Today we’d like to introduce you to Cuyla Coogan.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cuyla. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I haven’t publicly talked about this much yet but I’ve decided to “come out” about it recently. In 3rd grade, I was sexually abused by my 3rd grade teacher, along with other girls in the class. A few of my friends reported it to the school and he was taken to court. He convinced me to lie about it and I actually lied to my parents and told them he didn’t do it. He ended up getting away with it. At the same time, I started to feel confused about my sexuality. Yes in 3rd grade, I was already noticing my attraction to the girls at school. I asked my mom to cut my hair short “like a boy” because I was sick of doing my hair and then that decision turned out to be one that took a wild unexpected turn. In public, in most places, people would mistake me for a boy, especially when I was waiting in the line of a public restroom. I became super insecure about the way that I looked so much so that I grew my hair out, put it in a bun, and kept it in a bun in public, at school, at sleepovers, pretty much everywhere I went for over four years. Fast forward to high school and that’s when the acne and anxiety picked up. I had severe acne throughout high school and eventually was put on Accutane, which has been banned in recent years. Fast forward to college and I finally decided to “come out” with my sexuality as a lesbian. It took me until I was 22 years old to say something to my family and friends. Two years later, in graduate school, I had a panic attack at a restaurant. I thought I was having a heart attack so I was taken in an ambulance to get tested.
After that first attack, I spiraled into a fearful state everyday, anticipating an attack to come at any time. I was then diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. After years of therapy, personal development courses, and trying to find a cure, an answer to the anxiety, I finally hired my Life Coach, Greg Clowminzer, and my life has never been the same since. When I found my coach, I was also going through a divorce. I was in a “dark space” and felt lost in the direction of my life. The divorce ended up becoming the most transformative time of my life and it became a blessing. Working with my coach was when I had my “coming home” moment, where I finally found a profound sense of inner peace. It was like my whole body took a huge exhale and I felt euphoric. It was like a rush of love came over me and I knew I would never forget it for the rest of my life. It was in that moment when I knew I had to become a Life Coach myself and help others “come home”. I realized on my journey that I went through a natural process of coming out, coming home, and coming alive and now it is my life’s purpose to help others have a more easeful and graceful transition into their ALIVENESS so they can live out their life’s purpose. I realized that the moment someone “comes home” to themselves, their life unlocks. When you unlock yourself, you unlock your life. What I wish for the world is for all human beings to truly COME ALIVE and feel safe to live out their fullest expression.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I found purpose from the pain and I’ve thankfully come out the other side feeling so beyond grateful for the life I am living now. It was like a roller coaster ride, ups and downs, twists, and turns. I had days where I thought about suicide. I also had days where I felt on top of the world. But now I can see the beauty in the journey and see that everyday there are lessons to be learned and I’m enjoying living a more intuitive life, following the calling and the unknown. I’ve learned even more recently the beauty in finding calm in the chaos.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Have you ever done a meditation where the facilitator guided you through a freestyle rap? That’s one thing I do that makes me different than most Life Coaches. I integrate hip hop meditation, subconscious reprogramming, and mindfulness communication practices that allow my clients to feel safe and at ease in expressing themselves and that feeling of safety allows for transformation to occur. Bye bye limiting beliefs, self-sabotage, and crippling anxiety.
The typical challenge people come to me for is confusion or anxiety around their sexuality/identity. It could be that they are struggling with coming out, or they are not sure if they are “queer”, or they recently went through a breakup and they can’t get out of the funk to even be productive at work or school.
One of my gifts is that I can help people get clear on their life purpose so in the process of working with me, you not only get clarity on your sexuality/identity and mend your relationship to yourself but you also find life purpose. That’s been the freaking game changer! One time I was on a sales call and I shared what I saw their life could look like a year from then and they ended up showing me a journal prompt they did the week before that literally wrote what I described in almost perfect detail. IT WAS WILD! I described her day from the moment she woke up till she went to bed, described her workout, dog, partner, job, etc. almost exactly what she had written. I knew then omg this is a God-given gift.
So ya I have clients who work with me and double their income. Start the business they’ve always dreamed of. Mend family relationships. Heal romantic wounds. All in the span of three months of being together. And one result I am super proud of is that my client’s average anxiety levels drop from a 10/10 to a 2/10 in six weeks. It’s a rapid, accelerated transformation. It’s pretty freaking epic. What’s so fun about it is that my clients learn how to trust their intuition, their internal navigation system, and in that process they develop self-love, self-acceptance, self-confidence, and a feeling of safety in their self-expression. I’m super grateful to be doing the transformative work I’m doing. Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Omg YES! Shout out to my amazing dad, Craig Coogan! He’s always believed in me and encouraged me to follow my passions. Shout to my mom for embracing my sexuality (and my brother’s) in such an amazing, loving way! I am grateful to have parents who fully supported my “coming out”. Also, big time shout out to all of my coaches over the years including: Greg Clowminzer (taught me how to come home to myself and literally changed my life) Abbey Gibb (for showing me how badass and powerful a woman can be and how to clarify my message), Ashley Spedale (for helping me with my brand presence), Andrew Kroeze (for teaching me business basics when I had no clue what to do starting out), and all of the amazing humans I’ve met in the Greatness Collective community.
Everyone is family! And shout out to two of my clients, Chyna Oyola and Lauren McMonagle (Ms.McMagic) who started out as clients last year and now they are building a business with me called Proud Parent Collective to help parents of LGBTQ+ youth find self-acceptance and teach them how to have meaningful conversations with their kids, along with youth coaching programs for their kids. It’s been amazing to witness them step into their life purpose and step into their leadership with courage and confidence.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cuyla.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuylacoogan
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuylacoogan
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