Season 5, Special Series |11 Life Lessons from Stranger Things – Lesson 7: Get a Coach
November 1, 2025
Season 5, Special Series | 11 life lessons from stranger things- Lesson 7: get a coach
In this episode of 11 Life Lessons From Stranger Things, Karen and Bill explore what it really means to get a coach and why even heroes need help to level up. From Kali guiding Eleven to unlock her full power, to Karen Wheeler reminding Nancy to go for it, to Steve Harrington (yes, Steve!) teaching Dustin how to find his confidence at the Snow Ball—Stranger Things shows us that great coaches help us see what’s already inside us.
Karen and Bill share their own experiences being both coaches and the coached, reflecting on how support, mentorship, and teamwork can help us fumble forward with purpose. They unpack the difference between a mentor, sponsor, and coach (with insights from Laurie Baedke’s Mentor, Coach, Lead to Peak Professional Performance) and discuss psychologist Robert Holden’s idea of “dysfunctional independence”—the belief that we have to go it alone.
The takeaway? None of us are meant to face the Upside Down by ourselves. Whether it’s a mentor who believes in you, a coach who challenges you, or a team who’s got your back, support is the superpower that helps your inner hero rise.
Call to Action:
1. Here are some questions to ask when seeking help
Mentor: Who in my world is ahead of me? What would I ask them?
Coach: What’s my next level goal? Where am I stuck?
Group/Team: Who wants to grow with me?
2. Share this special series with a Stranger Things Fan!
Links:
Click here to find Karen’s Socials
Click here to listen to Dr. Robert Holden explain dysfunctional independence
About Karen auld
Karen Auld is an environmentalist and mind-set coach for mission-driven entrepreneurs and activists. Karen brings pragmatic thinking to her self-help teaching and environmentalism keeping heavy topics light and digestible. She is also the co-author of Color Love and Kindness, a coloring book based on a buddhist tradition known as metta.
When she is not giving talks or coaching, you can find Karen enjoying nature with her husband or watching her favorite shows, RuPaul’s Drag Race and Stranger Things, with a cat on her lap.
