Startup School People: Max Wallace

What is your name:
Max Wallace.

If you’re on Instagram, what is your Instagram profile name?
My Instagram profile name is @healthdefence

Briefly sum up who you are and what motivates you?
I am a 55-year-old Black British male, a father of two beautiful daughters and an adopted daughter, a husband to a beautiful wife (that’s inside and outside), and grandfather to a beautiful granddaughter. I’m a former professional boxer and now an advanced boxing/kickboxing fitness instructor. My motivation is helping people to achieve a healthier lifestyle, physically, mentally, and spiritually as it has done for me.  It has even saved my life – my motto is ‘Combatting Ill Health in the Community.’

What do you do for a living?
I am the Director of my own company called Health Defence CIC.

How long have you been doing this?
I started my company in March 2020 after being unlawfully terminated from my employment after sixteen years of loyal service and seeing the need for an affordable fitness programme for the community.

What do you find most satisfying about your work?

Seeing the transformation an individual has gone through on my training programme gives me a lot of pleasure and satisfaction knowing it has positively impacted their life.

Is your work primarily a means to an end i.e. money or the motivating force of your life?
That’s the motivational force that gives me the zeal and energy to push forward, watching the results of a few weeks of my programme. But I’m also hoping to reap the financial rewards at the end of all the hard work and determination I have put into setting up and building my company!

When you were 8, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was eight years old I remember saying I wanted to be a fireman but I’m not sure if I said it because I heard someone else saying it?

Did you get there – and if not, are you happy/sad that you didn’t?
No, I never got to be a fireman but I was in charge of Fire, Health & Safety in my previous employment, was diligent in fire prevention, and wrote many a Comprehensive Fire Risk Assessment. I’m not sad I didn’t get to become a fireman because I was able to do something even better and something I loved doing – working for my community as a Facilities Manager & Mentor in a local Community Centre.

What is your dream job?
My dream job would be running my own Well-being Centre for children and adults.

If UK-based, are you glad, indifferent or disappointed that the official pension age is rising?
I’m disappointed that the official pension age is rising because it puts more pressure on workers to remain in work past what they may have deemed to be ‘their time’, and no one has a choice in this.  Furthermore added stress can undoubtedly negatively impact on their physical well-being, ultimately leading to serious illness.

You can find Max at Health Defence.
Contact: [email protected]