Phil Rose is a business coach who didn’t begin his career in a classroom or a boardroom, but on the engineering floor. From Rolls-Royce aircraft systems to fast cars at Cosworth, his professional journey taught him that while systems and structures matter, people matter more. Today, he dedicates his work to helping businesses scale by putting purpose, people, and mindset at the center of growth. Humans of Fuzia is featuring Phil because his philosophy of education, transformation, and compassionate leadership aligns with our community’s mission to uplift and empower—championing both He for She and She for She advocacy for our 5 million members who are striving to build meaningful change.
Q: You began as an engineer. How did that journey lead you into coaching?
Phil:
I started my career as an aircraft engineer at Rolls-Royce, and I loved understanding how things worked. But over time, I became fascinated by the people behind the systems—how their ideas, behavior, and mindset shaped outcomes. I met a coach back in the 1990s, when coaching wasn’t really a known profession. That relationship planted a seed.
Later, when I began consulting, I realized that the real challenge in businesses wasn’t implementing systems—it was helping people change. I didn’t want to “do things to people,” I wanted to empower them to think differently. By 2008, I trained formally as a coach, and I’ve been focused on enabling growth through people ever since.
Q: What drives the work you do today?
Phil:
I describe myself as walking around with two suitcases—one filled with consulting tools, the other with coaching tools. I reach for whatever helps a person or business unlock their potential.
The foundation of my work today is purpose. When a business has a purpose beyond making money, people are more engaged, values are clearer, and culture becomes energizing. When we see people not just as employees but as humans with passions and potential, everything changes.
Q: You speak a lot about mindset. Why is it so important?
Phil:
As an engineer, we constantly updated software. But human beings don’t upgrade their “mental software” unless they’re taught how.
My belief is that if you can help someone rewire their brain—to see that they create their own reality—then they can achieve anything. We often underestimate our ability to think differently, and that limits what we believe we can do.
Q: You’re very passionate about education. What role does it play in change?
Phil:
Education changes everything. On my wall I have the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the one that stands out for me is education, because it directly influences all the others—poverty, hunger, equality, peace.
If I can help just one person think differently—and they go on to change the world in their own way—my job is done.
Q: How do you share your message in the digital world?
Phil:
I run a podcast called Sparks. We started it as a marketing tool, but its purpose has evolved. Now, it’s about sparking change—helping even one listener rethink something important.
We repurpose that content into LinkedIn posts, videos, and written pieces, because every fire starts with a spark. If we can get just one spark to catch, that’s success.
Q: What are your aspirations for the future?
Phil:
I use something called the six Fs to guide my goals: friends, family, faith, finance, fitness, and fun.
For the business, our aim is to help more organizations scale in a way that lifts their people up. And personally, it’s about building community, staying healthy, and ensuring that whatever I’m doing is meaningful and enjoyable. If it’s not fun, I’m doing something wrong.
Q: Every leader faces challenges. What’s one you’re working through now?
Phil:
Sharing the message. We know the impact our work can have, but reaching the right people in a crowded digital world is difficult.
Another challenge is helping people shift from a mindset of scarcity or fear to one of possibility. Some people don’t believe change is possible, or they’re not ready for it. Part of my work is finding the people who are ready—because they create the ripple effect.
Q: What message would you like to share with our community?
Phil:
Two principles guide me. First: seek to understand before being understood. If you can walk in someone else’s shoes, everything changes.
Second: trust more. Trusting others means letting go of control, allowing vulnerability, and creating space for inspiration. When you trust people, they feel empowered to grow—and that’s how real change happens.
“My purpose in life is to inspire—and to do that, I have to trust people with what I know. The more we trust and understand one another, the more we unlock what’s truly possible.”
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If you’d like to be featured in the Humans of Fuzia series, email us at fuziatalent@fuzia.com.
