Your Coach

As with most whose lives have eclipsed a half century or more, Steve’s journey of mistakes and victories, pursuits and passions, twists and turns have started to make sense as preparation for what is now unfolding as an exciting chapter for life ahead.

The summary for those wanting the bottom line: Steve has coached aspiring Olympic athletes, start-up entrepreneurs, seasoned business leaders and ambitious high climbing individuals for over 25 years. Most often his clients proudly report lifetime best achievements including setting personal records, launching latent ambitions, and making millions while attaining – or retaining – balance in all areas of life. Along the way he appreciatively gained deep insight on success and achievement through this work; as well inspiring others to follow his insatiable quest to take on new personal challenges.

But the career path part of the story starts with graduation from Colorado State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science.  He then launched his first career as a professional swimming coach and built “feeder” programs for aspiring national level and Olympic Trial qualifying swimmers in Colorado, Oklahoma, Illinois, South Carolina and Texas. This experience taught him much about human performance, psychology and motivation – yet offered limited financial reward.

In an entrepreneurial reflex, Steve noticed at the time a moment in the economy where fresh, new master planned communities were competing to attract residents.  Responding, Steve started – with less than $200 – a business developing family sports and community recreation programs and events.  The business grew to a multimillion-dollar enterprise in only 2 years and at its peak simultaneously managed over 100 commercial recreation facilities and employed over 300 people. Serving him well were the team building skills, organization development insights and coaching techniques learned on the pool deck.  Unanticipated though was the “real-world MBA” he earned. His success was soon recognized in the local business community as other entrepreneurs began to request Steve’s insight on business building strategies.

A segue to a new career followed. Noticing a need for innovative thinking to help other entrepreneurs grow their businesses, Steve began to market services as a “Business Development Coach” while continuing to evolve his goal-focused approach – practiced in his days on the pool deck – in supporting others to achieve their highest aspirations.  Soon the concept attracted Small Business Leaders, Sales Superstars (or wannabes) and Entrepreneurs from a wide variety of marketplace segments, business models, sizes of business and stages of growth.

Through the process, Steve honed an array of essential “achievement principles” that have positively influenced success for virtually every client.   Included among these key principles is an emphasis on vigorously pursuing physical health and vitality – and mindset skills that challenge self-imposed limits and train a purpose-driven intent for every worthwhile pursuit.

Meanwhile, Steve has intently practiced what he preaches, saying “yes” to frequent invitations and challenges to test his physical limits while, not incidentally, using these life experiences to reveal new insights for success and achievement.  Among his more celebrated pursuits:

  • A bicycle trek from Colorado to Canada and back – over 2300 miles – on a beer bet
  • An over 12 hour continuous swim challenge to raise money for Make a Wish
  • Numerous triathlons (well before required bicycle helmets and state of the art gear)
  • Five “Hotter N Hell Hundred” – 100 mile bike races in 100 degree heat in under 5 hours
  • An International Canoe race across country of Belize – 175 miles over 4 days
  • Numerous national Top Ten rankings in Master’s swimming
  • Multiple Regional record-holder in Master’s swim competition
  • Successful completion of the 265 mile Texas Water Safari canoe race – anointed as the world’s toughest boat race – completing in 90 hours with only 5 hours’ sleep
  • Successful summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro – the world’s highest free-standing mountain – to raise money for clean water
  • Successful accent and decent of Pikes Peak in one day
  • An amazing 10 day, 75 mile backpack trip with his 15 year old son in the New Mexico mountains
  • Participation in ocean open-water swim races – most recently placing 3rd and inspiring the next planned adventure…a channel swim between two Hawaiian Islands

Acknowledged for truly being on the leading edge of the development of personal development coaching as a profession, Steve’s philosophies have helped shape other professional coaches and coach teams, but more importantly the success trajectory of the hundreds of clients he has served.  With this experience, his most recent ambition for sharing his expertise is being manifested in a personal and professional development destination retreat called Base Camp Hawaii.  The Camp serves visitors as well as virtual participants in defining and attaining new standards for optimum health and a winning mindset for business and life.  Women, men, business executives, entrepreneurs, couples, aspiring competitive athletes – and even those embracing the second half of life as their “better half” – are now tapping into  Steve’s gifts of instilling confidence, belief and new possibility.