My Upside Down American Dream
In March 2020 I flew from Madrid to England, as high on life as I was in the air, just hours after a wonderful performance on Live TV. As the wheels touched the tarmac at London Heathrow and my phone came back to life, every single future event I had booked cancelled in a matter of seconds. During that 2 hour flight the world went into lockdown and my entire career came crashing down.
Suddenly my livelihood was gone. My profession has never been just a way to make a living but instead – the way I choose to live. Thankfully the one thing that did remain was my drive to find it. Without a single future gig booked I still trained every day, sometimes up to 6 hours. It was my own way of not giving up on what I believed in. All training spaces were closed so I returned to the exact place my entire career began – at the cricket field behind my house. 5 years on and here I was – with no place to train, no money and no future work. Life has a funny way of reminding you where you come from.
Around May I received an unexpected email from a lady named Kat proposing I take part in a new TV show called ‘The Go Big Show’, all the way in the USA. Due to the timing/nature of events I almost disregarded it, assuming the email wasn’t real! Fortunately I followed up and after my first Zoom interview with the producers I felt so inspired that I took a selfie and wrote in my journal ‘this day will change my life’. I was right – by agreeing to do the show I had unconsciously said yes to moving to America.
It was the first time I’ve been truly afraid to travel. Most hotels were shut, Air Bnb was not accepting bookings and flights had been diminished to leave only from a few large airports. If this gig fell through I had no plan B, security or accommodation, it was all or nothing. This didn’t deter me – in fact it inspired me. If you’re not willing to give something your all, you’re not going to get it back. So on August 8th 2020, I boarded my flight to Miami, being one of only two passengers on a Boeing 747. The only reason I was allowed to fly was because of my US citizenship, which since then has become my saviour.
Thankfully the show was real and boy was it an adventure! I lived in a hotel for two months – a Covid ‘bubble’ with no contact from the outside world other than the production team and contestants. A mixture of acrobats, sword swallowers, stunt riders, rattlesnake handlers and magicians… The parties were wilder than you could imagine, from professional scooter riders somersaulting down the halls, to someone bringing a pet tarantula to join the party! During the filming I met my close friend – Grace Good, a talented and encouraging circus performer. As the show came to a close, she convinced me to stay with her in Nashville. I began performing at Plaza Mariachi and unexpectedly found a home in Tennessee.
At the end of September 2020 on the day I was meant to fly back to the UK, I tore up my ticket and decided to move fully to the USA. With only a suitcase full of summer clothes it really wasn’t planned, but as I’ve learnt – the best things in life never are. Grace also convinced me to start Tiktok and utilise my social media. It became a huge catalyst for my career in the States. It’s the reason I get to share my story with you all. So thank you Grace!
From September 2020 until now the road has been as bumpy as you would expect from someone who decided to uproot their life during a pandemic, but in return I’ve received the greatest rewards. I came to the USA without a single industry contact and since then I’ve attended red carpet events, performed for 20,000 people for the NBA and gained over 1.5 million followers across my platforms… I went from being a complete unknown to being flown across the states to sign autographs. I got to live my own upside down version of the American Dream and I’m forever grateful to the USA for opening its arms to me when I had nothing.
Sometimes we have to get to our darkest moments to see the light of opportunity. Back during lockdown I trained every single day in that cold, rainy cricket field because I truly believed that there was more to come. Now I get to live it. When I said yes to The Go Big Show, I never expected any of this. No one in this world can accurately predict the future but by saying yes and keeping an open mind, the possibilities are endless. Never say no to an adventure.
Selfie after Go Big Interview
Travelling on an empty plane to Miami
With Grace Good and Callie Bundy at the Go Big Show
Signing autographs in NYC
My first NBA show, Golden State Warriors
