On paper, Martin Sharp looked like he had it all – a happy marriage, three wonderful kids and a high-powered job able to fund a great lifestyle for all of them.

As an enterprise architect business consultant for more than 20 years, Martin worked with major corporations helping them with large-scale changes, from multi-million-pound product launches to mainline asset transfers.

But aged 44, he shocked everyone by deciding to become an apprentice and going back to his studies to become a personal trainer and online health and fitness coach.

Martin, who lives in York, made the change after a wake-up call and successfully losing 40kg in over a year. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, he lost 97 per cent of his clients and income overnight, but instead of panicking about the future, he saw it as an opportunity to overhaul his life.



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Now 48, Martin recalls: “I took a lot of exams and qualifications but it wasn’t about getting six-pack abs, it was about being happy and helping others to be happy. I still enjoy business consultancy, but it isn’t my passion or what lights me up. What I really love is hearing from clients who are now able to play with their kids without getting out of breath.”

Martin now has his own health and fitness business, Sharp Fit for Life, which helps busy professionals live happier and healthier lives. He believes many business owners and people in high-level corporate jobs struggle to maintain their health and fitness due to a high-pressured life with long hours and travel.

This is something Martin discovered for himself when his lifestyle as a business consultant saw his weight balloon, his joints ache and his heart race. Keen to avoid the health issues which had plagued his family, including cancer, diabetes and fibromyalgia, he began his own journey to become fitter and healthier.

However, it took him five years of trying everything from slimming groups and fitness classes to fat-burning coffee and karate before he found a solution which actually worked with his own lifestyle. The turning point came when he was introduced to an online coach at a speaker event in Kent who then created a programme tailored to his individual needs.

Martin is now about to launch a new online programme designed to help people use the skills they have developed in their careers to prioritise their health and wellbeing and improve their performance in all areas of their lives.