Lancashire man joins forces with Ella Henderson and Sir Ranulph Fiennes to bring fresh look to 2024.

35-year-old James Burke, originally from Salford is the man driving the Master Your Life event which Ella Henderson will sing at and Sir Ranulph Fiennes will speak at. James is a successful businessman and father of three now but his life looked destined to follow a less successful route. He was homeless at 16 and close to suicide.

9.2 million UK adults describe themselves as drained and desperate and 16-24-year-olds suffer from loneliness more than any other age group.

James has known both homelessness and loneliness. He was thrown out of four schools, became homeless at 16 for 3 years and lost four loved ones to suicide according to Manchester-based James Burke. The 34-year-old father of three is now a successful businessman, speaker and award-winning author. The Master Your Life event is his brainchild because he is intent on giving back after overcoming incredible adversity in his own life.

James was born into poverty on an estate in Salford. One of eight siblings, the education and social care system failed him which resulted in him sleeping rough for three years in 2006. “I felt I had nothing to live for. I felt lonely, isolated and in pain which are all feelings associated with homelessness. I didn’t know how to feel better and I began to feel suicidal. His local boxing gym became his haven and soon he was on route to becoming a pro boxer. Just months into his professional boxing career he was diagnosed with Oestoporis. His new career was over and he sunk into a deep depression. At this time he was also dealing with grief after losing two people close to him. He was at rock bottom. However, his saviour came from an unlikely source.

“Books saved my life. I got through 350 motivational books in 5 years.” From there he got his first job at an estate agency in his local town, was promoted within 18 months to branch manager, won a prestigious award for driving the profits to their highest and then became a director of one of the UK’s largest property firms, earning a six-figure salary. This was all 5 years on from sleeping in shop doorways. Those who have seen James speak about his early life and how he managed to pull himself out of despair say his story is inspirational wherever you may be in life.

The Master Your Life day-long event will see James share his story alongside explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes who will talk about his journey, resilience and his methods on how to plan for success. There will be entertainment from singer Ella Henderson and a Q + A with comedian Paul Smith. Also speaking will be former UFC champion Tom Blackledge and best-selling author Michael Heppel.

The action-packed Master Your Life Event is on Saturday January 27 from 10am to 7pm at Birmingham Symphony Hall. Tickets are on sale now with a 50% discount for a limited time on the link below: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/master-your-life-tickets-755595816427