Losing My Hearing Changed Everything | Anaïs Poquet
Anaïs Poquet is a French CrossFit coach and athlete based in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Diagnosed with progressive hearing loss in 2025, she continues to pursue her passion for CrossFit, including competing in the adaptive division of the 2026 CrossFit Games.
“You think you’re the same, but you’re not the same.
You are changed forever.”
Imagine slowly losing your hearing while working in one of the loudest environments imaginable: a CrossFit gym.
For Anaïs Poquet, that's not a hypothetical situation. It's her everyday reality.
As a CrossFit coach and athlete, Anaïs has built much of her life around movement, communication, and connecting with people. But when she was diagnosed with progressive hearing loss, the things she once took for granted suddenly became challenges she had to navigate differently.
And the hardest part wasn't necessarily the hearing loss itself.
In this episode of Nothing But A Good Time, Anaïs shares the reality of living with an invisible disability and the emotional journey that followed her diagnosis.
From struggling to understand conversations to feeling overwhelmed in noisy environments, she explains how hearing loss affects everyday situations in ways most people never consider.
Even with hearing aids, communication isn't always straightforward. Sometimes, simply following a conversation requires an exhausting amount of concentration.
But beyond the practical difficulties lies something deeper.
What happens to your identity when your body changes in ways you cannot control?
Anaïs opens up about experiencing burnout and depression, stepping away from coaching, and struggling to recognize herself after her diagnosis.
She also discusses the complicated relationship between strength and disability. How do you accept being disabled when you've always considered yourself physically capable? And why can asking for help sometimes feel harder than facing the challenge itself?
Throughout the conversation, we explore the importance of communication, the misconceptions surrounding hearing loss, and the difference between adapting to a disability and truly accepting it.
CrossFit remains an important part of Anaïs's life, and her journey into adaptive sport introduces another perspective on what participation, inclusion, and personal ambition can mean.
What makes this conversation particularly compelling is Anaïs's willingness to discuss difficult experiences without losing her sense of humor.
There are moments of vulnerability, frustration, laughter, and reflection.
Because acceptance isn't a switch you can simply turn on. It's a process, and one that Anaïs openly admits she's still navigating.
An honest conversation about hearing loss, identity, resilience, and finding your way forward when life doesn't go according to plan.
Episode update: Since our original recording, Anaïs has also participated in the CrossFit Games Adaptive division. A special follow-up conversation will explore this milestone and what's changed since we first sat down together.
In this Episode:
Living with progressive hearing loss and understanding its everyday impact.
Coaching CrossFit in an environment filled with noise and distractions.
The limitations of hearing aids and why hearing doesn't always mean understanding.
Receiving a life-changing diagnosis and dealing with uncertainty.
Burnout, depression, and the emotional impact of losing your hearing.
Invisible disabilities and the misconceptions surrounding them.
The complicated relationship between physical strength and disability.
Adaptive CrossFit, inclusion, and continuing to pursue personal ambitions.
Learning to communicate your needs and ask for support.
Why acceptance takes time, and why everyone's journey looks different.
Links
Anaïs’s Instagram — @anaiis_cf
