no longer fits you?
At 23, Yusef Smith worried it was already too late to start again. He left a career at BlackRock to study medicine, then later left the NHS to focus on Propane Fitness.
In this episode of The Lonely Chapter, Dr Yusef Smith joins me to talk about changing careers, finding purpose and the expectations that shape our decisions before we've stopped to question them. He shares the four currencies he uses to assess a career: money, time, location and impact. How much weight should each carry when you're deciding what comes next?
We also explore meditation, overthinking and the pressure to keep improving yourself. Yusef discusses the Sedona Method and his personal experience with TRE (Tension/Trauma Releasing Exercises), including the changes he noticed, disrupted sleep and difficult reactions reported by friends. I share my own first experience of TRE, including feeling calmer and finding the lack of control unsettling.
Towards the end, we talk about honest feedback, work-life balance and the friendships that need deliberate attention. Yusef explains why he sets reminders to check in with people, prompting a question about whether making that effort is itself an act of care.
Read Between the Chapters on Substack for my reflections on the questions and stories from the podcast.
Yusef's links and resources:
Propane Fitness
Propane Fitness on YouTube
Propane Fitness on Instagram
Dr. Yusef’s TRE video discussed in this episode

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One bad moment can make you question everything.
Confidence can take years to build, yet sometimes a single comment, mistake or setback is enough to make us doubt ourselves. So how do we rebuild that belief when it's been knocked?
In this episode of The Lonely Chapter, I sit down with Joshua Paul, founder of Fit4Football, to explore what really builds confidence, why we lose it and how we can learn to trust ourselves again.
Drawing on over 15 years of coaching experience, Josh shares his approach to developing self-belief, overcoming the fear of failure and changing the way we speak to ourselves. We explore why our identity can become dangerously tied to what we achieve, how comparison affects our happiness and why focusing on the process rather than the outcome can change the way we approach life.
We also get into ambition, obsession and the sacrifices that come with pursuing something you genuinely love. Josh reflects on the choices he's made in his own life, the things he's prioritised and what success really means to him.
Although Josh's background is in football, this conversation goes far beyond sport. It's about confidence, resilience, personal responsibility and learning to build a life that feels right for you.
Find Joshua Paul:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fit_4_football/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fit_4_football
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGcFqqcE7laGkHSs-SnLPFA
Facebook: Fit4football
Website: https://www.fit-4-football.co.uk/
More from The Lonely Chapter:
Between the Chapters: https://lonelychapter.substack.com/
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Working hard and still waiting for your chance?
In the first 'On Reflection', I return to three moments from my conversations with Iain Dale, Martin Seager and Corrie Mustafa, bringing in my own experiences of ambition, listening and appreciating an achievement.
Iain’s story of waiting to be noticed makes me reflect on asking for opportunities and taking more initiative with the podcast. An exchange with Martin takes me back to volunteering with Samaritans, and how active listening can help someone feel heard without needing to offer the perfect advice.
Corrie’s thoughts on chasing goals bring me to my own milestones: 100 podcast episodes and the Rock triathlon trilogy. I explore the pressure to keep moving forward, the exhaustion that can follow a big achievement, and making room to feel proud of what we’ve done.
Read 'Between the Chapters' here:
https://lonelychapter.substack.com/

What does it take to believe in yourself when you’ve grown up feeling like the problem?
For Corrie Mustafa, a small sense of purpose began in the 24-hour gym opposite his temporary accommodation. Boxing brought routine, friendship and people who wanted him to do well.
In this episode of The Lonely Chapter, Corrie joins Sam Maclean to reflect on growing up with ADHD, autism and Tourette’s, his experience of emotional neglect, and the loneliness of feeling misunderstood. We talk about how childhood experiences shape self-worth and relationships, finding belonging through boxing, and dealing with setbacks when you’ve put everything into something.
Corrie also shares what supporting other people now means to him, how his partner has helped him understand himself, and why having direction doesn’t mean the difficult days have disappeared.
Follow Corrie on Instagram (@coza_boxing) and LinkedIn.
Read Between the Chapters on Substack for my reflections on the ideas and stories from the podcast.
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