Coach Cub talks: Why I Started Coaching

When I was asked as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, I definitely didn’t say bear wellness coach. And yet… here we are.

So how did I get here?

When I came out of the closet in my early 20s, I was in a pretty rough place. From about the age of 12 until then, I was living a destructive life — a lot of drinking, drugs, and very little care for my body or my well-being. I didn’t yet have the tools, language, or support to understand what I was really going through.

After coming out, things didn’t magically get easier. I struggled with anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks, and feeling deeply uncomfortable in my body as I started gaining weight. Like many of us, I went searching for answers in all the wrong places. I focused almost exclusively on physical health and nutrition, believing that if I could just “fix” my body, everything else would fall into place.

It didn’t.

Eventually, I asked myself a different question — one that changed everything:
“How do I take care of both my mental and physical self in a way that actually works for me?”

That question became the beginning of a much deeper journey. A journey of self-reflection, healing, and learning self-compassion. It also became the path that led me to the work I do today.

As I began to see real improvements in my own life, something else became clear: I wasn’t alone in these struggles. For most of my life, people had naturally felt comfortable opening up to me. I was the person others talked to when they didn’t know who else to turn to. Once I had more tools and awareness, I realized I could use those skills intentionally to support others.

So in 2013, I completed a year-long coaching training and eventually became a board-certified coach. My goal was simple but deeply personal: to help people like me feel seen, supported, and respected — especially those who have been ignored, shamed, or judged by traditional wellness spaces and by the world at large.

For me, that calling led me to the bear community. It’s where I found belonging, connection, and purpose. It’s where I saw how powerful it can be to feel accepted exactly as you are — and how healing that acceptance can be.

I didn’t start coaching to “fix” anyone. I started coaching to walk alongside people. To help them build a kinder relationship with themselves. And from that place of acceptance, to make changes that support a fuller, more joyful life — not because they have to, but because they want to.

So I’ll leave you with a question to reflect on:

What’s one moment in your life that pushed you toward caring for yourself more deeply?

If you feel comfortable, I’d love for you to share it in the comments — and tell me one small way you cared for your body this week.

And if you’re curious to learn more about me or my coaching, you can visit coachcub.com.

Sending big, warm cub hugs your way. 🐻💛