Having enjoyed a residency at Egg for over four years, we, Sean and Liam Willers, aka The Willers Brothers, became a highly successful DJ act, regularly playing top London clubs, including Ministry of Sound, Tobacco Dock, and more.
As regulars on the Berlin music scene, we frequently played hotspots such as Watergate and Tresor. We also hit the decks at high-profile venues like Pacha in Barcelona, The Zoo Project in Ibiza, SWF Festival in Amsterdam, Bit Club in Sao Paulo, plus venues in Tokyo and Moscow.
We were the second most listed DJs to play at Egg and were signed by the Watergate agency, which saw us move to Berlin and enthusiastically throw ourselves into the party lifestyle.
Throughout our career, we played alongside many big-name DJs, including Darius Syrossian, Kerri Chandler, Waff, and Yousef. As music producers as well as DJs, we achieved several number ones on decks.de and top 10s on Beatport, releasing our catalogue on both vinyl and digital formats to high acclaim.
However, the demanding nocturnal lifestyle began to take its toll. I, Sean, became gripped by a vicious drug and alcohol addiction, leaving me feeling like a wreck mentally, physically, and financially. We gained a reputation for excessive consumption, which started breaking down our relationships and negatively affecting our DJing work, causing us to repeatedly fall out with numerous agencies and people within the industry.
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Just as COVID hit in March 2020, I was doing cocaine 4-5 times a week and desperately wanted to make a change and live a healthier lifestyle. Suddenly, the global pandemic and lockdowns meant all our DJing work disappeared overnight, and our income vanished.
In hindsight, the global pandemic was the best thing that happened to me, but at the time, it was an absolute shocker. I felt trapped living an unhealthy lifestyle and didn’t see a way out. From consuming all the drink and drugs, I had put on weight, but as soon as I cut out DJing, I started losing weight and getting back into fitness, which spurred me to step away from drugs and make a concerted effort to get healthier.
We decided to move back to England in July 2021 and were signed to Constellate Talent, a DJing talent agency. However, my heart wasn’t in it. In England, my brother wasn’t interested in DJing anymore, and I was really getting back into fitness. Then I was offered a DJing gig, my first back after COVID. It was in Hull, and I promised myself I would do the gig sober. However, that didn’t quite work out, and I went over the top and ended up in hospital.
Despite having a DJing tour of Australia scheduled, as well as an extensive UK tour, I realized my drug addiction was a huge hindrance and ultimately forced me to quit music and pursue a career in fitness.
After that experience, I decided to quit DJing and saw a huge improvement in my health and wellbeing. In January 2022, I started Willers Fitness, my coaching business. Our old Willers Brothers DJ Instagram page had 10,000 followers, so I changed the name to ‘Willers Fitness’ and immediately DJs and others from the music industry were reaching out to me asking for fitness advice, quizzing me on how I had managed to undertake a full body transformation.
I set up a website for Willers Fitness, and, being a qualified personal trainer, began offering online fitness coaching to clients. The initial intention was to help busy creatives and others in the music industry – people who spend a lot of time traveling and partying – to understand they don’t have to submit to the pressure to participate in drink and drugs and can commit to making fitness and wellbeing a dedicated part of their lifestyle.
I set up a coaching app and began providing online fitness coaching designed around making big lifestyle changes. Bespoke nutrition plans are created, and clients access the app to access their plan, and get daily check-ins with me and weekly calls to ensure they keep on track. Quickly gaining followers on social media, I saw the coaching business attract well-known names from the music industry.
Explaining how I turned my life around and made such dramatic physical changes to my mental and physical health, I say, “Intermittent fasting – I am a huge advocate, and it changed my life. It gave me back control and is empowering and holistic. I’m a big runner and find it a fantastic way to clear the mind and get the endorphins pumping. I now have my brother Liam working with me at Willers Fitness as an accountability coach, and we get all our clients running and circuit training as well as gym workouts, strength training – it is an all-rounded approach. Our goal is to keep people as happy as possible.”
Willers Fitness has now gone global, boasting online clients across 14 different countries, including the USA, Malta, Uganda, and the Netherlands. As of June 2022, I went full-time to focus on growing my business.
I, Sean, who now credit myself with being the fittest and happiest I’ve ever been, am in talks to provide fitness coaching to wellness retreats in Ibiza with The Tribe travel firm that will run from May onwards. After gaining a reputation as a well-respected fitness coach, I was offered the role of health advisor to volunteers participating in charity trips to Uganda as part of The Tribe Uganda.
Keen to help disadvantaged people live a healthy lifestyle, I began coaching a local man in Uganda for free and have so far helped him lose 12kg. During my time volunteering in Uganda, I decided to set up The Willers Foundation, a charity that will give fitness and sports coaching to disadvantaged orphans, many of whom have disabilities.
Describing my plan for The Willers Foundation, I say, “When I went to Uganda, it was a truly humbling experience. I want to provide these youngsters with everything they need to get into fitness – trainers, outfits, and I will be financing teachers to coach the children in my absence. Liam has been accepted to the London marathon, and he is going to run it for The Willers Foundation, and all the money will be going back into the foundation to provide for the children. We have so many plans to build it up and up… watch this space.”
Now sober, I use my journey to help others live healthier, happier lives without sacrificing their love for a good time.
In just three years, Willers Fitness has grown into a global force, changing lives in 20 countries.
My story proves that with resilience and determination, anyone can overcome adversity and achieve greatness.
It’s never too late to start.
For online coaching, see Willers Fitness or Instagram for more information.
The post Life After the Party: Sean Willers’ Path from DJ to Wellness Coach appeared first on Data Transmission.
