- Author, Federica Bendetto
- Role, BBC News, North East and Cumbria
- Report from Workington
When Nathan Askew was arrested in 2014 for crashing his car after drinking, he thought it was the wake-up call he needed to wake up and stop taking drugs.
Instead, he “packed his problems” in a suitcase and moved to Australia, only to return a year later with the same lifestyle.
Ten years on, Nathan, now 32, is not only sober, but also runs programs to help children and adults achieve their goals and gain confidence.
And it was the desire to lead by example, he says, that got him through the tough times and helped him turn his life around.
It was never the drinking that was problematic per se, Nathan says, it was just something that accompanied his regular cocaine use.
“I was always the instigator, always had drugs on me and took them myself.
“It just became a habit after I started taking it on nights out.”
When he was taken to a police station after the crash, Nathan’s alcohol test came back below the drink drive limit, meaning he was fired.
image source, Nathan Askew
In Australia he continued to drink and take drugs, although not as much as before.
But when he returned to his hometown of Workington, Cumbria, he simply fell back into old habits.
Nathan says his family didn’t know about his drug use and described himself as “devious” and “good at hiding it”.
“The hardest thing I had to do was tell them,” she recalls.
“But it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and they were very supportive.”
Nathan also didn’t fit the image of a troubled drug user, fitness enthusiast, and beauty instructor.
image source, Nathan Askew
In 2018 Nathan made history by becoming the first person to boot all three balls in Workington’s traditional Uppies and Downies mass football match.
The game, which has no rules and dates back centuries, sees players from the upper and lower sides of the city clash to try and move a specially made ball to a spot on the city side.
Whoever achieves this wins the game for the team and becomes the hero for the night, with the ultimate prize being the ball.
When Nathan won all three balls in the series, his now business partner Frank Johnston contacted him to see if he could help coach his son.
This set off a series of events that lead Nathan to where he is today.
“I was showing up and putting in the work, but having a business coach was the main transformation.
“From doing drugs and drinking to being part of an educational program where I saw people doing awesome things; business owners running successful businesses, doing physical challenges and being part of that environment made me want to change.”
image source, Alex Whiteman
It was Frank’s idea to have Nathan join the program, he says, and the pair went on to become business partners and fulfill the dream Nathan shared with his brother Darren — a former professional boxer — of opening a gym.
“Sometimes it’s about who can help you and how you can do better – and it’s okay to ask for help.”
In 2019, Empire Gym opened in Salterbeck, Workington.
“We started running our own coaching program called Empire State of Mind, helping people set goals and take part in challenges and I thought ‘why should people listen to me when I’m not leading by example, I’m a fraud’.
“You’re always good at letting yourself down, but you don’t want to let others down.
“My first drinking goal was just to stop for 90 days – a quarter of a year – but really it was one day at a time.”
The period around Christmas 2020 was the last time Nathan took drugs and January 3, 2021 was the last time he touched alcohol.
That year he was able to quit his job as a steel fabricator at West Cumberland Engineering and go full-time at the gym, which now has 900 members.
image source, Alex Whiteman
Since then he has taken part in dozens of grueling physical challenges, including running four miles every four hours for 48 hours and running a marathon.
“The idea of doing these challenges is not just to keep myself busy and fit, it’s also to build that mental resilience because life is full of challenges and the more challenge you put in your life, the more you build resilience you”.
Nathan has also worked with schools such as Workington Academy, UTC and St Joseph’s to deliver Project Unbeatable – a program designed to help children build confidence, set goals and find inspiration.
“It’s a choice for kids, it shows them that at any time you can choose your path, it doesn’t matter how far down another path you are,” she says.
image source, Nathan Askew
While he admits he doesn’t know if things would have turned out differently for him had he had the opportunity to participate in a similar program as a child, he is sure of one thing.
“I’m much happier, I’m more fulfilled. I don’t call [the gym] work – I say this to play with my mates.
“I go around talking to people and helping them. I have a life doing what I love.”
Nathan says the work for himself is far from over and is currently working with local coach David Barnes, with whom he recently completed a via ferrata as part of a team at Honsiter Slate Mine.
“I’m still working on my life – it’s every day.
“If you want to inspire people, you have to go out and do the inspiring things.”