Hey, I’m Krish. Founder of Tales To Inspire.
My journey is one that has been shaped by resilience, growth, and a deep belief that no matter where we start in life, we all have the power to rewrite our story and use that story to inspire others.
From as far back as I can remember, all I wanted was to be a professional footballer. That dream came true when I was 18 but life had other plans. An injury ended my career before it truly began, and with it went my sense of identity. For a long time, I felt lost. I’d spent years chasing a life that I thought would make me happy, and I didn’t know who I was without it.
It was in that space of uncertainty that my journey of self-discovery began. I travelled to the United States, where I would spend the next five years living and studying there, on a football scholarship, hoping to find direction. Instead, I found something much deeper. I met people from all walks of life who opened my eyes to new ways of thinking and being. Through those experiences, and through discovering Nichiren Buddhism, I began to understand that true fulfilment doesn’t come from what you achieve, but from how you live and how you serve others.
It wasn’t an easy transformation. It meant letting go of old beliefs, learning to listen more deeply, and finding gratitude in even the hardest moments. But in that process, I started to rebuild my life around compassion, connection, and purpose. I started connecting more deeply with those around me and learned the value of community.
In 2017, that purpose lead me to running 115 miles from the west coast to the east coast of the UK, raising over £10,000 to help build a schoolhouse in Uganda. Today, that school educates more than 150 children each term and is a reminder that hope can start from even the smallest spark.
When I returned to the UK, I faced countless job rejections, but I refused to let that define me. Instead, I focused my energy on my local community, which lead to running a homeless outreach group in my home city of Manchester. Each week I went out onto the streets of Manchester, connecting with the homeless, and listened to their stories, their pain, and their dreams. I learned more in those conversations than any classroom could ever teach and so, in 2019, I decided to swim 53 miles across the Lake District through Swim4Shelter, raising funds that helped 36 individuals move from the streets into stable employment and independence. Then, one normal Wednesday evening in Manchester, my life changed forever. I was sitting beside a man who had experienced homelessness, and he said to me:
Those words rang through me and resonated with everything I had learned since my journey of self-discovery began in the US. They reminded me that every single person, no matter who they are or what they’ve been through, has a story worth sharing. That was the moment Tales to Inspire was born.
Since launching in 2019, Tales to Inspire has become a movement that shares real-life stories from people who’ve faced adversity of some kind and turned it into purpose. These are stories that remind us what it means to be human – to struggle, to grow and to rise again.
Through this journey, I’ve had the honour of speaking on a TEDx stage, visiting schools, corporate events, and communities around the world, sharing stories that touch hearts and inspire action. To date, I’ve spoken to over 100,000 people, from young students to business leaders, each conversation reinforcing one truth: when we share our stories, we give others permission to believe in theirs.
Alongside Tales to Inspire, I also co-founded StoryOak, a service that captures personal and family legacies on film, preserving the essence of who we are for future generations. Because our stories are not just memories: they’re gifts that can live on, generation to generation.
My approach is simple: I speak from the heart. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I believe in the power of honesty, vulnerability, and hope. Whether I’m standing on a stage or sitting across from someone, my goal is always the same: to inspire people to look within, to believe in their worth, and to live with purpose.
Because every story matters.
And yours could be the one that inspires someone else to begin again.
Krish
