About Rockpool Coaching

About Me

I’m Dean Coates — a coach for creatives and founder of Rockpool Coaching. I work with people across the creative industries to help them find clarity, navigate transitions, and lead more meaningful and sustainable creative lives.

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 was next. Working with a coach helped me reconnect with my values, creativity, and aspirations. Just six sessions later, I made the leap leaving my job to start my own creative 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 artists, performers, designers, musicians, and creative entrepreneurs and taken me across borders, both geographically and personally. Coaching didn’t just change my career it helped me rediscover the life I actually wanted to live.

Why I coach creatives

As someone who walks the line between business owner and creative practitioner, I understand both the freedom and the friction that comes with making a living from your creativity. That’s why I specialise in coaching creative clients—because your path isn’t linear, and your challenges don’t always fit inside traditional boxes. Whether you’re navigating a career pivot, launching a passion project, or simply feeling stuck, I offer a space where you can think clearly, reflect honestly, and act with purpose.

When I’m Not Coaching…

You’ll probably find me playing on the Padel court (playing badly, but enthusiastically) with friends, cycling around Bristol, or tending to my garden my little pocket of calm and colour in the city.