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Never Give In

The 12 Commando Rules for Life

About The Book

'Scotty was a huge part of our journey coming together as a team' Gareth Southgate, England manager

In Never Give In, former Royal Marine Major Scotty Mills blends personal experiences from his remarkable life and career with inspirational advice and insights to provide his 12 Commando Rules for Life that could help anyone to do better and reach their targets.


A sudden downpour while Scotty Mills was walking down a street in South London sent him diving for cover into the nearest shop. It turned out to be a recruitment centre for the Royal Marines and, after a few minutes' conversation while waiting for the rain to stop, Scotty was hooked and signed up to join the elite force. It changed his life and set him on a new direction that would end up with him leading the Marines on operations around the world, becoming an Olympic flag bearer in 2012 and dining at Buckingham Palace with the Queen and the royal family.

Scotty shares his lessons of performance and resilience with the reader, inviting them into the secrets of elite culture. His compelling story is one that combines tragedy with remarkable insight about the power of human inspiration. Scotty has worked with many of our nation's top sports teams, helping them to achieve their goals, and in Never Give In he shares his methods with his readers to guide them to peak performance in all aspects of their life and career.

About The Author

Scotty Mills was born and raised in south London, joining the Royal Marines in his teens. He went on to become the highest-ranking commissioned black officer in Marines history. During his time in the Marines, he saw served numerous tours of duty overseas, but also worked with the England rugby World Cup-winning squad of 2003, the GB women's Olympic hockey team and Gareth Southgate's England football squad. His reputation as an inspirational leader and team builder led to him being described as 'Gareth's secret weapon' on television.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (December 8, 2022)
  • Length: 256 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781398508453

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Raves and Reviews

'Scotty was a huge part of our journey coming together as a team . I don't mind saying we've hugged a couple of times and shed a tear. There aren't many people I would open up in that way to'

– Gareth Southgate

'Scotty went from being one of the few Black recruits in the 1980s to becoming the highest-ranking commisioned Black officer in Royal Marines history'

– Owen Eastwood, author of Belonging

'Scotty put us through our paces. We learned a lot about each other and about teamwork - that definitely helped and inspired us'

– Harry Kane

'We've had some very personal conversations about our experiences. They were very deep moments that helped with my leadership. The respect I have for Scotty is enormous'

– Gareth Southgate

'Scotty Mills has seen it all, from working alongside elite high performance coaches to our elite forces. Now this is a chance to learn from what he has done, and what he has learned along the way'

– JJ Chalmers

'Inspirational'

– Lorraine Kelly

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