Robin Shear

Let’s be honest, if you are reading this, I want to know and connect with YOU. I don’t know anything about you. I want to know your stories, what brings you joy, what matters to you deep down, what you would like to overcome, what you dream of experiencing, how you want to grow and change and live your best life… all of it.

Is this possible, with me being here and you being there? Yes! Because of the magical internet and free videoconferencing software!

Everyone Has a Backstory
Please don’t laugh, because it’s true: I have lived in the same sleepy midwestern town village with one blinking light and very little variety for most of my life. But doing life here has allowed me to know and connect with an entire community, something I will forever be grateful for. On the flip side, living in the same map-dot has also fueled a burning need to know people who are different. I am drawn to people of different races, abilities, upbringings, faith backgrounds, age groups, nationalities, hang-ups and struggles, names & addresses, you name it, just people who are different than me. I love to identify common ground, create unity and establish relationship… and feel less different. There is beauty in connection. Once while on a subway in Manhattan, I saw a man with a tattoo that read “Dear God, please save me from my friends.” He had his hood up and his headphones on, so as badly as I wanted to connect, I respected his boundaries… but the image haunts me and I will forever want to know his story. He was different and I was curious.

Because I have been told that connecting with people is my superpower, I feel that doing this in a variety of ways has prepared me to be your coach. I have been a wife to a husband who could be teaching people how to be a great husband and father for over 25 years. We have two beautiful children who amaze me constantly and are now young adults chasing their own joys in life, looking to contribute to the well-being of others. We have never had mountains of money, but we are loaded in all the ways that matter. We make incredibly fun and meaningful memories together, talk about everything openly, and have a phenomenal family life. While we have shared too many special moments and crazy memories to list here, stay tuned, as I hope to publish a book full of ideas before God calls me home. I fully accept the fact that our family life can never be perfect, but it’s even better than the life I wanted and imagined having someday. I am so thankful!

My first professional (in other words: paid!) calling was in the field of dietetics, which I adored and never planned to leave. I got to teach nutrition at the college level, lead worksite wellness classes around the community, and do a bunch of public speaking.

I also ran a nutrition counseling practice where I specialized in eating disorder recovery. Here I met wonderful but deeply burdened people who slowly came to life before my eyes (with a lot of help from good therapists). One of my formerly anorexic clients has said that the day we went to a Halloween store and dressed up like an outhouse and the Incredible Hulk was a turning point in her recovery. Who knew that joyful experiences could inspire actual living?

After 8 years of volunteering as a church youth group leader, it became clear the time had come to leave the field of dietetics and focus solely on youth ministry as a profession. I jumped in with both feet and had a complete blast connecting with kids of all ages and their families, aiming to help them see how God’s word is alive and relevant in their everyday lives. We talked about everything in relation to scripture, went to tons of concerts and youth gatherings to help them feel connected with other believers their age, got involved in countless service projects and mission trips, and had a riot doing it all. I can’t say what impact this had on the kids or families, but it led to incredible growth and fulfillment in my own heart!

For a brief, sweet period, I got to serve senior citizens in the area of life enrichment. I cherished being adopted by the elderly residents of 4 distinct communities and learning about their lives and values while creating moments of meaning. I can hardly believe I got paid for that. We went on mystery trips, grew our weekly exercise classes to standing room only (those folks can throw down seated kickboxing moves and a YMCA dance routine with the best of them!), and constantly shared who we are and what matters to us. My life is so much richer because of these priceless friends.

Coaching Enters the Story
But while I was working with seniors, a warm spot began to grow in my heart, an idea that was taking root and making me wonder if my next calling was materializing. As I realized I could meet my need to know and connect with people as a life coach and public speaker, I began to share the idea with my family and inner circle. After receiving a unified response of “GO FOR IT,” I eventually shared my vision more broadly on social media. I guess I thought people from my community would say “What’s life coaching?” and “Get a real job!” But the voices of people I had known all my life said “YES!” “I can see you doing this!” and “This is YOU!” Honestly, I was taken aback by it. Starting a business would mean taking a big leap of faith and I wanted to park my heart there a while and make sure this was really something I could do. I took a breath. The thing that held me back was, I just didn’t know what I would coach people on, exactly. What do I know about? What can I offer other people?

When I was ready to stop listening to doubt and fear and revisit the same warmth in my heart, which was God’s voice within my belief system, I saw the common denominator in all of the above ways I have been called to serve and live my own life, all of those years and experiences coming together into one very clear focus, the subject I felt I actually could coach people on: JOY. You know…

After receiving some extremely thorough Whole-Person Coach training through Coach Training World, I joined the International Coach Federation, took the leap of faith, did the hokey pokey, and put my whole self in… because I want to meet you and help you discover your joy.

What About Your Story?
What I love about this is we can meet online wherever you are. Any state, any country, any time zone. There are no limits. You can be in Palestine, Turkey, India, Northern Ireland, Nicaragua, or Toledo (I am blessed to have made connections with wonderful people in these places already! The whole “Joy To The World Coaching” thing is intentional!). You can sit somewhere comfortable in your sweats, download Zoom (the free software that lets us chat), and pull me up on your screen, and together we will figure out what matters to you and how to get you there. It’s so easy. And just between us, I genuinely hope that the guy with the tattoo shows up on my screen someday so I can know him and help him understand he’s not alone. I have been praying for him for years.

*You might think this all sounds really nice – a girl in a village who wants to spread joy, how sweet. I could leave it there and let you think that. But the truth is, I want something bigger. I want to infect the world with joy as part of my plan for world domination. It’s the biggest takeover ever. Can you imagine a globe that overflows with joy?!