Her Story
About Robyn
Robyn Stevens is an entrepreneur in Vacaville, California, who has been active in the fields of well-being, leadership development, and sustainable finance since 2023. As the founder of Golden Success, she assists clients in uncovering their most golden inner self by integrating insights from her career as a professional athlete representing Team USA since 1996 with her work in financial planning. Stevens earned a Mental Health First Aid Certification in 2022 or 2023 and a certification through the College of Executive Coaching in Positive Psychology of Well-being and Coaching Leadership through Emotional Intelligence; she is currently finishing her CFP. She serves on multiple committees with USA Track and Field, including those focused on sports for leadership and diversity, negotiations, and the Athlete Commission, and she chairs race walk for the Pacific Association. Stevens is also a member of the Financial Planner Association and the Vacaville Museum Guild, through which she volunteers with the Vacaville Museum. She attributes her success to the discipline and drive instilled by her parents and follows the principle of leaving every place better than she found it. Stevens values integrity, sustainability, and accountability above all in her work and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Robyn
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to discipline and drive learned from my parents. I grew up with two working parents and was raised with the philosophy that there is no one way to do something. A quote that was on my mom's desk was 'this is my way, what is your way, the way does not exist' by Friedrich Nietzsche. I was taught to be open to learning and evolving, and not to be glued to tradition.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice is to leave a place better than you found it, taught by my mom who was COO of Girl Scouts. This approach applies to fitness, leadership roles, organizations, and jobs. As an athlete, I became one out of curiosity about what my body can do and making it better.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Keep pursuing the path and don't shy away from anything just because it's intimidating or male-dominant. Don't let lack of respect intimidate you. Believe you can and do it. Listen to your heart and keep pursuing what feels right without letting anyone talk you out of it. A quote that comes to mind is 'she believed she could, and so she did.'
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is differentiating between true leadership coaching and feel-good social media influencers, as access to information can make it hard to identify experts versus posers lacking integrity. The biggest opportunity is that this industry involves human connection and nuances that AI cannot replicate, allowing deep trusting relationships and genuine guidance that people desperately need.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is the driver of every decision I make. Doing what's right even if it doesn't serve you. Sustainability is huge, as you can't have sustainability without integrity. Accountability, being accountable for who you are and holding others accountable, all links back to integrity.
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