Human Nature Is Complex – Exclusive Interview With Scott Robinson
Updated: Jan 25, 2023
Scott Robinson is a Finance Professional and Yoga Teacher. He is also the founder of Yogibanker ‒ a specialised yoga & well-being service for the financial services industry. He helped found 'dbYoga' at Deutsche Bank, one of the world's leading financial services companies as well as leading regular mindfulness sessions under the brand of 'Mindfulness Mondays'. Over the years, Scott has helped hundreds of finance professionals become stronger, more flexible and less stressed through yoga & mindfulness. Scott's passion is to bring yoga & well-being to the financial services industry ‒ one that is kinder, more sustainable with well-being at its core.
Scott Robinson, Founder
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
My name is Scott Robinson. I am a finance professional, yoga & mindfulness teacher as well as a well-being champion. Originally from Sydney, I currently work for Deutsche Bank in London as a regulatory policy specialist. At the same time, I help to run the employee-led yoga & mindfulness classes at the bank. I am also a global pillar lead for Balance @ Work as part of People Strategy in the Finance division. Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, skiing, football, and classical and modern art.
What is your business name and how do you help your clients?
My business name is Yogibanker, and I help finance professionals feel better in their bodies and minds. I’m passionate about yoga & well-being. I believe that through a holistic and integrated approach to living, one can thrive both personally and professionally. As a fellow finance professional, I have a unique understanding of what it means to work in a highly intense, pressurised environment. I therefore bring insights and skills that are focused on the specific needs of finance professionals.
What kind of audience do you target your business towards?
My audience is ambitious and dedicated finance professionals who are motivated to improve their health and well-being.
What are your current goals for your business?
My goal is to reach as many finance professionals as I can around the world and share what I’ve learned. There is a certain stigma and barrier to entry with practices like yoga. My aim then is to make these practices as accessible as possible to the financial services industry globally.
What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future?
I aim to deepen my understanding of topics relating to yoga & well-being. There are many different dimensions to well-being. Human nature is also complex. How we function is a confluence of biopsychosocial factors and how they interact with each other. If we are to truly serve others and provide the best environment for them to thrive, investing time and resources into gaining a deeper understanding of this vast subject area is required.
For my business, my vision is for every financial services organisation around the world to have access to these life-affirming practices & resources to help them thrive.
Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?
One of my yoga teachers, Tias Little, is the co-founder of Prajna Yoga. Tias is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico in the United States. Tias’s knowledge of yoga & Buddhism is extraordinary. From anatomy to philosophy, to Sanskrit to yoga therapy, his knowledge and dedication to teaching are very inspiring. He inspires me to learn, to show up and bring the best out of my students.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
I would like to see well-being first and foremost as a strategic priority for the industry. An organisation that has elevated levels of well-being will result in happier staff.
This in turn leads to more customer-focused, productive organisations. Not only that, when an organisation’s wellness is high, then the paradigm shift in mindset that is required for a more sustainable economy is easier to make. This benefits society, especially given that the financial services industry is at the heart of the economy. In short, everyone benefits when there is a strategic focus on well-being.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
In 2017, I took a mini-sabbatical and went to Bali for a month to do yoga teacher training. It’s a cliché however I came back ‘transformed’ and I felt like a new person – I had a brand-new skill set at the age of 40 and I discovered the ‘teacher within me’. I was then determined to offer these services to my colleagues. To think now that I would be offering yoga & mindfulness classes to my colleagues on a global basis is extraordinary.
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