Welcome! I'm Coach Catherine
Brief (very) notes on my adventure
My path to becoming a Coach began with a profound interest in ontology – the study of being human. A lover of adventure, learning, growth and development, I have traveled and I have studied. I began my Coaching practice in 2006, and as of 2009 I have been a Certified Executive Coach (CEC).
A significant moment was discovering Internal Family Systems (IFS). This evidence-based approach to the human psyche resonated deeply with me. I experienced the language of “a Part of me…” as revolutionary. Honouring the complexity of my own internal world had a visual landscape – and I’m quite visual in my thinking so the model felt as if the best colours and characters had come alive internally.
IFS fosters a compassionate, wholistic way of uncovering those holdbacks and foot-dragging behaviours that make no sense because “but I want this to work!”
I am proud to be a fully trained IFS Level 2 Practitioner.
My Philosophy
My coaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that every individual is inherently whole and complete. I approach each client with a sense of “ruthless compassion” – a blend of radical (from the root of) kindness, loving fierceness (think protective), and joy-filled encouragement (you may hear me whoop when you win, exclaim “yippeee” over text threads).
My goal is to create a safe, supportive space where you can explore your inner world, embrace all parts of yourself, and move forward with confidence and clarity. This is not always “easy”, so in all-ways we will bring and nurture the simplicity of SELF energy.
I operate from my own queer-focused lens, which ensures that LGBTQ2S+ folx feel instantly related to the content and approach of my coaching. This inclusive philosophy extends to all clients, inviting them to embrace their unique identities and experiences as we work together on their dreams.
What a GIFT!
The gift of a personal referral
A prospective client asked one of my clients (someone she knew), “What are you getting out of working with Catherine?”
Well, my client created this list and subsequently send it to me, with permission to use her words.
She called it: “What’s in Catherine’s toolbox?”
- A solid Coaching credential. It’s who she is. Catherine is fiercely grounded in her graduate university-level training as a Certified Executive Coach. There is rigour and integrity behind her coaching approach. She’s steeped in coaching education and continuing professional development as a Coach. Her passion is having conversations that matter.
- A personal politic – She’s proudly lesbian, feminist and animist. She’s all about diversity, inclusion and reciprocity. She’s decidedly not heteronormative, and yearns for a world free from colonial, capitalist, white supremacist patriarchy. She describes it as an unlearning-in-progress to become part of the natural world.
- Energy. Catherine is attuned to energy. She reads the Zoom room. She picks up on subtle cues in my speaking and my body language, then reflects that back to me so I can really see and hear myself – and then go deeper.
- Relentless compassion. Positivity. She’s a champion for my dreams, for my success in getting the life I want. She’s more than a helper and an ally; she’s relentless in holding me bigger than I know myself to be.
- Listening – like I’ve never been listened to before. She listens between the lines, not only to what I’m trying to say, but to what I’m not quite able to say (yet) – to what I dream of, what I desire for my life, what I’m craving, to what I deserve for myself.
- She uses right-brain activities (visual, intuitive, and creative) to add colour and energy to my inner work. She’s multi-media-savvy and reaches for worldly references such as film, music, cartoons, popular culture – to reflect and resonate with something I’m dealing with. The effect is that of a thoughtful earworm, a mantra or cadence that pulls me forward, creating rhythm and momentum. The impact is energy, fun, deeper reflection, cadence, inspiration, insight.
- She inspires body awareness to help me notice where in my body I feel a certain sticky emotion. She uses somatics to help me calm my nervous system, restore flow, move energy, recombobulate, lift, open, relieve.
These are some of the techniques that helped me unlock stuck thinking and limiting beliefs – tools of Self-leadership that I now own and maintain.
“Working with your Parts can take a few minutes, or you can select to spend more time.
If you find yourself upset, try asking “hey, who’s there”?
Just having SELF notice Part or Parts is the most powerful work.”
Catherine Wood