Meet your Coach ~ "Coach D" (the personal edition)

Hey! My name's Derek Arsenault.

My friends call me "D".

I shared a post a while back about who "Coach D" the professional is. However, seeing as how the Health & Wellness industry works closely with real people, I feel it's also important that people know the personal side of "Coach D" as well.

Here's some fun facts for you:

Be REAL. Be YOURSELF.

This was evident extremely early on in my career and something I pride myself on everyday. I didn't want to be phony with my clients or exhaust my own energy being someone I'm not. I wanted to be real in my career. I want to ensure that I balanced professionalism, while also being the same guy at work that I am if you bump into me at the store or on the soccer field.

Halloween 2015. I dressed as a professional croquet player for my clients. I like being a big kid. Be silly. Smile and laugh. Play. Have fun.

I'm a life long athlete.

I grew up playing sports. Soccer being my favourite. Hockey a close second. But I also dabbled in ALL sports. I was never a pro at anything, but I could be proficient at most sports I played and had fun with them. Soccer was my best and favourite sport. I played at the regional and college levels in my best years. I played the game for 32 years before and injury caused me to reluctantly choose retirement in 2018 which was harder on me than I had anticipated. (Though aiming to come out of retirement this summer 2026, in the old timers division).

⚽I grew up in the old-school sports world where you learned to win and also learned to lose.

🏒You learned to work hard to improve yourself in and outside of your sport

🏅You learned that you can't always be the best and if you want to be better - work for it, learn and improve yourself!

⛹You learn to work with others through good and bad

🏆You learn how to earn your place. You won't always start at the top and sometimes you won't even get there. Do your best, regardless - that's all anyone can ask for.

I still play hockey (since age 6) and have run my Sunday morning men's team for several years now. I play tennis with friends most weeks, pickup soccer in the winters, coaching our soccer club's women's team, golfing with friends... Give me an opportunity to play a sport and I'm in! But now a days for the exercise, fun and friends.

I'm a Husband, Dad and Grandfather

Shawna and I have been together since week 3 of college WAY WAY back in 2001. We were married in 2007 and have two beautiful amazing daughters, our precious gems; Jade & Amber. Like all good parents, you strive to be the best parent you can and always worry you "should do more". Jade continues to run an amazingly success business as an entrepreneur , while being a mom to our most awesome grandson, Wally and partner to son-in-law, Ethan. Our youngest, Amber is heading to Trent University this fall for year 1 of forensic science, while working her job and finishing high school, along with the support of her good man, Ryan. Many times we take a deep breath and think; "Well. Not sure how we did it, but we have two AMAZING daughters and family". 🥰

We took this in the fall of 2025, recreating a family shot from when both girls were little. Why do they grow up so fast?? We told them to stop!

Big kid at heart

I pride myself in being raised and moving into adulthood in an environment and mindset that you be who you are - ALWAYS. It stems from my mom's side of the family. The men (and women) on the Joy side love nostalgia, toys, gadgets and just plain cool stuff. I still do things I loved to do as a kid (adjusted of course to balance with adult responsibilities). I have a lots of hobbies I love and do in my spare time:

• Board games. I'm a big solo gamer. Yep! Many modern board games can do that and I do it often as a means of relaxing, mental exercise and fun.

Scythe takes place in an alternate post-war 1920's Europe. But in my collection you'll also find games where you can Terraform Mars, run a winery in Italy, manage a soccer club, explore an open world planet and so many other themes and worlds in games. Modern board games are a totally different beast.

• Video games. I still love my retro stuff - Super Nintendo, Nintendo, PS2... But new stuff is cool too. There are alot of systems around the house.

  
  

• Drawing/art. I taught myself how to draw as a kid and it was a big hobby of mine then. It's still kicking around now and though drawing is my main visual art form, I have a bigger appreciation and love for all forms of art as I've become older.

  

  My drawings are mostly from looking at a picture. I'm more a cartoony type artist vs realistic. Both my girls make my art look like a kindergartner. 🤣 They're amazing artists!

• Music. Music has always been a part of my life. Though my first guitar wasn't until Christmas 2002 when my in-laws gave me the best gift I've ever received. I taught myself how to play, and enjoy sharing music with others. My Dad and I are into our 11th year as a gigging father and son duo locally.

  

  Dad used to tell stories of performing when he was younger. Who would've known that decades later, unplanned, we would create our own memories in music together, beyond anything he did in those younger years. AND we even have had the pleasure of having 3-generations on stage the odd time. 🥰 Whether we're playing for a small group of 10-20 people, or a crowd of just over a hundred, Dad and I have had so many special moments thanks to music.

• Outdoors / Nature. Fly fishing, fishing, backcountry camping, hiking, paddling, bushcraft, space stuff... give me nature and I'm in a happy place.

  
  

• Reading. I brought my love of reading back and to a place well beyond where it had ever been in my life, back during those years we'd all like to forget (the pandemic years). Most days I'm reading something.

Shawna took this shot from one of our first back country camping trips on our anniversary, in 2015.

I am a firm believer that much of our health ailments stems from NOT allowing ourselves to hold onto and continue to do the things we love and that feed our soul. We let our hobbies and passions go due to work or "adulting".

It's sad. It's a real shame.

And it's unhealthy.

I've struggled with weight most of my life

In public school from grade 5-8 I was "the big kid" (only really realizing it around grade 7). I made changes to my lifestyle (with no real knowledge outside of basics - which is all we need) part way through grade 8. It transformed my appearance to the point that classmates asked "where's the other half of you" when I returned in September to start high school. It also transformed my sports, and that's when I began to really improve in my sports of choice.

However, it's been a struggle at various times throughout my life and throughout my career. At 25 years old, working with a nutritionist colleague, training for my first half marathon and with our youngest being born that August, I was arguably at the fittest point of my lifetime. Just under a decade later, life stressors and responsibilities made things REAL tough. Like anyone, bad habits crept in, lack of focus on my wellbeing crept in and the weight of things just felt too heavy. Add my soccer injury in 2018, and I was back to struggling again (physically, mentally and emotionally) and I continue to grow, learn and progress in a positive direction each year. But like all of us, I'm human - and it's tough.

I share that here because I GET IT. It's also part of why I love to help people. I have to work at my health, just like all of us. I struggle at times, just like all of us. And I feel awesome at times, just like all of us. I don't pretend or claim to be anything but human.

My health and wellbeing ups and downs throughout my lifetime also solidfy my passion and beliefs in my career. 👇

☯ I believe STRONGLY in BALANCE in life

🏋 I believe the gym / exercise is a TOOL, but there is WAY more to life

⚽ I believe in practicing healthy habits, while balancing with living in ways that speak to YOU as well (see? Balance)

👍 I don't believe in "perfect" and I certainly am not a fan of health practices consuming our every second of our days/lives. They should enhance your life - not consume it.

That's 'Coach D' in a nutshell.

And I'm always a work in progress.

I never claim to be anything else.