About Rockpool Coaching

About Me

I’m Dean Coates — coach and founder of Rockpool Coaching. I work with people who want to turn their ecrative ideas into a business.

My journey into coaching began in 2013, at a point of burnout in a senior public sector role. I was stressed, unfulfilled, and unsure of what to do. I began working with a coach who helped me reconnect with what was really imporatant to me, my creativity and aspirations. Six sessions later, I made the leap leaving my job to start my own business.

Fast forward over a decade, and that decision has taken me on an incredible ride. While the path hasn’t always been smooth, it’s been full of purpose, creativity, and connection. My business has brought me into contact with inspiring; collaborators, customers and freelancers around the globe. Coaching didn’t just change my career it helped to design a life worth living.

Why I coach creative startups

After 15 years running my own business, I know both the freedoms and the conflicts that come with being a creative and a business owner. I’ve also spent over 20 years working alongside creatives, so I understand the unique mix of energy, ideas, and challenges that come with turning creativity into a livelihood.

Creatives often have brilliant ideas — but not always the confidence, clarity, or support to turn them into a business. Growth isn’t a straight line, and challenges rarely fit into neat boxes. Failure will happen, but it’s what we learn from it, and how we move forward, that makes the difference.