My Zig Zag Career Path

A long time ago there was a little boy who was crazy about sports. He’d kick a football about (a rather inventive one made of old socks), drive people mad by hitting tennis balls against walls and bowl cricket balls until they went beyond the stumps. That boy was me – and even at that tender age, I was always striving to get better at whatever I was doing.

I’m still the same today. I love working on improving myself by taking on new personal development challenges. And now, through JDV Coaching, I help others do the same. Here’s a brief look at the journey that brought me to where I am today.

My Zig Zag Career Starts

After school, off I went to university, where I read books about business and prepared myself for the working world. In due course, I landed my first job in data analytics – but my ambitions didn’t stop there. As the wheels of time moved on so did I.

Before long I found myself setting up a few businesses and even a charity to raise awareness of testicular cancer. Not one to stand still I then moved into the corporate world to work with high-growth start-ups that shared my values and passion for self-improvement.

Staying true to my values has always been very important to me, especially my desire to help others be the best they can be – something which started at a very young age.

A New Journey … And New Challenges

From my journey as an entrepreneur and CEO, my Zig Zag career path then saw me return to university, where I’m currently studying Sports Science at Nottingham Trent University. Once again I’ve embarked on a new journey of self-improvement and using my experience to tackle new challenges. Going back to university has given me the chance to explore a passion for sports psychology, combining my love of sports with the ability to inspire those around me.

In my spare time, I volunteer as a swim coach for the Nottinghamshire regional swim squad (Nova Centurion) and love to teach, encourage and support the swimmers to achieve their best potential. Working with the Nottinghamshire swim squad has also placed me in the local sports community, where I love working alongside like-minded people. This is now a key part of the JDV Coaching ethos.

What Did My Zig Zag Career Teach Me?

My Zig Zag career path shows how everyone’s journey of self-development never goes in a straight line – as you can see from the graphic below! The path I’ve followed has given me the vision and drive to create JDV Coaching and base my leadership style around an ethos of inspiring others to improve their own performance and wellbeing through positive psychology.

‘JDV coaching is designed to help you find your best self so you can focus on enhancing your performance and wellbeing. We’ll take you on a journey of self-development and self-awareness, where you’ll discover and explore both your limits and your potential’

Keith Binley, JDV founder

My coaching style is collaborative, exploratory and challenging, backed up by a supportive and client-centred approach. The JDV philosophy shows how the sporting mindset can be applied to the business world, to establish a balance between high performance and enjoying what you do.

Talking Personally

In my everyday life, I’m a family guy and enjoy spending time with my wife and daughter. I’m always active and you’ll find me socialising, sailing or hitting balls during my free time.

I know that these activities add immensely to my overall sense of wellbeing – just as I know that wellbeing plays a massive role in sports performance. So as well as JDV Coaching, I’ve set up a sister business called Sporting Evolution, where we look at the evolving use of data in sport and how this affects talent and ability.

Find Out More

If you’d like to find out more about JDV Coaching or Sporting Evolution, please contact me today.