Nick Capo
A journey shaped by adversity, ambition, and reinvention
From council estates to international sport, from prison to public life — this is the story of building strength where it mattered most.
Life Journey
A LIFE TOLD IN CHAPTERS
A story told in chapters — the moments that shaped the mindset, the mission, and the movement.
Born and raised on a council estate in Merseyside, Nick faced early challenges, including leaving school at the age of 13.
Despite these setbacks, Nick discovered a passion for Free Running during adolescence, achieving international recognition in the sport.
However, a significant turn of events led to a four-year incarceration, a period that profoundly impacted his life.
Upon his release at the age of 26, Nick embarked on a remarkable journey of personal transformation.
He emerged as a global advocate for physical and mental health, leveraging his experiences to inspire others.
His efforts and dedication culminated in being featured on the front page of the New York Times.
By the age of 30, Nick had become a self-made millionaire, a testament to his resilience and determination.
Chapter 1
Parkour & Free Running Career
As a youngster, Nick struggled to maintain interest in conventional schooling, likely due to his undiagnosed ADHD and ASD — conditions that were not identified until his late twenties.
In 2003, at the age of 13, Nick made the decision to leave high school and pursue his ambition of becoming a professional free runner and stunt coordinator.
In the decade that followed, Nick captained and managed one of the world’s most recognised free running teams.
Despite being little more than a group of teenagers “winging it” they went on to feature in advertisements and films, performing globally for some of the world’s most recognisable brands — including
Adidas, Red Bull, MTV, Converse, Puma, JD, Gio Goi, Henleys, and many others.
Milestone
Captained and managed one of the world’s most recognised free-running teams — performing globally for major brands across sport, fashion, and entertainment.
Chapter 2
Bodybuilding — Junior British Champion
The year 2011 was rife with injuries and accidents for Nick, ultimately forcing his retirement from free running later that year.
Undeterred, Nick took up bodybuilding in late 2011 and, by 2012, had won the Junior British title, received an invitation to compete at the world championships,
and secured a sponsorship with Optimum Nutrition — then the world’s leading sports nutrition company.
Despite remaining proud of this achievement, Nick is now a strong advocate against competitive bodybuilding.
The journey to winning the trophy resulted in a binge eating disorder and body image issues that continue to affect him more than a decade later.
Milestone
Won the Junior British Championship in his first year of competitive bodybuilding — earning a world championship invitation and sponsorship from Optimum Nutrition.
Chapter 3
Prison, The Downfall
Nick’s life took a dark turn in 2013 and, as he approached 23, he lost many of the personality traits he was most proud of. For a brief period, he became a very different person.
Prior to bodybuilding, his life had been centred on teamwork, adventure, travelling, community projects, and a group of unique, positive young individuals.
After winning the British title, Nick received a significant amount of attention from an industry focused on image, ego, vanity, and power. Regrettably, he embraced this culture and became entirely consumed by it.
As his original friends gradually drifted away, he found himself in increasingly seedier circles. He worked three nights a week as a doorman in Liverpool city centre, thriving on the violence and adrenaline that came with it.
With access to a wholesale drug network and an international contact list from his previous career, Nick entered a whirlwind 12 months of importing and exporting drugs, becoming involved with guns and gangs.
Despite earning more than his mother’s annual salary every single week, he was entirely miserable.
In August 2014, Nick was arrested and sentenced to six years for importing class A, B, and C drugs into Jersey.
To this day, Nick remains grateful for his arrest in 2014. Had he continued on that path, he might have ended up dead.
While he is ashamed of the person he became during that year, he is deeply proud that during his time in prison, he was able to rediscover himself.
Nick plans to expand in depth on this chapter in an upcoming blog, once it is finished and vetted by his solicitor.
Milestone
August 2014 marked the turning point: arrest and a six-year sentence — the moment the downward spiral stopped, and the rebuild began.
Chapter 4
Homecoming
In October 2017, Nick was finally free — disconnected from the underworld and reunited with his original friends.
After three years confined to a concrete box of despair, he returned with a desperate motivation to embrace and appreciate each day, living life to its maximum potential.
During his prison sentence, Nick was fortunate enough to be given an external paid placement at Recycling Lives’ head office.
In late 2017, using over a year’s worth of saved wages combined with a family loan, he bought a 50% share of Body Tech Fitness.
By the end of 2018, Nick had bought out his business partner, entirely reinvented the gym, and doubled its membership.
In June 2021, he launched a second site in Chester.
Alongside the gym, Nick continued to develop his clothing brand, Raw Iron, which he founded in 2010.
Milestone
Late 2017: acquired 50% of Body Tech Fitness. By end of 2018: full buyout, complete reinvention, and membership doubled — setting the foundation for expansion.
Chapter 5
COVID
In October 2020, Liverpool became the first city in the country to be placed under the new “Tier 3” lockdown.
When the legislation was published, Nick examined the legislation meticulously and observed that there was no reference to the health and fitness sector being among those forced to close.
The following day, the Prime Minister announced that gyms would be required to shut.
Believing this to be an oversight not supported by law, Nick raised the issue with local leaders and began lobbying MPs across all three major political parties.
His campaign quickly gained support from figures including Steve Rotheram, Joe Anderson, Janette Williamson, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and ultimately Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Nick’s efforts gained international attention, making the front page of the New York Times and appearing in over 100 global publications.
He promoted a government petition to urgently reopen health, fitness, and mental wellbeing facilities in Tier 3 regions — a request backed by extensive medical and scientific literature.
The petition amassed 630,000 signatures — a figure matched in recent years only by Marcus Rashford’s campaign for free school meals.
Nick drove this momentum through relentless appearances across Sky, ITV, BBC Panorama, CNN, Russia Today, and continuous advocacy on social media.
When COVID suspended the parliamentary petitions committee, Nick travelled to Chorley to meet Sir Lindsay Hoyle in person.
After reviewing the evidence, Hoyle agreed the issue was urgent and ensured a parliamentary debate would take place the following Monday.
Sixteen MPs were selected at random to attend the debate — all sixteen voted in favour of reversing the legislation.
On Nick’s 30th birthday, 23rd October 2020, national law was changed, restoring access to health and fitness services for 4.5 million people.
Subsequent studies from the British Medical Journal, World Health Organisation, and The Lancet confirmed that physical inactivity doubled the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Nick’s campaign not only saved thousands of businesses and jobs — it measurably reduced the risk of critical illness for millions.
Milestone
October 2020: led a national campaign that changed UK legislation — restoring access to fitness services for 4.5 million people and shaping COVID health policy.
Chapter 6
London Mayor Campaign
Brian Rose, founder and host of London Real, spent a decade broadcasting over 1,000 long-form interviews with influential figures — from Navy SEALs to US Congressmen to members of the House of Lords —
building a global audience measured in billions of views. In 2021, he launched his campaign to become London’s next Mayor.
During Nick’s health campaigns, he and Brian developed a strong relationship. Brian committed substantial digital resources to support Nick’s cause and the two became close friends.
Brian later appointed Nick as Health & Wellbeing Special Advisor during his mayoral campaign.
Milestone
Appointed Health & Wellbeing Special Advisor during the 2021 London Mayor campaign — stepping onto a public platform with the reach to influence policy and culture at scale.
Chapter 7
GRENADE
Physical & Mental Health Ambassador
During Nick’s campaign to reopen health centres amid the COVID pandemic, he received substantial support from fitness industry giant GRENADE.
Beyond the public backing and exposure, the team provided significant emotional support behind the scenes during what was likely the most high-pressure period of his life.
This enduring support fostered a lasting relationship with GRENADE, and CEO Al Barratt and his team will forever have Nick’s gratitude.
Nick has since worked with GRENADE on several projects, most notably his second campaign: “Work Out to Help Out.”
Put forward in a government petition in 2021, the initiative gathered over 250,000 signatures and ultimately reached the debate floor.
Nick compiled a scientifically supported health proposal projecting an annual saving in healthcare spending into the billions — a simple, cost-effective initiative to save lives and reduce strain on the NHS.
GRENADE supported the project fully, arranging television and press interviews for Nick and England Rugby’s James Haskell to bring national attention to the scheme and petition.
In December 2020, Al Barratt and Nick recorded a 70-minute podcast at Al’s home, available on GRENADE’s YouTube channel.
Milestone
“Work Out to Help Out” reached 250,000+ signatures and the debate floor — backed by a scientific proposal forecasting billions in annual NHS savings.
Chapter 8
Return to Prison
In July 2021, Nick’s life took another dramatic turn when Merseyside Police executed an unexpected arrest warrant on behalf of Jersey Police,
relating to a historic cannabis importation matter dating back to 2018 — in which Nick had introduced two friends who later went on to exchange cannabis.
Although the alleged activity had occurred years earlier, long after Nick had left that part of his life behind, he was taken to Jersey,
charged, and granted bail under strict conditions.
When the magistrate overseeing Nick’s case was replaced without explanation, his bail was suddenly revoked.
He was returned to Jersey Prison and later sentenced to serve consecutive terms for the same offence — an outcome that defied standard legal practice.
Nick received the heaviest penalty in the history of Jersey courts for the circumstances of the case, despite its historic nature and a substantial body of mitigation
and character references from doctors, politicians, and barristers alike — raising serious questions about the motives of the authorities involved.
This period proved one of the most difficult chapters of Nick’s life, marked by strained relationships, personal loss, and deep introspection.
After serving his sentence and enduring the emotional toll of incarceration, Nick was eventually returned to England and released.
Milestone
July 2021 marked another forced reset — a period that tested everything Nick had rebuilt, and reshaped the direction of his life once again.
Chapter 9
Freedom
In September 2022, Nick was finally released from prison — eight days later than scheduled.
He was informed that probation required additional time to discuss how to “manage his safety on release” —
a justification that felt deeply ironic given he remained in one of the most notoriously dangerous prisons in Europe during the unplanned delay of his release.
From the moment of his release, Nick sensed that the pattern of unusual treatment he had experienced in court and custody
would continue throughout the 22-month probation period that followed.
Upon release, Nick was presented with a set of probation conditions that differed from the standard framework.
Believing them to be unusually severe, he shared the conditions with his Instagram audience of near 400,000 followers.
In response, over a dozen probation officers contacted him privately, stating that the restrictions exceeded those typically
applied even in cases involving the most serious violent offences, including murder — despite Nick’s conviction relating to a historic,
non-violent matter and extensive evidence of rehabilitation in the years prior.
Over the next few years, it becomes abundantly clear that Nick’s public stance during the COVID period — and the success of his campaign —
had not been well received by those in positions of authority.
As one government official later remarked on a recorded phone call, they felt “embarrassed” by the outcome and were determined to
“see him fail.” Whether perception or reality, the experience reinforced a hard truth for Nick:
freedom did not mark the end of the battle — only the beginning of the next one.
Milestone
September 2022: freedom regained — and the start of a new chapter defined not by survival, but by resilience in the face of continued scrutiny.
Chapter 10
Body Tech #3 & The Customs Saga
This chapter is currently being written. A story of expansion, ambition, and an unexpected battle behind the scenes — where growth met resistance, and resilience was tested once again.
Milestone
January 2023: the third Body Tech site marked another leap forward — and the beginning of a challenge that would shape the next phase of the journey.
Chapter 11
Body Tech #4 & The Debanking
This chapter is currently being written. A story of momentum colliding with unexpected resistance — where growth in business met barriers in finance, and resilience was tested once again.
Milestone
2023: the launch of Body Tech #4 marked another expansion milestone — set against the backdrop of an unforeseen challenge that reshaped the way business would move forward.
Chapter 12
Probation Ends & The China Connection
This chapter is currently being written. A turning point marked by freedom from supervision — and the beginning of a bold new phase of global expansion, where opportunity met risk on an international stage.
Milestone
2024: probation concluded — opening the door to a new era of independence, ambition, and international connections.