Steve Young didn’t wait for certainty, he backed himself and learned on the job.

From leaving school early and working multiple jobs as a teenager, to selling TVs at Dixons, moving into fax machines and copiers, and building a long career in document management and process automation, Steve’s journey is one of graft, resilience, and refusing to live with regret. Buying his first flat at 18 and thriving in high-pressure sales roles, Steve learned early that effort mattered more than titles.

In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Steve to explore his journey from corporate leadership to building his own business. Steve opens up about the frustration of not being able to make decisions, the fear of starting again later in life, and why he made the conscious choice to build a business with no plan B. The conversation also dives into resilience, failure, and what Steve calls “bounce-back ability”, learning through mistakes and continuing forward.

James shares his own reflections on chasing money, burnout, and redefining what success really means, as both explore why fulfilment, freedom, and potential matter more than income alone.

If you’ve ever questioned whether comfort is holding you back, or worried about reaching the end of your career with regrets, Steve’s story will resonate.

Key moments include: ✔️ Leaving school early and starting work young ✔️ Selling TVs, fax machines, and building a career in sales ✔️ Buying his first flat at 18 ✔️ Thriving in corporate roles but feeling restricted ✔️ Choosing entrepreneurship to avoid regret ✔️ Starting a business with no plan B ✔️ Learning resilience and bounce-back ability ✔️ Redefining success beyond money

Follow James Fleming: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jamesflemingmq/ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com

Follow Steve Young: Website → https://streammanagedservices.co.uk/ LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve--young/

Timestamps [00:00] James opens the episode and welcomes Steve [00:00:53] Steve introduces himself and his background [01:08] Early sales career and leaving school young [02:08] Moving into digital document management [03:10] Wanting control and avoiding future regret [07:36] Working with growing businesses and managing risk [13:40] Early working life and multiple jobs [17:06] Career growth, incentives, and sales pressure [22:25] Chasing money vs fulfilment [27:00] Resilience, failure, and bounce-back ability [29:57] Starting a business with no plan B [41:44] Vision for the future [45:04] Steve’s advice on success and potential [46:01] How to contact Steve [46:21] James closes the episode

Anne Okafor didn’t follow a traditional route into construction. From leaving school at 16 and experiencing homelessness, to years spent in hospitality and retail, to taking a leap of faith back into education in her late twenties, Anne’s journey is built on courage, curiosity, and choosing to keep going.

In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Anne Okafor to explore the decisions that shaped her life and career. Anne shares how a spontaneous college application changed everything, why she moved three and a half hours to a city where she knew no one, and how that single decision led to a decade-long career in construction planning.

They talk openly about limiting beliefs around education and maths, the power of networking, redundancy and reinvention, and Anne’s progression from not knowing anyone in the industry to becoming Chair of the CIOB Northern Scotland region. Anne also explains why she’s now pursuing a PhD in sustainable procurement in collaboration with the NHS, and what real courage looks like when life doesn’t go to plan.

This is an honest, grounded conversation about belief, resilience, and taking action when the path ahead isn’t clear.

Key moments include: ✔️ Leaving school at 16 and navigating homelessness ✔️ Feeling stuck in hospitality and retail ✔️ Taking a leap back into education with no safety net ✔️ Challenging limiting beliefs around maths and learning ✔️ Achieving a first-class honours degree ✔️ Redundancy, reinvention, and starting a business ✔️ Building a global professional network through the CIOB ✔️ Becoming Chair of the CIOB Northern Scotland region ✔️ Starting a PhD in sustainable procurement with NHS collaboration ✔️ Anne’s three core principles: curiosity, courage, and action

Follow James Fleming: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jamesflemingmq/ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com

Follow Anne Okafor: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-okafor/

Website →https://www.anneokafor.com/

Timestamps [00:00] James opens the episode and welcomes Anne [00:55] Anne introduces herself and her role in construction planning [02:57] Leaving school at 16 and experiencing homelessness [03:40] Working in hospitality and retail and feeling stuck [04:14] Applying for college on the train home from holiday [05:35] Moving three and a half hours to Stirling with no support network [07:12] Believing university wasn’t “for people like me” [09:39] Returning to education and overcoming self-doubt [10:10] Achieving a first-class honours degree [13:17] Wanting to make the construction industry better [15:15] Advice for women considering construction [16:07] Discovering the CIOB and the power of networking [17:33] Becoming Chair of the CIOB Northern Scotland region [21:07] Redundancy and relying on professional networks [22:19] Starting her own business [25:15] Applying for a PhD after redundancy [27:02] Balancing consultancy work with PhD study [29:14] Giving back through mentoring and STEM work [33:08] AI, leadership, and why human skills still matter [40:45] Starting the PhD in sustainable procurement with the NHS [46:05] Challenging long-held beliefs about maths [53:06] Anne’s top three pieces of advice [57:10] James closes the episode

Shannon McKechnie didn’t wait for life to hand her the perfect plan, she built one step by step. From leaving school unsure of her path, to finding her competitive spark in a call centre, to rising quickly through Reed and Search, Shannon’s journey is one of graft, resilience, and choosing bravery even when it felt uncomfortable.

In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Shannon to uncover the real story behind her career in recruitment and how it led her to becoming Managing Director at MBN Solutions. From the shift from traditional face-to-face hiring to AI-driven talent processes, to navigating a male-dominated tech sector, Shannon’s path has been shaped by bold decisions, difficult lessons, and learning to lead as herself.

This conversation goes deep into the realities of recruitment today: why CVs often miss the truth, how AI is changing the game for candidates and employers, and why human connection still matters more than ever. Shannon also opens up about the impact of COVID, the career coaching that redirected her path, and the support that helped her grow into the leader she is now. If you’ve ever doubted yourself, felt stuck in the wrong version of success, or wondered how to take the next brave step, Shannon’s story will resonate.

Key moments include: ✔️ Starting in a call centre and discovering her competitive streak ✔️ Breaking into recruitment and rising quickly through Reed and Search ✔️ Becoming one of the youngest leaders in the business at 29 ✔️ Why CVs are no longer fit for purpose in an AI-driven hiring world ✔️ The impact of COVID, furlough, and working with a career coach ✔️ Leaving a long-term employer and choosing bravery over comfort ✔️ Moving into data and AI recruitment and joining MBN Solutions ✔️ The crucial support from CEO Michael and being allowed to lead as herself ✔️ The realities for women in male-dominated industries and caring roles ✔️ How to challenge negative self-talk and build bravery ✔️ Why attitude, personality, and human connection still matter more than keywords ✔️ Redefining success as happiness, gratitude, and freedom ✔️ Shannon’s top three pieces of advice: kindness, bravery, and finding joy

Follow James Fleming: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jamesflemingmq/ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com

Follow Shannon: Shannon LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonmckechnie/ Company LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbn-recruitment-solutions/

Timestamps [00:00] James opens the episode and welcomes Shannon [00:00:51] Shannon introduces herself and MBN Solutions [02:16] AI, fear, speed, and how it’s changing recruitment [07:17] Why CVs aren’t accurate and the rise of video-first hiring [12:07] Recruitment challenges, sales hiring, and candidate truthfulness [16:06] Shannon’s early life, call centre days, and start in recruitment [19:27] Discovering competitiveness and rising quickly at Reed [22:30] Becoming one of the youngest associate directors at Search [25:42] COVID, furlough, and working with a career coach [29:06] Moving into tech and AI recruitment [29:50] Joining MBN Solutions and stepping into the MD role [30:20] Support from CEO Michael and leading authentically [33:07] Female role models and shaping her leadership style [36:52] Redefining success as happiness, freedom, and people [41:10] The realities for women in business and caring roles [43:45] How to build bravery and shift negative self-talk [53:00] How candidates can stand out in today’s job market [55:59] Shannon’s top three pieces of advice [57:10] James closes the episode