Tales to Inspire was founded by Krish Patel, a lived experience leader whose personal journey is rooted in adversity, resilience and a deep commitment to positive change. From a young age, Krish dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. That dream became a reality at 18, but his career was cut short by injury. Behind the scenes, he had already faced racism, abuse and the pain of not belonging, experiences that would later shape his mission.
His search for meaning took him to the USA, where a chance encounter and the discovery of Nichiren Buddhism helped shift his focus from material success to
community connection.
In 2017, Krish ran 115 miles and raised over £10,000 to build a school house in Uganda. Back in the UK, after facing multiple job rejections, he found purpose by supporting Manchester’s homeless through grassroots work.
In 2019, he swam 16 lakes, covering 53 miles, through the Swim4Shelter campaign, a movement that helped 36 homeless individuals in Manchester into employment. But it was a moment, sitting beside someone with lived experience of homelessness, that changed everything. He said, “Stories are the pages that make up this book we call life.” That sentence lit a spark.
Later that year, Krish founded Tales to Inspire, an organisation that shares real life stories to inspire action and challenge the systems that divide us.
What began as one story has grown into a movement, where Krish is now supported by a network of Champions to provide Tales to Inspire with a wider leadership base.
Lynn Provoost Assistant Head Teacher, The Derby High School
