Coaching Greatness

2011-11-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

MATT PALMER, FILMMAKER & PHOTOGRAPHER
http://www.indiegogo.com/Unintended-Consequences

I just spent the last three days in an intensive personal coaching program with the amazing Cathy.

I first met Cathy 20 years ago working on the movie Unforgiven.

Our paths crossed again because she coached a friend of mine Melanie Jones to true personal greatness.

Cathy is a special soul with an intuition that gets right to the point, and really crystallized some critical issues for me that transformed my experience at the Clean Energy Congress.

What a tremendous gift she is in my life, and I'm grateful for her gentle but precise coaching techniques. Highly, highly recommend.

.....now Karen Rowe

2011-09-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

Karen Rowe http://www.frontroweseat.com/

Another extraordinary woman!

Karen shares her experience of her recent coaching intensive.

Life-Shadowing. I’m not sure I’d goback to any other way of personal coaching. 3 days, 24 hours, a year’s worth ofwork and a lifetime of value all rolled into one kind, conscious, compassionateass-kicking.

I am a roll-up-my-sleeves kind of gal;I have no time to waste waiting for my next big insight and my next revelation.I need it now. So let’s get this show on the road and spend some concentratedtime getting to the bottom of it all. No sense dragging it on.

Enter Cathy.

The experience was fascinating, intenseand liberating. I realized for one, that NO ONE IS COMING. No one is coming.It’s just me. So I had better start saving myself. I realized that I have spentmy entire life trying to prove myself right about an ideal that doesn’t evenserve me, that I have been a Chameleon masking who I really am; that I will doanything to be loved, including sell myself and my ideals down the river for aspeck of attention, approval or affection.

Scary, messy, gross? Hell yes. Worthit? Every second. And Cathy was by my side the whole time, at the mouth of thecave, shining a flashlight and calling my name. She gave me the opportunity tosee myself clearly, fairly and gently. She helped me to anchor within andreconnect with my personal compass.

In the end, I see. I see that I cantrust my intuition, surrender my attachment to outcome, let go of judgement,and still be safe, happy and dy-no-mite.

Yes, please Universe. More of that.

Thank you, Cathy, you very well may just have saved my life.

...Yvonne's gift to Brenda

2011-09-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

I flew to Vancouver last weekend and engaged in a 3-Day intensive with Brenda Doherty.

She shares her experience.....

Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me get that it is my choice to have passion and joy in my life. The three days that you spent in my home just this past weekend were life changing for me and I thank you for your compassion, your dedication and your skill in what you know is your life’s work.
I complained that I felt “stuck” in all aspects of my life, retold the story of what had happened and the survivor that I was. I just wanted to be happy and find my passion again. You allowed me to work through what I thought I needed to, the responsibility, guilt, loss, sadness, stress and suffering of a story I held on to so desperately, and gratefully you tapped into my dire need to finally let it go. Then with all of your skill and compassion you asked me the saddest, most profound question I ever could have been asked that completely rocked my foundation. “When did you stop playing?” Tragically, I did not know that I had and at that very moment, everything changed.
You have given me the gift of knowing that at this very moment, this very instant, I need nothing and that everything is perfect, including me, exactly the way it is. In this very moment I have the choice to be happy which will spread into all aspects of my life and through play I will find my truth, my strength and my passion again. It is thrilling to know that it is never too late to make every difference and that at any moment I can change the direction of my life through each and every action, never knowing what I might have missed had I not listened to my intuition. You have inspired me to create the realities in my life, to be happy, to look for passion, understanding and forgiveness in everything and everyone. Today I no longer feel lost and lonely inside and I no longer feel the need to hide. And gratefully, I no longer have to ‘hurry up and wait” to live my life.
I love you for what you do and especially for who you choose to be and thank God for bringing you into my life. As you say…”there are no accidents” and because of you and the work we did together I work to release the past, opening my hands to receive the joy and gifts I so deserve.
Here is to paying it forward, and with much love.
Brenda Doherty, August 2011

It begins....

2011-09-03T16:19:00.001-07:00

...with Yvonne Woods. Fitness Instructor, Holistic Nutritionist. Calgary.

She is the pioneer and the first to 'pay it forward'.

She chose to take a chance on this unique style of coaching - bold, intense, intimate.

Here's what she had to say....

"I spent 3 days with Cathy in a new spectacular adventure of life coach shadowing and the experience was unbelievable!

Cathy taught me how to change my perspective on life and how to see the path of true happiness.

The biggest thing I learned is to stay present and to be aware.

I was amazed to see how much the universe communicates with us and how beautiful our lives can be if we simply stay aware and observe with curiosity.

Happiness awaits us all, we just have to follow our hearts and the world will guide us to where we need to go.

The bigger the jump you make with both feet the greater the pay off; so go ahead and jump!"

Pay it Forward

2011-09-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I was inspired to LifeShadow my long-time girlfriend Wendi, who had a serious illness. My intuition told me that if we spent 3-5 solid days together we would be able to target old patterns and beliefs, and when she would let go of those limitations, she would be able to heal.

I didn't have the courage to mentioned it.

She passed away shortly after.

That idea of LifeShadowing has haunted me ever since!

Today, I am thrilled to say, in tribute of my dear friend, I officially launch my 3-Day Intensives for transformation and healing.

My new website is www. cathyinc.ca

This is a unique and bold new way of coaching - condensing a year's-worth of coaching into 24 one-on-one hours over 3 days.

The fee structure is also unique with 'Pay it Forward'.

The thread begins with Yvonne Woods, Fitness Instructor, Holistic Nutritionist in Calgary. She was free. She then gifted Brenda Doherty in Vancouver, who was the 2nd person to receive the 3-day gift. Now Brenda's gift is in trust for the 3rd person....and so on!

You will be able to follow the thread of miraculous transformations as they happen.

Here we go.........

Reverse Manifestation

2011-01-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

I am playing in 2011 with a new theory that was revealed to me several months ago.

I will call it, for lack of a better term, reverse manifestation.

This really confronts my whole way of being and what I have led to believe with the Law of Attraction - where we can manifest anything, anytime.
This is how I understand it – there is a master plan that has been set out for each one of us...and it is our mission to align ourselves with that master plan, or our grand purpose in life. When we align ourselves with that master plan we get into the flow and the Universe transpires to make things effortless and easy.

Make sense?
It’s a kind of hot and cold game that we played as kids. When you’re getting closer to alignment things get warmer, things click and you’re in the flow! When they don’t you’re getting colder or further away from the master plan. Intuition plays a big part in this game.

What if it was that easy - like a game of hot and cold?

Want to play with me?

Vulnerability

2011-01-03T21:45:00.000-08:00

I recently watched a video about vulnerability that had a profound effect on me. Brene Brown believes that our joy and happiness, or lack of, is directly related to our ability to be vulnerable. Her research found that we numb ourselves from feeling, with various substances, in order to prevent ourselves from being vulnerable.

Vulnerability holds us back from feeling the good as well as the bad.

Therefore we simply do not feel anything.

What is vulnerability?

Vulnerability is about taking risks - taking a leap of faith without a safety net. Putting yourself out there and opening up yourself to criticism as well as praise.

Vulnerability is telling someone you love them regardless of the outcome. It's about asking for a raise when everyone tells you it's impossible; it's not waiting until you can do perfectly; it's risking a friendship by being honest; quitting a job that no longer works; letting go of a relationship that no longer feels good; moving cities without a secure job; traveling to a foreign country on your own; taking a year off to write that book you've always wanted to; starting your own business; learning to fly; speed dating; wanting to have a baby without a partner; fulfilling a childhood dream of playing the piano.

My most vulnerable moments were calling a boy who I fell in love with when I was 11 after 32 years, and searching for my father whom I never met.

We cannot always be certain of the outcome. Nor can we be guaranteed the results will be favourable. However, how will you ever know if you don't risk being vulnerable and take the leap?

For me, being vulnerable paid off - big time.

I am now blissfully married to that boy I fell in love with in 1969; and although my father passed away before I met him, I connected an entire other family I never knew I had.

In 2011, I am committed to being vulnerable. Playing it safe doesn't serve me anymore, nor does numbing out. I want to feel - everything - good, bad and everything in between. I want to play full out. I want to take risks.

I don't want to hold back.

It is time. The world is waiting and I'm ready.

Life Is Like A Cup of Coffee - Inspirational Video Movie

2010-11-19T12:13:00.000-08:00

Make life magnificent!

2010-11-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

I subscribe to The Daily Motivator by Ralph Marston,

www.greatday.com.

This message today was truly profound.

Don't merely seek to do it. Get busy working on it.

Don't just think about it, or talk about it, or plan for it,

or wish you could have it done. Make the effort right now to

make it happen.

Are you unsure about how to get started or what the next

step should be? The fact is that you can never be sure, so

go ahead and do what your heart tells you to do.

Are you worried about making mistakes or looking foolish or

wasting your time? Just remember that the biggest waste of

time, the most foolish looking mistake, is to sit around

worrying and doing nothing.

There is immense value in the unique person you are. Every

moment of every day is an opportunity for you to live and

express that value in ways that will astound the world and

fulfill your spirit.

So what are you waiting for? Get motivated, get focused, get

serious, get up, get going, get out there and make life as

magnificent as you know it can be.

Ralph Marston

Ask for What you Want

2010-09-19T22:06:00.001-07:00

I was approached a couple of times while on the West Coast this summer by entrepreneurs requesting my spare change.

I looked one man in the eye and asked him how much do you want?

He was quick to say whatever you can spare.

I made the request again - how much?

Lost for words…he finally said, very humbly,

$10 - I need a warm meal - it’s been a while.

That’s exactly what he got.

In Vancouver, a woman this time, approached me. I asked her, how much do you want?

Shocked and in disbelief she blurted out – 20 dollars!!! I handed it to her.

She squealed in absolute delight.

She got exactly what she asked for. They both did. And, in turn, I did too.

How often do we ask for exactly what we want? Frequently? Seldom? Rarely? … if at all?

I know in my own life, I often don’t make full requests for what I want.

I play it safe and ask for spare change instead of large bills.

And generally that is exactly what I get as a result. Then I’m disappointed. Not with them; but at myself.

Can you relate?

How often do you hold out your hat and hope people drop whatever they can spare into your life?

Imagine what it would be like if you spoke the truth and asked for exactly what you want - every single time!

There would be no grey areas. Just simple, clear requests. And results.

What if you stop asking for small change and ask for the $10, $20, actually the $50, that you really, really want?

What happens if you get it?

Will that inspire you to make another specific request?

Would you squeal in delight when you get that one too?

I know I would! I would do a happy dance!

How easy life would be if there were no games and no guessing.

There would be no disappointments, no one to be mad at, no drama....

Life would be pure and simple; with clarity and much joy. The way it is intended.

Imagine. You ask, you get; you ask, you get; you ask, you get....

So today, what if ...

You Ask for Exactly What you Want?

Presence

2010-08-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

Be Here, Be Now. I read this is Oprah's motto.

Several weeks ago I spent time with a girlfriend. I was distracted by work, other friends visiting, adapting to my new raw food lifestyle....

At the end of our visit she very gently said ‘You were here, however you weren't here!’. Those words hit me like a brick. What did she mean?

Over the next few days I observed my actions. She was right. In certain situations I was ‘here, but not’!

What is presence? How do you know when you’re being present, or not?

Eckhart Tolle describes it by simply ‘feeling your left hand’. When you feel the tingle of your blood flowing, the movement of your fingers, you experience presence. It brings your your focus right here, right now.

What’s happening in this moment is presence. Not thinking about the future or feeling the memories of the past.

If you're not living here in this moment, where are you?

Who's in your body if you're not here?

Animals live in the moment. They don’t hang onto resentment or bitterness, or carry a grudge. They are completely present.

I was told once that the best gift you could ever give another person is to be present with them. It's true.

Have you experienced that presence? How did you feel?

Many people describe coaching this way. Holding space for another and truly being heard.

One of my greatest gifts didn’t come wrapped in a box that day, however this one did have a great big read bow around it.

I get it now.

Trust

2010-07-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Trust is a funny thing! We think we have it, however it eludes us.

Just when think we trust someone, they let us down.

Again.

Who do you not trust in your life?

How do you not trust them?

Now turn the mirror on yourself and ask: 'How do I not trust me?'

If you see that quality within them, you have attracted them into your life to reflect who you really need to trust. Self.

If this is your time to look at this - let's go a little deeper.

When you think of how that person lets you down, ask that of yourself.

Does that person not keep their word? 'How do I not keep my word?'

Does that person give you mixed messages? 'When do I say yes when I really want to say no?'

People come in our life to give us gifts.

Those gifts are generally ways we need to look at ourselves and our behavior.

It's not always easy to look at ourselves, it's easier to blame other people for their actions. When we do we then attract others to replace them, over and over again.

If you're ready to get it this time, begin with being impeccable with your word - first to yourself, and then to others.

Say it, mean it, do it! Your word is your wand.

Say no when you mean no.

Be honest with yourself and others for being out of integrity, no excuses. Vow to honor your word next time.

When you trust yourself you attract people into your life you can trust.

Judgment Stick

2010-07-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you judged someone or something?

Five minutes ago, an hour?

Yes, we all do it.

All too often it has become a pattern, part of who we are. We may not even realize we're doing it.

Stop for a moment and think about a time when you were loving and accepting of someone in your life?

How did you feel?

When you let go of judgment and opinions of others, you accept life just the way it is, and the way it is not.

When you are in judgment you stand in your own way of experiencing the magnificence of being in the moment with another person.

You miss the subtleties of a shared moment that may be magical.

Instead, we make up stories about that person, making them wrong and fighting for rightness.

When you let go of judgment - just for a moment - what might be available to you?

Would you be more connected with that person?

Could you relate more to their life and what they may share with you?

In turn, would that person be better connected and related to you as a result?

The next time you have a strong judgment or opinion about someone, ask yourself, 'Is this the way I want to see this person or create this experience'?

If it's not, put the judgment stick down, take a deep breath and move towards love and acceptance.

See which way feels better.

You be the judge.

Being Grateful

2010-07-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

Consider that the greatest way we, who have been given such an incredible amount, can impact our life and the lives of everyone around you is to start by being grateful for all we have been given already! Today, in this moment.

When you are grateful for all you have - by acknowledging it, feeling how good it feels, and celebrating all your blessings, you attract more to be grateful for.

Simple!

Well, if it's that simple, what stops us from attracting more?

Focusing on what we do not have.

Consider yourself a magnet - whatever you put out, you get back. Tenfold.

What do you want to attract?

Imagine for a moment going through your day being grateful for everything - what would that look like?

As you awake being grateful for your warm, cozy bed that provided you a restful sleep, a warm shower, clean beautiful clothes to wear, a delicious breakfast to nourish your body.

And that is just in your first hour of waking.

What are you grateful for in the next hour of your life?

How much do we take for granted?

If you're one who likes to take baby steps, start with one thing that you're grateful for right now. It could be a pet who greets you at your door everyday with unconditional love or the sunshine on your face as you eat lunch outside.

You could be someone who likes to keep a journal - at the beginning or end of your day, write down all you are grateful for - keep it simple.

Then just see what shows up in your life.

What are you grateful for?

Fasting is Powerful

2010-04-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Recently I completed a 10 day fast - water only!

It was an extremely powerful experience.

I can best describe it as pushing a reset button.

After 5 days of low energy and turbulent emotions, I began to feel as though I had just purged and let go of decades of toxins - physical, mental and spiritual.

By day 6 through day 10, I began to have amazing clarity and direction. The fog had lifted and I felt reborn.

I had powerful conversations during that time - life changing ones - both with myself and those I loved. What was most remarkable, when I couldn't stuff my feelings with food, the truth had no where to hide, therefore had to come out! With that came incredible freedom and joy!

On day 11, I was allowed to have fruit to break the fast.

OMG, have you ever tasted a strawberry?

We are the Hero of our Own Story

2010-01-18T15:02:00.001-08:00

When you think about it we are the writer of our own story.

We can be the Hero, the Villian, have a supporting role, or even play a bit part! Whatever we want to write or create is what we become.

In the course of our day we have over 60,000 thoughts! Of those 2/3rds are the same ones we have thought over and over and over again. Not always the best ones to have. Generally, there are less than flattering and tell us something about ourselves that is untrue, made-up and very self destructive. Many of these are thoughts have become an old story, a pattern, negative beliefs. What if you decide you don't like the story or how your life is going?

It's simple....you get to change the story.

Yes, yes, you do!

Instead of being the Villian, as you perceive yourself to be. BE the Hero!

Tell yourself what you WANT to hear.

How about something like this - I am a good person. I am smart, funny, successful! I attract great relationships. I love my career. I have a healthy, slender body and I am blissfully happy and joyous!

Sound too far fetched to be real? Well, start slow then. Build your Hero as you go, as you would a work in progress novel. Take each day at a time, and each thought. When you hear your little voice say something negative - re-write that paragraph to be something positive. Pretty soon, you will be catching yourself saying something good about yourself....and then watch the Universe turn everything in your life around!

Go ahead, be the hero in your own story today!

Careful what you Ask for!

2009-10-31T15:40:00.001-07:00

Living your Dream - will you accept the gift?

Several months ago I put a wish out to the Universe that I wanted to live in a beach house on the ocean by mid- October, 2009. WaLa...I got my wish! I was sure it would be Australia and had my sights focused there. The Universe had a different plan. Although I was disappointed, initially that Australia didn't come through, I did get exactly what I asked for. On Vancouver Island!

When we put out the intention for something we desire and match it with how WE think it should look, we often miss the subtle signs of what it actually is.

Every time I ask, I always, always get. More times than not it's not at all how I imagined! The real gift is accepting what comes and being grateful. I am constantly challenged with being more specific with my wishes. In the meantime - I'm loving my beach house on the ocean!

Thanksgiving

2009-10-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

It's Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend and I'm wondering what are you thankful for? See, when you're truly thankful for everything in your life, the Universe will bring you more and more to be thankful for! It's simple. Think of the all things you are grateful for in this moment. Write them down. Now feel how good it is to have these things in your life. It could be family and friends who love you, a warm cozy bed, food in your tummy, a special someone to cuddle with, fresh water to drink, a puppy at your feet, eyes to read your favourite words....so many things. When you're living in the now and you recognize how lucky you are to have all these things in your life the turkey tastes so much better!

You are not your Mind

2009-06-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

If you are not your mind, then what are you?

What if your mind is ego disguised as the rational, logical, all-knowing entity? And that voice keeps you in safe, stuck and in negative thoughts.

Who would you be without this voice?

Eckhart says - 'not to be able to stop thinking is a dreadful affliction, but we don't realize this because almost everyone is suffering from it, so it is considered normal.'

When you believe that you are your mind it begins to use you and you get out of touch with 'what is'. 'What is' is the present moment and there are no problems in this moment. Is there? Problems are only past and future illusions which are not real. Only the present moment is real, and now this, and now this...

He asks -'can you be free of your mind whenever you want to? Have you found the 'off' button?'

Finding the 'off button' can be as simple as observing the entity or the voice. When you do 'you realize that all the things that truly matter - beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace - arise from beyond the mind. You begin to awaken'. Today 'watch the thinker'.

Awakening to 'The Power of Now'

2009-06-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Over the next 3 months, I feel compelled to take on 'Living in the Now'. I want to take each heading of 'The Power of Now' and choose one significant or profound statement in that section and relate it to my life and experiences.
Beginning with his Introduction Pages 3-6, Eckhart speaks of how 'I cannot live with myself any longer', and what a peculiar thought it was. He asked: 'Am I one or two? If I cannot live with myself, there must be two of me: the 'I' and the 'self' that 'I' cannot live with. "Maybe" only one of them is real'.
Which one is real?
Have you ever stopped to really listen to the voice in your head and hear what it's saying? Have you asked: 'Is that me who's thinking that thought? If it's not, who'? Recently I did. I heard my monkey mind jump from thought to thought without a break. After observing for a time I was exhausted. Listening to all negative stuff about myself, others, situations etc. Yuk! It was like taking a helicopter view of myself. I realized that I am not my thoughts. It's like someone or thing has taken me over. For one whole day I simply observed where those thoughts carried me...I was amazed at where I went. Mostly not wanting to go to any of those places. They didn't feel good.
So, if you were to be the observer of your thoughts for an entire day, what would you discover?
Following Eckhart's awakening, he spent almost two years sitting on park benches in a state of the most intense joy. People would ask him 'I want what you have. Can you give it to me, or show me how to get it?' He would say: 'You have it already. You just can't feel it because your mind is making too much noise'! 1' 30"

2009-06-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

I dusted off my copy of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and took it on my recent trip to Vancouver Island. Wow! I get it NOW! When I first bought the book over 3 years ago, I stopped about 1/3 of the way through and couldn't make it to the end. I was coaching a client a couple of weeks ago and suggested she read it to make sense of what she was going through during that time. Quite often, whatever I share with my clients is something I also need to take a look at. Yes, note to self - dig out 'The Power of Now', which I did. Since reading it, everything has changed. Living in the NOW has changed my perspective of so many things - relationships - oh my gosh this is huge!; the insignificance of the past and the future and how we let it consume our thoughts all day, everyday. I now feel I am getting closer to knowing what's really important by Living in the Now. Whenever I feel worry or stress I just stop and feel my right hand or ask 'am I breathing'? When I do, in that moment I feel the anxiety or panic dissolve and virtually disappear! It's easy. Well, it sounds easy, however after a lifetime of living in the past or future - this will be a challenge. So, over the next 3 months, I want to share my experience of Living in the Now - of course, in 30 seconds! Want to join me?

What's a 30 Second Coach?

2009-03-19T17:06:00.001-07:00

What's a 30 Second Coach? It's someone who condenses vital and lengthy material into a short, concise read. Like a TV commercial! Oddly enough, I came up with the concept when I realized that I couldn't conduct a letter, journal entry or conversation past 30 seconds. You see I was a TV commercial writer several years ago, and my years of thinking in 30 second increments was, to me, a downfall. However, I have decided that since it's what I'm good at, I'll use it as an advantage. Many of us just want the facts, and we want them quickly. So my wish is to give you 30 seconds of great, useful information you can ponder and perhaps apply into your life right away.
I'll give you tips on applying the Law of Attraction into your life, and I'll share some personal experiences with you, to reinforce intentional creation is always at work. I may even throw in some provocative coaching questions to get you thinking...or should I say feeling you're way to self awareness. Are you with me? It'll be quick - don't go to the washroom - this time you really will miss something important in this message. Ok, let's get started. Oh yes, if you have any questions, fire away, I promise to keep my replies to 30 seconds! Time me.