Ulster Tatler speaks to CEO of Dynamite Lifestyle, Kim Calvert

Ulster Tatler speaks to high performance mentor and 

CEO of Dynamite Lifestyle, 

Kim Calvert

IF YOU CAN SEE IT IN YOUR MIND…YOU WILL HOLD IT IN YOUR HAND

Where did you grow up in NI – are there any specific memories from your childhood that stand out and shaped who you are today?

I grew up in Lurgan, this is where I was born and where I lived right up until I left for university. One of the key people in my life is my dad. My dad was uneducated; he went briefly to school, he didn’t really go through high school and all of the usual things but my dad was an entrepreneur – we had a family business. For me, the main thing was watching my dad run and grow a very successful business.

That is definitely where I picked up my entrepreneurial spirit. I always heard my dad saying key phrases like ‘all things are possible’ and he would always quote a Bible verse to me: that all things are possible to those that love the Lord. For me I really understood that all things are possible.

   We were just a normal family, my dad was by no means earning millions, not even close, but he was successful in his own right. He was able to build a business very uniquely and he was always about serving his clients, making unique things for his clients’ experience. I didn’t have many friends as a child as I spent a lot of time in my dad’s shop, I went there after school, I was there all of the time. I grew up in a business and whilst I wasn’t working, I was being brought into that environment and seeing the work ethic, seeing the desire, the goal and the mission. One of the key lessons I got from my family, from my upbringing was that when you do not have resources you become resourceful. So I spent a lot of time on my own but it meant I was spending time within my mind, being creative, instead of watching TV, on computer games, or out in parks with other young people filling my mind with stuff that wouldn’t serve me. My mind was wide open and I was becoming creative; that has served me through the years.   

   I absolutely did not enjoy school whatsoever. I didn’t hate school, I didn’t come home crying every day, I was not bullied, I had a pleasant experience of school but where I struggled was with the school work. I absolutely do not classify myself as an academic person. I did get my GCSEs, I did go to college to get ‘A’ Levels and I did go to Queen’s University, but to get to that point I had to take the extra classes after school because I had difficulty reading and understanding words.

You went into mental health nursing, how did you get into this career?

I always knew from a young age that I wanted to help people. I have always known from when I was very tiny that I have a unique ability to connect with people in a very heart-to-heart way, to feel someone rather than just connect on a conscious level, so I knew I wanted to help people.

   I actually started in general nursing, I didn’t even know what mental health was, I had never come across mental health – I am so grateful for that. It was almost a non-talked about subject, which I feel is still the case for many people today, unfortunately. Starting in general nursing I very quickly realised I was not cut out for that. Going into hospitals was challenging for me, it was fast-paced, I felt that in general in nursing there wasn’t enough patient-centred care, it was more about how quickly you can get things done. Again that is not a negative reflection on anyone but unfortunately just the system that we live in; hospitals are under-staffed. I was sent on a mental health nursing placement, which I experienced for three weeks and I loved it. It was in a psychiatric hospital and instead of running around doing physical jobs you were sitting talking to people, you were actively listening to understand, taking the time to hear people’s stories, people’s pains, share hope and give life back to people – that just clicked with me right away. That made the decision for me to move into mental health nursing, rather than general.

   Being a mental health nurse was a huge part of my journey, I am so grateful for that part of my life but I soon realised there was more potential in me, more ability for me to serve in a bigger way. That is now why I do what I do, helping and serving people in a much more expanded way, making a bigger difference, not just with a select group of people. 

What was the turning point in your life that made you decide to explore a new path?

I will keep it short. At the age of 28 I was noticing that I had hit the peak of my career and in my opinion I wasn’t getting paid for what I was putting out – I was sometimes earning below £2,000 a month. I soon realised there was not much more growth for me, I didn’t have the money that everyone said you get when you have a good career – I was struggling financially, I was broken mentally and spiritually. I thought I was stupid, ugly, unloveable – not worthy and not good enough. Everyone would say I was very successful but I did not feel successful. That turning point was in my own mind.  I thought there needed to be more to life. 

I had done exactly what I was told: get a good education, work hard, but it wasn’t working. My personal life was a mess, my professional life wasn’t working – I realised something had to change.

You can see Kim in action at her ‘Inception’ event at Titanic Belfast in September – the biggest Personal Development event in the UK, with people flying in from the US to attend!

For more information visit: https://source.dynamitelifestyle.com/the-source/the-press

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