A few months into his graduate programme to become a hotel manager, Edward Pike decided to quit and instead, get his Personal Training certificate. But something life changing happened to Edward three days before moving from Manchester to London... Now we've all come across some life defining moments. And what I appreciate so much about Edward's story is that he didn't sit back and wait for someone to come and save the day. No, Edward went out of his own way and started his own foundation to help other men, who like him, felt lost after being diagnosed with HIV. In 2015, this concept evolved into the Thrive Programme, supporting a group of newly-diagnosed HIV+ men to improve their emotional, mental and physical health. Thrive was developed in partnership with the Peel Institute, with support from 56 Dean Street (NHS) and Positive East. Because of its success, they created an independent charity called the Thrive Foundation. Edward has written for publications including The Guardian and SALT Magazine, and continues to write for the Huffington Post. As always, I'd love to hear from you and what you got out of this episode. Send me a Tweet (@markleruste) or drop me a line on Facebook (www.facebook.com/markleruste). Thank you so much for tuning in and enjoy today's episode! Mark x --- Subscribe now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/unconventionalists-mark-leruste/id1029651449?mt=2 SHOW NOTES: www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/35 GET IN TOUCH Website: www.theunconventionalists.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/markleruste Twitter: www.twitter.com/markleruste YouTube: www.youtube.com/markleruste