?? Dont, don’t, don’t, don’t… don’t you forget about me… ??

Hey hey hey hey…

Does this ring a bell?

It’s from the ending scene of John Hughes’ classic film, The Breakfast Club. The iconic song, “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds plays in the background.??

If you’ve never seen this movie, it’s about 5 teenagers who don’t know one another, spending a Saturday together in the school library as part of their detention. It’s a journey of separation, vulnerability, discovery and genuine connection. What they thought made each one of them different was what made them realize how much they all had in common.?

As the song continues in this final scene, the 5 teenagers leave the school and you see the principal reading a letter written by Brian, one of the 5 students on behalf of all of them.?

The voiceover starts…

“Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are.?

You see us as you want to see us … In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions.?

But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain … an athlete … a basket case … a princess … a criminal...

Does that answer your question?

Sincerely yours,

The Breakfast Club.”

Made by John Hughes, who also made Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles and other blockbuster films about the trials and tribulations of teenage life, this film showed what’s really underneath the facade of the labels other classmates or society have put onto each person because of their grades, circle of friends, choice of clothing, etc…?

If you grew up in the eighties and if you’ve ever been bullied and picked on like I have because of the secondhand clothes I wore, you may recognize yourself in some or all of these characters. Like Brian wrote to the principal at the end, each one of us has facets of all of them.

You may be wondering … what does this have to do with coaching and personal growth??

Oh, so much.

Growing up feeling different from many of my friends, I felt I had to pretend and perform as someone I wasn’t just to fit in, so I wouldn’t be made fun of. Pretending allowed me to feel like I belonged and somehow, mattered.

Having been reading personal growth books since I was 12, I didn’t feel comfortable sharing my discoveries with my friends. They’d think I was crazy, I thought. So I kept everything to myself.

As I continued to learn about healing and personal development over the years, and especially when I became a coach, I realized that everything I hid and felt ashamed about myself, was actually what propelled me to help others feel less alone and to help them realize how awesome they are. And, how much they matter.

If you’re a fellow coach and changemaker reading this, I have a feeling you may understand.

That’s why I created the private Coach Club group on Facebook. It’s such a loving community of fellow coaches, healers and changemakers who are all unique and have huge hearts and the capacity to see each other bigger than any of us can sometimes see ourselves.

I invite you to join us in Coach Club to celebrate the many facets of you — your presence, genuine being and natural brilliance.

You won’t ever need to hide who you are or pretend who you’re not. Never again will you need to cover up the amazing you that you really are.

Click here to be part of the most supportive group in coaching.

With all the love in my heart,

Christian

ps. If I were to write a similar letter that Brian wrote and instead of going to the principal, it would be a letter to the Universe. It would probably go something like this…

Dear Universe,

We know that every one of us is unique and has a purpose here on earth in this lifetime.?

We are not the labels that society, parents, classmates, teachers, and naysayers have placed upon us.?

We are here to learn the many life lessons from our experiences, mistakes, failures and successes. But, who we truly are is not our past. We are so much more.

We are more than any of the roles we play in our daily life — mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, uncle, aunt, caregiver, coach, healer, teacher, chef, delinquent, and so on … And, we see that all these aspects are within each and every one of us. They enable us to really see each other, to connect us, and support one another in our journeys here.

Thank you for the opportunity to be here to play, learn, explore, simply be, support each other and shine together.

Sincerely yours,

The Coach Club