When social-media star Nicole Coenen has to venture away from her quiet life in the Gulf Islands, things can seem a little weird. Read More
Gulf Island influencer Nicole Coenen splitters off writing career and a new book from online world of wood-chopping
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When social-media star Nicole Coenen has to venture away from her quiet life in the Gulf Islands, things can seem a little weird.
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“It is kind of odd, I forget that people know me from the internet. So I’ll go to Vancouver every so often, or Victoria, and people will recognize me and it kind of throws me off a little bit, because I’m like, ‘Do I know them from school?’ ” said Coenen. “I don’t get out. I’m not gonna lie. I’m kind of a hermit.”
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Coenen’s road to social-media success — she has close to six million followers across platforms — began during COVID-19 when she was holed up in Rossland working remotely as a video creator and editor. It’s then that she discovered videos of wood-chopping star Thoren Bradley and decided it would be fun to do a parody video. People liked her take on Bradley. In fact, she says, Bradley was even cool with her cheeky take on his world.
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From there, Coenen decided to give chopping some serious attention and soon her own non-parody videos of her chopping wood, stacking wood and talking about axes drew a lot of views.
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Now just a few years later, Coenen is an internet hit with robust comment sections teeming with fire and bicep emojis and plenty of you-go-girl sentiment alongside people noting her buff arms by posting: “Do you have a licence for those guns?” and “Welcome to the gun show.”
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When asked about all the engagement, Coenen, who these days tends to avoid her direct messages, says she has had “interesting emails” complete with marriage proposals from men, women and nonbinary folks.
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“Oh my gosh, they’ve been from all over,” said Coenen about those looking to put a ring on her finger. “I received one from the Middle East, and he was like, ‘I know you’re a lesbian, and that’s fine. You get yourself a wife, and then you and your wife can marry me.’ It was a whole long email; he planned it all out.”
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With that attention, of course, come detractors. and Coenen laughs a bit when asked about the naysayers who have shown up on her feeds.
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“I think because I chop wood, I’ve had so many men (say) you’re not doing it right. A man could do it better,” said Coenen. “I’m desensitized to it at this point because it’s just dumb.”
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With social media in the win column, Coenen has now moved into the bricks-and-mortar publishing world with her new book: Axe in Hand: A Woodchopper’s Guide to Blades, Wood & Fire.
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The book, which would be at home on a cabin coffee table, is packed with information and tips on a wide range of wood-chopping and forest topics.
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“I would say it’s for the average person that maybe goes to a cabin twice a year with their friends, and the cabin has a wood stove, and they’re just curious about wood-chopping,” said Coenen when asked about her target market for the book. “It’s for people who haven’t done it, but then there’s parts in there for somebody that’s been probably wood-chopping their whole life. Or maybe somebody who grew up wood-chopping and then moved to a city and then wants to kind of feel nostalgic again … I feel like it’s for a lot of people.”