Interwoven Episode 7: Letting Go of Certainty: How Jamie Lumsden, Tom Steel & Peter Disney Became Founders

Before he was a life coach, Jamie Lumsden spent fifteen years as a chef, wrestling with the industry’s relentless pace and his own mental health. It was his experience confronting burnout and resilience in hospitality kitchens, and the lack of support he found there, that nudged Jamie first towards therapy, then on to life coaching. His business grew not from a grand vision, but from a personal crisis and gradual discovery, as he learned to balance “toxic resilience” with permission to care for himself and others. Early doubts about leaving regular pay and venturing out alone gave way to confidence, built by sharing his own story, helping clients move from the past to the future, and finding satisfaction in slow, word-of-mouth growth.

Tom Steel followed his creative curiosity from art classrooms to design studios and eventually to founding Charlie Mike, his own graphic design and clothing brand. Tom’s story isn’t about a sudden rupture, but a series of evolutions: learning from mentors, experimenting with new media, and blending artistic vision with commercial grit. He’s candid about the practical trade-offs, family influences, and learning-by-doing that have shaped his trajectory and grounded his ambitions in the present.

Meanwhile, Peter Disney entered accounting in the early 1980s, never expecting to start a business or to sustain it for decades. His path was defined by adaptability: first collaborating in a fledgling practice, then riding the technology wave as software changed everything. Peter’s definition of success became deeply personal; he never built to sell, but to support a meaningful family life and nurture a team that invests in learning and trust.

Together, their stories illuminate how founders are shaped by experience, courage, and the willingness to be a beginner again. For anyone at a crossroads, it’s proof that self-doubt and setbacks are part of the process and that reinvention is always possible.