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MEET LEE DAVY
Lee Davy is a complex man who defies simple description.
He’s probably best known (to most) as a poker journalist and podcast personality, often asking the most penetrating and personal questions of his many subjects, not only about the game but about life. Indeed, being interviewed one-on-one by Davy makes the guest feel like the patient reclined inside a psychiatrist’s office. All Davy lacks is the customary leather sofa and the pipe typically associated with Sherlock Holmes. Yet, he never judges, only questions.
Davy was born in Manchester, England in 1975. When he was 16, he left school and started working for the British Railway system. He spent the next 19-years out and about on the railroads. But Davy’s real journey wasn’t working on trains. It was struggling within himself.
Always inquisitive and brutally honest, Davy shared a number of revelations that some will find startling. For instance, he disclosed that he accumulated a huge amount of debt through gambling and frivolous spending. That brought about the first of many personal changes.
“I started to question the purpose of alcohol and what pleasure it brought into my life,” Davy said “After a lot of soul searching, I came to the conclusion that alcohol had brought short-term gain and long term pain. I made the decision to quit alcohol and gambling — and it changed my life.”
The decision to quit drinking alcohol convinced Davy that he could achieve just about anything. He joined the Jack Canfield life-coaching course (“Chicken Soup for the Soul”) which he claims “helped me understand the power of the law of attraction and goal setting.”
The net change in his life was equally as dramatic. Davy left what most would consider being a comfortably secure job with the national railroad. Instead, he decided to take a chance on himself and secured his first regular column with a poker magazine called Poker Pro Europe. Next, he was asked to write for BLUFF Europe magazine. His passion for poker and natural talent as a writer eventually led to a live reporting assignment, which began with EPT London at PokerNews. Within a relatively short time frame, Davy was earning a living in the poker industry. He was also able to pay off his debts. However, poker was but one of many interests.
Late in 2012, Davy created a website called the NeedyHelper. “It’s my own business and I am very proud of it,” he says. “I provide articles, inspiration, and coaching to people who need help navigating their way through life. I have helped clients change many things in their lives, but my true passion is helping people manage their problems with alcohol.
In addition to helping people change their (self-destructive) habits, Davy is also currently a staff writer for CalvinAyre.com. He’s also the live reporter for the World Poker Tour (WPT) non-US events, a part-time live reporter for PokerNews, and a writer for Bodog, ICS, PokerListings, and The Mirror online newspaper.
Davy is also the latest personality to be featured on “Facing the Firing Squad.”
Tell us some of the things you stand for?
I stand for the little guy, the underdog, the less privileged, and the different. I don’t like to be told what to do by people I don’t respect. If things are not to my liking then I change them. Personal continuous improvement is vital to me. It’s important that our educational systems understand that our children need to be taught about life and not the Pythagoras theorem; I stand for positive change of all kinds.
What are some of the things you stand against?
I abhor our world of societal conditioning. I hate to see people unaware that they are not making choices in their lives and are instead being contained by the illusion of free will. I despise the hold that alcohol, nicotine, sugar, and drugs can have over a person. I hate the feeling of being in control of those substances when all along I now realize I never was. I stand against all bullies. Anyone who is in a position of power and abuses it.
What living person do you admire the most, and why?
I admire my little boy Jude who is 12-years of age. A few years ago, his mother and I divorced, and when I told him I swear it broke him in two. When I moved out, I might as well have died. To take a parent away from a child is a terrible thing to do. He has never complained, never taken sides, and has managed the whole affair with a maturity far beyond his years. I love him so much and miss him every day.
I also admire my girlfriend Liza Lim. She is such a beautiful woman and I was attracted to her aesthetics. Then as I grew to know her I realized that this woman had such a huge heart. She is such a smart and intelligent woman who has had to experience a lot of heartache in her life. I was a divorced man, on the rebound with a child. Like my Mum said, “Lee…you have baggage now son…nobody wants baggage.” She lived in LA and I lived in Ogmore Vale. We were worlds apart and everyone told her not to touch me with a bargepole. Yet two years have passed and we are more in love than ever. I admire her for listening to her heart and staying with me when her brain must have been screaming at her to run.
What historical figure do you admire the most, and why?
There are two people whom I admire that are no longer with us. The first is Allen Carr, an accountant who solved the illusion of cigarettes and alcohol addiction. He finally gave up smoking at the age of 48, when he was smoking 100 cigarettes a day, after realizing the simple truth that cigarettes offered him zero benefits whatsoever. His books, lectures, and coaching centers have saved millions of lives. Ironically, he died of cancer.
The second person I admire is Napoleon Hill who dedicated his life to the study of the most successful people in the world. His book Think and Grow Rich spawned thousands, if not millions, of derivatives that have helped people realize their true potential the world over.
What living person do you despise?
I despised my parents when they told me I had to move to Wales when I was 8-years old; I despised anyone who called me a Chink when I was younger, I despised my former Managing Director when I worked for DB Schenker who was a horrific bully and I despised my ex-wife when she told me she wanted a divorce. Fortunately, I have forgiven them all, so I guess I despise nobody.
If money were not an object, what profession would you choose?
I am very fortunate to be living the dream. I spend my time helping people change their habits. The joy I feel when I contribute to a positive change in someone’s life is what life is all about for me. I exist purely to help others by learning from my incredible screw-ups.
What is it about yourself that you are most proud of?
Apart from a close death in the family, I have experienced every major change in a person’s life, so I am proud of that; but the thing I am most proud of is quitting alcohol at a time when everyone around me drank like a fish. When I quit I didn’t know a single soul, except my Granddad, who had quit and I was extremely proud of that.
What is it about yourself that you’d like to change?
I live in a continual cycle of personal continuous improvement, but there are some things about me that I find harder to change than most. I am extremely judgmental, I think I know best, I can get extremely angry very quickly; I am a poor listener and work too hard. I guess I am always searching for that perfect balance between helping others and spending time with my partner and son.
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve ever done?
I think it would have to be my wedding day. Things never worked out and we eventually divorced after 15-years, but I do remember being extremely excited about the whole thing. When I looked around that church there wasn’t a single person that I loved or cared about who wasn’t in that place. That is a very rare thing, indeed.
What’s the most unusual time and place you’ve ever visited?
In 1985, my parents broke my heart when they told me that the family had to leave my home in Manchester and move to a place called Ogmore Valley. I lost every single friend I ever had that day and hated my parents for it. I remember crying every night for weeks. When we arrived there were green hills everywhere and I had a river at the back of my garden. I have always hated and loved that place.
Name a place you’ve never visited where you still want to go.
In terms of show-stopping scenery, it has to be a trip into space. I will one day board a mission similar to Virgin Galactic and take a photograph of the earth.
Favorite book, favorite movie, and favorite musician.
I guess you are used to this answer, but I don’t actually have a favorite. In terms of books, there are a few that have changed my life. Allen Carr’s books on how to quit alcohol and smoking, Jack Canfield’s The Success Principle gave me the power to quit my job, The Four Agreements helped me get through my divorce, People Skills by Robert Bolton has helped me become a better partner for my girlfriend, Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin has helped me get out of £30k worth of debt and I absolutely adore Stephen Pressfield and the War of Art and Turning Pro.
In terms of favorite movies, I love The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Matrix Trilogy, and the Bridges of Madison County (I have never cried so much since). My all-time favorite movie has to be Return of the King. My strangest movie experience was watching Schindlers List in Dublin and at the end of the movie, there was a standing ovation.
I have a man-crush on bass players so I guess John Taylor from Duran Duran has always been a hero of mine.
What upsets you the most?
Not living in the same household as my son. It breaks my heart every single day. I miss him so much. I also get upset at the immigration laws that are currently stopping me from seeing my girlfriend. I understand they are there for a reason, but the speed at which they do things is a joke. I don’t like being alone. Lazy people upset me. People who ask for help and never take any advice yet continue to complain about their predicament drives me insane. Poor customer service everywhere I look. People who are controlled by alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, sugar, and other substances and don’t realize the long-term effects. Human’s apparent belief that they are immortal. Not being able to move forward and improve my interpersonal relationship skills quicker. I upset those I love because I lack the skills to communicate as effectively as I could.
What bores you?
I get bored when I am alone which is a lot these days. Even though I have a lot to do I am lost somehow. People can liberate me but they can also bore me. Parties, where there is lots of drink flowing, bore me. I can’t think of anything worse than sitting in a bar, or club, with a collection of drunks — even if they are loved ones. Poker can also bore me to tears. I can sometimes end my life quite easily when I am watching a final table, especially when people take an inordinate amount of time to make a simple decision.
Do you believe in an afterlife and why do you believe it so?
When I was younger I thought I would go to heaven, then I lost my faith and thought the lights would just go out and that would be that. As I get older, and mortality seems a little closer, I guess I would like to believe that we are spirit, and not form and that something magical happens to us when we die.
I prefer to spend my mortal days living life to the full. It can all be over tomorrow so you have to grab the pen and start to write your own script..
