Bolingbrook's 20-Year-Old Life Coach Sets Sites On Changing The World

BOLINGBROOK, IL — To say Caden Vittorini is high-energy would be a gross understatement, considering that it's hard to figure out how he fits so much into 24 hours each day.

Vittorini, a Bolingbrook native and Western Michigan University sophomore, comes off as more of a force of nature than anything else. From the second he begins talking, Vittorini's enthusiasm is unmistakable without becoming overwhelming. A self-described lover of Mondays, Vittorini lives and thrives in non-stop mode while holding himself to a standard that even working professionals twice his age might find simply unattainable.

He is constantly being told by those who fill his schedule and the adults that marvel at his workload that it's hard to believe he is only 20 years old given all that is on his plate.

For someone who always believed he was never destined to work for anyone else and who, despite his youthful demeanor, has already established it is personal mission to make the lives of those around him better, age or life experience — he says —has nothing to do with all the things he manages to squeeze into a day’s work.

Vittorini may be the youngest life coach working today. With an ever-growing clientele that as of now includes 23 people, the Joliet Catholic Academy graduate who also holds a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo and has appeared on “America’s Got Talent” says overachieving has never been the goal.

Instead, Vittorini, who is working toward a double-major at Western Michigan and says has always been driven by ambition, manages to fit everything into a day’s work ­— one way or another.

Vittorini is the founder and face of Vitt Factor, a life-coaching company that runs on the premise of making the best generation it can be. Vittorini started the company last summer and, in relatively no time flat, has quickly expanded it to include private clients who are seeking direction in their life and who seek out Vittorini’s guidance in helping them get to where they are looking to go.

In the years before Vitt Factor came into existence, Vittorini said his mind was constantly running in a million directions, working to come up with an initiative that would make a positive difference for the good. His future aspirations were focused on working for himself, making a name for himself while doing so not for himself, but for the betterment of others.

“I was always thinking, what can I do, what can I create to build my future, to make a difference and everything has fallen into place,” Vittorini told Patch on Monday. “I’m learning along the way, but it’s been a really great path so far in seeing all the good that I’ve done, how many people I’ve helped and changed their lives in any sort of way. And that makes me happy.”

The premise behind Vitt Factor centers around Vittorini bringing positive change to other young people. His clients range in age between 8 and 15. Vittorini established a Vitt Factor Think Tank which consists of 12 people, all motivated young people who have found success in their own way and who help Vittorini plan live events that bring his coaching into large environments meant to make attendees better.

Vittorini has also set up video calls with big business executives who help the 20-year-old focus on where he wants to take a business that consumes much of its founder’s time when he’s not in school. Before starting Vitt Factor, Vittorini worked alongside his mother, Tracy, who is also a life coach and provided her son with the opportunity to work with young people who she felt could benefit from his energy level and desire to want to make a difference in young lives.

While her son has always kept the big picture in mind, Tracy Vittorini says Caden never missed out on anything, balancing plenty of activities, sports and community life into his life.

"He has never been short of friends or fun," Tracy Vittorini told Patch in an email on Monday.

Caden Vittorini said that many of his young clients lack confidence or communications skills after going through the COVID-19 pandemic, when the schooling meant virtual or hybrid classes that may have limited the interaction with other students. Much of the feedback Vittorini receives comes from the parents of his young clients, who have seen a major change in the way their kids approach life — all after experiencing lessons provided by the youthful entrepreneur.

“I’m realizing that I’m making a big difference, and that’s what keeps me going on a daily basis,” Vittorini said. “At the end of the day, (clients) open up to me in so many different ways and I think it’s because I’m relatable, and it’s because I’m (their) coach and I’m (their) friend.

“I’m not a therapist — it’s not a therapy session. I’m there for them. ….they’re all under my wing and they’re all pretty much my little siblings.”

Tracy Vittorini sees her son's ability to relate with those he works with as his biggest strength. And while some many question his ability to provide life coaching at such a young age, his mother has a different perspective.

"He is only 20, so he doesn’t know everything in life, but he is a positive role model," she told Patch. "He is also extremely authentic, he would never tell the kids he’s working with to do something he hasn’t done or isn’t currently doing. He is constantly wanting to improve, to be better than he was yesterday. Whether it’s him reading books or reaching out to other successful people to understand what they learned and asks for advice."

Vittorini’s business is mixed in with a daily routine that includes college classes four days a week and up to nine 20-minute Zoom calls with clients two days a week. In addition, Vittorini works out regularly, works a regular schedule at a local country club, managing things that need to be done with Vitt Factor, spending time with friends — while still managing to sleep an average of 7 ½ hours a night.

Vittorini credits his former Taekwondo coach with making him disciplined at a young age. He stays at it by focusing on how much water he drinks, how much protein he is putting into his body, while also doing what he needs to do to remain on top of everything that falls under his to-do list.

There are days when maintaining such a rigorous schedule can become somewhat overwhelming, Vittorini won't allow himself to get weighed down by his commitments or to any perceived lack of energy.

He says he does it all for the sake of his clients, who he said he only wants to see succeed because he doesn’t want them to be upset with where their lives are headed or with who they are becoming as people. Vittorini says he will never ask his clients to do anything he hasn’t done himself or to work through challenges he hasn’t encountered the way of his own journey.

“I’ve experienced what they’ve experienced, I’ve gone through what they’re going through,” Vittorini told Patch. “I’m young and that’s why I think (clients) relate to me and why they open up to me.”

Along the way, Vittorini says he has seen himself grow as a person, while also showing no fear in who he reaches out to about being part of his events. In a sold-out event that drew 125 attendees, Vittorini got former NFL player Shafer Suggs, a Major League Baseball umpire and Miss Illinois to be part of the event – all based on calls he made just hoping to attract people to an event meant to improve the lives of those who attended.

His message is simple: Not to allow anything or anyone get in the way of dreams, even if it means falling forward and getting back up.

As he focuses on his company's next steps, Vittorini never shies away from taking his own advice. Nor does he show no signs of slowing down. While he has no idea of exactly where this will take him, the young life coach who makes his company’s mission about his clients rather than the founder wants to continue to make a difference.

“Wherever this takes me, I will be very, very thankful as I am thankful every day for what I have in life, who I am as a person and for the people around me,” Vittorini told Patch. “I’m going to make the most of it.”