
How Personal Challenges Have Shaped a Purpose-Driven Life
“Life isn’t about constant acceleration—it’s about pacing yourself to thrive.”

My name is Jon Berry, I am 48 this year born in the West Midlands. I was brought up in a fairly typical working-class family as the youngest of three kids. My dad was a graphic designer while my mum worked in various shops throughout her life. Despite this great family setting, I didn’t have the easiest start being born significantly premature with a small chance of survival. I have lived my life knowing my life is completely down to the skills and will of the people who worked hard at that hospital.

That difficult start made me appreciate life a lot more, I made great friends at school and was quite creative. I loved making stuff, my Lego creations took over the living room and pushed my parents to their limits. I was always middle of the class academically and in sports but was never disheartened, I was happy being the beige of the rainbow. I did enough to trundle through school and was more than happy with my close relationships with my friends.
I went to university in Cheltenham and had an amazing experience which was a great achievement for my family. However, some health concerns started to creep up like anxiety and stomach issues but I didn’t speak up. I just kept busy. After university, I got a job but the symptoms kept cropping up. Again I Ignored them, instead joining the London Marathon and the local rowing club. One evening I came back to get changed at 6 pm and the next thing I knew I woke up at 2 pm the next day. For the next 2 months, I suffered from intense fatigue and anxiety. After a happy start and flying career, I didn’t see a way out of this sudden darkness.
I sought help through the NHS which introduced me to mindfulness and I was eventually diagnosed with chronic fatigue. I began a journey where I was able to start to manage my newly named illness. There were so many negative voices online that essentially told them my career and aspirations were finished but I couldn’t accept that.
Chronic fatigue is still somewhat unknown, we don’t know whether it’s viral or neurological. It is very different in different people varying from muscular issues or neurological issues even encompassing things such as diet and consumption. For me, COVID was a very similar experience to it. It is something you just have to live with but I believe you can still shape a great life with it.
Before my diagnosis, I had been living life relentlessly. If my body was a car it would have been on the accelerator constantly. I became much more mindful of how to properly look after myself and understand how I could slowly improve and pace my life in a way where I could still healthily achieve my aspirations. My body is not some limitless entity you have to be honest with yourself.

After the recession the business I was working for collapsed and was taken over by a larger company. It felt impersonal and alienating. Me and three of my mates felt the urge to create a company we felt genuinely connected to, one that was a member of the communities it represented. It was scary but enthralling to run our own business. I was working with people I knew were clever and more importantly I was friends with. We were going to use our specialism of environmental consultancy to make something to be proud of. The first three months was really intense with our honesty and realness drawing in clients. Clients were drawn to us because of our message and transparency. The industry is plagued with corporate opaqueness so our honesty was able to shine through.

Tyler Grange, the business I began 14 years ago, was created as a space to help others thrive. Initially the startup had me from my back bedroom with only Henry the Hoover for company. It seems like a long time ago now. The consultancy is rooted in my personal values of; providing exceptional service, building a great place to work, making a positive impact on communities and staying on top of environmental challenges.

I’m definitely a “glass half full” kind of person! I’m energized by action, ideas, and the passion that other people bring to what they do. I’m an optimist with a playful streak, always looking for ways to make the world a little brighter. I Love being involved in our 4-day workweek initiative, and as a certified B Corp, Ienjoy engaging with B Lab UK and the Better Business Network. I’m also active with the East London Business Alliance (ELBA) and regularly volunteer for Park Run and Farms for City Children. Plus, I’m curating my own “Kindness Project,” where I explore and document random acts of kindness.

There’s always things I look back at and think I would have done differently but I always look back at it as a massive privilege. The sacrifices and mistakes I made have guided me to where I am today. I would say a key lesson I’ve learnt is honesty in all aspects of life is massively important. Crucially being honest with yourself. When I was diagnosed with Skin type 2 Melanoma Skin Cancer, I directly went straight to a client meeting afterwards and did not truly process what I was going through. Though I am extremely proud of the ‘Save Your Skin’ campaign I created to raise awareness of Skin Cancer and of course overcoming the diagnosis.
I’ve grown to truly appreciate the present. I’m a huge music fan and a collector of vinyl records. From funk and soul to indie and electronica, you’ll often find me hunting for the next live concert or digging through record racks in shops across the UK. I love walking and spend a lot of my Fridays with Freshwalks. Most importantly of course the importance of spending time with my family and incredible wife.

This blog was written by John Matthews on behalf of Tales to Inspire.