Everyone Loves a Comeback
How Justin Bieber's Coachella performance reminded me of my own road back
I stumbled upon Justin Bieber’s performance at Coachella recently. His rendition of Beauty and a Beat was a callback to a simpler time. Just up there on one of the biggest stages, singing along to his younger self on a YouTube video.
I was stoked to see him back doing his thing. I looked into his backstory as I couldn’t quite recall what happened. Since the 2012 release of that song and this 2026 performance, Justin Bieber has come a long way.
From teen idol and pop star icon in the early 2010s, the wheels started to come off around 2012 to 2014. There were arrests, erratic behavior, and incidents that made you think he would be yet another child star to fall from grace. He dealt with substance abuse, isolation, and the pressure of growing up in the spotlight.
Bieber first stepped back from touring in 2017 and then cancelled his Justice Tour early in 2022. He has since opened up about his depression, Lyme disease in early 2020, and Ramsay Hunt syndrome in mid-2022 (which left half his face paralyzed). Compounding it all, he also sold the rights to his music in 2023.
Things started to stabilize over time. His relationship with Hailey Bieber appears to be the constant he needed. They married in 2018 and in 2024 welcomed their first child. Mrs. Bieber posted on Instagram regarding her husband’s performance at Coachella, saying, “nobody will ever know even an ounce of what it’s taken to get here. so grateful for this beautiful life.”
Everyone loves a comeback.
His Coachella performance on April 11 was his first major concert since cancelling that last tour four years ago. He’s not calling it a comeback, more of a rebirth, a chance to redefine himself and become the man he was always meant to be.
Bieber’s story reminded me of my own.
On New Year’s Eve 2011, I had it all. A girlfriend. A degree coming in May from the prestigious Loyola Marymount University. My whole life ahead of me. So what did I do? I drove home drunk from a friends’s house, got my first DUI, and spent the night in jail. One stupid decision at a pivotal point in my life, spending the first day of 2012 in jail, less than five months before graduation, set me down a dark path.
I limped my way to graduation day and barely got on that stage to get that important piece of paper in my hand on Cinco de Mayo. I moved home to Sacramento, lived with my parents, stayed sober, worked a data entry job, and took care of my legal requirements.
I got my car back in early 2013 and decided to move up to Seattle to live near my girlfriend who for some reason still wanted to be with me. I didn’t really think it through much. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I was desperate to not be alone so I stuck with the one person I had loved up to that point and hoped I wouldn’t fuck it up again.
For those of you who don’t know, I did indeed fuck it up. After the breakup in early 2015, I was alone and depressed. I didn’t know where to turn. I started drinking again and smoked a lot of weed. I fell into a deep pit of isolation. I got wrapped up in politics and lost friends over a goddamn election.
Seattle was a fun place to spend my half of my 20s. I enjoyed playing rugby and going out with friends. But my relationships were hollow. I had pivoted away from the law school track and found a decent career in commercial real estate research. But I was not going all out in my role.
I left Seattle in September 2017 and moved back to Sacramento to live with my parents at the age of 27. I kept drinking. I kept throwing away every opportunity I had to be a better person. I lost my job and lost my sense of self. I almost went out on my own, which would have ended in a very bad place, but instead, was convinced to check into rehab and reinvent myself.
It took me falling further and further until I reached such a dark bottom I couldn’t even see any light at the top.
The eight plus years of sobriety since then have been a quiet rebuild. I’ve maintained my momentum and built a career I’m proud of, making a pivotal step to take it to the next level. I’ve married a woman who brings out the best in me. We’re building our lives together and I am so lucky to have her by my side. We own a house that we continue to make our own. I’m getting the last chunk of our backyard done this month. It’s backbreaking but like all hard things in life, it’s worth it. And most importantly, we have our beautiful son. The reason for all of it. He’s made our lives whole. He just turned two and we are grateful for the journey it’s been to bring him into this world. Every day with him is a gift.
It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. We’ve had our ups and downs as husband and wife. We’ve experienced tragedy and hardship. We’ve dealt with loss and obstacles and uncertainty. At this point last year, I was recovering from weeks of panic attacks and constant anxiety. And in the last few weeks, I left my job and made a strategic professional pivot into a new role in a different industry but related field (which I will share my about later). But that’s life. That’s what it’s all about. There’s no easy way to do it. There’s so much outside of your control. There’s real risk in making a change, but also plenty of risk if you stay exactly where you are. Though I’ve done much of it the hard way, it’s all easier now. Going through what I’ve been through, getting to where I am today, has made me a better person. I wish I would have been less reckless and better to my body, but I do not regret the path I’ve taken to get here. Every step I’ve taken, every mistake I’ve made, has gotten me to this very spot. Sitting on my couch writing this article.
This past year I’ve doubled down on waking up early. Owning my mornings does not solve everything, but it keeps me grounded and prepared for the day, before the chaos comes bearing down. I’ve recommitted to working out and walking more. Though I went too hard last summer and dealt with shoulder and knee issues, I’ve largely recovered from those. The long and grueling road back reminded me to stay steady. Be intense, but in control. I’ve gone back to meditation and have embraced both Buddhism and Stoicism. Reading both the ancients and the contemporaries in an effort to live a better life aligned with my values.
Rebuilding your life happens in these small moments. Not all on stage. Not in the spotlight. In the early morning hours, the late nights, the long weekends. It took a lot of effort to find myself again. It took some time for me to forgive myself. It took courage to allow love back into my life. All in all, it’s been an adventure.
So just like Justin Bieber, I’m getting back on track. Approaching life with newfound gratitude and real intention. Finding out who I really am. Realizing what’s really important and comprehending how lucky I am to still be here. Still standing. Still setting a course, with my crew by my side, sailing away to our ultimate destination.