It started with a crash.

Then came the betrayal, the lawsuits, and the threat of prison.

But Roy Coughlan didn’t fold.

He turned the wreckage into six thriving businesses and earned the name The Podfather.

Roy was once a real estate mogul, managing hundreds of units across Poland and Ireland, with syndicates, commercial buildings, and development projects in multiple countries. On paper, he was thriving. He was married, had a young child, and served as the president of several companies.

But in 2012, the floor gave out.

When the global financial collapse swept across Europe, his investors were wiped out.

Roy tried to stay afloat, funding projects out of his own pocket. But one by one, everything crumbled. Commercial properties failed. Residential developments stalled. Banks froze lending overnight.

"They were throwing money at you if you had a pulse," Roy told me. "And then suddenly, they turned off the tap."

That single shift would lead to the unthinkable.

By the end of this story, you’ll walk away with three powerful takeaways you can apply today to clarify your voice, your story, and your brand.

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What Roy didn’t know back then was that being the president of a company in Poland meant personal liability.

When everything collapsed, creditors didn’t just go after the companies. They came after him. He lost his properties. His savings. His marriage. His confidence. And then the real hell began:

And in Poland, a criminal case aimed at imprisoning him for three years.

He represented himself. Traveled back and forth from Poland to Ireland. Scraped-together evidence. Wrote detailed affidavits exposing fraud, corruption, and double standards. At one point, he showed that a billionaire was given a $300 million write-off while Roy was chased for 20K.

The system didn’t care.

He watched as a woman broke down in court over her husband's death from stress, only to be dismissed with, "Sorry, nothing we can do."

But somehow, Roy never gave in. He refused bankruptcy. He refused to disappear. Instead, he pivoted.

He attended a workshop called What’s Your Quest? 

That was the turning point.

"I told myself I couldn’t speak. I hated it. I wouldn't even buy sweets as a kid; I'd send my friend. But I realized, if I want to expose this shit, I need to speak."

So he joined Toastmasters. Then he started his own club. Became a distinguished speaker. Competed across five countries. Even did open-mic TEDx and stand-up comedy.

He rewrote the story he told himself.

And in the darkest moments, he turned to something else: meditation and breathwork.

Forgiveness wasn’t easy. But he imagined every person who wronged him as a baby — innocent, unshaped by life. Slowly, he let go of the rage. "It was me who got free," he said.

Today, Roy runs six podcasts, several of which rank in the top 0.5% globally.

He has mentored hundreds of creators and assisted one client in securing bookings for 250 shows.

He built a business around helping people find their voice. And with it, a VA agency, a mobile gaming company, and other ventures. All from scratch. No outside bailout. No miracles.

There is only persistence, creativity, and a refusal to die quietly.

"You can lose everything. But you don’t have to lose your story," Roy told me.

3 Mistakes Roy Made (So You Don’t Have To):

3 Takeaways From Roy’s Rebuild:

If you're in a dark place or rebuilding from nothing, Roy’s story is your permission slip.

You don't need millions or miracles.

You need courage. You need your voice. And you need to start now.

Talk Soon

Roman

The Nomad CEO