The 27-year-old personal trainer-turned cafe owner has battled daily “thumping” headaches since he was a teenager.
And not only is he bringing coffee and a health conscious menu to Sean’s Shack at Hornsey Town Hall, but he’s in training to run the London Marathon.
He will be raising funds for The Migraine Trust, which campaigns for better understanding and treatment of the debilitating neurological condition.
A percentage of every coffee sold also goes to the charity.
“I have had a thumping headache all day every day since I was 17,” he says.
“I’ve had 20 treatments from some of the best neurologists in the world, but nothing has worked.
“Between treatments I started going to the gym, got in shape and felt really good – it gave me mental clarity and relief.”
Sean wants to raise awareness of his rare condition new daily persistent headache, or NDPH, and has been documenting his journey on social media.
“I get messages every day from people who live with migraines and no one really listens to them,” he explains.
“It’s overlooked because you can’t see it, but I’m trying to change that. This will be my third London Marathon and I have a particularly fast target to run in under three hours.”
Sean attended St Gilda’s Catholic Primary School in Crouch End before winning a scholarship to a private school to play basketball.
He has worked as a personal trainer for eight years but because of his condition struggled with maintaining a job.
After opening Sean’s Shack in early December, he’s now his own boss.
“It’s been stressful and a lot of pressure to get it the way I want it but it’s better in the long run, it’s more 9 to 5, and it’s a different feel to work for yourself,” he adds.
Sean is starting a running club from the cafe where he welcomes everyone from parenting groups to the local sketch club.
“It’s a great community with a mix of people of different ages and walks of life including a lot of families,” he says.
“We have the most spacious cafe in Crouch End in an historic regenerated building. I’ve tried to beat the prices across the coffee shops in Crouch End, paying 10p or so under and it’s going down very well.”
As well as Monmouth coffee, Sean is serving cold pressed juices, overnight oats, healthy snacks and hot and cold sandwiches.
“I want to strike a nice balance with the food – to have a healthy high-protein fresh vibe,” he says.
“Crouch End needs a bit of that – we have a lot of lovely bakeries but not so much of the whole foods that you need to eat.”
Sean’s Shack is now open daily at Hornsey Town Hall in The Broadway, Crouch End.
