PAUL

Coach, Crisis Advocate, and Storyteller

Paul Chamberlain, also known as the Smart Funny Tortured Coach, has mastered the art of turning life’s darkest challenges into transformative opportunities for growth. Drawing on his own journey through chronic illness, depression, and personal upheaval, Paul uses humor, insight, and deep empathy to guide others in uncovering their unique gifts.

With over 25 years as a senior creative officer and serial entrepreneur, Paul’s award-winning expertise in branding and pop culture shaped industries that everyone knows. But behind the success was a decade of undiagnosed chronic illness and an inauthentic self, leading to depression, near-bankruptcy, and family separation. A final "fix-it-all" project pushed him to the edge before he recognized that chasing illusory success and self-harm were becoming fatal.

Paul’s redemption came through a blend of traditional therapy, coaching, integrative medicine, and holistic lifestyle changes. Today, he enjoys a balanced life with his wife, business partner, their two children, and their bundle of pets, while continuing to build and serve. Together, they founded Cerebral Itch, a snarky boutique creative agency that thrived in its day.

Paul is also the creator and host of the Smart Funny Tortured podcast, ranked in the top 2.5% of Personal Journals on iTunes globally, where he explores the intersection of creativity, resilience, and struggle. Coaching played an integral role in his recovery, inspiring him to become a coach himself. Now, Paul’s evidence-based, empathetic approach empowers others to navigate their crises and find purpose in their pain.

In addition to coaching, Paul teaches Social Entrepreneurship at the UNLV Lee Business School and volunteers as a certified crisis advocate at The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada, serving the community he knows, loves, and understands—the smart, funny, and tortured.