Rob Cook’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

Rob Cook shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Rob, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: When was the last time you felt true joy?
The last time I felt joy? Honestly, it’s every morning when I wake up. The moment I open my eyes, I feel joy and gratitude for life. That doesn’t mean everything is perfect or always goes the way I want it to. But I’m not afraid of the experience, whatever it brings. Waking up means I’m still in the game, and that I’ve been given another chance to show up, to learn, and to live fully.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Rob Cook — a Business Executive, a speaker, and a mindset coach. What makes me unique is the path that got me here. I served 21 years in the U.S. Air Force, leading protection missions in some of the most high-pressure environments imaginable. That experience taught me that leadership isn’t about titles or techniques, it’s about presence, authenticity, and service.

Today, my work bridges two worlds: the precision of business and technology, and the depth of human transformation. At the office, I focus on AI-powered revenue cycle solutions that help hospitals and health systems thrive.

With my coaching and speaking, I guide leaders, solopreneurs, and teams to feel safe, be heard, and live fully. At the heart of everything I do is a simple principle: getting clients and colleagues alike to see that circumstances may be out of our control, but how we experience them is up to us.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I believed the negative and untrue thought that I was broken. I thought that because of my struggles, my limited abilities in certain areas, or the misfortunes I faced, I could never have the life I felt I deserved. I carried that weight for a long time. But I’m so grateful I was wrong. What I’ve discovered is that I was never broken. I was learning, growing, and preparing to live fully. That shift in belief has given me the freedom to walk in my resilience and gain a new understanding of life.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, there was a time I almost gave up. I call them the darkest days of my life. I was retiring from military service, and the adverse effects of PTSD had stolen my joy and sense of direction. On top of that, I was dealing with financial struggles, relationship struggles, a recent divorce, and professional problems all hitting at once. It created such an overwhelming weight that I honestly wanted to quit. Not necessarily die — but I wanted out. I wanted a new experience, something that didn’t feel so heavy.

I’m thankful I didn’t give up. Because staying in the fight, even when I didn’t feel like I had much left, eventually opened the door to a new chapter of my life. It taught me that dark moments don’t last forever, and as I heard someone once say, “all storms run out of rain.”

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
For me, the difference between a fad and a real foundational shift comes down to principles. Fads come and go, but foundational shifts are rooted in spiritual truths that never change. The most significant shift in my own life was realizing that my feelings weren’t caused by circumstances, people, or events outside of me. They were being created from the inside out.

That’s a truth that operates like gravity or rain. Gravity doesn’t care who you are; it treats everyone the same. Rain doesn’t pick favorites; it falls on all of us equally, regardless of race, gender, status, or background. In the same way, the inside-out understanding is universal. Once you see that your experience of life is being created within you, you stop chasing fads and start living from a foundation that never shifts.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Yes, I’ve gotten what I thought I wanted, but I’ve found it didn’t satisfy me as I thought it would. I was once rated #1 out of 126 in my element by the Commander of Special Operations. On paper, it was the highest honor of my career, the trophy so many wanted. Still, I hadn’t yet realized what I had sacrificed, chasing every professional development marker, and lived with no real work–life balance. The celebration was short-lived. And it hit me like a ton of bricks, I’d lift the biggest trophy of my career, only to discover it was hollow. That moment taught me that success without balance isn’t success at all because what looked like my greatest achievement was a trail of collateral damage I had to face.

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The Listening Summit – Prague, Czech Republic

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