Here’s the Story of How I Almost Quit Coaching
The 2025- 2026 skating season will be the best one yet, I can feel it! My creativity is flowing, I’ve found the joy in skating again, & a renewed energy is bubbling up within me. Before I go into why I know next season will be the best one yet, I have to start with a story time about last season. I’m making a big deal about feeling this way because one year ago, I almost quit coaching.
June 2024
I felt like I wanted to quit coaching. I ended the skating season feeling burned out, alone, & exhausted (mentally & physically). I started questioning my ability as a coach, & as a skater a little too. All this came to a head in June 2024 after the District Championships.
“I isolated myself…
…from anything & anyone who wasn’t involved, or who didn’t care about skating. In hindsight, this was extreme & I wouldn’t recommend doing this for many reasons. Self-isolation was my personal response to a year of over-extending myself, feeling stressed & a little stuck.”
It’s not something I shared within my circle because I didn’t want anyone to talk me out of my decision, if I ultimately chose to walk away from coaching & skating all together. The alternative would have been to, “Get a real job & stop messing around.”
Fun fact, that’s an actual quote from someone I confided in after Districts was over.
My year was bumpy to say the least. I experienced a break-up with my boyfriend, my dad had major heart surgery, my home life wasn’t comfortable, rink life was feeling strange & stressful too. I also went through a friendship-breakup with a lifelong friend that gutted me—have you ever gone through a friendship breakup before? I found out this is more common with adult-friendships than I expected.
On the coaching side of things, one skater dropped me as their coach, & another decided to take an indefinite break from skating all together. My club’s teams felt both fractured & growing at the same time, which was confusing to say the least. Some team skaters were so excited to continue, learn & grow, which kept me motivated. Others outwardly displayed their disdain for the sport, their teammates, & the processes it would take to get to their next level.
I walked into 2024 with excitement & a good kind of pressure on my shoulders. As the year dragged on the good pressure turned bad. I tried to keep up the momentum but instead felt nothing by OVERWHELM.
Flash forward to the start of the 2024- 2025 season (fall)…
I isolated myself from anything & anyone who wasn’t involved, or who didn’t care about skating. In hindsight, this was extreme & I wouldn’t recommend doing this for many reasons.
Self-isolation was my personal response to a year of over-extending myself, feeling stressed & a little stuck. This was what I decided to do to gain more capacity with my time, to give myself space. It’s not something I would do again, (or recommend). Without the right support around me, self-isolating could have impacted me negatively.
Instead of having a negative impact on me, this time of isolation left me feeling reinvigorated, more creative, & helped me get back in tune with my intuition. The reasons why I started coaching became clear again in the fall of 2024. The issues bogging me down like drama at the rink, stress at home & drama within my friend groups, were no longer my priorities.
Without having to jump in or feel responsible for everyone, some of “my” personal issues started resolving themselves. I no longer felt responsible to fix everything at my own expense or make things seem perfect from an outsider’s perspective.
When things didn’t align with my values, I called them out. If changes weren’t made, I distanced myself.
When I didn’t see things the same way as those around me (particularly people in power), I asked them questions & constantly asked, “Why?”
I started asking myself, “why”, about how I ran my coaching business:
Why was I trying to mold myself to be like other coaches?
Why did I spend so much time overthinking & over-analyzing every move I was making?
Why was it easier for me to stifle my creativity, instead of bringing it to the forefront?
When did I stop skating for myself?
As 2024 came to an end, I started feeling like myself again… FINALLY. I started answering all of those questions by journaling again & took action to make things better. I created a personal skating schedule for myself, instead of only scheduling my private lessons every month. I started experimenting on the ice & expressing my creativity through video editing for my YouTube channel. I figured out what I wanted my life to look like in friendships, family life, love, business, & the future. I figured out the things I was no longer available for too. I think this is just as important as knowing what you want.
This clarity has led me to experience a lot of changes in 2025. But change isn’t always a bad thing, it’s just inevitable!
June 2025
I’m ending this season with the same reinvigoration I started with in the fall of 2024—minus the isolation, lol! I’m sharing this story time with you because I want you to know where my excitement for next season is coming from. Things aren’t perfect, but I know they’ll only be getting better from here.
The Best Season Yet!
“The 2025- 2026 skating season will be the best one yet, I can feel it! My creativity is flowing, I’ve found the joy in skating again, & a renewed energy is bubbling up within me.”
After a tumultuous experience in spring that’s shaped the future of how I’ll be coaching (that’s a story for another day), I’m updating my private coaching services. The experience of working with a private coach is something special. The time you spend on the ice with your coach leaves a lifelong impression on you, no matter your age or level. So, I’m turning up the volume for what you should expect from a figure skating coach, specifically what you can expect from me going forward.
I’m presenting you with three options on how you can work with me as your private coach for the 2025-2026 skating season. I know you’ll sense the reinvigoration I keep talking about when you see the packages & everything that’s included. The first step is to save your spot by tapping here to submit your application. You’ll answer a few questions & give me a brief overview of what you’re looking to achieve this upcoming season.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you & seeing your name pop up in my inbox soon <3
If anything I shared with you lit a spark within you or you could relate in anyway, let me know. Email me hello@akcstyle.com or DM me (@akcstyle) on IG.
Love Your Coach,
❤️ Ashleigh
