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Who is Claud Williams?

Founder of Dream Nation.

Claud Williams is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker and coach. He has 13 years of executive and governance experience, including serving as a board member for Camden and Islington NHS trust as well as an advisor at both Birkbeck and Loughborough universities consulting for businesses, particularly within the tech start-up industry.

Born and raised in London, Claud has a passion for seeing people live full and fulfilling lives. His mission is to help people reach their full potential, which he does through executive coaching, public speaking, and his personal development start-up Dream Nation. He is also an established public speaker, speaking at various organisations across the UK and the world including TEDx, Cambridge University, and Barclays Bank.

Claud champions several causes, including mental health, diversity, and neurodiversity. He currently serves as an ambassador for the British Dyslexia Association.

My Story

Childhood

At the start of the 90’s my twin sister and I were born to Lindel and Pamella Williams. According to my family, it was interesting comparing how both obvious and different our personalities were, even at such a young age. I was noticeably quieter and more “relaxed”.

As we got older our parents started to notice that there was a growing disparity in our development. While my sister Claudenia was progressing well through the educational system, I was having issues with reading, writing and speaking clearly. After a lucky encounter with an older mother whose son had a similar experience, I was soon diagnosed with dyslexia.

Although dyslexia has its cons such as making traditional ways of learning harder, it also has its pros. In my experience, the pros took the form of me developing a particularly unique perspective, which gave me a different a and creative approach to life. This probably played a role in me falling in love with science and the experimentation that comes with it, as well as a love for creativity which took the form of telling stories as well having an artistic eye.

Basketball

Despite not being all that great at it, through all of my school life basketball had my heart. Looking back it’s clear that many of the lessons learnt during that time period have had a huge impact on my life today.

The most important lesson came when my team made it to the county finals. We got destroyed. That fact was hard enough, but during the game, I didn’t even get to play a single minute. The coach had made the right call, I just wasn’t good enough.

I still remember how depressing the bus ride home was and seeing just how devastating the loss was to my team members. I still remember the feeling in my stomach of both frustration and helplessness. I also remember making myself a promise that I wouldn’t let that happen again. I spent that whole summer training and by the start of the next season, I had become one of the better players on the team. We managed to go the next two years without losing another match, including securing the county championship and later a national championship. It was this experience that cemented the idea that with enough hard work, you can take control of your life.

Basketball

Despite not being all that great at it, through all of my school life basketball had my heart. Looking back it’s clear that many of the lessons learnt during that time period have had a huge impact on my life today.

The most important lesson came when my team made it to the county finals. We got destroyed. That fact was hard enough, but during the game, I didn’t even get to play a single minute. The coach had made the right call, I just wasn’t good enough.

I still remember how depressing the bus ride home was and seeing just how devastating the loss was to my team members. I still remember the feeling in my stomach of both frustration and helplessness. I also remember making myself a promise that I wouldn’t let that happen again. I spent that whole summer training and by the start of the next season, I had become one of the better players on the team. We managed to go the next two years without losing another match, including securing the county championship and later a national championship. It was this experience that cemented the idea that with enough hard work, you can take control of your life.

College

I was introduced to the world of business for the first time during college.After months of not giving a knee injury enough time to heal, my doctor finally banned me from basketball. Of course, I ignored him at first but when the pain began to stop me from doing tasks as simple as walking I realised I had to stop.

During this time period, mostly out of boredom I decided to organise a basketball tournament. It wasn’t anything big, but my older sister Meloney saw potential in what I was doing. 

Already running her own business she began to mentor me. The most impactful thing she did was buying me Richard Branson’s autobiography, which became the first book I read for myself. She also made me invest in purchasing my first DSLR camera. Branson’s book showed me a whole new world I had never considered and the camera would later become my most important tool. 

University

When it came to choosing a university, Loughborough was the obvious winner for me. Not only is it a world leader in sports, but after visiting the campus I fell in love. I had proved to myself that I could get good grades during college, however, I understood that the true value of university would be the lessons learnt outside of the classroom.

The campus’ unofficial slogan was “Get Involved”, so I decided to take this to heart. I expanded my network, learnt new skills and really stretched myself by taking on probably more than I could handle.  I began making a name for myself by turning the University’s African Carribean Society around. I also started my first serious business, Starlight Imagery which was a consumer facing photography brand. Without knowing it, these two experiences set me on the pathway I am on today.

University

When it came to choosing a university, Loughborough was the obvious winner for me. Not only is it a world leader in sports, but after visiting the campus I fell in love. I had proved to myself that I could get good grades during college, however, I understood that the true value of university would be the lessons learnt outside of the classroom.

The campus’ unofficial slogan was “Get Involved”, so I decided to take this to heart. I expanded my network, learnt new skills and really stretched myself by taking on probably more than I could handle.  I began making a name for myself by turning the University’s African Carribean Society around. I also started my first serious business, Starlight Imagery which was a consumer facing photography brand. Without knowing it, these two experiences set me on the pathway I am on today.

Graduation

Like most students, I had considered quitting more than once. However, my mum made me promise I’d see it through to the end. So once my graduation day was over, I handed her my degree as her trophy. At first, there was a sense of freedom it felt like I had spent my entire life fighting for. But not long after I realised that now I had no more excuses, and now was the time to get serious.

In the years after graduation, I opened a multi-media studio in Loughborough’s town centre, and I evolved Starlight Imagery into a marketing and media agency named The Creative Circle. The agency did extremely well, with me landing Loughborough University as my biggest client. I also began to win a number of awards for my business as well as being invited to speak at various events. Everything was moving in the right direction, well at least that’s what it looked like on the surface.

Dream Nation

Despite the success of my other businesses at the time, I realised I wasn’t happy. The money alone wasn’t a motivation for me. So I began to do some soul searching. This led me to rediscover the importance of reading. Among the books I read at the time were the biographies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Reading the stories of these men really challenged me to think bigger about my life and the impact I could make. While soul searching I also decided to invest more into learning about my faith. I also immersed myself into philanthropic endeavours and became the Chief Ambassador for the Powerlist Foundation.

Early on in the process I was going through, the idea for Dream Nation was born. The seeds were sown after coming across the idea of being a Practical Dreamer in a book by Napoleon Hill. I knew I had come across a powerful idea and that I was building something special with Dream Nation… I just wasn’t 100% sure what it was.

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

Dream Nation

Despite the success of my other businesses at the time, I realised I wasn’t happy. The money alone wasn’t a motivation for me. So I began to do some soul searching. This led me to rediscover the importance of reading. Among the books I read at the time were the biographies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Reading the stories of these men really challenged me to think bigger about my life and the impact I could make. While soul searching I also decided to invest more into learning about my faith. I also immersed myself into philanthropic endeavours and became the Chief Ambassador for the Powerlist Foundation.

Early on in the process I was going through, the idea for Dream Nation was born. The seeds were sown after coming across the idea of being a Practical Dreamer in a book by Napoleon Hill. I knew I had come across a powerful idea and that I was building something special with Dream Nation… I just wasn’t 100% sure what it was.

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

Today

Now I’m a little older and a little wiser. I have finally been able to work out what I want Dream Nation to be: A personal development brand fit for the 21st century. My goal now is to continue building the business until it has the impact I know it can.

I now also use my marketing, branding and creative skills to help build businesses and not for profits as a consultant. Over the years I’ve been blessed to have more great experiences and lessons than I can count. So now I’m working to share as much as I can through public speaking, blogging and other creative projects. God willing, when it is all said and done, I’ll be able to say I left this world better than how I found it.

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