About
Chris Freer
Life Coach | NLP Coaching | Hypnotherapy | Mindset Specialist
#BVOMT (Best Version Of Myself Today)
I’ve faced the consequences.
Now, I help others take back control.
My Story
I’ve never had a straightforward path. I was born prematurely in 1959.
Medical staff back then suggested my mum terminate the pregnancy because she had been very ill with the previous conceptions and in their opinion, only one of us would survive the birth. This wasn’t the case however, as we both survived.
When I think of it now, that early fight set the tone for much of my life, defying the odds, getting back up, and pushing through challenges I thought I couldn’t handle.
Growing up in East London, life was pretty typical for the time – my mum stayed home, my dad worked long hours. I didn’t see much of him, and when I did, it wasn’t easy. Our relationship became strained and, at times, violent. I was terrified of him, to be honest.
School didn’t make things better. I struggled with reading, couldn’t spell to save my life, and constantly got labelled “thick.” Teachers said it, my dad repeated it, and eventually, I believed it. I was shoved into the bottom sets, called a troublemaker, and often bunked off school. No one seemed to care much, so I found other ways to feel useful- cleaning cars, ferreting for rabbits, and selling them to pubs! I discovered I could work, I could make money, and that gave me something school never did – confidence. I then got a job on Romford Market at first putting up the stalls and eventually working on various different stalls, life was good.
When I left school I had no qualifications, but I did manage to get myself an apprenticeship as an electrical engineer and found I could learn in this environment. It was a practical work based apprenticeship with only one day of college a week, I qualified.
When I was about 13 to 14 years of age I started to play Snooker and much of my free time was spent in the snooker club in Romford I loved the game and found I was good at it, rising in the ranks and played matches for money often being backed by adults I did play a best of 9 match for £1000 a lot of money back then, and won.
By my 30s, I looked like a success story. I had built multiple businesses, made great money, but under the surface, I was exhausted, constantly stressed, and ignoring all the warning signs. I kept pushing, telling myself I’d rest later.
Then, in 2002, I got hit with the reality – Multiple Sclerosis. It took years to diagnose. My marriage fell apart, I sold the businesses, and ended up in a wheelchair, told there was nothing more they could do.
In 2007, I hit rock bottom. I tried to take my own life. I didn’t see a way forward.
That was the lowest point in my life, but what I didn’t realise at the time was that it would become a turning point for me.
In the months that followed, something shifted. The way I thought, the way I saw life, everything began to change. My actions, and the consequences of them, had a profound impact on me, and set me on a completely different path.
I started to research positive stories about MS and started to watch videos about how our minds work. I realised if I wanted to keep living, I had to change how I was living. I started to focus on the present, on the now. I looked into how the mind works, I started to question everything I thought I knew, and I slowly began rebuilding my life.
In 2010, I met Joy, my now wife. Joy helped me realise I wasn’t thick after all.
I got tested for dyslexia and found out I was in fact dyslexic and had Irlen Syndrome too. I was given a pair of new glasses with a coloured overlay and the world opened for me. Reading became a pleasure and I started to study to gain the qualifications needed for the new approach to life I had.
That gave me the push to start studying. I trained in hypnotherapy, NLP, coaching, anything that helped me understand the mind and how we can turn things around, no matter how far gone we feel.
Where I am now
I’ve lived through burnout, illness, depression, divorce, and coming close to the edge- and come out the other side. It hasn’t been easy. I’m still living with MS, I manage it, and live proactively with it. I don’t let it run the show.
I’ve raised four kids, built a new life, and now spend my time helping other people- individuals, leaders, teams understand what I had to learn the hard way.
I’ve been where stress leads. I’ve seen how your mindset can make or break your health, your relationships, your business, your life.
Now, I coach, speak, and run workshops to help people take back control of their wellbeing and stop burnout before it stops them. I also run Upbeat Life CIC.
What is Freer Thinking?
Freer Thinking is more than just an approach- it’s a way of life.
It’s how I rebuilt myself, from the ground up, after hitting rock bottom. It’s about getting honest and going deep, right to the root of what’s holding you back.
Over the years, I realised that lasting change doesn’t come from surface-level fixes or quick wins. It comes from understanding how your mind works, why you think the way you do, and how those thoughts are shaping your life.
Freer Thinking is about learning to think differently, to stop just coping and start living.
It’s about freeing yourself from the habits, beliefs, and patterns that are keeping you stuck. Once you understand them, you can change them. And when you change how you think, you change everything.
It’s how I live my life now, and it’s what I help others do every day.
I’ve worked with over 400 clients to date, helping them break free from what’s been holding them back, whether that’s stress, low confidence, anxiety, unhelpful habits, or just feeling stuck.
I’m fully qualified in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Hypnotherapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Mindfulness-Based Coaching, which means we can work at both the conscious and subconscious levels for real, lasting change.
