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Hi I'm Catherine
I grew up wondering why I was different.
Why was I so stupid?
Why couldn’t I just turn my work in on time?
Why was school so stick pins in my eyes boring?
And why was math such a struggle?
I spent years in therapy grappling with anxiety and depression.
I worked on myself.
I learned to love myself in spite of my differently wired brain.
IT WASN'T EASY
At 49, I got cancer.
Then chemo brain and chemical
depression.
The wheels came off.
My business faltered.
I could barely function.
Why did I lose everything?
Why was I late to everything?
Why couldn't I just remember words?
It couldn’t be just chemo brain.
-
I FINALLY TOOK THE D*MN TEST
It took me a few years to get tested.
After all I was managing ok again in spite of my executive function challenges.
But I decided I wasn’t honoring my ADHD coaching clients if I didn’t find out.
And I took the very long test for ADHD.
I found out I was combined type (no surprise).
The childhood adulthood struggles - those pieces fell into place.
It all made sense.
I wasn't broken.
Just different.
I learned to love me BECAUSE of my ADHD brain.
BACK TO SCHOOL
I read through my report cards.
* Talks too much, interrupts too much
* Bright but inconsistent
* Easily distracted
* Lack of preparation
* Loses notes.
* Needs to improve quality of concentration.
* Doesn’t retain material learned.
* With concentrated effort could be an astounding student.
That last one was like a knife to the heart.
I just KNEW I could be a great student.
My dream was to be in the National Honor Society.
But I wasn’t and I'm not.
I cried.
It was all there in black and white.
GUESS WHAT?
I'm doing just fine even without the fancy academic achievements.
I'm not broken.
AND You're not broken either.
I’m here to hold space for you while you learn to love your unique brain.
To help you work in your own way
and
To harness the best of your
* attention
* creativity
* connections
* energy
* empathy
So that you can share your gifts with the world.
Ten ThingsÂ
… you may not know about me
My life motto is always be learning. I’m a lifelong student bibliophile card-carrying geek. My family would chuckle that my nose was always in a book. Reading was and still is my escape. As I've gotten older and embraced my neurozesty brain, I've found reading to be more challenging and audiobooks have become my go to.
Travel is everything. It's where we learn about the world. Back to my life motto! What a fascinating world we live in. At 30 I decided to step foot in every continent by 40. I got to South America, Europe, and Asia all by age 34. Then I met my husband, got married, and had our daughter. I wouldn't trade any of it! One day we'll get to the other continents.
I love to cook, I hate to bake. I love to eat. Is that a love-hate-love relationship? If it's a recipe from another country even better! Any Sunday afternoon, the smells of something delicious will be wafting from my kitchen - pot roast or lentil stew in the winter, green bean or watermelon salad in the summer.
I'm happiest when I'm being creative. As a kid I was wildly creative - always creating a story or a poem or a song. Today, I thrive on creative problem solving. On weekends, you can find me out enjoying art and music, especially local bands and School of Rock.
I see everything through the lens of design. Is it functional? Does it make you happy? Does it reflect who you are? Stuff holds energy. Keep the uplifting stuff and let that other shizz go. That design obsession extends to the great outdoors, especially Asian gardens. I love their peacefulness. And I adore moon gates. I search for them every chance I get.
I love to be outside absorbing all the energies of nature. As a child, I could hear the trees and rocks speak. When I Iisten really carefully I still can. Naturally that means that nature walks are my jam.
As long as the weather is warm, you can find me either by the water or on the water. Sailing or kayaking are my first loves. I’m not a winter gal, so I ski to get through it. While I love sports, I'm not an accomplished athlete. Growing up, I poured a lot of that undiagnosed ADHD energy into sports. What I lack in athleticism, I make up for in enthusiasm.
Did I mention Penn State football yet? No I didn't play. HAH! But we love going to the games and cheering on our Nittany Lions. We are!
And then there's surfing. This isn't some leftover childhood passion. I learned how to surf post cancer at age 53 kind of on a dare. When I attended a business retreat in Carolina Beach, NC I decided to be open to everything. The surfing lessons opportunity came up, so how could I say no? I learn great business lessons on the board.
Finally the ultimate learning - cancer with a little c so it doesn't feel quite so scary -humor, grace, gratitude, and to never take a moment of life for granted. Don’t wait for your crisis to change your life. Take my word for it. Whatever your dream is - start it now.