For this month’s journey into the entrepreneurial stories behind South Yorkshire businesses, unLTD caught up with Steve Lenagh, founder of confidence and mindset coaching provider, The Curious Northerner, to discuss what inspired him to leave behind a life on the force…
Hi Steve. You started trading as The Curious Northerner around a year ago, can you tell us what led to you making the decision to change careers and set up your own business?
In a nutshell, it came out of a really horrific experience, which was my wife’s cancer diagnosis. The lightbulb moment was actually the diagnosis mixed with the thought, why do we wait for s**t to hit the fan before making changes?
That was a really big moment for me because, behind the scenes, I’d been training to do coaching and mentoring alongside my role in the Police Force, while feeling unhappy and unfulfilled in the police.
There was no clear date in mind though, it was like, I’ll do it sometime in the future. Essentially, I was postponing life. The lightbulb moment was, what if there isn’t a next year? What if there isn’t ten years’ time? Life is happening now.
It came like a flash; happiness isn’t in the future, it’s what you do today. The diagnosis made me realise how fragile life is, but it also made me look around me. I saw a lot of miserable people just making do with life, me being one of them.
“I’m still learning, and always will be. This year has been a massive learning curve. I think it’s really important to have a bit of humility and lean on people who are more knowledgeable.”
I saw so much power for change, and from a horrendous situation, which I won’t make light of, something positive came from it. I realised that I was not cut out for the police. I was never a black and white thinker, I wasn’t all about rules, I wasn’t all about authority. I wanted to lift people up, to make them smile, to motivate and inspire.
I’ve built a career now based on helping others enhance their strengths and qualities, and to grow people and teams.
How did you find the process from having the inspiration to make a change to making that idea a reality?
The process was not as difficult as you might think. Again, it’s amazing how much clarity you find from something really tough happening. Perspective is probably the best word I can think of. For the first time in my life, I focussed solely on what was important to me.
This process helped create my company name, The Curious Northerner, because I was curious about everything. What’s happening here? What makes me happy? What makes me sad? How do I want my life to look and feel? I realised a lot of the things I would do on a day to day basis were things that didn’t make me happy.
Being curious was the starting point. And that’s something I demand everyone I work with to be. It was a case of turning the mirror back on me. I’ve spent a long time being driven by external influences, or lack of confidence, or the need to be validated by other people. That didn’t make me happy. It was actually all about me and finding out what’s important to me.
I see a world filled with people lacking confidence, clarity, self-belief, and motivation. Wanting to help tackle these issues created the whole ethos of what I do.
“It was my time. The Curious Northerner is just me. When I go to a networking event or even when I’m chatting with you now, I’m just me.”
You’d never been a self-employed before, what did you find challenging from a business perspective?
Everything! I had a real drive to prove myself and have autonomy but mixed in with no business experience. From professional football to the police, it’s go and kick that ball or go and speak to that person. It was one institution to another.
I’m still learning, and always will be. This year has been a massive learning curve. I think it’s really important to have a bit of humility and lean on people who are more knowledgeable. I’m starting to do that more now. Its ok not to know, and its ok to ask for help – that’s one of the rules I live by.
From doing the admin, or the finances, there are bits of the job that aren’t as enjoyable, but that’s life. It’s about minimising the things you don’t like, but it’s important to still do them.
I know what I’m good at. I know where my strengths are. But I also know that there’s a hell of a lot that I’m still learning.
What have been some of the best parts of setting up on your own?
Being me for the first time in my life. That sounds a bit profound but it’s true. I’m not a position on a football pitch. I’m not a collar number on a uniform, I’m me and that was really important.
It was my time. The Curious Northerner is just me. When I go to a networking event or even when I’m chatting with you now, I’m just me.
