Coach Vinny
Hope. Help. Healing.
Meet your recovery Coach
I'm a Recovering Sex Addict
Hi, I’m Vinny, I’m a recovering sex addict.
To get started, I want to share a little about myself so you don’t feel like you are working with a complete stranger. I invite you to look for ways in which you can relate to my journey. How are our stories similar? How are they different? What can you learn from my experiences?
Constantly thinking outside the box, looking for new perspectives, and seeking greater insight, I have never been complacent with conformity. This nonconformity was displayed in my choices of hobbies and past-times; rather than participating in traditional sports, I opted to teach myself snowboarding, skimboarding, rock climbing, breakdance, parkour, and other activities. Third of four children in a loving, spiritual, supportive family, I was raised in a small town in Connecticut, as a very active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
At the age of 15, I withdrew from High School and enrolled in a local community college. After earning an Associate’s Degree at age 17, I transferred to Brigham Young University in Utah to continue my studies. Taking a break from school, I served a full-time mission for the church in Southern Peru, from 2007-2009. After completing my mission I returned to my studies and in 2011 received a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership. In 2014 I was married to the love of my life in the Newport Beach temple. I have worked many jobs, everything from a Youth Counselor to a Parkour Instructor to a Window Washer, but have always had a passion for helping others in any way that I can, regardless of my employment.
My journey to Addiction recovery and coaching
Throughout my teen years and into adulthood, I felt unworthy, undesirable, and like a failure because of my lust problem, which manifested itself in the form of viewing of pornography, masturbating, obsessive sexual thoughts, objectifying women, and so on. From age 19-21, thanks to the mission lifestyle, I was able to squeeze out 2 years of “white knuckled” abstinence. But within days of returning home, I slipped up and continued to struggle alone before finally discovering recovery about 2 years later.
I have an intimate understanding of the nature of addiction. By the time I graduated college, I had been dealing with addiction for about a decade. Around that time my eyes were opened to the fact that several people close to me also had similar struggles. I relate well to the suffering addict as well as affected loved ones, having been in both roles. Met with failure again and again while desperately trying to conquer addiction on my own, once I finally found recovery--not just abstinence, but TRUE recovery and healing--I almost immediately felt an overwhelming desire to help others who are also struggling.
In 2013 I became a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), accredited with the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Seeing that the most prevalent form of addiction in our society today is sexual addiction, in 2016 I became a certified Sexual Recovery Coach (SRC) through the American Association for Sex Addiction Therapy (AASAT), in order to better meet the needs of those I help on the journey of recovery from addiction. Specializing in sexual addiction, I also coach individuals struggling with all forms of addiction, understanding that while the behaviors vary, all addictions stem from a common cause: mismanaged emotions.
Over the years, I have invested a great deal of time and resources into learning about the recovery process, understanding addiction, and developing coaching skills. Today I am excited to use my education, training, and personal experience to help as many as I can achieve success in the struggles associated with addiction.