There are few people more inspiring in the world of helping others in New Zealand than that of Dave Letele. He’s the founder of Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM) fitness and his story is one that traverses some of the toughest environments to a vision of hope and determination that saw Dave receive huge support for his nomination to be the Kiwibank local hero.
No Excuses is the story of Dave Letele’s life changing mission to bring food, security and connection to all those who live in Auckland and, in time, the whole of New Zealand. From humble beginnings he has transformed lives (including his own) and continues to be a beacon of hope in increasingly troubled times.
Letele is an inspiration to basically anyone who meets him. He maintains a strong social media presence and shares his story with the world. It was through these social media channels that many are likely to be most familiar with him - or perhaps the stories on the evening news with images of warehouses filled to the brim with food and produce for those who are struggling in Aotearoa’s biggest city, Auckland.
A devout heart for community, Dave Letele has not found life easy or straightforward. Son to a father with connections to drugs, gangs and alcohol, Letele proved to be a success with sport and showed a desire to move away from gang lifestyle. Returning home to New Zealand from a stint playing rugby league in Australia, Letele was overweight and on the brink of financial ruin. It was at this point that he turned to an opportunity to help others, motivating them to turn their own lives around.
Dave shares many stories of those around him including chapters written by his family. The insight these chapters produce are at times confronting, but also inspiring in the journey that has seen Dave be able to assist literally thousands of families all year round. Such is the pull of the man that corporate sponsorships seek him out as someone they want to support.
But it hasn’t always been that way. There are multiple times over the course of the book where Dave felt things were spiralling out of control, finding the right people, having the right attitude, challenging expectations and stereotypes all feature heavily in Latele’s story of success and growth.
The book is an easy read, with short chapters that cover Dave’s life and times as well as some anecdotes and short sections from some of the most important people in his life.
Truly an awe inspiring read for those who know that a little can do a lot if there is love, drive and passion involved. When one considers what Letele has been through, and how much of a difference he makes in the lives of those whom BBM support, it’s not hard to see how No Excuses really is the perfect name for the book!
Reviewer: Chris Reed
Penguin
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