Ep. 167: From Bullying to Self-Love: Stef Vachon’s Journey of Healing, Skating, and Giving Back
In this powerful episode of Everything and Anything… and a Bit Gay, Zach sits down with Stef Vachon for an emotional conversation about surviving bullying, overcoming deep childhood trauma, and learning how to truly love yourself. Stef opens up about growing up in a small town near Quebec City, being targeted for figure skating instead of hockey, battling shame and anxiety, and eventually finding healing through therapy, love, fatherhood, and returning to the ice. Today, Stef is using his voice to help others through his podcast, Together Moving Forward, spreading a message of self-worth, resilience, and hope.
Everything & Anything...and a bit gay Podcast · Zach Randes-Friedman
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (dts.podtrac.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
In this episode, Zach talks with Stef Vachon about his remarkable life story and the healing journey that transformed everything.
They discuss:
- Stef’s childhood in a small French-speaking town near Quebec City
- How figure skating became both his passion and the reason he was bullied
- The trauma of being called slurs and feeling forced to hide who he was
- Spending much of high school isolated and afraid
- How years of shame and self-hatred followed him into adulthood
- His experience touring with Ice Capades and trying to outrun his pain
- Coming out and still struggling to feel fully accepted
- Reaching a breaking point and finding a therapist who changed his life
- Learning to process trauma, rebuild self-worth, and choose life
- Returning to skating as part of his healing journey
- Meeting his husband and building a loving family together
- Becoming a father through adoption and how that deepened his healing
- Why he launched the Together Moving Forward podcast
- His mission to help LGBTQ+ people learn self-love, self-respect, and resilience
- This is a deeply moving conversation about survival, self-acceptance, and the power of turning pain into purpose.
Listen to Stef's Podcast: https://togethermovingforwardpodcast.com/
Follow Stef on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/togethermovingforwardpodcast/
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.