“Your Story Isn’t Finished Yet: How a Brutally Honest Talk This Week in Stockport Is Changing Young Lives”
Posted on:
Your Story Isn’t Finished Yet
Every time I stand in front of a room of young people and tell my story the real story I scan the room. You can see it in their eyes. It’s the moment they realise that maybe, just maybe, they are not trapped by the circumstances they were born into.
This week in Stockport was no different but somehow, it felt even more powerful.
I was invited to speak to a group of young people who, like me when I was their age, have been told in a thousand different ways that they won’t amount to much. Some come from poverty, some have been through care, and some have already brushed up against the justice system. All of them have grown up with a story in their heads about who they are and what they’re worth — and that story can feel impossible to rewrite.
“Brutally Truthful — Wow, So Good.”
I’ve never been interested in sugar-coating my past. The truth is, I went to prison as a teenager. I came from a broken home with no stability, no money, no hope. For years, I thought that was all life could offer me crime, punishment, repeat.
But I stand here now as a business owner, a mentor, and the founder of Genuine Futures someone who’s built a future that my younger self would never have thought possible.
When I told my story in Stockport this week, I didn’t hold back. And the young people didn’t want me to. When we asked them what stood out, their words said it all:
- “The way how he was so open about his life.”
- “The harsh truthfulness behind it.”
- “The prison part.”
- “How he overcame his childhood trauma.”
- “Everything.”
- “His past childhood.”
- “That he came from poverty and built his business.”
Katie Todd, the lead teacher, summed it up perfectly:
“Amazing — such an eye-opener. Shocking, truthful, brutally truthful. Wow, so good.”
That’s why I do this. Young people don’t want fairy tales. They want real. They want proof that rock bottom isn’t the end.
“Why Do You Keep Telling Your Story?”
One young lady in the room asked me something that really stuck with me: “Why do you keep telling your story? Doesn’t it hurt?”
I told her the truth. I used to be ashamed to tell my story because all through my life I was judged, labelled, and stigmatised. For years, I carried that shame like a weight on my shoulders. I thought if people really knew where I’d come from the prison sentences, the childhood trauma, the poverty they’d turn away.
But in 2016, everything changed. I was invited down to London to take part in a storytelling event. That day changed my life. Standing there, telling my truth in front of complete strangers and not being judged but understood I felt something shift inside me. That was the start of healing my childhood traumas. That was when I realised: that maybe my story could help others find hope too.
So yes it still hurts sometimes. But now I know that sharing it is bigger than me. It’s for every young person who feels judged, labelled, or like they’ll never break free from the story they’ve been handed.
I want to share my story with as many young people as possible because I believe every single young person has potential. And we should do everything we can to help them unlock it.
The Power of Lived Experience
It’s easy to talk about young people. Politicians do it all the time. Systems are built around them or more often, built without them. But how often do they get to hear from someone who’s actually been where they are?
That’s what makes lived experience powerful. You can’t argue with it. You can’t dismiss it. It breaks through the shame, the stigma, the silence.
In that room in Stockport this week, I watched young people who normally struggle to trust adults start to open up. I saw heads nodding when I talked about sleeping rough, stealing just to eat, or walking into prison with no clue what my future would be. Some of them have already lived parts of that story.
Another teacher, Jenson, summed it up perfectly:
“Sam’s story was fantastic. It was a great opportunity for these young people to hear that their story could be different. They have grown up with one story and belief about themselves — and maybe this is a chance that they could do something different within their lives. That is invaluable.”
From Prison to Purpose
People ask me all the time: “Doesn’t it hurt to share the worst parts of your life?”
The truth is — sometimes it does. But it’s worth it every single time I see a young person’s eyes light up with possibility.
I’m living proof that you can come from nothing — no money, no support, no hope and still find your way out. I’m proof that prison doesn’t have to be your final chapter. I’m proof that poverty doesn’t have to be your lifelong label.
When a young person sees that, they start to question their own labels too. That’s where change begins.
This Week Wasn’t Just a Talk — It Was a Turning Point
The truth is, a talk is just the spark. It’s what happens next that matters most.
At Genuine Futures, we believe in action. We work with schools, colleges, and community organisations to make sure young people have real opportunities to turn inspiration into progress — mentoring, training, jobs, community projects, and the right support to stay on track.
Some of the young people I meet are already disengaged from education. Some are on the edge of crime. Some just feel invisible. But once they know someone believes in them — and once they start believing in themselves — that’s when they become unstoppable.
A Message to Every Young Person
If you’re reading this and you feel stuck — I want you to know that your story isn’t finished yet. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, or what’s been done to you. You have more chapters left to write.
Yes, it will be hard. Yes, there will be setbacks. But you are stronger than you think. And there is help out there. You don’t have to do it alone.
A Message to Schools and Organisations
If you work with young people — especially those who feel lost, angry, or written off — bring in people who have lived it. Give them the chance to hear a story that proves what’s possible.
One talk won’t fix everything. But it can plant a seed. It can spark a conversation. It can be the start of something real.
If you’d like me to come and share my story with your young people, let’s talk. Together, we can remind them: Your story isn’t finished yet. You can change it.
Find out more and book a visit
hello@genuinefutures.co.uk
Let’s Write the Next Chapter Together
This week in Stockport was just the beginning. This is bigger than me — it’s about a whole generation of young people who deserve better than what the system has told them to expect.
To every young person out there: keep going. To every school or organisation: don’t underestimate the power of a brutally honest story. It might just change a life.
Written by Sam Smith
Thank you for reading