STEPH ROBIN COACHING

Building Confident Mindsets and Behaviours for Individuals and Organisations.

I build happier, more confident, more capable and more connected leaders from high potential to C-Suite by embracing their strengths and style.

I guide leadership teams from forming to performing and how to be confident with change and conflict.

I partner clients to win back confidence in midlife so they can get on with the life they dream of and deserve.

CONFIDENCE COACHING FOR YOU AND YOUR CAREER

Define your effective, natural leadership style

Grow gravitas, confidence and career focus

Develop resilience, boundaries and work life balance

Communicate and influence powerfully across the organisation

TEAM AND GROUP COACHING

Clarify vision and purpose

Future-proof your ways of working

Build trust

Manage conflict

Engage your talent

ABOUT ME

Leadership Development Expert. Strategic partner to Senior Leaders, High-Potential Talent, Teams and Organisations transforming the way they think, behave and perform.

I provide Executive Coaching, Consultancy and workshop design and facilitation that futureproofs leadership and culture to be more collaborative and entrepreneurial.

My work spans from start up to scale up to matrix multinationals in retail, CPG, tech, finance and public sector including Mars Petcare, Swiss Re, Dunnhumby and Movemeon. I inspire clients to embrace new processes and behaviours by sharing the best from my work, learning and network.

You can work with me through 1 to 1 Coaching, Team Coaching Programmes and Workshops. I coach in organisations and privately.  

International Coaching Federation Certified.

1000+ hours coaching.

Author and speaker.

GET IN TOUCH

Quick Link to The Confidence Club

Book in a free consultation

The Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) signifies advanced coaching proficiency, requiring at least 500 hours of client coaching experience and rigorous performance evaluation.

PCC coaches demonstrate a deep understanding of the ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics, ensuring high-quality coaching standards.

Co-active coaches can skilfully coach any person on any topic, navigate conflict, design responses and recover from triggered states. They understand their impact on others and create conversations that deepen intimacy and trust. Adept at framing powerful questions that evoke conversations that cultivate trust, catalyze self-discovery, enhance insight, and inspire movement into bold action. What

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the leading global organization dedicated to advancing the coaching profession. It sets high standards through credentialing, core competencies, and a strict code of ethics, ensuring excellence in coaching. ICF-accredited coaches are recognized worldwide for their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to ongoing development.

SEE SOME OF MY WORK

YOUR BEST LIFE BOOK

Every so often you find a book that is inspiring, engaging and courageously truthful written by genuine people transforming real-life challenges into remarkable lives. Your Best Life is extraordinary in its candour, wisdom and heartfelt support that will help you take your inner and outer game to a whole new level. Wonderful!

WANT TO CHAT?

You are welcome to ask questions about coaching or arrange a free intro call. Use this form to share your details and I will get in touch.

Or, if you want to move quickly book your free 30 minute consultation here

https://calendly.com/stephrobin

London, UK

hello@stephrobin.com

+44 (0) 7960 936078

Friday Feels!

Behind the scenes of another week in Executive Coaching for High Performance.
I coach high-achieving C-suite, Directors, VPs, Founders and Heads Of.

Here is what I am celebrating this week:

✅ Driving accountability following a leadership team workshop to see what’s changed as a result of the day they spent together. If nothing changes … nothing changes.
✅ Confidence is an inside job. Starting a habit of collecting and appreciating evidence of our success in service of our self-esteem being based on actual data not imposter fake news
✅ Understanding how our conflict preference can make us shrink away from certain characters and situations and how to get in the ring through preparation and confidence
✅ Leading our energy to power up to lead complex people management. Being there for your people without it taking everything out of you.
✅ Building up a bank of interview questions to identify mindset and behaviours that match the culture you want to build. Go beyond competency and get curious about what really makes people tick.

And for me,

✅ an unexpected extra day in Ljubljana after my flight was cancelled at 23:00 on Sunday night. Grateful I’ve built my business with flexibility in mind. Plus, a bonus night in a comfortable hotel with excellent A/C - I’ll take it!

Have a great weekend.

You're a confidence coach, you must be confident all the time?

No, not at all.

Confidence is not a steady state.
It’s not a permanent state.
It’s delicate management of internal and external factors that impact us daily.

I know that my confidence can dip following an extended busy spell, a series of challenging conversations and midlife stealing my energy much more quickly than I am used to.

I noticed my own confidence had dipped last week and I was very confused because I'd just completed a triathlon. I realised my dip was because I had run a triathlon. I was shattered and wasn't managing my defences and was trying to do too much rather than being balanced.

Key thing here is that I notice. A practice of confidence starts with awareness. How am I? What’s changed?

Next I check in on how consistent I am being with my feel-good basics. For me that’s movement and sleep, but I encourage everyone to identify their unique formula.

That’s all I need, I can get back to tip-top in two steps.

After all the rushing around and big energy expense I needed to get on that yoga mat and just be.

That’s what works for me. When I work with my clients on confidence we develop their own practice.

What works for you?

This is another post about The Confidence Club. Sorry, not sorry.

I believe deeply in the impact we can make on midlife confidence. I know what happens when we lose our confidence and I also know how we get it back.

Three members from February:

"A network of supportive women who lifted me up beyond all expectation."
Club Member

"These sessions gave me a safe space to discuss my anxieties and a toolkit that has given me the structure to truly believe in myself."
Club Member

"I am now fully out the other side, confident, happy and loving my job. Most importantly, I believe in myself again."
Club Member

That's all I have to say.

The June Confidence Club closes today.

Four Friday mornings.
12, 19, 26 June and 3 July at 10am.
Maximum four women leaders.

£495 + VAT.

No more until October.

If this makes you think of someone, please share it.

If this is you, message me today.

Blenheim Sprint Triathlon 2026 - done!

Ooft, it was hard. This was my fifth triathlon and I don't quite recall needing to dig so deep. Maybe in the 70.3 Half Iron which is a nightmare but I must confess I thought I might be able to imperfectly prepare for a Sprint and still grit it out.

It’s either a vote for my confidence that I felt I could just grind out a 750m swim, a 20km bike ride and a 5k run, or a vote for my optimistic delusion.

My training was not perfect. Instead of peaking 3 weeks out I went on holiday to Greece. I did some ocean swims but mostly swam in inconsistently chilled Greek white wine. A glute injury also meant I didn't have the same power I normally do.
�My swim was perhaps the best I have ever felt in a triathlon and given I normally feel on the verge of a panic attack I was very pleased with that.

Exited the lake to find the rain lashing down which turned the bike ride into a test of nerves and brakes. My chain fell off just as I was exiting transition. There were actual groans from the spectators. I am very proud to say I flipped my bike upside down and calmly reattached it. The lashing rain meant the grease was washed off my hands and legs before the first corner.

The run was a comedy of limps and flaps and deep digging into my stubbornness. By the end I was using my tri belt as some sort of glute support.

And none of it matters because I got the job done through the bad prep, the rain, the chain and the pain.

Best part of it was doing it with two friends. All of us out there doing something extraordinary early on a Saturday morning. Well done Katie Riches and Rebecca Tomkins. Heroes. We can do hard things.

Oh and it was thrilling to race alongside Johnny Brownlee who completed six sprint triathlons on Saturday and another 4 on Sunday and broke a world record. Rapid and making it look effortless.

Sprint triathlon. That was so hard. Rain meant headwind in swim and slick roads on bike. And after all that the run is just pure suffering. We did it! High fives and slight delirium all round. And if you ever find yourself in midlife saying you can’t do things … you’re wrong. 51 years young.

I sit in The Confidence Club every week and see my clients transform. It's the highlight of my week.

Women come in hesitant, releasing months or even years of doubt.

Just seven days later they start to see evidence of their strengths and remember what made them brilliant in the first place.

By week four they arrive as different people. Confidence returned and growing. More optimism about what they can achieve and more certainty about how to get themselves there.

One member from February:
"I am now fully out the other side, confident, happy and loving my job. Most importantly, I believe in myself again."

The Confidence Club opens again this June. Four Friday mornings — 12, 19, 26 June and 3 July at 10am.

Maximum four women. Registration closes 10 June.
If you'd like to know more, message me.

A check in for my midlife women leaders. How are you?

It's Tuesday morning, the week is already shaping up like last week. And the week before.

You're capable. You're experienced. You handle complex workloads. Yet, maybe things feel a bit harder than they used to? On the outside you’ve still got it, on the inside more doubt, more exhaustion, more frustration …

I created The Confidence Club for women just like us. We meet in a small group of senior women who are at an unexpected and unwelcome dip. It happens, there are good reasons for it, and it’s really to hard to get out of it alone.

Together we understand what’s going on and learn tools to build that confidence back to where it belongs.

Here is what two women from the February cohort have to say:

📢 "I had tried lots of routes to build my confidence - networking, reflexology, the gym, long walks with friends - but my confidence remained low." Four weeks later: "I'm no longer scared to put myself out there."

📢 "All of my imposters came out to play and I was riddled with self-doubt." Four weeks later: "I believe in myself again."

That transformation happens in just four Fridays. Only 4 seats so everyone gets to be heard.

Seats for the June Club are available now.

The dates:

12, 19, 26 June and 3 July at 10am UK.

Confidence done before the school holidays.

£495 + VAT.

Registration closes 9 June. Maximum four women. DM me to take your seat.

#confidence #midlife

It’s hard trying to keep focused on health in perimenopause.

I am still grieving for the fact I just can’t eat what I want when I want anymore.

A wee trap door I often fall through is eating with my longevity in mind all week and then when it comes to the weekend … I want a reward for all my good work. And I reward myself with the very thing I’m trying to manage. Pah!

Restriction works for a bit and then explodes into a fit of rebellion. Not saying I’ve got a perfect formula but I try not to be so strict and flawless during the week so that there is no need to rebel at the weekend.

This way a wee weekend treat is part of confident, balanced eating approach rather than a full-blown calorific temper tantrum.

Today, in the latest adventures of a midlife woman embracing AI in her life and work. Results have been ... less than optimum.

I’m doing a triathlon in June and I don’t love my current tri suit (a one-piece of cycling shorts and top). I thought I’d put a picture of me in it into my alleged “helpful, honest, and harmless AI assistant” Claude to see if some better options could be found.

Dear reader, it didn’t go well. Here is the chat response. I mean we have to laugh. I’m a well-trained confidence coach, I can handle this self-esteem nightmare. However, this could have been very problematic response for someone else. Helpful, honest and harmless? Not so much.

Now if you’ll excuse me I’m off to do some inner work.

Saturday. Bank Holiday weekend. Off on an adventure.

Honestly, this never gets old.

This is what women in The Confidence Club work towards. Reigniting your career confidence and the ability to see you deserve to enjoy yourself.

Midlife is for living.

Waiting list is open. We start June 9th. Details in bio.

Two years ago I ran two marathons in two weeks.

I’d entered Brighton as a consolation after missing the London ballot. I was deep in training for it when Hospice UK emailed. They had drop-outs. Could I take a London charity place? London was two weeks after Brighton. Recovery is supposed to take months.

I said yes, immediately.

Ten years ago I’d never have dreamed of being able to enter a marathon. And here I was saying yes to two.

Training for one marathon had been a grind. The moment I said yes to a second, training transformed into an adventure. A quest. A mission. I was locked in.

I’d been quietly building courage and confidence in the background for ten years by taking small steps to transform my life, health and career.

I ran Brighton. I cried crossing the start line as I knew I was going to get this race done. Two weeks later I ran London. Oh, it was so hard, my knees were done. And it was hugely, gloriously joyful. An affirmation that life is for living.

In midlife sometimes things can feel really, really hard. This memory reminds me that we are so much more capable than we first think.

What might you say yes to this week?

Obviously I entered the ballot again.

I’m a work in progress. Confident. Not polished. Finding joy in midlife. Eager for tips from @jocollinstyle

Designing a leadership team workshop to inspire on integration of AI this morning.

Lots of ideas and iterations.
Exciting to see how much work can be made easier.

I’m really enjoying myself. So much so I forgot I was meant to be recording a live.

And I notice I’m holding a pen.

Three decades of meeting habits.
Apparently I don’t feel myself without one.

It’s now an emotional support pen.

I take my clients for a walk.

There’s a reason I do this.

• Walking helps you think better
When you move, your brain stops going in circles and actually finds answers.

• Left right movement calms your system
It helps your brain settle so you can think clearly and stay steady.

• Walking side by side makes it easier to talk
It feels less intense. People just say what’s really going on.

• Being outside clears your head
Light and fresh air help your brain switch off the noise so you can see things properly.

Get moving. Get outside. Better thinking. Better decisions.

When you’re busy and your brain is full a deliberately slower practice can bring clarity.

Just me and my inner monologue out for a bike ride. 51, midlife and built for comfort.

Extra days in Vietnam? Improvise, adapt, overcome. Schedule around heat and coffee. Grateful I built a life and business based on freedom.

Fantastic food tour with Na from @eat_hoian.

We munched our way through a 4 hour walking street food banquet.

From noodles to dumplings and some less familiar stuff. Can’t quite believe I ate a duck foetus. It did not look OK but didn’t taste vile. I’m not saying it was good.

My favourite was the calamari jerky and green papaya salad but we were all ooohing and ahhing at the grilled octopus.

Street food tours are a brilliant way to understand local life through food culture. I would never have known to order most of the things we tried and now I have some new Vietnamese favourites to return to.

When it’s time to fire up your midlife brain and get back to work.

☕️Strong coffee
👄Having a word with yourself
🥊Getting stuck in

I felt completely stuck. It was the lowest point in my career.

I had fallen out of love with my role as an Operations Director and I was exhausted after almost of decade of exciting but draining senior jobs.

But the real problem was that I was afraid to move forward.

Afraid to leave the safety of the familiar.

Afraid because I could not clearly articulate what I actually did. When people asked, my best attempt sounded something like, “I bring everyone together and make sure things work.”

Cue eye rolling from recruiters and interviewers silently judging, “this is hardly six figure leadership, is it?”

Afraid because I was no longer sure I even wanted that kind of job.

Afraid because I had no idea what I did want instead.

Afraid because I had no real plan for my life.

So I was stuck. Unwilling to go back, but unable to move forward.

That place slowly drains your confidence. The longer I stayed there the worse I felt about myself and my future. And the worse I treated myself.

Thankfully I had good support that encouraged me to properly and safely share this stuckness in service of exploring what I wanted next.

When thoughts stay trapped and circular, putting them into words with the right support can reduce the sense of threat, help organise the experience and make it easier to move forward.

Identifying the raw ingredients in life and work that made me excited about my future allowed my brain and body to escape the stuck and start to design a way forward.

It was not a full plan. But it was enough to take the first step.

Many of the senior leaders who come to me for coaching tell me, often in exhaustion, that they feel stuck. They are cross with themselves. Self critical that they have not been able to sort it out on their own.

This is common. It is not a flaw.

Thinking harder will not get you unstuck.

Talking will.

And it is remarkable how quickly clarity returns once the stuck thoughts are no longer carried alone.

#leadership #executivecoach #stuck #transition #careerchange

Slight disruption to my return to the UK and return to work.

My original flight was with Qatar. Clearly, I am keen to avoid that part of the world. I was getting early anxiety about being stuck in Vietnam, or worse, stuck in Doha with no clear way of getting home safely.

Thankfully, Qatar are offering refunds and I am now able to search for flights home that avoid the region.

Also thankful that I had the foresight to bring my laptop so I can work from Vietnam and thus be flexible about getting a decent flight home. Prices are high!

So, if you need me, I’m here for you, except 6 hours ahead of the UK.

A long-held wish to visit Hue Imperial City.

A 5km square complex of various dynastic palaces and a forbidden kingdom behind thick walls.

A busy tourist site but so vast you can wander just a few steps away and find yourself alone in a magical maze.

Bullet holes scar the gates and walls. Hue is known as a city of ghosts and spirits. Easy to see and feel why. Some parts ore restored, and some remain shattered and fallen.

I spent 3 hours wandering around. Plenty of shady spots for respite from the 30 degree heat.

Even more atmospheric as the shadows lengthened and the heat faded.

Take a hike in Sa Pa. 1500m up in the hills. Walking through Hmong villages. The mist parts to reveal mountains and paddy fields.

Steep, uneven paths require knee concentration.

It’s warm up here, even when the clouds roll in.

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

Follow me on Instagram

@steph__robin