Tom Meredith

My name is Guy Marlow, I am an executive professional and live in Amsterdam with my wife and two daughters.

I didn’t set out to become an author, in fact the journey to writing the book took seven years. Even the writing itself was never meant to be seen by others. I wanted it to be my own journal, my way of reflecting on my emotions and feelings.

I didn’t have a plan in life

I was never one to chase big goals early in life. I left school at 16 and muddled through different jobs. I worked in a warehouse picking orders with a pallet truck. I got an office job selling travel insurance because it is warm in an office and afforded me daytime shifts. I applied for an analyst job because it was Monday to Friday 9-5, and not on the phones.

I ambled on until I met my wife and found the need to be responsible. It meant no longer drinking myself to oblivion on weekends just to emotionally get by. It meant saving money and thinking more clearly about a career trajectory.

And then a plan was born

Through a moment of clarity, I decided to create a ten year plan. The idea was to increase happiness in the home by creating financial security. No longer would I need to calculate how much I was spending as we went shopping at the supermarket for our weekly shop.

The ten year result was a Directorship. It was a north star, something I never expected to achieve given my lack of academic background.

During all of this, I also had a lack of self worth. I would put myself below others and be a people pleaser. Always looking for external validation because I could not give it to myself.

I struggled with anxiety and panic attacks. 

People would see a strong and dependable person externally. Someone who hit the gym and gave off the whiff of masculinity through his strong frame. But inwards I was always struggling. Always looking to fit in. It built an emotional weight that I carried on my shoulders, but didn’t fully realise.

The shift that changed me

A quiet shift happened because of this ten year plan. I was given the chance to move from individual contributor to a team lead position. Through this transition, I moved to another company. There I found I was respected for my knowledge and the way I approached people management.

As my career grew, my confidence grew with it. Through the journey I had many managers who had such a strong belief in me that it grew my belief in self.

6 years into my 10 year plan, I was made a Director. This was 2017.

As part of this transition, I was given the opportunity to go on a week-long course with 19 fellow Directors. One part of this was me being taken into a forest and given at least 90 minutes to walk around, stopping at numbers placed in sequence on the floor to think of that year of my life. It was a profound experience that started my journey to emotional development and inner peace. 

When life slowed me down

In January 2025 a quiet shift happened inside of me. I had been suffering with health problems for three and a half years. But 2025 became the year that it really took hold. Stiff arms and legs became bone deep fatigue. I couldn’t be me, I could no longer be the strong one and enjoy seeing people grow through mentoring them.

I had to sit with the effects of my physical health on my inner world. I started to write. This was to articulate what I was feeling. What the emotions were inside. 

I took the power to pause. Having stillness and solitude because of my physical limitations, it created a space to gain further understanding of my internal world.

One thousand words suddenly became fifteen thousand words. Topics such as vulnerability, self worth, identity, emotional masks, feeling unseen and so much more showed up on the pages.

I reflected and realised there was a possibility to continue having purpose in helping others. Not directly in one to one mentoring, but through sharing in written form. A way to sit beside them as they walk their own journey. Not to fix them in any way, just to guide them and ask the right questions for reflection.

I took what I had so far and structured it so it made sense. I put some of the work aside and then carried on developing the structure for the remainder of the book and sat with myself some more. In 8 to 10 weeks I had a book.

Why the Courage To Be

The title “Courage To Be” came from my realisation that we need to unbecome what the world taught us to be, so we can become who we truly are. To achieve this, we need to sit with ourselves and have the courage to just be, like I was doing by sitting in solitude and reflecting on my emotions.

There is a power to reclaiming your voice. There is a strength to releasing old identities and finding peace with imperfection. I walked the path for 7 years to get to where I am and needed a health concern to push me further along the way. 

Writing the book gave me the words I needed to find clarity on my path, and now I hope it gives them to others, too.

The Courage To Be is a book not born out of ambition, but out of honesty. It is an offering and companion for anyone navigating life’s quiet struggles. A way for them to feel seen in a safe environment through the power of words.

What have you been holding in? What could your own “Courage To Be” look like?

Maybe my little book could be the companion you are looking for.

The Courage To Be is available on Amazon and my website is Courage To Be