A conversation with Steve Keith: a journey towards authenticity through education, corporate life, and freelancing

The son of a mechanic Dad and secretary Mum who together went on to run a business, Steve Keith’s career journey has taken him on a quest of curiosity and learning to become his authentic self and stand in his own power.
The first member of his family to go to university, Steve graduated from the prestigious Durham University and became a Teach First teacher in an inner-city school before life eventually led to him to a new challenge and a space where he could come out as a gay man at the age of 25. A chance conversation led him to join the early careers recruitment team at international consultancy firm EY, eventually becoming a senior manager where he championed inclusive recruitment for graduates and apprentices.
One day when he was struggling with the pressures and challenges of success and delivering award-winning campaigns, a key conversation with his boss released something within him and led to him taking some time out to deal with his anxiety and mental health challenges. This gave him the time and space to be curiosity led and ultimately gain clarity about what really matters to him. He now runs his own business, Curious Consulting, as an early careers consultant specialising in LGBTQ+ inclusion and mental health, and social mobility in the workplace.
As part of this, he set up and runs the Queer Student Awards (QSA), an annual hybrid celebration of talented young LGBTQ+ people in the U.K. and beyond, who are proudly leading in their lives and the communities around them.
Hear how his firm belief in the power of following his inner voice, curiosity, and learning has led him to develop the courage, persistence, and belief needed to deal with imposter syndrome and say yes to opportunity, including becoming the creator and podcast host of My Career Story, QSA awards creator and host, and running a successful consultancy.
Steve can be contacted via:
Website: https://www.curiousconsulting.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevejohnkeith/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getcuriouswithsteve/
SHOW REFERENCES:
Black Box Thinking - the surprising truth about success and learning from mistakes by author, Matthew Syed.
Teach First - an education charity that places and trains talented people to lead, advance, and inspire in some of the UK's most deprived areas.
Daring Greatly - an exploration by Brené Brown of how the courage to be vulnerable can transform our lives.
This episo

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