Paul Gosselin shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Paul, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
This year I’ve been committed to building a more structured routine, and with the help of my trainer/coach we set up a pretty solid plan that works, even when my schedule constantly shifts. Most days the alarm goes off at 6 a.m., and after a brief glance at my phone I’m up, in the shower, and then off to the gym for my workout. I’ve built in five days of training each week, with two hours of cardio spread out throughout the week.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Paul Gosselin, and I wear a lot of creative hats. I’m the creator of Misguided, a digital dramedy that I launched as both a love letter to the soap operas I grew up on and as a way to carve out my own space as a storyteller. Out of that came Cosmopaulitan Entertainment, which I think of as my umbrella for everything I create: from producing to writing to whatever project is inspiring me at the moment.
Right now, I’m in the middle of bringing the fourth and final season of Misguided to life, while also diving deeper into my writing with a memoir that I’ve been building piece by piece. I love that I’m always creating, always expanding, whether it’s through scripted stories, personal storytelling or even embracing new roles in my life like my recent Mr. CMEN Leather title. For me, the through line is about authenticity and connecting with people, whether they’re fans of soaps, readers of my writing or members of the community I get to represent.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
For the past nine years, I’ve been a manny to two wonderful boys and that relationship has been the most defining one of my life. When I first started, I thought I was just stepping into a simple job, but what I discovered was a mirror for who I am at my core. Through their early development, I learned that I’m not only caring and devoted, but also funny, tender, and resilient in ways I hadn’t fully recognized before.
The daily rhythm of showing up for them, through tantrums, milestones, laughter, and even the hard stuff like navigating a Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis and other unexpected challenges have taught me that I can handle more than I ever thought possible. They’ve pushed me to be more patient, more adaptable and more grounded. Most importantly, I see myself now as someone who sticks by the people who need me, no matter what. That’s the man I’ve grown into because of them.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d tell him not to be afraid of dreaming bigger than what feels possible. The things that seem out of reach right now won’t always be and one day you’ll surprise yourself with just how far you can go. Trust that your passion, your persistence and even your detours are leading you somewhere. You don’t have to have it all figured out, but don’t ever stop chasing the dreams that light you up.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
For me, right now, it’s Misguided. I’ve always been committed to seeing this series through until the very end. The last episodes were released in 2019, and since then the world has changed, and so has life. I started writing season four not long after season three wrapped, mapping out the story I wanted to tell, but then 2020 happened, and suddenly I had no idea what kind of world the show would be returning to.
Eventually, inspiration came back, but momentum was tough to hold onto. The Hollywood strikes demanded more of my focus, and then came the most significant loss of all, Jackie Zeman, who played my mother in the series. Grieving Jackie as a person I cared for deeply was hard enough, but then I had to find a way to say goodbye to her in the fictional world I had created.
Now, six years later, we’re finally in production again. This season not only says goodbye to Jackie’s character, but it also puts a period at the end of the Misguided journey. No matter how long it’s taken, I’ve never let go of the belief that this story deserves to be finished.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m doing what I was born to do. But it took me a long time to listen to that voice. For years I did what I thought I was supposed to do, what I was told to do and it left me unhappy and disconnected from myself.
The turning point was performing in the storytelling show Mortified. Standing on stage, sharing my teenage writings, I unleashed the power of storytelling in its rawest form. In that moment, I gave voice to the unafraid kid I once was. The kid who always wanted to create, to perform and to tell stories, but who buried it under the weight of what he thought was expected of him. Feeling loved and seen through that experience gave me permission to honor that part of myself.
That led directly to the creation of Misguided, a project that became both a love letter to the soaps I grew up with and a playground for my own storytelling. From there, I kept leaning into authenticity, finding my voice not just on stage and on the page, but in the way I live my life. That journey has brought me to places I never imagined, like wearing the Mr. CMEN Leather sash and soon stepping onto the stage at International Mister Leather in Chicago next May.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that understanding my full potential comes from within, not from any external source. And once I trusted that, I finally stepped into the life I was always meant to live.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paulgosselin.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cosmopaulitan
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/cosmopaulitan
Image Credits
Not applicable.
