The Foell Rediscovered Success and Purpose Sailing Around the World

Pinneberger Robert Stolle sails the world’s oceans with partner Kerstin Foell for five years

The Foell Journey: A Tale of Resilience, Rediscovery, and Transformation at Sea

The Foell Rediscovered Success and Purpose

The Start of the Journey
Crisis often reveals itself only in hindsight. For Robert Stolle, it began when his doctor presented him with limited options. A rare tumor, coupled with years of unrelenting ambition in the advertising world, left him questioning everything. Stolle and his partner, Kerstin Foell, chose a radical shift—a life at sea. They had a dream of exploration and escape. With this dream, they bought a 16-meter yacht. They then embarked on a voyage. This journey spanned 30,000 miles over five tumultuous years.

The couple’s journey was anything but smooth sailing. Aboard their technologically complex yacht, Trinity, they faced breakdowns, failures, and the grueling reality of life in close quarters. Nevertheless, it was an experience with a whale in the North Atlantic that became their pivotal moment.

The Whale: A Metaphor for Change
The whale wasn’t just a massive creature disrupting their path. It symbolized the final push Stolle needed. He had to confront his deeply ingrained hunger for success. The meeting forced him to acknowledge life’s unpredictability. They planned meticulously, yet their ship encountered the unforeseen. This echoed the lessons of Stolle’s health scare and professional burnout. Control is an illusion.

Reinvention Through Struggle
Foell and Stolle’s journey was not one of idyllic self-discovery but rather of relentless challenges. The ship’s breakdowns often left them questioning their choices. They persisted and learned the art of survival through trial and error. For Foell, who had never wielded a tool before, repairing the yacht became an initiation into resilience.

This resilience ultimately defined their transformation. They scaled down their lives, learned to embrace simplicity, and discovered what truly mattered—freedom, growth, and self-determination.

Gestärkt aus stürmischen Zeiten hervorgehen – Kerstin Foell und Robert Stolle im NDR

The Return to Land and Purpose
When the couple finally returned to Europe, their lives changed significantly. They were no longer bound to the consumer-driven ideals of their past. They sold their yacht without regret. They transformed their hard-earned wisdom into a new mission. Their goal was to help others navigate personal and professional transitions.

Their work as freelance coaches, particularly during the global turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic, became an extension of their journey. Drawing on their experiences of loss, adaptation, and persistence, they helped clients embrace change, even when it seemed insurmountable.

Lessons from the Voyage
Stolle and Foell’s story does not urge abandoning conventional life. Instead, it invites us to redefine success. Their odyssey underscores that growth often arises from discomfort. Control is fleeting. Happiness is less about achieving more and more about finding peace with less.

Sometimes, it takes a crisis—or a whale—to realize something important. The ultimate journey is not to conquer the world, but to understand oneself. The couple continues their work from their modest Hamburg apartment. Their message remains clear. Transformation is possible. Still, it demands courage, persistence, and a willingness to face the unknown.

So, whether on the vast ocean or within the walls of our daily routines, we must ask ourselves. What whale is waiting to shift your course?

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