About me 🕺🇬🇧🏳️‍🌈

Hi! I am Stephen Tracy 👋.

I support people to move toward their deepest dreams and goals through a compassionate process of self-awareness and inner growth.

As a young gay man, I learned the power of connecting to my dreams despite my fears. My understanding of the human mind continued deepening while studying cognitive neuroscience at Cambridge Univeristy, and at Google, where I learned from some of the brightest minds in business. Despite this, I noticed my life calling for more.

So, in 2015 I embarked on an entrepreneurial adventure, co-founding a successful scented candle company—Keap Candles, KeapBK.com. I poured my heart into this, and together with my business partner, we grew Keap to millions in revenues, profitability, a purpose-driven team of candle-makers, and a vibrant, caring community of customers.

Yet amidst the growing sales and success, I felt a strange sense of disconnection. With the stresses of life and business leadership, my unconscious coping mechanisms were leaving me feeling isolated and exhausted, and I knew I needed support.

I turned to a business coach to help deepen my self-awareness and had a transformational experience. Above all, I connected to a new desire to combine my deep understanding of the human body and mind with my experience and passion for entrepreneurship.

I have since completed Level 1 coaching with Aletheia Coaching and will complete Level 2 in 2024. I am pursuing ICF certification, and I am a member of the Gay Coaches Alliance.

Now, I am ready to help you consciously deepen your self-awareness to support your journey. If you feel ready too, let’s talk!

  • “Stephen helped me find inner clarity when I was juggling fatherhood and a complex career decision. I found more purpose and a deeper sense of confidence. He offers a rare mix of compassion and insight.”

    Philip Donaldson, Global Executive Director, Estée Lauder Companies

  • “I wholeheartedly recommend working with Stephen. He is both wise and strategic and has a heart as big as a mountain.”

    DC Cymbalista, Principal, The Downing Street Group

  • “I felt absolute trust working together. We were able to explore ideas and plans that had previously felt unattainable”

    Guy St. Amant, Society of Fellows Scholar at Princeton University

  • “He blends intelligence with intuition, and has the gentle ability to help me shift the way I see a situation. These changes in perspective have often opened up entirely new solutions for me.”

    Harry Doull, CEO and Founder, Keap Candles

  • “Stephen’s brilliantly analytical mind combined with his deeply empathetic soul make him the perfect coach.”

    Mark Campbell, Pulitzer-prize Winning Librettist

My experience.

I bring a wide variety of perspectives to my growth coaching, all of which I will bring to bear on our work together.

  • I have been practicing with clients since 2023. I completed Level 1 certification in coaching with Aletheia (https://integralunfoldment.com/level-1). I am an ongoing student in somatic experiencing with Holistic Life Navigation (https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/). I am pursuing my ACC level of certification with the ICF (https://coachingfederation.org/credentials-and-standards).

  • I co-created and ran the small business Keap Candles from 2015-2023 (https://iamreadyforgrowth.com/growth-services/keap).

  • I worked for five years as a strategic analyst for Google, Proctor & Gamble, and most recently supported the team behind the WE❤️NYC campaign as their Chief of Staff.

  • I have an undergraduate degree from Cambridge University in the UK in Cognitive Neuroscience, and a Master’s Degree in Data Science from UC Berkeley

  • I’m an expat, gay man living my life in authentic ways. I have been married and divorced, and have worked with therapists and coaches to help deepen my self-understanding.

Co-founder services.

Beyond coaching entrepreneurs, I can also roll my sleeves up and help build businesses: from website building to digital marketing, and from data analytics to operational management.

I offer these co-founder-style services on a project-by-project basis, most often alongside coaching engagements.