From an upbringing of heavy drug addiction and crime in Levin, there was little hope Karlo Witana would ever turn things around.
Now a jiujitsu world champion, he's hoping his story can inspire others.
Police chases, drugs and violence were all normal parts of everyday life for a young Witana.
"My mum said a few times 'you were in police chases when you were a baby, they had to strip search your nappy and things like that," he told 1 NEWS.
"So it was always just normal. I didn't know anything else other than that."
Things didn't get easier for Witana either, his father introducing him to P as a teenager.
The turning point came as his partner left him.
"She left and then the next day I found out that she was pregnant," Witana said.
"I was like 'man like I really gotta get my life together. I don't want my kid to come up in like the same way I did and all this to be normal.
"I got on my knees and cried out to God and after that, everything, stopped smoking, now I'm on a different journey."
Witana pursued a new dream, moving to Auckland to make it in jiujitsu. However, in 2018 his daughter Ava-Marie died suddenly at just three months old.
He used that pain to push himself to his first world championships that year, winning gold. Now Witana's looking to give back, his story proving what's possible - coaching kids to develop character and build courage.
"It's like something that was a curse. It's been turned around and flipped upside down, now it's a blessing.
"Now I can help people through anything like death. I can help them through addiction. I can help them through family violence."
Guidance he gives freely, knowing all too well what can happen without it.
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