Ollie Ollerton, founder of BreakPoint, takes all his skills and knowledge from his days as a soldier to train teams on how to be ‘mentally tough’
“Whatever the situation, the moment you decide you’re prepared to step out of your comfort zone is the moment you begin to achieve positive growth and development,” Ollie tells me. “It’s BreakPoint’s mission to help people with that step.” Ollie Ollerton grew up with his two parents, brother and sister in Derbyshire. Being in a strict household, Ollie was taught the importance of self-discipline from an early age. “My father was very heavy on the discipline and always having us help out around the house when the other kids were out playing,” Ollie said. “So much so that my friends were scared of coming round, in case they were roped into chopping wood or something similar.”
At the age of 13, Ollie’s father left home and went no-contact – which was a pivotal moment in his life. “It was hard on us all, especially my mum, and I wrote him letters but he wasn’t interested,” he said. At the age of 18, Ollie left his town in Derbyshire and joined the Royal Marine Commandos. He spent the next few years touring operations across Northern Ireland and Iraq before being promoted to the Special Forces. Ollie recalled the horrific turmoil and tribulations he faced on the battlefield, including escaping an ambush shooting in the middle of the desert. “I was transporting 12 journalists from Amman to Baghdad when we were ambushed by a black Mercedes with blacked-out windows and its passengers toting AK47s,” Ollie recalled. “Initially I had no idea what to do and panicked when I realised I didn’t have the support of a Special Forces squadron. But my training kicked in and, once I had my breathing under control, I was able to take control of the situation.”
After leaving the Special Forces, Ollie’s life sank into a downward spiral. He suffered from PTSD and developed an alcohol addiction as he struggled to adjust to normal day-to-day living. “That’s partly why I took to drinking heavily because it helped me relax, but it quickly got to the point where alcohol was controlling me,” he said. “In hindsight, a lot of my spiralling also stemmed from being unsettled and unsatisfied throughout my time in the military. It didn’t matter that, on paper, I was doing an exciting job, I was still unhappy.” Ollie started working as a private security contractor in an organisation fighting prostitution and slavery in south-east Asia. Helping people was his true calling, and Ollie found great reward in giving back to those who needed it the most. “Even though it was harrowing, it was deeply rewarding,” Ollie explained. “From there, things became a lot clearer in terms of putting those old negative experiences behind me and clarity washed over me that I could use what I’d learned in these difficult scenarios to help others. I suppose, in hindsight, I never discovered who I was until I left the military.”
Ollie decided to take all the knowledge and skills he gained out in the field and do what he loves most – giving back to others. He found a disconnect with discipline and structure across organisations, and realised employees desperately needed motivation and guidance on how to conquer their limiting beliefs. The mind is one’s greatest tool – and Ollie wanted to teach people how to take control of their thoughts to push themselves to greater heights. That was when BreakPoint was born.
Launching in 2015, BreakPoint is on a mission to help people achieve growth and development through interactive courses that stimulate you physically and mentally, helping unlock your true potential. You don’t have to be in tip-top shape to take part, as many of the exercises focus solely on building mental strength and conquering challenges in your mindset. The courses aim to identify organisations’ roadblocks, promoting growth, empowerment and corporation between employees and management. “If you can walk to work, you can do the in-person events, and we also run a range of online courses – rather they’re focused on helping people see the value in themselves,” Ollie explained. “From there they can take the first step towards challenging their self-imposed limiting beliefs. A ‘break point’ is the moment you find yourself in a difficult situation but decide to push forward regardless. It might be as simple as doing the dishes before going to bed, rather than coming downstairs to the mess in the morning, or it might be spending an extra hour on your business plan, rather than going down to the pub; we’re faced with them every day.”
Ollie explained how very often, organisations experience a disconnect with employees. Sometimes people can favour “competition over collaboration”, and at other times prefer taking the safe route and shy away from risks – which can be a massive pitfall, especially in an entrepreneurial sense. “Simply put we are not encouraged to rise to challenges,” Ollie said. “It is deemed that the right path is to play it safe and not venture from the well-trodden path of security. Courage is the ability to throw ourselves at anything, without a guarantee of a successful outcome. Whilst in a world of individuals faking perfection, words like courage are becoming more alien than the alien itself. We are losing the value of helping each other, creating a community-based model where teamwork is something you rarely find. Even in a tight-knit team or corporate organisation, we favour competition over collaboration.”
The true test of a business’ capability is during challenging times. With soaring energy costs, hikes in fuel prices, worker shortages, and a spillover effect of the pandemic and Brexit, many businesses are facing some of the toughest hurdles ever. Building your mindset is more important than ever – and Ollie aims to teach business leaders and employees exactly how to build mental toughness and unleash potential, allowing them to spur on through any obstacles that may come their way. “With the knowledge and skills to tackle everyday challenges. We can all be great leaders and team players in good times,” Ollie said. “The true test of an organisation’s minerals is when the pressure’s on and we’re tested. We need to learn to be grateful in tough times and thankful for the problems presented. This is where growth and learning will furnish us all with the armour and knowledge to tackle the battles ahead.”
In a few words of advice to business leaders on how to stay mentally strong, Ollie said: “Embrace discomfort for long-term gain. Learn to understand who you are and how you’re wired. Make your goal far bigger and more appealing than the reason to give in. Understand that our inner thoughts create our external reality and anything we focus on becomes bigger so choose your thoughts wisely!”
