From Being Homeless To Being A High-Performing Coach – An Interview With Steven Crane

Steven Crane is a dynamic USMC Veteran, Serial Entrepreneur, Speaker, Best Selling Author, and Coach known for providing high-performance coaching to support individuals in identifying their key strengths and achieving set career goals. As a veteran who experienced the stereotypical homeless military transition, Steven has a proven track record of successfully building and running various companies focused on supporting individuals in advancing their professional careers and freeing their minds from negativity while overcoming limiting beliefs and stepping into a world of possibilities!

Throughout his career, Steven has displayed deep expertise in guiding individuals in identifying and overcoming their limits and thriving in current roles by offering 1-on-1 sessions. Moreover, he is skilled in counseling clients through career changes to achieve their personal and professional goals. Steven has also been commended for devising and implementing innovative coaching programs and leading global teams to pinpoint and explore new opportunities to inspire powerful personal transformation.

Steven Crane, Author, Speaker & Coach

Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.

My name is Steven Crane, I am a 100% disabled USMC veteran, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and comprehensive coach. I left the Marine Corps in 2017 and became a stereotypical homeless veteran with no idea what to do or where to go. I scraped and clawed my way back to civilization over the following couple of years, and when I did, I made two promises to myself and my family.

1. We will never return there because it was undoubtedly unpleasant, and;

2. We will do all possible to give back and assist others in their endeavors.

My journey has lead me to serve others and assist them in seeing that the primary factor holding people back is themselves and the current reality they are living. I honestly believe that this is my life's calling and mission, as I have assisted hundreds of people in transforming their current circumstances and enhancing their careers, relationships, and lives. Apart from leaving a legacy and making the world a little bit better and brighter, I am an ardent reader who enjoys traveling and meeting new people. I am also constantly seeking for ways to assist my community and those in my immediate vicinity. I currently reside in Ohio with my wife, and together we inspire people all over the world to cleanse their lives of negativity and reframe their current reality in order to experience their best self. What is your business name, and how do you help your clients?

Steven Crane, LLC is the name of my company, and I provide comprehensive professional coaching to clients in five major areas: spiritual well-being, financial planning, career advancement, leadership development, and mindset and uncertainty. I believe that each person is complicated, and that by focusing on these critical areas, a person's overall well-being, rather than simply one aspect of their life, will be promoted. Too frequently, I've assisted executives in one area of their lives while watching another degrade over time. This prompted me to adapt my practice and focus on the critical areas in which everyone requires assistance. While most coaches are qualified to assist clients in a single domain, I have accumulated the expertise, credentials, and education necessary to assist clients properly in various fields over the years. My goal is to always deliver an abundance of value to my clients, ensuring that they are taken care of in all part of their lives. Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?

I have a number of coaches and even mentors who I look up to and seek guidance from. Even though I am a coach, I am well aware that the primary factor contributing to my success is having other coaches in my corner who can support me in my continuous progress. I am who I am now solely because of my diligence in seeking smart counsel and surrounding myself with incredible people. Two things inspire me and keep me growing:

1. the reality that I am a work in progress and there is always something new to learn, and;

2. the fact that there is always someone better than you at something.

This is really motivating and exciting because there are people out there who work harder and provide more value than I do, which motivates me to level up my game, and vice versa.

Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.

My greatest accomplishment is founding my own firm in a profession I enjoy, assisting hundreds of clients worldwide, and employing and leading others. Most businesses fail during the first few years of operation, but I am fortunate in that I am not one of them. It's been an extraordinarily difficult journey to get here, but I consider myself fortunate to have avoided being a statistic! I'm doing what I enjoy and believe I was actually created to do: guiding others to reach their full potential. Nobody was born to be average at anything; regrettably, many people will never comprehend their genuine superpower and purpose. My intention is to avert this outcome by coaching folks to uncover their genuine purpose and live the life they were born to live.

If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?

The primary concern I have with the coaching profession is the lack of training that the majority of "coaches" possess. Kathleen O'Grady, one of my coaches and a Master Certified Coach (MCC), said something that encapsulates my feelings about the coaching industry. She said, “…there are fantastic coaches out there that don’t have any training; however, they have done the inner work, the danger comes when someone’s practicing as a coach they haven't done their inner work, and they are basically playing Russian Roulette with peoples emotions…” I quickly recognized that the majority of the coaching I was doing for clients was mentoring or consulting before I formally trained as a coach. When I recognized I was doing my clients a disservice, I quickly invested in the training necessary to help me evolve into a professional coach and properly represent the profession. To summarize, I wish more people invested in their coaching education so they could not only represent the coaching profession with honor but also ensure their customers received the finest quality care possible. Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.

My defining moment occurred while I was homeless when I understood that no one cares more about my success than I do, and that the only person who can change my circumstances is me. I had several military personnel advise me to contact them if I ever needed anything, but when I did, I received crickets. Additionally, anytime I requested assistance, doors were slammed shut and I was turned away. At this point in my life, when I was at my lowest, I understood I was the only person who could change my circumstances. As a result, I began investing in professional development, seminars, coaching, and education, and within four years, I was able to leave corporate America with a salary of over $200K per year. During this time period, I practically invested every dollar back into myself, which propelled my success even more. My life changed dramatically for the better once I saw the benefits of investing in myself, employing coaches, and surrounding myself with high-performers.

Want to learn more from Steven? Connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin.

Read more from Steven!