People of Poole: Episode 1 - Mark Masters and the Power of Belonging

There’s something special happening in Poole. Not in the tourist brochures or the obvious places you might expect, but in the quiet moments before sunrise at Sandbanks, in rooms full of strangers becoming friends and in the simple act of choosing yourself when nobody else will.

Mark Masters knows this better than most. As the founder of You Are The Media, he’s spent over a decade creating spaces where people can find their voice, grow their audience and most importantly, feel like they belong.

“What You Are The Media represents is a learning community,” Mark explains. “Where people can find their voice, grow their audience and we can learn together.”

It started as a newsletter back in October 2013. Now it’s become something far bigger. A movement built on the radical idea that your business self and your normal self shouldn’t be any different. That it’s okay to let your guard down. That connection matters more than networking.

From childhood rejection to community builder

Mark’s journey to building community has deeply personal roots. At eleven years old, he stood for election at Oakdale Middle School. When the votes were counted, he had just one. His own.

“I felt humiliated and isolated because everyone was laughing at me,” he recalls. “All these things in our lives come back to being a kid. Not being picked. Not being selected for the team.”

But here’s what happened next. Years later, standing on stage at a You Are The Media event and telling that same story, Mark began to understand something profound. The very experiences that made him feel like an outsider gave him the drive to create spaces where nobody has to feel that way.

“You Are The Media represents not fitting in and misfit mentality. Whether you shout, whether you’re quiet, whether you’re someone who’s just happy to listen to someone else. It can be so empowering when you create a space where people can say, ‘I belong here.'”

Friday mornings at Sandbanks

When COVID restrictions lifted in 2021, Mark faced a question every community builder was asking: how do you reconnect people whose small talk muscles have atrophied?

His answer was beautifully simple. Go to the beach.

“We said, before we meet up, let’s go to the beach. Every week, we would meet up at the beach hut in Sandbanks, try and get sunrise around half past seven.”

What started with a few people has grown into something quite remarkable. Every Friday, regardless of season, a growing group gathers at the water’s edge. They swim. In winter.

“When you’re in the sea in winter, it’s completely different than it is in the summer,” Mark says. “When you learn to do risky things with other people, you make stronger friendships.”

There’s a vulnerability in standing at the shoreline in the dark and cold, preparing to immerse yourself in freezing water. Nobody would do it alone. But together, it becomes not just possible but transformative.

“You’re seeing somebody about to go in the sea, in winter, in a swimming costume. It’s extremely exposed. I know I could never go in the sea on my own. But if you do it with a group of people, it starts to feel slightly easier and it’s also so much more fun.”

Putting Poole on the map

Mark is unashamedly proud of his hometown. Born here, moved away, came back. And now he’s made it his mission to change how people see this place.

“Growing up, it’s always been in the shadow of other nearby places. I look at it as my responsibility to put that signal out, so the rest of the country can come down and enjoy this as well.”

He calls it civic pride. That nurturing instinct to share something special with others because everyone deserves to experience it. The sunrise swims. The quirky world record attempts (fastest time to eat a Ferrero Rocher, anyone?). The conversations that go deeper than business cards and elevator pitches.

Why this story matters

At The Dolphin, we believe Poole is full of people like Mark. People building communities. Creating connections. Making space for others to belong.

That’s why we’re launching People of Poole, a series celebrating the individuals who make this town more than just a place on a map. The makers and the dreamers. The early morning swimmers and the late night thinkers. The ones who remember what it felt like to not be picked and decided to build something better.

Mark Masters understood something important when he created You Are The Media: people don’t just want information or transactions. They want to belong.

So do we.

Welcome to People of Poole.