ABOUT SELFTRANSFORMATION369
Leadership Development Built From Experience. Designed for Real-World Application.
SelfTransformation369 helps young men and adult men strengthen accountability, emotional control, decision-making, purpose, leadership, and self-discipline.
Through the CLIPS Leadership Development System, we provide structured programs and practical tools for schools, nonprofits, community organizations, workforce initiatives, and individuals committed to meaningful growth.
My Journey: From Survival to Significance
I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, surrounded by poverty, violence, addiction, and instability. Those experiences showed me how easily a young man can lose direction without the structure, guidance, and support needed to recognize his potential and make better decisions.
At 22, I reached the lowest point of my life—homeless, battling addiction, and uncertain about my future. That period became a turning point. I completed treatment, rebuilt my life, and have maintained my sobriety for more than three decades.
While working full-time, I earned a B.S. in Entrepreneurial Management from DePaul University and later earned a Master’s degree in Marketing and Communication from the Illinois Institute of Technology. I also completed graduate-level studies in Education with a concentration in Special Education.
My experience across education, mentorship, workforce development, and leadership reinforced an important principle: lasting change requires more than motivation. It requires structure, accountability, practical tools, and consistent reinforcement.
I created SelfTransformation369 and the CLIPS Leadership System to provide that structure. Built around Courage, Leadership, Integrity, Purpose, and Self-Discipline, CLIPS provides a practical framework for developing stronger standards, better decisions, personal responsibility, and self-leadership.
Today, I use that framework and my professional and lived experience to help young men and adults strengthen accountability, emotional control, decision-making, integrity, purpose, and self-leadership—while helping schools and organizations reinforce the standards and behaviors necessary for meaningful, sustained growth.
Experience Behind the Work
SelfTransformation369 is built on formal education, professional experience, and more than three decades of lived transformation.
Certification — Certified Self-Transformation Coach through Transformation Academy
Education — B.S. in Entrepreneurial Management from DePaul University
Graduate Education — Master’s degree in Marketing and Communication from the Illinois Institute of Technology
Additional Graduate Studies — Education with a concentration in Special Education
Professional Experience — More than 30 years spanning education, youth mentorship, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and leadership development
Education and Mentorship — Experience supporting students with diverse learning needs and teaching life skills, adult education, and workforce-readiness programming
Lived Experience — More than 30 years of continuous sobriety, discipline, personal responsibility, and sustained personal transformation
Founder and Creator — SelfTransformation369 and the CLIPS Leadership System
Author — All That You Have Inside of You – Is All You Need
Author of Unlock Your Ultimate Power: A Comprehensive Guide to Self-Transformation
Steven L. Smith’s book draws from his personal experiences and journey of transformation to explore five essential principles: discipline, self-awareness, personal responsibility, resilience, and purpose.
Through real-life experiences, lessons learned, and practical strategies, the book demonstrates how individuals can break destructive patterns, strengthen their character, take responsibility for their decisions, and create meaningful, lasting change.
These principles helped establish the foundation of SelfTransformation369 and the CLIPS Leadership System, transforming lived experience into a structured approach to personal growth and leadership development.
“All that you have inside of you – Is all you need.”
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Development Philosophy
Lasting growth requires more than motivation. It requires clear standards, practical instruction, personal responsibility, accountability, and consistent reinforcement.
My approach is direct, structured, and grounded in real-world application. Participants are challenged to examine their decisions, strengthen emotional control, take responsibility for their actions, follow through on commitments, and develop the discipline required to lead themselves effectively.
Clear Standards — Growth is strengthened when expectations are understood, applied, and consistently reinforced.
Practical Application — Leadership principles must connect to the decisions, challenges, and situations people face in everyday life.
Accountability — Progress requires honest reflection, personal ownership, and measurable follow-through.
Consistent Reinforcement — Leadership and self-discipline are developed through repetition, practice, accountability, and support—not through a single motivational experience.
Whether working with an organization, a group, or an individual, the objective remains the same: to strengthen judgment, accountability, responsible decision-making, emotional control, and self-leadership while developing the capacity to lead with Courage, Leadership, Integrity, Purpose, and Self-Discipline.
Coaching Scope: SelfTransformation369 provides educational, leadership-development, and coaching services. These services are not psychotherapy, clinical counseling, medical care, or mental-health treatment.
The CLIPS Leadership Development System
CLIPS is the core framework behind SelfTransformation369. It gives young men and adults a practical structure for developing stronger judgment, personal standards, accountability, and self-leadership.
Courage — Face challenges honestly, move through fear, and take responsible action.
Leadership — Lead yourself first, influence others through example, and contribute through service.
Integrity — Align your decisions, behavior, and commitments with clearly defined standards.
Purpose — Develop direction, recognize personal responsibility, and connect daily choices to meaningful goals.
Self-Discipline — Build the consistency, emotional control, and habits required to follow through.
CLIPS is designed for real-world application in schools, nonprofit organizations, workforce programs, mentoring environments, and personal development.
All that you have inside of you – Is all you need
Transform your potential into power
