SJSC Member Profile- David and Darlene Steele

By Jim Stein

David and Darlene were both born in Southern California and moved to the SF Bay Area with their families when they were young children. David grew up in San Carlos and Darlene grew up in San Jose. Darlene attended and graduated from Evergreen Valley College with a degree in Nursing. She graduated first in her class. David attended and graduated from San Jose State University and became a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

Career Paths:
David had his own private practice as a therapist specializing in couples for many years. Darlene describes David as a man who prefers to be his own boss. He has “a strong calling and an intense need and desire to follow his passion and leverage his creativity to build a significant business that makes a difference in the world.” David transitioned to relationship coaching and founded Relationship Coaching Institute, the first and largest relationship coach training organization. He has been self employed for the past 30 years, is a pioneer and leader in his profession, and committed to making a significant difference in the world of relationships. David has written numerous business building books aimed at helping professionals and a best selling book for singles Conscious Dating: Finding the Love of Your Life and the Life That You Love based upon his work as a relationship coach for singles and years of training relationship coaches. Last year Darlene and David published their first book together Radical Marriage: Your Relationship as Your Greatest Adventure. This book has become a best seller on Amazon.

Darlene worked for 25 years in high tech companies in Engineering Documentation, Process and Configuration Management. After getting her degree in Nursing she worked as an RN in the Inpatient Psychiatric ward at the VA in Palo Alto. Darlene eventually decided to leave nursing and joined David in his business. Together they own and operate Relationship Coaching Institute full time from their home in Campbell.

Darlene and David met online in 2007 on one of the popular internet matchmaking web sites “and almost immediately recognized that we were soul mates. We were married in 2008.” They have five adult children between them from previous marriages.

Sailing History:
Darlene writes: “One of David’s earliest and fondest memories is living in a house on the water with a dock and boat in the backyard. When he was little his father was an artist who would take him to marinas while he painted boats and landscapes and they would often get invited to tour a boat or go out for a ride. He first learned to sail on Lake Vasona, completed a Coast Guard Auxiliary sailing course and bought his first sailboat (an Ericson 25) in the 1980’s. He also enjoys kayaking, snorkeling, and scuba diving (PADI certified), and is happiest IN, ON, or UNDER the water. While water, boats, and sailing appear to be in his DNA, sadly he can’t catch a fish to save his life.” In the late 1990’s when David’s twin boys were born and he was in a challenging marriage, he sold his second boat (Rawson 30 pilothouse) to focus on his family and business. He did not own a boat when he met Darlene.

Early in their relationship David discovered Darlene is prone to severe seasickness on boats and decided that boating would not be in their future together. However, after a few years together, when Darlene discovered exactly how important boats and sailing were to David, she encouraged him to get a boat, and together they purchased and outfitted “Happily Ever After,” a Catalina 27. Darlene made it her mission to conquer her seasickness (so far so good) and David does everything he can to make Darlene comfortable on their boat. This led to selling “Happily Ever After” a few months ago and purchasing “Daisy,” a Nonsuch 30 that handles the strong SF Bay breeze and chop much better than the smaller, lighter Catalina.

Working from home full time they love to get away to their boat as a “second home” and enjoy sailing, coastal cruising, exploring local areas, and even just spending the weekend puttering and relaxing at their berth in the Berkeley Marina. They can work anywhere there is an internet connection and like the flexibility of working from the boat as their “second office”.

While David has dreams of ocean passages and Darlene loves to travel, they’re not sure if they will fully embrace a cruising lifestyle. Right now they are happy and content having fun on SF Bay and want to explore up and down the California Coast.

Other Hobbies and Interests:
Darlene is a gourmet cook who loves to spend all day in her kitchen when she can. David is an accomplished backpacker who has hiked wilderness areas all over the U.S. and Canada. When they’re not on “Daisy,” Darlene and David like to hike, bike, (they have a tandem bike, of course), kayak (in their tandem kayak, of course), and enjoy being homebodies working on their house and in their yard, having the kids over for dinner, and cuddling on the couch in front of the TV.