British Entrepreneur Lee Chambers is challenging the status quo in the wellness industry.
Lee Chambers is a British psychologist, wellness consultant and certified life coach. He is well known for his entrepreneurial ventures, including PhenomGames and Essentialise. He is also regarded as a voice for change in the wellness industry, promoting increased diversity and inclusiveness. The majority of his current work is addressing employee wellness in the workplace, and looking at both organizational cultures and conscious leaderships role in amplifying health outcomes.
Lee came to our attention at the California Herald after his involvement in an online panel discussion facilitated by UCLA, where he passionately articulated that great leadership stems from two things. According to Mr Chambers, these were simple: and ability to lead yourself authentically, and to lead with love. He went on to discuss how staff welfare started with an appreciation for the work they carry out, and the autonomy and space to grow and develop into the role and as people.
Given how well-received his thoughts and theories were, and how they are not the typical leadership textbook insight, we reached out to Lee Chambers for an article contribution. He proceeded to talk passionately about his journey, why he feels connected to his work, and the change he wants to bring. Here is just a part of our interview, which conveys a piece of the man behind the message.
CH: What legacy do you hope to leave behind?
Lee Chambers: I have spent a considerable amount of time imagining what I would be thinking about on my death bed, and what people would say about me in my eulogy. It’s a large part of my passion and mission with Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing. With my work, I am looking to impact the wellbeing, happiness and mindset of millions of individuals before I pass away. This is the driver for me getting out of bed every morning with the energy and desire to make a difference and impact in the world. It’s also the reason I’m looking at the challenges that we face in the future, and starting to see how we can prevent them, starting today.
On a more personal level, I want my children to become adults who live authentically, and flourish to become the people they wish to be. I hope that I can help them with tools and clarity and be an example to them, showing them they can optimize their lives, overcome challenges and get closer to their potential, while giving back to the world and helping others.
How do you stay motivated?
There’s no doubt that with two businesses, a young family and several other responsibilities, motivation is essential to keep everything in order and to progress. For me, motivation isn’t everything, as I am attuned to the fact that I have a target. Therefore I’m intrinsically motivated because I can see myself gradually moving towards it. And my big goal, to disrupt the wellbeing industry, is a motive that drives me to wake up every morning.
I’m also motivated by my children; they bring me joy and surprise me all the time. And the love and care they give me is so powerful on the days I am struggling. I have amazing people in my life, and I’m incredibly grateful that they have joined me on my journey. It helps that I am on my authentic, purposeful path as having clarity on where I’m heading and feeling that it aligns with who I want to become is a potent feeling.
What do you think it is that makes you/someone successful?
This is a question I’m often asked, and the answer is quite simple. Because success means different things to different people, it’s not technical skills that generally make you successful. So for someone to become successful, they first need clarity on what success means to them so that they can measure and direct their journey. Many peoples idea of what success is comes from societies yardstick, but on the surface of it, most people realize when they dig a bit deeper, that success is a personal journey. We usually feel successful when we start to become the person we truly desire to be, and make progress towards that ideal. It makes us happy, and makes us want to give something back to the world.
Back to the question of what, it is traits that are important in my eyes. The consistency to keep getting that bit better. The passion for fuelling you towards your vision of success. The perseverance to keep going when there are obstacles in your way. The mindset of an experimenter, knowing that failure is a lesson and valuable data. The resilience to handle the challenges that are part of life. And the courage to step outside your comfort zone and learn new things. Success is not a smooth formula that somebody else can give you; it comes from working on yourself to cultivate these qualities and expressing them to the world in every moment of your life.
What’s one of the biggest life lessons you’ve learned?
I’ve learned a lot of lessons on my journey so far. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to trust your gut, and be your authentic self. Society is always trying to give you advice and always trying to get you to conform. I was told not to go into the video game wholesale industry as a young black male, and while it was challenging, PhenomGames wouldn’t have been the success it has been if I had taken that advice. For years I tried to live societies model of success, before realizing I was unique and was happier just living being me.
We have all the answers inside of us, and all we need to reach our potential and live a happy life. The shiny new object makes us happy for a few moments, and then we chase the next thing. Marketers and guru’s know this, so they keep throwing advice our way. We all have an inbuilt intuition, a gut feeling about what’s right for us. There’s a second brain’s worth of nerve endings in your gut, and we often ignore it. In my opinion, the path to true happiness and fulfilment is not advice and conforming, but finding out who you genuinely are, following that path, and finding people to encourage you on your journey.
Who has been the most significant influence in your life and why?
My uncle has undoubtedly had an influence on my life, by a straightforward act when I was a child. He is a very technically gifted individual on computing and data. He facilitated the purchase for me of a Commodore 64, an early games console with computing functions. As a child in the early 1990’s, this gave me access to not only video gaming, but an ability to adapt to technology, and find my love for data and statistics.
After a few years, he assisted in getting me an Amiga 1200, which opened my eyes to word processing, coding and was the start of my first business, making a small income from shareware games at the age of 12. When I look at what I do today, with health data, being an entrepreneur, and being able to navigate technology and adapt quickly, I am so grateful to my uncle for giving me that opportunity from such a young age.
What does a typical day consist of for you?
A typical day for me seeing me wake up at 6 am and start my morning routine, which includes meditation, exercise, reading, a positive podcast, and journaling. I then enjoy breakfast with my son and daughter before helping them get ready for school. I drop them off at the village school, and then walk by the river, and set off to the office.
My working days vary, as I schedule to ensure they do not become monotonous. In an average week, I speak with my clients, carry out assessments, catch up with my partners and network with other businesses. I also speak at events, spend an hour organizing PhenomGames and schedule a slot for admin. I also do my own social media, and create my own written and video content. It’s a full-on business at Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing, but we live to what we preach. I take regular breaks throughout the day, get outside and go walking. I even have a yoga mat and skipping rope in my office.
After work has finished, I come home for my evening meal and enjoy bedtime with my children. Occasionally I miss this when I’m meeting with my North American clients due to time zone differences. One evening I coach my disability football team, and another evening I go to my local boxing club. I try to stay consistent with my PM routine, winding down from 9.30 pm by walking, reading, showering and reflecting on my day.
You can connect with Lee Chambers and follow his journey on his consultancy website. To find out more about Essentialise and what they offer, click here.