Steve Carr didn’t have an easy childhood. He lived with his parents and siblings in a very rough area which saw him mugged and his parents physically assaulted.
But his life changed in 1991 when he was 15 after his brother was killed along with four other children when an out-of-control car drove into them.
After he lost his brother, Steve started masking the pain with alcohol, cigarettes and drugs.
The crash had torn their family apart with their parents divorcing not long after. When he was 16, Steve found himself alone, cut off from his friends and family.
After a number of difficult years, Steve started to get his life back on track in his early 30’s when got a job as a business development manager for a large corporate company, bought his own car and house and was in a happy relationship. Unfortunately, this lifestyle had a dark side. He would spend all his free time out partying and drinking and quickly became addicted to cocaine. He was soon taking it every day and even took a £20,000 equity on his house. In time, he lost his job and his partner, pushed his friends away, and had his house repossessed. He became homeless and lived on the streets. With the combination of alcohol and drugs, including cocaine and methadone, Steve attempted to take his own life three times in one month.
Steve Carr Male Suicide Speaker
There came a point in Steve Carr’s life where he knew he couldn’t continue living as he was and he knew if he didn’t get help, his life would be over. He finally took the plunge and admitted to his GP that he was an addict and needed help. He was diagnosed with high-functioning anxiety, depression, childhood trauma, stress and borderline PTSD.
Read More: Steve Carr – Losing Everything to Find Myself.
Steve Carr – the long road back…
Steve Carr’s journey of recovery started with a punishing challenge he set himself, a 1,000-mile walk between Land’s End and John O’Groats where he aimed to raise awareness for both mental health and homelessness charities. He then went on to further challenges such as cycling 1,5000 miles through seven countries in Europe over 11 days, cycling 350 miles from Liverpool to Land’s End in four days for PTSD awareness and running 70 miles from Hungerford to Buckingham Palace for World Mental Health Day in 2017.
His 1,000-mile challenge attracted the attention of the national media, being interviewed by ITV and BBC News. He also created a report regarding male mental health and suicide rates and hand-delivered it to the then-Prime Minister David Cameron. He then chose to learn more about his conditions and make recovery his priority.
Steve Carr NHS IPS Training
Wanting to practice what he was preaching, Steve trained with the NHS as an IPS Service Manager where he managed a team of employment specialists supporting people get back to work after experiencing mental illness. He is now an entrepreneur with two successful businesses – Mindcanyon and Steve Carr Mentoring – where he aims to support people’s mental health. He is also a youth mental health first aider as well as a qualified counsellor and coach. He is one of the UK’s most physically active mental health campaigners, speaker and mentor. He wants to show that recovery is possible, especially when offered hope, support, time and love.
Steve Carr Mental Health First Aid, Mentoring & Coaching
There are many areas and focus points that Steve shares in his teaching to organisations all over the UK, from policymaking, homelessness, resilience, the importance of mental health and suicide first aid training and how to spot the early warning signs of distress.
Steve has been asked to help and consult with many organisations about mental health and suicide prevention after his talks due to his extensive knowledge from both lived experience and academic knowledge.
Steve Carr – Great British Speakers Podcast
As part of our ‘Chat with…’ podcast series at Great British Speakers, our director Jane Farnham sat down with Steve to talk about his personal experience of mental health, mental health in the workplace and wider world, and suicide prevention. Watch the full interview HERE.
Steve Carr Mental Health Keynote Speaking
Steve takes great care to create bespoke talks around the topics specifically related to your event but they typically include:
– Homelessness
– Suicide
– Mental Health
– Addiction
He has shared the stage at some of the UK’s most recognised organisations and has told his inspirational story alongside many famous and well-respected public figures including fellow Great British Speakers Dame Kelly Holmes and Kirsty Gallacher.
He launched a suicide first aid course at Swindon’s Fig Offices to give people the confidence to know what to do if someone tells them they are considering taking their own life. Steve also started up a mental health group in Swindon to encourage men to open up more about their emotions. According to figures, a third more men than women killed themselves in Swindon between 2015 and 2017 and suicide is most prevalent in men between 25 and 55 years old. Steve hopes this group will be able to signpost men towards the nearest available groups in Swindon as well as providing talks that could help them.
Steve Carr – Corporate Mental Health Consultant
He has worked with clients big and small including the BBC, the NHS, Nationwide Building Society, ITV, Facebook, Ocado, Legal and General, HM Land Registry and Hitachi. He also works alongside charities such as Mind and Grassroots as an independent mental health trainer.
Thanks to his interest and career in mental wellbeing, Steve has gained a number of qualifications over the years including Mental Health First Aider, Suicide First Aid Tutor, Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aider, Suicide Prevention First Aid, Facebook Power Administrator, Diploma in Life Coaching, Level 2 in Counselling, Personal Trainer and even a private pilot license.
Steve has been invited to talk on a number of podcasts including the Sonya Morton Firth Show in 2021 where he discussed how to deal with anxiety, depression and how to understand our mental health, Matt Holman Talks Mental Health with Steve Carr in 2021, and the Pursuit of Wellbeing podcast where he spoke about how good relationships need to be at the heart of great learning.
Steve Carr Key Talk Takeaways on Mental Health
Steve’s talks share his journey of moving on from addiction and trauma and how he turned his life around to achieve the success he has today. It’s his mission to help others empower their lives and realise their full potential.
