ROB STEWART
Surfing to coaching
After attending Plymouth University I travelled to Australia and landed a job with Bennett Surfboards in 2000. Greg Bennett took me under his wing and it was one of the best experiences of my life.
In 2010 having been through a tough couple of years I needed an adventure. I was inspired by Alastair Humphreys' cycling exploits so I bought a second hand bike from eBay and rode across southern Canada. It was a life changing experience.
In 2017 I trained with the Coaches Training Institute to be a Co-Active Life Coach and I Certified with the International Coaching Federation a year later. I realised that coaching was the best way to combine all of my skills and experiences together to help others.
After training to be a teacher I became more invested in rowing (Sculling was my preference). I trained full time with the men of ULBC in Chiswick, went to GB trials a few times and raced all over the UK and parts of Europe.
I trained to be a wooden boat builder which was an incredible experience. This led to becoming a site carpenter in Lyme Regis working for two different building companies
I reduced the amount of rowing as I began to teach, eventually becoming a full time Geography teacher at The Harrodian School in Barnes in 2003. I went on to teach in schools in and around London and always helped out with sport.
In Poole I retrained to be a Personal Trainer and specialised in helping office workers regain their mobility and strength. I started to become interested in peoples backstories and at the same time my sister introduced me to the world of Life Coaching.
I live near the coast in Poole, Dorset and I love the outdoors, being creative and having adventures.
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The Sherpa Bear
I first got the name, The Bear, on a geography field trip in N.Wales. We were sat around a fire in Snowdonia selecting animals that best described our personalities. The pupils and my fellow teachers were all involved. The Head of Geography, Helen, was a Lamb. The Head of 6th form, Gill, was a Puma. Dan, my fellow geography teacher was a Stallion. Those names stuck and they still pop up when we message each other.
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The Bear part of me is calm, unwavering and protective. I can roar if I need to and you will be glad to have me on your side.
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When I trained to be a coach I was described as a Sherpa because of my willingness to go on important journeys or campaign. I want to help people find out what is possible and fall in love with the journey at the same time.
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The combination of the two, The Sherpa Bear, is a fitting description of who I am as a coach.
The value of a story
I greatly appreciates the value of a story and I love to help my clients understand their own passage through life and write the next chapter of their journey.
My story is one that is full of learning points and if you would like to learn a little more about me, click on the button below.