A dad has spoken about how he went from riches to rags because of the global financial crisis in 2008.
Paul Holliday was a landlord and had 12 homes including a Porsche but that soon dissappeared.
The dad-of-two told the Liverpool ECHO he had been living the dream when it all went horribly wrong.
"It all happened so quick." he said. "It was Capital of Culture year and the city was booming.
"It was back in the show-off days and I drove a Porsche.
"I went from that to not being able to sell properties or do mortgages.
"It was like someone had pulled the phone plugs out of the wall."
Paul's 12 rental properties were scattered over the north-west of England, and he owned his own substantial four-bedroom detached property in his native Kirkby.
He said: "These things come to test us. When I look back, I could see the lifestyle I was leading wasn't too healthy at times.
"I was in my late 20s and early 30s, earning a lot of money and living the lifestyle that came with it, including taking recreational drugs.
"Then when my business went under I stopped playing that game and chasing a false dream.
"It's not the money and the car that's going to bring happiness. All you need are your family and loved ones."
After his business Quay Financial, based in the Albert Dock , failed, Paul emigrated to Perth in western Australia with his wife Mel and their two children Louis, now 17, and Elyse, 14.
He has now become a "wellness pioneer", forming The Human Excellence Project with his business partner Michael Henderson to challenge people from all walks of life.
Paul set up the project as a way of coping with the grief of losing his dad to cancer.
The 45-year-old said: "Having travelled for five years in my early 20s, I had always had a desire to come to Australia and so we took the opportunity to move out. It turned out to be a huge blessing."
Paul and Michael now come together each morning to swim in the sea and have been joined by a growing number of people, immediately seeing the health and wellbeing benefits of the Swim Rise.
Paul added: "Once we have been in the sea we get out, grab a coffee and a chat, warm up and some amazing conversations happen. I believe this will change the world."
