Through adversity,

When you chat with Kael Coster, there’s no superficial small talk. He exudes calmness and is deeply reflective. A spiritual soul, he lives each day with a clear intention of what is most important to him, although this hasn’t always been the case. Through times of adversity, Kael has reacted with determination to find solutions. His journey of self-discovery has led him to find what gives him joy, a sense of meaning and inner peace.

Kael describes his formative years at school as ‘really rough’. He was bullied for years because he was different, which eroded his self-esteem. Consequently, feelings of anxiety and depression followed him around like a dark cloud.

The bullying escalated when he was 16 and he was violently beaten up. He says, “That day, something flicked in my brain. I didn’t want to be a victim ever again. I wanted to make sure I could protect my brother and my mum and the people I loved, if I needed to.” He responded by changing himself dramatically. He stopped doing all the ‘nerdy’ things that had made him a target. He cut his hair short and threw away all of the philosophy and fantasy books he’d loved reading. Every morning he went out running and then lifted weights. He took up Taekwondo four nights a week and even travelled to Melbourne to do boxing classes regularly.

Kael focused all of his energy into martial arts, and with dedication and persistence, he earnt himself black belts (the highest rank) in multiple styles. Kael’s quest to feel powerful and strong continued. He progressed to professional fighting, earning state, national and international titles in many disciplines, including Taekwondo, Kickboxing and Muay Thai. With hindsight, it’s obvious that he was overcompensating for the vulnerability he’d felt when he was younger.

Despite all his wins, Kael was deeply unhappy. He reflects, “I felt like whatever I achieved, it was never enough.” He was forever chasing the next victory, but felt empty inside.

He started his own martial arts gym, called ‘Coster MMA’ in Warragul. For years, he coached people with the aim to help them to lose weight, build strength and get fitter. He says, “I had a very narrow focus back then.”

Kael hit a real low point when he was in his early 30s. He states frankly, “I’d just become a single dad, I was broke and was struggling to support my three kids… I just didn’t have the emotional energy to coach others.”

Desperately seeking something to help him cope with his inner turmoil, he found himself in a yoga class. “I remember at the end of that class, just lying there with tears streaming down my face. It was such a powerful emotional release.” He says, “I didn’t know how or why I felt so good, but I wanted more of that.”

A few weeks later, Kael came up with a plan to climb out of his financial hole. He started up his own arborist business and within 3 years, he’d turned it into a million dollar company. Though he appeared successful to others, things weren’t as they seemed. “I was on my phone constantly. I found myself having less patience with my kids and I was always thinking about work.”

Outside of work, yoga became a regular part of Kael’s routine. He was curious about the profound effect it had on him, which led him to enrol in a yoga teacher course. He realised that what he had known was just the tip of the iceberg.

“It’s so much more than just moving and stretching, it’s a whole philosophy,” he says.