Ep 58 - Reclaiming Who I Was: My Path Through Shame, Survival, and Self-Love | Guest - Stef Vachon

Stef Vachon spent decades performing a version of himself just to survive. A former international figure skater who came up through relentless homophobic abuse, he walked away from the sport as a teenager, and it took him years, and a total breakdown, before he found his way back to who he actually was. In this conversation, Stef and Natalie talk about what it costs to hide who you are, what it takes to finally ask for help, and what it means to reclaim your identity instead of reinventing it. Stef is now a husband, an adoptive father, a competitive adult figure skater again, and the host of the Together Moving Forward podcast, a platform for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community built on healing and self-respect. In this episode: 🔹 Growing up in survival mode — how constant abuse as a young skater shaped Stef's relationship with his own talent and identity 🔹 The therapist who saved his life — what changed when Stef finally asked for help in his early thirties 🔹 Reclaiming, not reinventing — why Stef rejects the idea of becoming someone new and instead talks about returning to who he was 🔹 Back on the ice — Stef's return to competitive figure skating in his fifties, and what it's taught him about safety and self-trust 🔹 Building chosen family — marriage, fatherhood, and what it means to finally feel safe being fully himself Listen. Like. Share. 🎧 Together Moving Forward Podcast: http://togethermovingforwardpodcast.com 📺 YouTube:    / @togethermovingforwardpodcast   📘 Facebook: facebook.com/togethermovingforwardpodcast 🎵 TikTok: tiktok.com/@togethermovingforward 📷 Instagram: @stef_vachon @stefvachonspeaker @togethermovingforwardpodcast