In Honor of My Friend Bret Shuford
This was the last DM I received from my friend, Bret.
I’m sharing it not just because it comforts me that we both said “I love you,” but because it shows exactly who he was.
Bret responded to a post of me being in the hospital for the second time last year.
At the time, he himself had been in the hospital for three and a half months with cancer — and yet, he was checking in on me, apologizing for not responding sooner.
That was Bret.
The world knew him as a Broadway actor, dancer, singer, and social media creator . If you Google him, you’ll see that he’s made quite the impact. He was the brains (coming up with ideas, securing brand deals, and shooting/editing) behind the beloved Broadway Husbands account.
But I knew Bret first as my friend… and then, in the last year, as my coaching client.
At the end of 2024, he said to me, “I need more Katy in my life!”
I’m forever grateful we got that time together.
We had Zoom “friend dates” every other Friday — something I truly looked forward to.
The first time I showed up with my hair in pigtails, he lit up and told me how much he loved it.
The next call, I wore them again, and he asked if I did it just for him.
Of course! I said, laughing.
We talked about life. Relationships. Parenting. Sometimes business. He also talked about being tired. He was burned out.
And honestly — so was I.
It had been a hard year. Wildfires in Los Angeles. A political climate that felt unsafe for the LGBTQ and BIPOC communities. My own health issues. Caring for my mom through hers.
Besides our friend dates, he also wanted to get his financial life in order, and now looking back, I believe that his soul wanted to do this work for a reason.
We worked together one-on-one during the first half of the year, before be began getting sick with first, a parasite.
Much of that work will always remain private and sacred, but what I can say is this: Bret was a dream client — creative, curious, deeply growth-minded. Even if we hadn’t been friends first, I know we would’ve become friends anyway.
He knew early on that he wanted to be a “song and piano man.”
And he lived that dream fully.
From his first lead at age nine… to Broadway… to Beauty and the Beast, which he was especially proud of — and where, I believe, he met Stephen (although a few other articles mentioned they had met on Little Mermaid).
Beyond performing, Bret was an incredible teacher and creator. He built CreatiVisibility, a course that remains one of the most joyful, thoughtful explorations of social media I’ve ever experienced — beautifully Disney-themed, of course.
(Anyone who knew Bret knew how deeply he loved Disney.)
At his core, Bret was a connector.
A storyteller.
Someone who put people at ease.
Someone who made others feel seen.
Some of his core values were unmistakable:
Creativity. Authenticity. Integrity. Loyalty. Growth. Originality. Adventure.
There truly is no one like him.
I want to share this with care: while Bret had a visible, successful career, the reality is that his husband and child could use support right now. If Bret’s story has touched you, there is a GoFundMe to help care for the family he loved so fiercely.
I want to close with music — because Bret loved music.
These lyrics from Beyoncé’s Heaven came up on shuffle, and they felt like him:
I just can't stand to see you leavin'
But Heaven couldn't wait for youNo, Heaven couldn’t wait for you
So go on, go home
And then, Cut Here by The Cure — a song that also played on shuffle after my grandmother passed:
It's so hard to think "It ends sometime
And this could be the last
I should really hear you sing again
And I should really watch you dance"
Because it's hard to think
"I'll never get another chance
I miss you, I miss you, I miss you
I miss you, I miss you, I miss you so much
I miss you, Bret.
So much.
With Love & Gratitude for the time we shared,
