In this deeply moving and powerfully vulnerable conversation, I sit down with the brilliant and courageous Matt Elwell, whose life, like so many of ours, has been anything but a straight line.

From growing up in a home filled with love, chaos, unpredictability, and a father navigating bipolar disorder, to the freezing cold tile showroom in derelict cowsheds he ran with his dad and brother, to standing on the edge of financial ruin during the credit crunch—Matt shares it all. His journey is one of resilience forged through fire, of vision born from necessity, and of a deep commitment to connection, growth, and honesty.

What struck me most in our time together was Matt’s raw willingness to talk about the parts of his story that most people would rather keep hidden—the shame, the regret, the moments of feeling lost or broken. But what shines through more than anything is his heart: huge, open, and always seeking to lift others up.

You’ll hear how Matt went from the brink of despair to building a thriving coaching business that helps people close not just sales, but gaps in confidence, belief, and clarity. We explore the roles that opposites play in his life: his structured business partner Nick, his steady and loving wife Kerry, his own dance between risk and safety, and how embracing those opposites has been the key to both his personal and professional evolution.

This conversation meanders, as life does, through pain and joy, grit and grace, love and loss. We talk about Matt's childhood, therapy, purpose, parenting, business, and what it truly means to live a life of meaning. Even when the path is anything but straight.

And perhaps the greatest takeaway from this episode is Matt’s call to all of us: to acknowledge those around us, to say “I love you,” to offer a kind word, and to remember that in the messiness of our own journeys, we are never alone.

Find out more about Matt Elwell

Book links

Open with a Close: The Twelve Point Guide to Closing More Sales (Amazon)

Website

Elite Closing Academy: https://eliteclosingacademy.com/

Social Media

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-elwell-sales-trainer/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattelitecloser/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@mattelitecloser

Thanks for listening to 'not a straight line'!

If this conversation inspired you, please leave me a Rating & Review! Here are some instructions on how: https://podcast.notastraightline.life/rate.

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And thanks to Matthew Bliss

for his audio engineering excellence

You can find out more about his services at https://www.mbpod.com/.