Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating space for others to find theirs.
For over two decades, Stephen has led teams across tech startups, established businesses, and public sector organisations. But here’s what he’s learned: the most impactful leaders aren’t the ones with perfect presentations or polished corporate speak. They’re the ones who show up authentically, adapt to what their people need, and create environments where everyone can do their best work.
A Different Kind of Leadership Journey
Stephen’s approach to leadership development is deliberately different. No corporate jargon, no one-size-fits-all solutions, no pretending that management is easy. When he was hired as a General Manager to lead 20+ project managers, support staff, and software engineers, they needed someone who could implement agile processes that actually worked – not because he had all the answers, but because he created space for the team to solve problems together.
This same principle guided his work transforming content production processes for an online education provider (reducing costs by 80%), building successful businesses from scratch, and mentoring individuals toward their God-given calling through The Inverted Entrepreneur program.
Why “The Inverted Entrepreneur”?
Traditional business coaching often focuses on scaling up, maximising profit, and following proven formulas. Stephen’s approach is inverted – he starts with the Kingdom of God and the human being, not the business plan. Whether mentoring someone through career transitions or helping managers navigate their first leadership role, authentic growth happens when people connect with their divine calling and serve others from that place of alignment.
This philosophy has guided his work as a life transformation mentor, where he’s helped individuals gain clarity on their life’s purpose and develop sustainable provision through purposeful service rather than sales-driven methods.
Leadership Under Sail
Since 2021, Stephen and his wife Kerry have been sailing around the world, leading mixed crews from complete novices to experienced mariners through their “Guests Onboard Our Boat” program. Ocean sailing requires well-defined procedures, but success comes from adapting them to serve people and achieve outcomes rather than following them dogmatically.
Managing a crew 200 miles from shore in challenging weather requires every leadership skill developed over two decades – clear communication, mutual trust, and the ability to bring out the best in each person according to their capabilities. This floating laboratory has reinforced Stephen’s belief that the best leadership combines practical solutions within frameworks that serve people, not processes.
The testimonials from their guests consistently highlight not just the sailing experience, but the personal growth, confidence-building, and life perspective changes that happen during their time aboard. These are real transformational experiences created through the combination of challenge, support, and authentic leadership.
Staying Grounded in Reality
As a current trainee with Marine Rescue NSW in Australia, Stephen is currently being led and trained rather than leading. This keeps him grounded in what it feels like to be the person learning something new, making mistakes, and needing patient guidance. Embracing continuous learning informs how he approaches leadership development.
Recently, as a Training Facilitator for a Government agency, Stephen delivered 21 training sessions preparing 400+ temporary staff for their roles. Managing groups of 6-40 people, adapting content on-the-fly for varying experience levels, and ensuring complex procedures were understood across diverse audiences – all while maintaining engagement and finishing on time. The result? Zero procedural errors linked to training and consistently high participant feedback scores.
The Human Side of Technology
Stephen’s technical background spans software development, project management, and data analysis, but he’s never lost sight of the fact that technology serves people, not the other way around. From developing innovative real-time scientific analysis software in the early 1990s to creating automation solutions for AI training data projects, the core challenge is always the same: how do we create solutions that actually work for the people who need to use them?
This combination of technical expertise and human-centred leadership has been valuable across every role – whether implementing Linux-based systems, leading agile software teams, or facilitating virtual training sessions.
The Inverted Entrepreneur Program
Stephen has developed The Inverted Entrepreneur, a comprehensive program that empowers Christians to live courageously and purposefully by aligning their calling with how they serve others and the way they fund it. It’s all anchored in their God-given identity.
The program follows a three-step journey:
- CLARITY → Discover Divine Fingerprint, identify Kingdom Connections, design aligned solutions
- COMMUNITY → Build thriving environments where Kingdom Connections gather and relationships grow
- PROVISION → Design sustainable mentoring systems for Kingdom impact and aligned living
Rather than traditional business approaches, The Inverted Entrepreneur prioritises Kingdom impact and authentic transformation, creating provision through genuine service rather than sales manipulation.
What Drives Him
Stephen is passionate about creating environments where people can be their authentic selves while doing meaningful work aligned with their calling. That might mean helping a new manager navigate their first difficult conversation, working with a team to streamline frustrating processes, or mentoring someone through a career transition that aligns with their divine purpose.
He believes the best leaders are those who’ve done the work themselves, people who understand that management is messy, that people are complex, and that the most impactful solutions often come from listening carefully and adapting quickly rather than applying rigid frameworks.
Ready to Explore Authentic Leadership?
After 20+ years of leading teams, starting businesses, and mentoring individuals, Stephen knows that authentic leadership development happens in the space between theory and practice. It requires facilitators who’ve been in the trenches, who understand that every person is different, and who can create environments where real transformation happens.
Whether you’re interested in The Inverted Entrepreneur program, leadership development, or following along with Stephen and Kerry’s sailing adventures, their mission remains the same: to inspire, encourage, and bring hope to people through authentic relationships and purposeful living.
Connect with Stephen to discuss The Inverted Entrepreneur program, leadership development opportunities, or to share stories about what it really takes to help people discover and live out their God-given calling.
