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Mike Coote finds purpose in humor, passion in coaching

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Mike Coote is a man of deep faith, resilience and a relentless pursuit of purpose. His life has been anything but ordinary.

Now in his 60s, the man born in South Africa today lives in the United Kingdom after he found himself at a pivotal point. He realized his life was not winding down. Rather, it was offering him a new chapter — one filled with opportunity, growth and the chance to give back.

As he prepares for another day of coaching and mentoring, Mike couldn’t help but think about the long road that had led him to that point, and how it all began in a very different world.

“I was born in Cape Town, so my accent is a blend of South Africa dialect and British English. It gives me an edge,” he explained. “Here in the United Kingdom, people say, ‘Ooh, I like your accent.’ But, when I go to South Africa, people say I’m becoming an Englishman. Then, when I go to the United States, Americans tell me they like my accent, too.”

Mike’s life hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. His first marriage failed after 38 years. But he was happily remarried in 2021. His oldest son lives in Rugby, England; another son lives in South Africa; and so does his daughter. Between the three, they have produced 12 grandchildren.

“Because of the pandemic, we didn’t travel much. There are two grandchildren in South Africa I haven’t met, yet,” he explained. “But my wife, Elaine, and I are traveling there in late September to meet them.”

Bringing humor to social media

The dreariness of the COVID years inspired Mike to bring more humor and inspiration to the world through his Facebook page. He created a group and called it “Uplifting, Inspiring, Informative, and Funny Quotes for Everybody.”

Although he was not very active on Facebook, Mike created the group as a way to bring people together during a very difficult time.

“We had two lockdowns in the UK, and the first one was really long. We couldn’t go out, I couldn’t talk to my clients, and everyone was isolated,” he explained. “I was wondering how I could help people feel a bit better about themselves, and maybe have a laugh or two.”

He wanted the group to be representative of his strong Christian faith, but in a way that wouldn’t turn people off in the process. He started gathering humorous and inspirational memes, photos and messages, and sharing them in his group.

Mike started the group as its only member in 2020. Today, it boasts of 4,300 members and is growing every month as people share his content.

“I decided to post stuff people might actually enjoy reading. I don’t do any promotion to grow the group. It just grows organically,” said Mike. “I spend about 20 minutes a day looking for new material. I get a lot of private messages from people who thank me for giving them a smile.

“There are times I look back on the content I posted and see what captures people’s attention and what doesn’t,” he added. “Then I go about looking for more of the same type of funny, encouraging, uplifting and informative content people seem to enjoy the most.”

Mike is diligent in keeping divisive political and cultural content out of the group. Not only is it important from a faith perspective to avoid arguments, but people are desperately looking for content that offers a distraction from all the negativity in media today.

“It is very easy for people to fall back into the divisiveness of politics, so I remind people all the time what our rules state,” he explained. “There is a lot of interaction in the group with people commenting on posts or sharing their own stories. It has been a lot of fun.

“Occasionally, I get pushback from some members about the faith-based content,” said Mike. “I tell them I don’t mind if people do not share my faith, but it is important to me. I don’t push faith in their face, but sometimes those messages are needed.”

Before the pandemic, Mike was visiting America four months a year to meet with various clients. He noted a lot of division in the country with people dividing themselves into Democrat or Republican, faith or no-faith, pro-gun or anti-gun, and on countless other issues.

“I walk a fine line and remind people that we need to make this group worth something rather than allowing it to become just another group where members fight with each other,” said Mike. “We have done a good job in keeping the group friendly and uplifting.”

Life in the military

Living in South Africa, Mike’s early life was marked by the oppressive shadow of apartheid. Like many young men of his generation, Mike was drafted into the South African military at 19, where he would spend the next years of his life.

The military was a rigid institution, deeply entrenched in the country’s racial segregation policies. For Mike, this experience was transformative, but not in the way one might hope. Instead of instilling discipline and honor, his time in the army deepened his radical racism, a mindset that was both encouraged and normalized in that environment.

“National service was very much part of the South African regime at the time,” he explained. “I was the type of person who was always trying to make myself better, so I volunteered to serve. I became a second lieutenant and attended a harsh officers training school for 10 months.

The violence and chaos of war left scars that ran deep, both physically and emotionally. Yet, at the time, Mike was oblivious to the toll it was taking on his soul.

“I came out of the military as a confused young man with post-traumatic stress disorder, although I didn’t realize it at the time,” he explained.

The military had conditioned him to see the world in black and white, and it wasn’t until much later that he would begin to question the beliefs which had been instilled in him during those years.

A spiritual transformation

When Mike finally left the military at age 25, the discipline and structure of army life had been replaced by the uncertainties of civilian life, and Mike struggled to find his place in the world.

He took a job in construction, working long hours to keep his mind occupied, but the emptiness he felt inside persisted. Mike also worked a part-time job at a local church. After four and a half years, he became an ordained Baptist pastor.

“When I changed from Capt. Michael Coote to Rev. Michael Coote, it was a quantum leap,” he explained. “For the next nine years, I loved my time in the ministry. But, I left the pastorate to start a small business in South Africa. Eventually, it grew to 22 employees.”

In 2009, Mike moved to Britain to start a new business as an executive business coach.

“I had the immense privilege of coaching men and women working in government and private industry,” he explained. “I was coaching people so high in British government that I needed a top-secret security clearance from MI6. In fact, my children had to undergo security clearances, as well.”

Mike does all types of life and business counseling, but he specializes in helping people through crisis in their lives. He works with people whose marriages are about to break apart, their children are in trouble, or they are contending with addictions.

“I love my counseling ministry. I approach it from a faith and non-faith perspective,” he said. “That gives me a unique ability to cross the divide. There are a bunch of people seeking help from a Christian worldview. But, there are others who don’t want to hear anything about Jesus’ teaching.”

Coaching for a better life

The process of moving from South Africa to England was a difficult period for Mike. Not only were there better financial opportunities in moving north, the racist policies of apartheid that had favored whites began to shift as the pendulum swung in the other direction.

“After Nelson Mandela became the first democratically elected president, white people struggled to find jobs,” said Mike. “The government mandated any company which did business with any firm contracted by the government had to be 50 percent black owned. My company was working with companies that did business with the government. So, the ownership had to change, or the government would be forced to end its ties with my firm.

“Because I offered highly-specialized coaching, I could not just hire people based on the color of their skin,” he explained. “They needed to be able to offer coaching at the same level I was able to do. It was better in the end that I sold the company to my directors and moved to England to start over.”

In the world of athletics, anyone who has achieved any significant results has done so through the benefit of coaching. When people step into the business world, many executives realize they need coaching, too, if they hope to achieve new heights.

“We all need people who can stand off objectively from us and speak truth that is warm in tone, attractive in the right sense, and direct to the point as well,” said Mike. “I am a 67-year-old man. I know my weaknesses and my challenges. There are things I continue to struggle with.

“Yet, there are people across the world who tell me, ‘Mike, I don’t know what I would have done without you,” he added. “In the mirror, I’m just Mike Coote. But, my studies, background and experiences give me insight, and that means something to my clients, some of whom I have been coaching at least 10 years.

“I assure you it is very humbling to have men and women who are in charge of companies doing over tens of billions in sales every year with employees in the range of 70,000 to 90,000 people in 40 countries approach me to say, ‘Mike, I need your opinion,’” he explained.

“I think to myself, ‘Why? They are such a success,’” he added. “But I have retained those relationships with very senior people for many years. It all comes down to trust.”

Life beyond 50

“I provide something to people they can’t get anywhere else,” said Mike. “I am doing basically the same thing I have been doing for 30 years, but I have more work today than I had when I turned 50.

Although the official retirement age in the United Kingdom is 66, Mike has no desire to slow down despite being 67 at the moment. Why? Because coaching gives his life meaning and purpose.

“Let me assure you, there are days I wake up and my body reminds me I had five major operations on my knee,” he explained. “I can feel every moment of folly I enjoyed from my younger years. I tend to laugh at myself a lot. While I have achieved and done a lot in my life, there is still much that lies ahead.”

How can people regain their purpose after losing a job, or their business ends after years of being the focal point for meaning in their lives?

“That may be the $64 question, especially when a large portion of your life is suddenly removed,” Mike explained. “You have to retain an openness to what’s out there.”

When he moved from South Africa to England, Mike did not arrive with a huge sum of capital or any means of supporting himself. But, he did not let that deter him from realizing better years were coming.

“I was a dishwasher in a fast food restaurant working 16-hour shifts – eight hours back to back – because I got two meals that day and I made enough money to pursue my dream of starting a business,” said Mike. “Be open to the fact that, even at age 50 or older, you might have to take a step backward or sideways before you can move forward again.

“Here is where having a coach you can call for advice – someone you trust to ask the right questions to help you fill in some of the blanks – can be invaluable,” he added.

Even more importantly, being older opens doors for people to provide wise, valuable advice to others.

“Look at my life. When I was 25, was I a wise person? Obviously some people in the military thought so to make me a captain and give me command of a company of people,” Mike explained. “Yes, I was a pastor of two separate Baptist churches, including one of the largest in South Africa. I know I had wisdom to do all those things.

“But, today, when I see all I have learned through hard, bitter experiences, God has granted me the amount of wisdom I have needed at just the right time for everything he needed me to do,” Mike added. “Go outside of yourself to find out who you really are. Once you know that, then you can plan some direction.

“The problem is that when things get hard, that’s often when many people close off again,” he explained. “Alcohol or some other drug becomes a reality and a way to cope with life. And that gives me a deep sadness in my soul because I know, without a doubt, that you are better today than you ever were at 20, 30 or 40 years old.”

Coaching brings clarity

The whole point of seeking coaching at any age and for any endeavor is to bring clarity to the client’s life.

“Of course, coaching is meant to delve into some difficult areas. But, the point of doing so is to reopen eyes and thinking that may have become closed off,” said Mike. “If your spirit has grown dark and dismal, coaching can breathe new life and enthusiasm into your soul and spirit.”

For 26 years, Mike has relied on a coach of his own.

“When I get on the phone with him there aren’t any niceties or chitchat. Within 15 seconds were are into the meat of the matter,” he explained. “It is an invaluable relationship.”

In fact, even in his late 60s, Mike continues to invest in himself every year in two main areas. The first is books and the second is attending workshops.

“I devour books. When I was in South Africa, I had just over 5,000 books,” he explained. “People would ask me if I read them all, and I’d tell them I’ve read 4,700, but I am busy with the other 300. I had a study lined with bookshelves, but I had to leave most of them behind. The shipping costs would have been astronomical.”

Today, Mike is normally working through three books at any time.

“Doing that gives me different perspective. It’s amazing how knowledge intersects with knowledge to provide even greater wisdom,” he added.

Mike also attends workshops put on by people he respects. John Maxwell is a favorite teacher. In fact, Mike traveled to America to attend a conference to get certified as a Maxwell presenter.

“Is the certification the be-all and end-all? No. But sitting in a room with John Maxwell, hearing him talk and learning directly from him really challenged me to look at other areas of my life,” said Mike.

Deepest regret

If he had an opportunity to start over in life, he knows he would not forgo his military experience.

“It provided me with the substance, strength and foundation I don’t believe I would have found if I were not in the military,” Mike said. “But, it was a racist, whites-only army and all of the enemies at that time were black men and women.

“I grew into a radical racist. For me, the people who were killing or attempting to kill my men were black. Therefore, it was easy to translate that one plus one equals 11,” he explained. “Yet, I was doing it, too, just on the other side.

“When I came out of the military, I was messed up. “It was by the grace of God that I moved away from radical racism to the point there is not a speck of racism in me.

“My lifestyle, words and posts will all back that up,” he added. “Would I change any of that? No. Even the exploration journey to realize what a horrible, racist man I was only led me to the point God could completely transform my life to bring his goodness out.”

Journey of faith

Mike came to faith when he was 20 years old and going through basic training. His wife at the time was a committed Christian who said she would not even date Mike if he objected to her following her faith.

“Because she was doing it, I started going to church and attending Bible studies, too,” he explained. “One day, the Holy Spirit just came on me when I was a second lieutenant and I started sobbing in front of a group of people I didn’t know.

“I was thinking to myself, ‘What is going on?’” said Mike. “That was the point God stepped into my life and began a transformation that is still underway 47 years later.”

Advice for people over 50

Mike said it’s a difficult situation when older people realize they need to reinvent themselves or they’ll wind up dead or flat broke. But, there is hope for them.

“One of my clients is 65 and he told me that he feels a need to reinvent himself and do something differently,” he explained. “The problem is that it’s a big world which often requires finances to explore the many options available. Unfortunately, he is not in a good financial position.

“We have found a few things he is really good at doing and we are extrapolating those into things that give him purpose,” said Mike. “He is at a point today where he is studying under a singing teacher.

“I tell people to find out what they are good at doing, then do it for their neighbors,” he added. “Just get out there and start exploring your options. You might be tentative, but that’s fear holding you back. When you overcome it, that tentativeness can lead to something much more purposeful.”

Even if people don’t have a great deal of financial resources, they can still volunteer at any charitable organization.

“The need around you is absolutely huge,” said Mike. “Become a mentor who can offer help or advice to younger men or women. There are countless young men who are struggling in life because they don’t have a father actively participating in theirs. Be a surrogate father and change their life in ways neither of you can imagine.”

Mike practices what he preaches. Although he makes a great deal of money from his coaching, he still donates 20 percent of his time to people who can’t afford his services.

“For me, it’s a double-tithing moment,” he explained. “They are often the CEOs or leaders of charities. But we get to a point where they see themselves doing things they never imagined.

“Being 50 and older should be one of the most exciting times of your life. So what if our bodies slow down or they are sorer than they used to be?” he asked. “Before turning 50, we were restrained by the demands of parenthood and careers. Now that you have more time, you can do the things you have always dreamed of doing.”

Mike is intentional about connecting with other people, whether it is on LinkedIn or Facebook. He sends out approximately 20 personalized birthday greetings every day.

“If you connect with people, then really connect with them,” he stressed. “Get to know the special days in their lives. If you are a leader in business, then do something for the moment which makes them feel special. I often give my employees a voucher with instructions to take their spouse out on his or her birthday or their wedding anniversary.”

As Mike sat back and reflected on his life, he felt a deep sense of gratitude. He had come a long way from the confused young man who left the South African military many years ago. His journey was filled with ups and downs, but through it all, he remained committed to growing, learning and giving back.

For Mike, life after 50 was just the beginning. It was a time to embrace new challenges, to explore new passions, and to continue making a difference in the lives of others. His story is a testament to the power of transformation, the importance of faith, and the belief that, no matter where you start, you can always change the direction of your life.

For more information

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