A Perth man has told the Perthshire Advertiser how bad choices nearly ruined his life.
But, following a decision to survive and get fit, he has launched a fitness motivation company and returned to his homeland to spread the word.
Niall Roxburgh (30) is honest in admitting to being “in recovery from alcohol”.
His second anniversary of being sober comes up next Wednesday, on February 16.
In 2013, then aged 21, having just graduated from university, Niall and his then girlfriend left home in Perth and moved to Canada.
“I was young and naïve and being in a different country, being isolated, struggling to get by, I went down the wrong road and ended up using alcohol and drugs to cope,” explained the former Perth High School pupil.
“My anxiety and depression got really bad and on February 16, 2020 I decided enough was enough. I thought ‘let’s get control of my life again’.
The ex-pat Scot needed an intervention specialist and began AA 12 Steps, but then COVID came. Without meeting in person, Niall’s problems got worse again, he lost his job, he made bad investments, anxiety gripped him.
In his Perth High School days, he’d been a pretty sporty person. A member of Craigie Hill Golf Club, he had played every summer. And playing football with Luncarty FC had kept him “out of trouble”.
At this bad point, Niall started using exercise to regain his sense of purpose and self respect, but he found it hard to get hold of the equipment he needed to do gym exercise while the pandemic kept him at home.
Once he figured out what the best bits of kit were and where to get them, he realised he had the seed of a company.
“I founded Wolfburgh Wellness,” Niall said. “I have created perhaps the world’s first full home gym that arrives in one box and encourages people to exercise from home, or on the go, or ideally outdoors to try and encourage people to exercise on a consistent basis wherever they find themselves.
“For the mental health benefits not just the obvious physical benefits.
“The name comes from the wolf mentality of getting things done alone and focusing on yourself, which I believe is needed for a certain period of time to fix yourself.
“Wolfburgh is now my addiction and I want to show others that anyone can improve themselves if they look after themselves on a consistent basis.
“I was at rock bottom but I’m just your average guy like all of us. I am not a personal trainer, I had no contacts to help me launch the business in Canada, a very minimal budget to start a brand.
“But with hard work and a solid mental state, I truly believe I will be able to help a lot of people with Wolfburgh Wellness.
“Don’t be afraid to hold your hands up and admit you’ve got a problem, whether that be anxiety, depression, substance abuse or that you’ve done wrong in the past.
“The main thing is you accept who you are and what you’ve done and take the necessary steps to fix the situation and live your life in a positive manner going forward.
“By becoming the best version of yourself, you will be in a position to truly help yourself, then others around you which is the name of the game in my opinion.”
Niall revealed that he has made a huge journey in the last year alone: “Honestly one year ago, I was a nervous wreck.
“The thought of speaking on camera made me sweat and I couldn’t get my breath, but through a brick-by-brick approach, I am slowly getting better and now starting to share my message and story to try and help others and raise awareness about Wolfburgh.”
Niall’s box of fitness essentials is called the ‘Luna Pack’ and contains 15 “high quality training tools that will last for years.”
He started the company while in Canada, but now he’s back in Scotland, he hopes to interest people here in his free 20-30 minute workouts on Instagram and take it further, if they desire.
“I know how tight it is for people at the moment but I really want Wolfburgh to be ‘for the people’,” he explained.
“I offer free workouts and support along with paid programmes if people do want that extra structure and guidance but my aim is to make this as affordable and easy as possible for people.
“The concept is you don’t need expensive gym memberships and personal trainers to look after yourself on a consistent basis with Wolfburgh.
“I believe people want to do more exercise but time constraints play an issue in all our busy lives.
“All Wolfburgh workouts are 20-30 minutes long, with free guidance and can be done wherever they find themselves.”
Niall has decided to donate five per cent of all profits to mental health charities and he said: “I see the way the world is going and we need to do more for people’s mental health.
“I had severe anxiety and depression while living in Canada but now it is much more manageable because of consistent exercise and mind work.
“I was donating to the CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) but since returning, I want to help my people and will be choosing a Scottish charity for all donations going forward.”
See Wolfburgh on Instagram where anyone is able to access free workouts and advice. More info is available at www.wolfburgh.com
