Finding purpose and power through martial arts

Sohail Chowdhary

I was born and raised in Southampton – growing up in Bassett, St Mary’s and Shirley – and I have a big affinity to give back to the community that made me who I am. The friendly environment of Southampton is very different to other big cities, and I feel as though Southampton shaped me to become a vessel for enabling more opportunities within this city. 

I grew up in council houses in and later on went on to study Economics and Management Sciences at University of Southampton, before landing a prestigious job at PWC as an auditor after graduating. This was supposed to be my big break out of a tough life and I had planned to commit the next 10 years of my life to the firm. However, nine months in, I failed one exam – the first I’d ever failed in my life. At the time, the policy was fail and you’re out, so that was that. I was given four weeks’ notice to plan my next step.

Not sure whether or not to continue down the accounting route, I decided to turn to my passion while I figured things out – Martial Arts. I regularly took part in classes growing up and have always loved the sense of belonging and purpose these spaces gave me. I took a risk and decided to start my own martial arts club to try and recreate this for the next generation, and I have never looked back. It quickly grew in Southampton to 500 members in a short space of time. I had a great team behind me, began to franchise to other areas and started achieving personal goals like buying a house and a car too, all by the age of 23!

A few years later, I applied for The Apprentice which was filmed in 2022 and it was the most surreal experience. I’m so grateful for that time of my life and everything it taught me. Since it aired, I’ve gone on to launch a full time academy, Limitless Martial Arts, to give back to the Southampton community.

We’re based only a few roads away from one of the houses that I grew up in. I’ve also launched a brand-new company, Sunna Fightwear, which is designed to make martial art training gear accessible for all.   

The mission of AG martial arts is to serve as many people as possible and offer affordable martial arts in communities where there is a financial barrier. My own experience of having martial arts as an escape when life felt crazy meant that it was my saviour, and being able to offer that to others brings me so much satisfaction. While starting the company was only supposed to last for a few months while I figured what was next, I’m beyond proud that nine years and thousands of members later, we’re still growing.

Building character is first and foremost our priority in the club. We ensure that all egos are put aside. The key things that people often take away is discipline, leadership skills and physical and mental strength. Most importantly, they gain a hobby to look forward to with the amazing social environment we have created.

In addition to building AG martial arts, I’ve been proud to support the local community in other ways, such as supporting The Agency – an organisation that works with young people in the SO14 postcode where I grew up and gives them the chance to secure £2,000 to make their ideas happen. Initiatives like this are so important to young people in the city, recognising their ideas and helping them get a foot off the ground with funding and support to really changes lives. Recently, I supported The Agency by sitting on the panel to help decide which of the groups should receive the funding. Only a few were selected, but it’s great to see how many young people want to make a big impact.

Long term, I would really like for my companies to make a positive difference and inspire the next generation to give back to their community and be the difference they wanted to see growing up. Through our martial arts clubs, I really hope that Southampton will have more members of the public that are a little more confident, a little more disciplined, and a little more driven to make a difference throughout their lives.