I've known Josh for a few years though social media and I've watched his journey over the years and I'm always amazed by his constant resiliency. He has had many challenges along his journey but they never stop him, if anything he just gets back up stronger
He started cycling because he was experiencing depression and was looking for something to turn his life around. In 2015 he found himself in a very dark space after splitting up with his long-term girlfriend, which led to him attempting suicide by intentionally crashing his car at high speed on the motorway near his home.
After surviving this attempt, he knew he had to do something different and try to turn his life around. He attended a talk in Edinburgh where Sir Chris Hoy was speaking, and his story really inspired me. He made the decision that he would get into cycling and try and cycle around the world. This was how it began
In April 2019, Josh set off from his home in Scotland to cycle around the world. Making good time and finding great adventures along the way, Josh was a mere 2000 miles away from completing his journey, when in December he was hit by a truck while cycling along Highway 36 near Temple in Texas, where he sustained life threatening injuries.
However just nine months later, he has set a new record for the North Coast 500 – riding the 516-mile route in the Scottish Highlands in a little over 31 hours to beat the previous record by less than 5 minutes.
His mission is to win the Tour De France in 2026. Remember where you heard it first!
Some key points from our interview:
- How he managed to find the strength to keep going despite having suicidal thoughts
- How listening to a talk by Chris Hoy motivated him to cycle around the world despite being depressed, overweight and unfit
- How cycling changed his outlook in life and helped him to give up his unhealthy life choices
- How he's always been very honest and authentic with both his cycling and mental health journey on social media
You can find more information about Josh here: https://www.joshquigley92.com
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"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.
Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.
She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.
You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/
Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
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