About Stephen

The Early Years: Building a Problem-Solving Mindset

I grew up in Portrush - a seaside town on the north coast of Northern Ireland. I'm the youngest in my family, with two sisters and a brother. I was about nine when my dad left employment and my parents ventured in to business together. For nearly 30 years, I watched them grow a successful retail business, and witnessed firsthand their work ethic, commitment and sacrifice.

Unsurprisingly, I've inherited their work ethic and it's driven me throughout my career. My love of technology also came from my dad. I spent my childhood taking apart computers and tinkering with electronics, figuring out how things worked. As a teenager, I immersed myself in theatre, building scenery, designing sound systems, and even performing. This love for live theatre eventually led me to meet my wife, Sinéad… more on that in moment.

A young Stephen

Along the way, I picked up the saxophone and joined a swing band (we had a blast while it lasted!). Around the same time, I started my professional career after graduating with a degree in Electronics from the University of Ulster. After working for a small company in Belfast, I joined Nortel, a global telecom company. I loved working in product development, being part of a strong team, and the camaraderie of hockey and rock climbing with colleagues. Unfortunately, after several rounds of layoffs, I was made redundant in 2002. That led me to Dublin, where, through my love and involvement in musical theatre, I met Sinéad while working on Guys & Dolls.

Corporate Life: Mastering Calculative Thinking

In Dublin, I joined another multinational technology company and learned many lessons in leadership—especially how not to manage people. Three years later, I transitioned to an Irish multinational, S3 Group, where I climbed the ladder and became Head of Engineering. The role came with long hours and a steep learning curve. No one had prepared me to lead people, so I had to figure it out on my own and as I went along.

Stephen in 2008 - today he's half the man!

Following my dad's passing in 2010, I realised it was time to take better care of myself. This began a personal transformation that saw me lose 140lbs, run the Dublin Marathon three times, and even complete a 40-mile ultramarathon. I went from struggling to run a mile to clocking a marathon PB of 3 hours and 23 minutes. I also found balance through yoga and mindfulness, discovering how slowing down could be just as valuable as pushing forward.

In 2012, I went back to school, completing a Post Graduate Diploma and Masters in Technology and Innovation Management at the Dublin Institute of Technology. In 2015, our business unit was acquired by Accenture, and I helped integrate our teams into this global powerhouse - it was a fascinating experience, to say the least.

It was during my time at Accenture that I discovered coaching. Meeting other coaches and experiencing a coaching culture firsthand ignited a passion in me. I went on to earn my coaching certificate and join the International Coach Federation, and I haven't looked back since. Coaching taught me not only how to be a better leader but also a better version of myself.

In 2022, I made the leap to leave the corporate world and follow my passion full-time, becoming an executive and leadership coach, supervisor, and mentor. Just like my parents, I'm now running a business together with my wife Sinéad. It's called Bysands Limited ( visit bysands.com ), and that's where you can discover all of our organisational offerings. And yes, it takes hard work, commitment and sacrifice, but it's also been the most fulfilling chapter of my life.

Time for Change as I leave Accenture in 2022 focus full time on coaching

But even in coaching, I initially brought the same problem-solving mindset.

The Shift: From Doing More to Being Differently

Throughout my adult life, that strong work ethic, drove me. I thrived under pressure, excelled at problem solving and always did what was needed to get the job done - regardless of the personal cost.

When I transitioned into coaching, I brought that same mindset. I wanted to learn everything, achieve every credential, to become “good enough”. I earned my PCC, won awards, devoured books and trainings. I was caught in the exact trap I now help others escape.

Then I encountered the work of Martin Heidegger and the philosophy of phenomenology.

I recognised what Heidegger calls “calculative thinking” - the relentless optimisation, the endless striving, the treating of myself as a problem to solve. I was waiting for some future moment when I'd finally be “enough”. But that moment never arrives when you're stuck in this mode.

Today: A Different Approach

This recognition changed everything - not just for me, but for how I work with clients.

I stopped approaching coaching as another framework to apply or a set of techniques to master. Instead, I began exploring with clients through the lens of phenomenology: how they're actually being in the world, what's obscured by habitual patterns, what's already present but unseen.

This isn't about adding more credentials or techniques to my toolkit. It's about creating space for what's already there to emerge.

If you're reading this and recognising yourself in my story - the endless optimisation, the waiting to be “enough”, the suspicion that more techniques won't solve what you're facing - I understand. Because I've lived it too.