A Career Built Around Human Performance

Long before I worked in medicine, I was fascinated by what the human body and mind could do.

That curiosity began on the wrestling mats of Pennsylvania, where I trained with Team Foxcatcher in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Wrestling taught me discipline, consistency, humility, and how much the human body can adapt when challenged.

Eventually, the mountains called.

I moved west to Colorado and spent years as an elite rock climber, mountaineering instructor, and wilderness guide. Preparing to lead increasingly demanding expeditions led me to become an EMT—and somewhere between the mountains and emergency medicine, I discovered the work that would shape the next chapter of my life.

From the Wilderness to the Operating Room

I pursued nursing, earning my BS, RN, BSN, and ultimately my MSN as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist through Cal State Fullerton and the Kaiser Permanente School of Anesthesia.

For 14 years, I worked in anesthesia—an environment that requires a deep understanding of human physiology, careful attention to detail, and the ability to remain calm while making decisions in real time.

That experience gave me an extraordinary education in how the human body responds to stress, medication, illness, injury, and recovery.

But it also reinforced something I had already learned through athletics and the outdoors:

Human health is rarely about one isolated variable.

Our bodies are systems. Sleep, stress, nutrition, movement, environment, mindset, medical history, and behavior constantly influence one another.

Still Testing the Human Engine

Today, that curiosity hasn’t gone anywhere.

I continue to challenge myself through ultra-distance gravel and mountain bike racing, where fueling, recovery, nervous-system regulation, endurance, decision-making, and resilience all become very real, very quickly.

I don’t believe everyone needs to race a bike for hours or climb a mountain to be healthy.

But I do believe we all benefit from understanding our bodies better.

Photo Credit: Bill Chesney

Meet Steven Crowthers

How to Be Human grew out of a simple observation:

We have more health information available to us than any generation before us—and many people have never been more confused about what to do with it.

I created this practice to help close that gap.

My role is to help you understand the information in front of you, recognize patterns, ask better questions, identify meaningful priorities, and turn good science into practical habits that fit your life.

Not perfect health.

Not a perfect routine.

A stronger, more resilient human.

A More Thoughtful Approach to Health

Good health is rarely about doing everything perfectly.

It’s about understanding what matters most, building a strong foundation, and making informed changes that are realistic enough to last.

How to Be Human brings together clinical experience, current research, practical coaching, and a whole-person view of health to help clients better understand where they are and what may be worth focusing on next.

The goal is not to replace your medical team or chase every new health trend.

It is to help you become a more informed, capable participant in your own health.

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