There are certain conversations we can't have with Russell Story. It's still so raw, the wound is fresh, the memories are buried deep, you can raise eyebrows and it will fill in the blanks on auto-completion.
Life, when you think about it, is just an accumulation of scars. So, we soothe his heart by mummifying his feelings and talking about everything else: his bags. Arsenal. His mother is a ballerina. His father is an athlete.
In that period, you can detect the groan of pain, smell the dried blood of the healing heart. He doesn't show it, this freewheeling giant is climbing his own Mount Everest.
There are mountains of sadness that cannot be moved; One way or another, we're all going to kneel there. It's a delicate dance we do, this two-way dance, creeping on the edges of emotion, getting close to feeling hot but not so close to burning. Maybe he was right after all. He inherited his ballerina skills from his mother.
“I'm happy with my lot,” he says. On the eighth floor of the Radisson Blu Hotel, where he calls him general manager, we touched the sky as he poured me a glass of sparkling water — and stirred it.
What does it look like to be you?
arousing. I'm an explorer, so it's a life of exploration from a young age. I've been doing this throughout my career, working in different destinations. I'm constantly on the move, always looking to improve.
What is this like?
Most people think I'm a lucky person. It's not always because I'm a total introvert; I go to myself first before I go out there. A lot of my travels have been when I wasn't with someone.
What destination has stayed with you?
I lived in the Caribbean on a tropical metro island, 365 Rivers in Dominica. I've lived in Scotland, the west coast of the UK, Jordan and Egypt, but of all those, living on an island like this was different.
How does this affect your identity with the place?
Unfortunately, I am divorced. I don't have much holding me back. When something comes up, go easy.
How is this reflected in your relationships, for example, with your children?
I don't have any children. I have a stepson in his mid-30s, so it hasn't affected me at all. In a previous relationship, I was married and it was very difficult for her so we broke up. I met another woman, but she passed away, unfortunately, just under a year ago. It made it easier to move around because I wasn't with someone.
What do you remember about your childhood?
It was a very happy childhood. I stayed home and helped my father do things around the house. I was very isolated at home and at school, but I lived a happy life.
Were your parents also divorced?
No, they were the opposite. They were family and lived in the same city for most of my childhood. I grew up in South Africa, in an affluent area and didn't see them traveling much, although my mother had been a ballet dancer since she was young, and spent three years of her school life at the London Ballet School. My father was English and lived in South Africa. He was an athlete and probably enjoyed it.
Radisson Blu Upperhill Hotel general manager Russell Storey in his office on May 24, 2024.
What do you miss most about your childhood?
(Long pause) This is what close family feels like. I haven't had that since I left home 35 years ago, and I had two siblings and a mom and dad at home. Especially the way I live now, I don't have that.
Are you sad or nostalgic?
It's nostalgia. I wouldn't change the way I live for anything; I enjoy it and I believe this is what God wanted for me.
What was your nickname when you grew up?
Haha! Growing up in South Africa, I was called a unicorn. So, my surname was in Zulu. They saw in me my personality and the qualities I possessed, like a unicorn: a loner, completely direct, and never afraid of anything.
What has not changed in you since childhood?
a lot. In the Arab world they called me a tiger. A lonely animal you don't mess with.
What would you change about the way you were raised?
Oh! I was very happy, but we grew up in a very limited childhood and country. It was a restricted life, and we weren't open to much.
Was being freed an act of rebellion?
Most likely, haha! I have a lot of friends who still live in the same place and they look at me and say, “Look how lucky you are!” They don't know that my first job in this industry was as a security officer working on a door in central London. They see me now and say they're jealous of that, but I didn't go straight from South Africa to that.
How does your type of freelance work affect your relationships?
I have very close relationships with quite a few people. Wherever I work, I keep in touch with some people by forming strong relationships.
How do you deal with a certain type of loneliness?
Because I'm an introvert, I draw strength from being alone. I don't need to sit in the club, just by sitting at home and relaxing, I get my energy. I can handle meeting bosses and VIPs and then coming home alone, not having to see anyone and I absolutely love that.
What's something special that she does just for you?
I enjoy going to spas and getting foot, hand and head massages.
Is there a moment that stands out for you during your journey when you realized your life was changing?
It was 25 years ago, while working in Scotland, that I realized I had to take the next step, and I had to put myself out there – through public speaking, meeting people and others. I was the second-in-command at the hotel, and my manager at the time said, “We need to get you out of your comfort zone,” and he did that for about six months, and I continued the front of the hotel.
What did you learn about yourself from this job?
Some things you will never change, but those you can improve over time. You will never be able to improve your weaknesses, but you have to identify them, which can be very difficult sometimes, and work on them.
What is your insecurity now?
Being lonely, haha! Especially at home. After being married to such a wonderful woman, it's a little difficult to look at life through another pair of eyes. When you don't have that, you don't miss it, and when you have that, you miss it. It's like children. People ask me, “Don't you miss having kids?” But I've never had a child before, so how could I miss something I've never had?
How do you deal with that?
I'm dealing with it at the moment.
What makes you have these kind of moments?
To be a Christian and be close to Jesus.
What's the most boring part about being you?
Repetition to myself. People will look at that and wonder how I keep doing this. I eat the same food. I have a set routine. I eat chana masala and salad every day. I weighed 160kg but a doctor in Egypt told me I had diabetes and needed to lose weight, so I went on an eight-month trip and lost 60kg. Since 2017 I have been maintaining this.
Where would you go if you could go back to a specific moment or memory?
(Long pause). Return a year and a half. But we can't talk about that.
What are your hobbies now?
I enjoy traveling – for business or pleasure. Visiting new places that I find interesting. I enjoy sports, watching but not playing, football, rugby and others. I've gained a lot of my leadership through athletic directors one way or another and how they manage lean teams.
You mentioned that your father was an athlete. Were you close?
He was a cricketer and was 20 years older than my mother. He was a much older man when we were born. I've only known him for 20 years, and we didn't spend a lot of time with him – it was more about what we did at school, after school, and then he died shortly after that. I don't have many memories of a close relationship with my father.
Did it affect your decision not to have children?
never. It only happened because of my career. It's a tough job, moving to different destinations, and I won't be able to do it with my family. I didn't have relationships until I was about 40, when I was in a senior position and realized I should probably move on with someone. But it was difficult for that person to live in this life, and that is where that relationship ended.
Children are also a kind of legacy, and most men struggle with the legacy and what they leave behind. Are you?
No, I don't have a problem with that, haha! I have a nephew and a niece. I'm not one to worry about that at all.
What is something difficult that you are going through that not many people can see?
I believe that the life I had to choose is not always a bed of roses, and dealing with this loneliness is not easy sometimes. People only see bright lights and life, but I also keep it closed anyway.
Who do you turn to in times like these?
Machine. I believe in doing things the way God Almighty wants us to treat people right but that doesn't mean they get away with it because we need discipline. I believe discipline can only take you so far and it has gotten me to where I am now.
What will people mourn for you after you leave?
I am disciplined. When you discipline someone, they don't like it, but they will appreciate it in the future. They'll say: Maybe he didn't do it the way I would have done it, but at least he didn't do it with bad intentions.
What matters more than you thought it would?
amazing. A relationship, a personal relationship with your spouse or partner.
What is something that you have long believed to be true but over time have realized that it is not?
People make you think it's all about making money, but I believe that to be happy you don't need money. My wife and I used to say we could live in a tree house; We don't need money, we have money, but we don't need it. What's enough for me is different from everyone else's.
Knowing what you know now, can one have it all?
I have everything. I accept.
What's the one thing you've finally come to terms with?
(Long pause) My relationship with God. It's been a little up and down. What he went through brought me closer to him.
What do you apologize to yourself for?
(Long pause) I didn't realize I was carrying as much weight as I was carrying. I punished my body. I was going on holiday with, say, 46 kilos of luggage. Can you imagine walking through your life with that? I look at life and say I used to live a life of carrying three 23kg suitcases, and I managed that.
Have you forgiven yourself?
What is the only baggage in life you have left behind?
(Long pause) I believe I live up to other people's expectations. I am very happy with what I have.
What misconception do people have about you?
That I'm so spoiled and privileged, but they don't know that I was staring at a suitcase like everyone else, and that was that. Everything I have achieved, is through hard work. But I'm spoiling myself (laughs).
What do you thank yourself for?
What is something you own that money cannot buy?
good health. The secret is to eat well, live well, and be close to God.
What's a weekend hack that can make your weekends better?
hahaha! do not drink a lot! Try to relax. I don't drink or smoke. I used to but I stopped when I was living in the Arab world for about two years. I felt disrespected by the people there when I was drinking and they didn't. I started doing it less and less and one day I just stopped.
What's a question you wish more people would ask you?
I guess just ask questions. Most people assume they shouldn't ask. Ask – it will break down barriers.
When was the moment you realized you were happy?
Who do you know that I should know?
Machine. I don't know if you do haha! It will enrich your life.
What do you think God says about you?
There is a good son of mine.
