The Magic of Mentorship: How Will Bowen Changed My Life (And My Mindset)
by Joshua Routh
One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is finding mentors who nudge us toward the best version of who we can become. For me, one of those mentors is Will Bowen — the world’s authority on complaining and the creator of the Complaint Free World movement.
Funny enough, when I first met Will, I hadno ideawho he was. We crossed paths at a speakers conference years ago, and we bonded over a mutual love of magic. (Note to self: if you want to make a new best friend at a conference, start with a card trick.)
About a year later, in a moment of frustration, I called Will to complain about some performers on my roster. He listened patiently for a minute before saying, “Josh, you know you can’t complain to me, right?”
I paused. “Why not?”
“Because,” he said, “I’m the Complaint Free Guy.”
That’s how self-centered I was — a whole year of friendship and I hadno cluewhat Will actually spoke about! Turns out, I was talking totheman behind the globalComplaint Free Worldmovement — the guy who launched a challenge that’s changed millions of lives (and wrists) around the world.
Will explained a little about his work and his famous21-Day Complaint Free Challenge. Then he said something that turned out to be prophetic: “I’m going to send you my book. And a bunch of Complaint Free bracelets.”
“A bunch of bracelets?” I said. “Don’t I just need one?”
Will laughed. “Josh, I know you. You’re going to love this. And when you love something, you’ll want to telleveryoneabout it. I bet within a week you’ll have a whole army of purple bracelets walking around.”
Spoiler alert: He was right.
I read the book, took the challenge, and within days, I was hosting a gathering of friends to share the concepts. Everyone left with a purple bracelet and a new mindset. The Complaint Free principles didn’t just change how I talked — they transformed how I lived. I used them in my business. In my marriage. In how I showed up in the world.
About a year after that, Will reached out again. He was launching a new program to train speakers to spread the Complaint Free message even further — and he asked if I’d be his first test subject. His "Space Monkey," as he put it.
I threw myself into the program. I learned powerful tools not just for speaking, but for building a realbusinessas a speaker. And before I knew it, I became thefirst-ever Complaint Free Certified Trainer.
That journey has taken me all over the U.S. (and even to Canada), delivering keynotes aboutturning complainers into collaborators. Even better, it helped me realize how naturally the Complaint Free principles align with the heart of what I speak about:Sincerity, Connection, and Culture Transformation.
Recently, Will came to town, and I had the chance to watch him perform live for the first time. Watching him command the stage was pure magic. At the end of his talk, he pulled me up on stage, introduced me to the crowd, and even helped me book a gig five minutes later in the lobby.
Of course, we got a selfie from the stage —
If you know me, you know I believe that mentorship isn’t optional — it’s essential. Mentors expand our thinking, challenge our excuses, and open doors we didn’t even know existed.
Will Bowen didn’t just mentor me — he helped me level up my life, my business, and my belief in what’s possible. And for that, I’m forever grateful.
(P.S. If you haven’t readA Complaint Free Worldyet, trust me — order the book. Get yourself a bracelet. And maybe a few extra. You’re going to want to share.)
Keep living to the hilt,
-JR
#MentorshipMatters #ComplaintFreeWorld #CultureTransformation #ConnectionNotComplaints