Episode #27: Robert Stephenson - How to Say Yes and Become a Conduit for Change
Saying yes has shaped Robert Stephenson's life.
Accepting opportunities and seeing where they took him propelled Robert as he became a trained actor, a narrative coach, and the director of Animas Centre for Coaching - one of Europe’s largest coaching schools.
While this optimistic disposition has guided him through a career that he thinks of as "a quest", he has not shied away from difficult conversations around diversity, inclusion, and even climate within the coaching space.
He shares his own experiences to help create vital dialogue that is free from shame and embarrassment, and to break down barriers in the industry.
He now leads a coaching community at Animas that is constantly evolving as its many thousands of members learn and grow, and is the host of the Coaching Uncaged podcast.
Robert draws on his theatrical roots as he brings the spirit of improvisation and creativity to coaching, helping people channel their passion, work from their emotions, and live their stories.
In this episode, we talk about:
The vital role of creativity in coaching
Recognising that coaching moves at a separate speed from the world and how jarring it can be to move from on speed to another
The Hero’s Journey and the narratives we are all part of (or think we are)
The power of saying yes and how Robert decides whether to say yes or no
Making room for improvisation and experimentation as we build our coaching businesses
Why Robert is so energised by conversations about diversity and inclusion in coaching, and how he has brought his coaching skills to those conversations
Robert also speaks articulately about his journey as a leader, his role in the spectacular growth of Animas, and how he and his colleagues inspire and motivate the community.
For more information about Robert, visit: https://www.animascoaching.com/about-animas/our-team/robert-stephenson/ or https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/coaching-uncaged/id1326900151
The Inclusion Summit Robert mentions in the episode is set to happen in August 2021 on Thursday evenings. Details are still to be confirmed, but visit the Animas website or follow the Animas social media accounts to stay up-to-date.
For information about Robbie’s wider work and writing, visit www.robbieswalecoaching.com.
Music by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQg
To support the Coach's Journey, visit www.patreon.com/thecoachsjourney and to join the Coach's Journey Community visit www.thecoachsjourney.com/community
Things and people we mentioned (that you might be interested in):
~10: Creative Partnerships https://www.creativitycultureeducation.org/programme/creative-partnerships/
~10: Mathilda Joubert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathilda-joubert-8299705/
~13: Coaching for Dummies https://www.dummies.com/business/management/coaching-mentoring-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/
~13: The Grow Model https://www.performanceconsultants.com/grow-model
~15: London Coaching Group on Meetup https://www.meetup.com/London-Coaching-Group/
~15: Nick Bolton, founder of Animas https://www.animascoaching.com/about-animas/our-team/nick-bolton/
~20: Nash Popovic https://www.uel.ac.uk/staff/p/nash-popovic
~23: Narrative therapy and narrative coaching https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/coaching-today/july-2015/the-stories-we-tell/
~25: Joseph Campbell, The Hero's Journey https://qz.com/1436608/this-classic-formula-can-show-you-how-to-live-more-heroically/
~42: David Shephard https://performancepartnership.com/about-us/david-shephard/
~49: Celia Greenwood https://www.wacarts.co.uk/homepage/ceo-and-founder-celia-greenwood-steps-down-this-month
~55: Unclassified theatre company http://totaltheatre.org.uk/archive/features/treading-boards-or-treading-water-mime-mainstream
~65: Chris Grady http://www.chrisgrady.org/
~66: Nick Bolton’s retirement letter https://www.animascoaching.com/blog/an-open-letter-from-nick-bolton-on-his-animas-retirement-282/
~1.05: Liz Gilbert https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/
~1.30: Coaching Climate Alliance https://www.climatecoachingalliance.org/
~1.35: Animas Impact https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/animas-centre-coaching-launches-new-social-impact-arm-emma-koubayssi/
~1.35: Animas Creating Space https://www.animascoaching.com/creating-space/
~1.38: Sonia Gill at Heads Up https://ukheadsup.com/about-us/meet-the-team/
~1.42: Transactional analysis https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/transactional-analysis
~1.43: How to Have Impossible Conversations, by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/43885240-how-to-have-impossible-conversations
~1.46: Jackee Holder http://www.jackeeholder.com/
~1.46: BACP feature by Robert, on diversity and inclusion in coaching https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/coaching-today/january-2021/a-wealth-of-experience/
~1.50: Robert's LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-stephenson-2491a21
~2.04: Che Walker's Revolution events https://www.wacarts.co.uk/homepage/revolution-review
~2.09: Steve Chandler https://www.coachingprosperityschool.info/
FULL BIOGRAPHY FROM ROBERT
Robert Stephenson is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), trainer, mentor, speaker and the centre director of Animas, one of the largest coaching schools in the UK and Europe.
A coach with more than 10 years of experience, Robert’s true love in coaching is using the multi-sensory and multi-dimensional process of narrative coaching to allow new stories to emerge within a client’s world.
When he’s not developing new and exciting training courses, he is imparting his insights around coaching, diversity, and inclusion, leadership and beyond as host of the Animas podcast, Coaching Uncaged.
As the first and only black director of UK’s leading transformational coaching school, Robert’s burning desire is to ensure Animas provides high-quality training and a learning journey that serves the needs of coaches-in-training.
Robert’s journey to the helm of Animas, with its roots in performance, theatre and education, is as varied as it is fascinating.