An excessive athlete who claimed to be elevating £785,000 for Unicef whereas working the circumference of the Earth has not paid individuals who labored for him for the previous 4 years and owes them greater than £40,000.
MailOnline beforehand reported how Tomasz Drybala, 46, had left employees out of pocket by as much as £13,000 whereas claiming to be fundraising $1million.
Drybala has since admitted he solely raised $25 (£20) for Unicef. He mentioned he closed his fundraising web page, first shared in April 2022, greater than a yr in the past after simply two weeks, and solely dedicated to boost $1million by 2025. He has now deserted the undertaking utterly.
MailOnline is now conscious of additional claims, together with how Drybala persuaded the College of Westminster to conduct analysis on his behalf with out paying a penny. He went on to make use of a Grasp’s pupil who labored on the analysis on the suggestion of her supervisor. It’s understood he nonetheless owes her £5,000.
He has now set himself up as a ‘neuro primarily based management coach’ who gives a ‘robust status enhancer’ with programs on methods to develop into a greater chief. All point out of the Unicef undertaking has been faraway from his web site.
Tomasz Drybala, 46, who has lived in London for 22 years, has not paid individuals who labored for him since 2020 and owes no less than £43,000
Drybala’s Instagram account confirmed him claiming to be delivering talks and features of his programs on-line – however video footage confirmed these on the pc had been, in reality, frozen
Drybala, who’s initially from Poland however has lived within the UK for 22 years, is now providing an internet platform in ‘neuro-leadership’ for £37.50 a month – set to rise to £149 monthly from Could. The one possibility is to pay an annual charge, which means anybody signing up would half with £450, or £1,788 from Could.
Drybala’s new enterprise enterprise depends on utilizing neuroscience to create an internet neighborhood of ‘neuroleaders’, and he’s set to launch entry to the platform in Could.
On his LinkedIn profile, he has eliminated his firm identify, Move Up, from his web page, changing it with the management centre.
It subsequently states he has been the top of the neuro primarily based management centre for 2 years and three months. Till a month in the past, there was no file of the centre on any of Drybala’s social media websites – and extra victims preserve coming ahead.
The primary declare MailOnline is conscious of referring to Drybala is from a freelancer who was promised £10,000 for 2 months of digital advertising and marketing work in 2020.
Drybala reached out to her on LinkedIn, and emails present he initially requested her to work for him free of charge – providing full entry to his course, then associated to mindfulness and psychological well being – in return.
When this was declined, he confirmed in a contract he would pay her £10,000 for the work. After no cash arrived in her account for the primary month, and following requests that she be paid, she stopped working for Drybala within the second month.
She started proceedings in court docket towards him, however mentioned she discovered it so draining she was pressured to discontinue the case. 4 years later, she says she has nonetheless not been paid.
Since then, Drybala has continued promoting for and hiring a variety of workers, principally associated to his supposed Unicef run, all of whom have been supplied official contracts with promised salaries. MailOnline has not discovered even one worker on this time who has ever acquired any cost.
Whereas references to his ultrarun and Unicef fundraising appear to have been eliminated, his web site states Drybala has skilled greater than 50,000 folks, together with at academic establishments akin to the schools of Houston and Westminster.
Actually, it’s understood that Drybala skilled no-one on the College of Westminster, as an alternative promising to fund scientific analysis carried out on his behalf throughout the school of Diet and Public Well being in 2021.
All these spoken to MailOnline have repeatedly chased Drybala and demanded the cash they’re owed – all say they haven’t been profitable
Drybala had been claiming to have skilled greater than 50,000 people from all these establishments – after MailOnline reached out to a number of to substantiate any affiliation, this was eliminated
It’s understood that Drybala satisfied the College of Westminster (pictured) to conduct analysis forward of his deliberate run across the globe, however failed to offer any of the funding he had promised
Based on a supply who labored carefully on the undertaking, Drybala didn’t pay for the analysis, resulting in the college slicing ties with him months later. The College of Westminster confirmed that this was the case.
Drybala maintains the analysis ended early as a result of a ‘loss in funding’. It’s not identified how a lot the College of Westminster was owed.
However by his reference to Westminster, he was in a position to rent a former Masters’ pupil, who had labored on the analysis, as a well being and efficiency scientist in January 2022.
After reaching out to her by way of her former supervisor, Drybala supplied her a £30,000-per-year wage and the chance to review for a PhD. The supply was so tempting she give up her job to work for him.
She says he nonetheless owes her £5,000 in unpaid wages, and no such finding out alternative ever materialised.
‘It was terrible. If it wasn’t for my household, I might have been left homeless,’ she advised MailOnline.
On using its emblem, a spokesperson for the College of Houston mentioned: ‘This particular person is just not affiliated with UH, nor does he have permission to make use of our logos.
Drybala now not mentions his working undertaking, and as an alternative advertises a ‘neuro primarily based management centre’
He continues to supply a 14-day ‘risk-free’ a reimbursement assure, regardless of dozens of individuals claiming they haven’t acquired any refund
‘We’re taking steps to inform him that such logos must be faraway from his web site.’
Drybala has since eliminated his claims to be affiliated with universities around the globe from his website.
Lucy, who’s initially from the UK however moved to Florida the place she arrange a profitable enterprise in fundraising, advised MailOnline she is owed $10,000 (£8,100).
She noticed a publish from Drybala on Certainly promoting a place together with his enterprise, and after trying into his web site and studying articles about him on-line, she efficiently utilized and was employed in 2023.
Over a number of months of employment, Lucy mentioned she managed to make sure his run around the globe bought into varied press shops and even on native TV networks whereas he was within the US.
She labored carefully with one other girl earlier than her colleague give up unexpectedly – Lucy says she later contacted her and came upon that she, too, had by no means been paid.
Lucy repeatedly requested Tomasz to pay her, however says he ‘made up excuses’ earlier than telling her her work was ‘not ok’.
After receiving no cash from him for her months of labor, Lucy managed to seek out different employment. She hasn’t acquired any of the $10,000 she is owed.
She mentioned she filed a lawsuit towards him within the UK, however after studying she must fly again to be bodily current in court docket she discontinued the case.
Russel Olinger, additionally from Florida, is owed $6,000 (£4,800) after Drybala satisfied him to develop into a associate in his enterprise whereas the athlete was working in America in March 2023.
MailOnline has seen the partnership contract, signed by Mr Olinger and Drybala, and proof of this switch of funds.
In complete, Drybala owes greater than £43,000 – however the precise complete could possibly be far increased
An in depth partnership proposal by Drybala claimed to be working in collaboration with main international manufacturers together with the working app Strava, along with detailing the supposed fundraising for Unicef.
However simply days later, Mr Olinger mentioned Drybala claimed he was in breach of his contract and accused him of mis-selling his enterprise. After a number of makes an attempt to save lots of the deal, Mr Olinger reduce his losses, and demanded his a reimbursement.
Emails from Drybala, seen by MailOnline, present he was promised a full refund, however he nonetheless has nonetheless not acquired any of his a reimbursement. He tried to convey a civil case towards Drybala in court docket within the US, however this has to date failed as a result of runner having already left the nation.
These sums are on high of promised charges beforehand reported by MailOnline, which embrace greater than £13,000 to Abby, from Hertfordshire, who labored for Drybala for 5 months, and an additional £1,200 to a videographer in California, Josh Collins.
In complete, Drybala owes greater than £43,000 – however the precise complete could possibly be far increased.
Drybala has additionally been taking smaller quantities of cash from companies and people by claiming to need to recruit professionals as coaches for his programs, earlier than demanding they pay as much as £325 to take coaching from him.
He has promised to immediately refund the charge if they don’t find yourself teaching on the programme – and can be promoting a 14-day ‘assured’ refund for anybody dissatisfied by his providers on his web site.
MailOnline has spoken to a few folks approached by Drybala to be coaches prior to now yr, as he sought to construct up a community from around the globe together with within the UK, US and Australia.
All had been knowledgeable they haven’t been profitable, and the refunds have by no means arrived.
Gemma Legrand, who runs Hidden Gem Teaching in Crawley, was contacted by Drybala as a possible coach in November.
Her enterprise affords psychological well being help for youngsters and adolescents, in addition to life teaching for adults.
She paid Tomasz round £250 to take his ‘coaching’ course, on the idea that she could be refunded the complete quantity if she was not chosen to proceed working with him.
She had not acquired any of her a reimbursement from him, and advised MailOnline others who had been in the identical coaching periods have additionally not been refunded. She has since been in a position to get well the cash after disputing the cost together with her bank card firm.
‘His coaching was simply him speaking about himself and his programme,’ she mentioned. ‘It is so unhappy, as a result of all of the folks he is scamming are all very skilled and in strains of labor the place we’re making an attempt to assist folks.’
One other coach advised MailOnline they had been contacted by Drybala to be an ‘accountability buddy’ who would help his purchasers.
They paid £247, primarily based on the promise that they might be refunded inside 12-14 days if not chosen. The refund was due in December, however has nonetheless not been acquired.
‘He clearly is just not a person of his phrase, or ‘healed’ as he claims to be,’ they mentioned.
Josh Collins, from California, mentioned he’s owed £1,200 and accused Drybala of repeatedly asking him for cash to spend on inns within the US
A life coach from London described a near-identical expertise mid-2023, and has additionally not been paid. Drybala contacted her for the primary time in months this week after she shared a destructive publish about him on-line.
Drybala mentioned he has refunded 70 % of people that he approached to be coaches inside the previous couple of months. He gave MailOnline a listing of their names, and we contacted a type of on the checklist who confirmed she had lastly been repaid after months of ready.
Earlier articles and blogs written concerning the runner, together with on websites akin to Pink Bull and Nationwide Geographic, have been eliminated – though as of final week Drybala was nonetheless claiming to be featured in them on his personal web site.
Based on Firms Home he has held director roles at seven corporations, six of which are actually dissolved. They vary from structure companies to ornate glass design corporations, in addition to a ‘charity’ supposedly set as much as assist folks take care of childhood trauma by train.
There isn’t any file of this charity’s work, and Drybala advised MailOnline it is because it was by no means actively buying and selling.
Drybala’s sole remaining firm, Move Up World Ltd, reveals no turnover or revenue for 2023.
When contacted by MailOnline, Drybala addressed the problem of fundraising for Unicef, saying he had dedicated to elevating $1million by 2025.
He admitted he closed down his fundraising web page after simply two weeks after it solely raised $25 (£20), which was given to Unicef.
On his web site and social media Drybala didn’t point out this, and continued to show the Unicef emblem. Correspondence seen by MailOnline between him and the charity present it has advised him to not use their branding in any future makes an attempt he makes to boost cash.
Drybala advised MailOnline he rejects any accusations of a ‘rip-off’.
He mentioned: ‘Concerning my fundraising effort for UNICEF, I need to emphasize that I put a variety of work, sweat, and ache into constructing it. Sadly, as a result of monetary constraints, I needed to terminate the whole undertaking in January.
‘I didn’t rip-off anybody and didn’t put my firm underneath liquidation, as prompt to me. I’m striving to appropriate my errors, pay again money owed, rebuild my status, show my data and experience, and supply worth to folks’s lives.
‘Nothing I’ve completed is fraudulent or a rip-off’.
He added: ‘Whereas the complete circumstances surrounding this matter are advanced, because the chief of this initiative, I take accountability for the selections made and the last word consequence achieved. The accountability for this undertaking’s shortcomings rests solely with me.
‘It’s clear that in my function overseeing this effort, I failed to offer the extent of management obligatory for achievement. I’m dedicated to completely addressing all points, taking acceptable remedial actions the place wanted, and guaranteeing I apply classes realized to higher serve future colleagues, purchasers, and companions.
‘I sincerely apologize to all impacted by this case and guarantee everybody that I’ll work diligently over the approaching 4 to 5 months to completely resolve excellent issues and treatment any results.
‘I’ll present public updates on the progress made in satisfactorily closing out all points throughout the acknowledged timeframe. The well-being of these affected is my high precedence.’
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