Meet Paul Walmsley from Blackburn, Lancashire who moved to LA 22 years ago to coach soccer….for six weeks!
Was there a particular reason you chose LA?
I was a full-time Financial Advisor and a part time soccer coach in England. My agent secured a six week soccer coaching opportunity at the Squaw Valley Soccer Camp in Lake Tahoe. One of the kids on the camp told his club about me and they invited me down to Los Angeles when the camp ended.
I ended up living at a big fancy house in Rolling Hills. Not IN the big fancy house, but in a stable at the bottom of its garden. For “free” accommodation I had to feed the horses twice a day and scoop up the dog poop in the garden. But here’s the key, I did what I had to in order to pursue my dream of coaching soccer in the USA. I went on to build my own soccer business with a turnover of $1million a year. I sold that in 2006 and became a college soccer coach for 5 years.
What do you miss most from home?
I miss the banter, the humor, the walking into your local knowing who will already be there and where they’ll be sat or stood. I miss the fact that no matter how tough of a day you may have had, within a couple of minutes you’re either laughing at something one of your friends have done, or you’re sharing what you did today and your friends are laughing at you.
What was your first impression of LA and has it changed since?
I remember looking out of the window of the aircraft on my night flight down from Reno and just being in awe of how big the city was with all the lights and all the lines of cars. I thought it was going to be just an urban jungle. But now I love the diversity of the city, being able to hike in the wilds only 20 minutes away or be at the beach in 30 minutes.
What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus Lancashire?
Back home nobody cares what you do or where you live. Here the lifestyle is much faster and more stressful. I do get a kick out of seeing tourists visit here and then I realize that I actually live here.
Do you have a hidden gem in LA that you want to share with us?
My local pub is The 3rd Stop opposite Cedars Sinai. I remember walking in there for happy hour and it was full of doctors and nurses in their scrubs. I realized there and then that I was probably the dumbest person in the room! But the food is good and the staff think I am called “Stella.” – As soon as I walk in they say, “Hi….Stella?” then pour my favorite pint.
What would you suggest to others who are thinking about making the move here?
You need to get your finances in order or pretty soon you’ll be too stressed about money to enjoy living here.
Lots of our members join our group Brits in LA seeking out words of wisdom – what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given ?
When I was a Cadet Pilot in the RAF I learned that the aircraft sat on the pan outside the crew room waiting to be flown had more stresses on their airframe than when they were up in the air flying. So that’s how I live my life, I’m always on the go and flying my airframe as hard and fast as I can.
Lastly, how can we find out more about you? Are you working on anything at the moment?
My team and I at Bank of America Merrill Lynch help clients create and manage their own ‘financial game plans’. My goal as a financial advisor is to understand as much as I can about a client’s situation so that I can align their goals with appropriate investments to help meet them. For more information, you may contact me at 310.858.4642 or email paul.walmsley@ml.com.
