Back Room Talk Coach Spotlight: Robin Steyvers - Building Fitness Coaching Retreats That Combat Isolation and Create Community
This episode of Back Room Talk takes us inside the innovative world of Robin Steyvers, a fitness coach who's redefining professional coaching by bringing coaches and entrepreneurs together through immersive retreats. From his early days helping friends at outdoor calisthenics parks to running Viomatico retreats on the beautiful island of Madeira, Robin shares his journey of creating sustainable coaching models that prioritize deep relationships and fight the isolation that often comes with remote work.
Finding Purpose Through Movement
Robin's path to coaching begins with a thread that runs through his entire life: a desire to help others. "I've always been intrigued with movement, with how people form habits, how people do things, and just helping others," he explains. His foundation in fitness was established early – his father taught jujitsu, his mother taught swimming classes, and Robin himself explored various physical disciplines throughout his youth.
After working various jobs that left him feeling unfulfilled, Robin made a pivotal decision: "I want to do something that feels meaningful." With his interest in fitness growing, he began studying formally while helping friends with their training. "I'm a little bit of a nerd," he admits, explaining why he pursued education before jumping straight into coaching.
His three-year personal training program provided the basics – anatomy, physiology, program design, and nutrition – but lacked the practical implementation skills he would later discover through OPEX CCP. "I think the basics were there, which is very important... but like most basic courses, they teach you a little bit of everything, and that doesn't really help you with helping people."
The Evolution of a Coach
Robin's coaching journey reflects the typical progression many successful coaches follow:
Friends and Outdoor Training: Helping peers in calisthenics parks
Global Gym Experience: Teaching branded classes like "hyper fit" and "booty workout" classes
CrossFit Group Classes: Moving into technique-focused coaching
Personal Training: Adding one-on-one work alongside classes
Template Programs: Creating specialized programming for specific skills
Remote Individual Design: Implementing personalized online coaching
What sets Robin apart was his early adoption of remote coaching. "I started remote coaching in 2018-2019 before it was cool," he notes, having observed the trend growing in America and predicting it would eventually reach Europe. This foresight positioned him perfectly for what came next.
When Crisis Creates Opportunity
In early 2020, Robin faced an extraordinary circumstance that would accelerate his coaching evolution. While on a nine-day holiday in Morocco, the borders closed due to COVID-19, and he found himself stuck for six months.
"There was no in-person coaching anymore," he explains. "I was like, 'Okay, I have OPEX on my side now. I'm learning all of these amazing things, how to professionalize.'"
This isolation period became Robin's intensive implementation lab. He transformed his systems from "chaotic and a little bit of everywhere" to structured and professional. His experience with remote coaching gave him an immediate advantage when the world suddenly needed virtual fitness solutions:
"From four or five remote clients, I went very quickly to 15 plus in a matter of weeks because, well, everyone wanted an online coach suddenly. I had over a year of experience, whereas other coaches were figuring stuff out at that time."
The revelation came when Robin realized he could make equal or more income while working fewer hours than his previous in-person coaching in Belgium. More importantly, he was "accomplishing just as much with my clients, if not even more, which was the core of it."
Finding Balance Between Freedom and Deep Relationships
As Robin's remote coaching practice grew, he faced the scaling dilemma that challenges many successful coaches: how to grow without sacrificing the quality of client relationships.
"At one point it became automated, and I loved it. And then you get to this stage where you have to scale, right?" he explains. "Like as a coach, you can further try to optimize systems and get more clients. Or you can move into templating more, or you can open a facility."
None of these traditional growth paths felt right. He didn't want a brick-and-mortar facility, didn't want to sacrifice the depth of client relationships by taking on more people, and didn't want to move into templated programming.
"I wanted a bit of the balance of freedom but deep relationships with my clients. So I felt I was at a sweet spot around 30 clients," he shares. This created a ceiling – he could keep raising prices, but that approach has limits.
The Hidden Problem in Professional Coaching
This ceiling highlighted a broader issue that Robin felt passionate about addressing: the sustainability crisis in professional coaching.
"Coaches are the first line of defense, right? Like if coaches do their job right, a lot of people are in a lot better shape. They're mentally in better shape. They're physically in better shape... But coaches don't make a living."
This reality troubled him deeply: "It's sad to see, but so many amazing coaches get a real job after a while. Because now they want to start a family or buy a house or create a sustainable life. And they're like, 'Well, I'm passionate about helping others, but a job in sales is going to improve my life way more than staying a coach.'"
Robin's solution was innovative – he began mentoring other coaches on both program design and business development, helping them overcome limiting beliefs around pricing and business growth.
The Birth of Viomatico Retreats
Living in beautiful destinations like Morocco, Greece, Mexico, and finally settling in Madeira, Robin and his girlfriend (who had worked in tourism for nine years) saw an opportunity to combine their expertise. They created Viomatico retreats to bring coaches and entrepreneurs together for immersive experiences that would combat isolation and facilitate knowledge exchange.
"My idea was: if it's getting big in America, sooner or later it's gonna come over to Europe. That's just how things go. America starts a new trend, and Europe's gonna pick up sooner or later."
Initially, they planned separate retreats for coaches and entrepreneurs, but quickly discovered something unexpected: "We learned that the coaches actually wanted to hang out with entrepreneurs because they know how to do the business side. And entrepreneurs want to hang out with coaches because they don't know much about balancing their work-life."
This cross-pollination created powerful learning environments where coaches learned monetization strategies from successful business owners, while entrepreneurs gained insights into health, work-life balance, and sustainable performance.
Fighting Remote Work Isolation
One of the most significant benefits of the retreats addresses a challenge many remote workers face: loneliness.
"I was in the most beautiful places. Honestly, I was in Mexico, I was in Greece, and I was lonely," Robin confesses. "Everyone's working throughout the day. And yeah, I'm working from this beautiful beach club, and it's all great. But I don't have anyone to share this with. I don't have anyone to bounce ideas off."
While online communities offer some connection, Robin emphasizes that "it's not the same. We as humans, we need that in-person contact. The more things go digital, I feel the more we're in need of relationships and in-person relationships."
The retreats provide something digital interactions can't: continuous, multi-dimensional connection. "You're literally there for a week, 24-7," Robin explains. "The mastermind's over, but you go together to the beach and you continue the conversation... As you build relationships that have nothing to do with the business side of things, you're able to open up more about the business side."
This creates a deeper level of trust that's impossible in virtual environments: "I'm not going to share all my secrets with someone I never met. But we had these beautiful moments together. We did some workouts together. We went for a hike together. And now we get to ask questions about business to each other. I see you as a friend now, so I'm gonna share a lot more."
Common Challenges for Coaches
Through his retreats and mentorship, Robin has identified several common challenges coaches face:
1. Pricing and Self-Worth
European coaches in particular struggle with charging what they're worth. "We've seen a lot of coaches come in, charge 80 euros a month, and then open their eyes to what other coaches are charging. And they just like three-X their prices... afraid that they're going to lose all their clients, and they don't lose clients, or they even gain clients because people start taking them seriously."
Robin explains that underpricing creates a paradoxical problem: "When you charge 80 euros a month and you're bottom of the pack or even in the middle, it's like, well, I'm gonna qualify you over different things than price... And when you charge yourself above the pack, people doubt less because they're like, 'Well, you're a lot more expensive, so you're probably worth it.'"
2. Outsourcing and Business Growth
Many coaches believe their only scaling options are templating or opening a gym. Robin challenges this limited thinking by sharing examples like an Italian coach with a team of 14 people providing fully individualized programming.
"She has a sales team. She has people doing her social media. She has a separate nutritionist. She has this whole team working for her, but it's just her name, just her method," he explains. This opens coaches' eyes to business models beyond the typical either/or choices.
3. Gym Owner's Dilemma
For gym owners, a common trap is inadvertently moving away from what they love. "A lot of gym owners end up in a management role, lose their coaching role, and then end up... bored out," Robin explains.
The issue stems from misalignment between their passion and their business model: "Is the business aspect of things what drives me to open a gym, or is it me wanting to coach more? Because the common thing is open a gym and get a couple of coaches and become the coach of coaches. But don't be there as much as a coach."
Robin suggests an alternate approach for those whose passion remains with coaching: "Stay the coach and hire a manager. Sure, you're giving some things out of hands, but if your passion is still with the coaching and you're growing... you're going to have to choose."
The Healthy Coach's Routine
Robin's approach to his own fitness and work-life balance offers valuable lessons for coaches seeking sustainability:
Morning Movement Priority
"I train first thing in the morning because it gives me more energy," Robin explains. He walks his dog uphill for 25 minutes to the gym, completes a one-hour workout, then walks back home – getting exercise, dog care, and mental preparation all accomplished before his workday begins.
Unlike his previous competitive focus, Robin's training now prioritizes energy management: "I do workouts now that energize me instead of taking my energy." This shift acknowledges that his goals have evolved – while he still competes twice yearly in CrossFit events, performance isn't his primary objective anymore.
Structured Task Days
Rather than trying to juggle multiple types of work daily, Robin designates specific days for different tasks. "I used to program every day a little bit... but then I noticed that the work that I do for the retreats is so different," he explains. "So now I decided that I have one full day of program design where my partner does not ask me anything for the retreats. It's coaching only."
He spreads client feedback throughout the week as it "takes me less brain space than writing a new cycle," and alternates retreat-focused days with coaching-focused days.
Boundaries and "Creative Days"
Perhaps most importantly, Robin and his partner are learning to implement clear boundaries around work hours – something many self-employed professionals struggle with. "The hard part is stop working," he admits. "We used to take half a day off sometimes a week, sometimes we didn't take days off."
Recently, they've implemented a weekend system with a creative twist: "Now we started taking two days off a week... We call them creative days because it's when we're not working that we actually come up with the ideas, that we come up with the energy for the week ahead."
For couples working together, they've found a unique solution: "We have one day together and then we have one day separate. So let's say my girlfriend takes Saturday and Sunday, I'll take Sunday and Monday. That way she has her Saturday for her, but she can actually turn off because she knows work's still being done because I'm still working."
Continued Education as a Lifestyle
For Robin, education isn't something that happens in courses or specific time blocks – it's woven into his entire business model and daily routine. "My entire business is built on it, actually," he explains. "I use this sentence almost daily on all of our retreats: You can't be a good teacher without being a good student, and you can't be a good student without becoming a teacher."
Rather than positioning himself as the sole expert at retreats, Robin creates environments where "every participant shares knowledge, gives knowledge, so people get to ask questions and the others coach them through that."
This creates a continuous education ecosystem: "Since it's so built on education, my day to day is built around having conversations about education, about coaching, about business. So I wake up with education, I go to bed with education."
Resources for Coaches
Robin recommends several key resources for coaches looking to grow:
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Despite the potentially misleading title, Robin views this as "a book on basic communication. How do you communicate? That's all it is... the better you become as a communicator, the better conversations you can have, the more you're going to get out of life."
The Daily Stoic - A philosophical guide Robin recommends to everyone.
Happy Money by Ken Honda - A Japanese author exploring money mindset beyond typical "get rich quick" advice. "It's literally like, what are your limiting beliefs around money? How do you look at money? Is money evil? Is money good?... For a lot of coaches, how their relationship with money is, is a bigger limiter than them actually asking for the money."
Connect with Robin
Those interested in learning more about Robin's approach or potentially joining a future retreat can connect with him through:
LinkedIn: Robin Steyvers
Instagram: @robin.viomatico
Retreat Instagram: @theviomati.co
Website: theviomati.co
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