Health Harmony & Happiness with Cathy

Action-taking women are often described or judged as having more masculine tendencies that correlate with "doing," strength, being assertive, confidence, having a "take-charge" attitude, and maybe even being a bit tough or hardened; rather than taking on more what is thought of as feminine traits like softness, compassion, emotion, receiving, caretaking, and nurturing. Those mo...

 Have you ever told yourself you needed to be or act a certain way because of choices you've made in your life? Whether it's your career, relationship or place you live, you've likely put yourself into a metaphorical box of some sort at some time or another. You may be there now!  But you don't have to remain there. You can indeed take your power back and start living into your...

Just like the positive and negative ends of a battery must be clear and connected in order for the battery to work properly, you have both feminine and masculine energy within you that must be nurtured and balanced in order for you to work at your highest potential.  And if both of these qualities aren't acknowledged, and one is perhaps stronger than the other, you'll likely have issues...

Comparison = Inadequacy {no matter what}. When you start down the path of living more intentionally to avoid burnout, it can be tough to shed things that have felt so "normal" for so long. Like the hustle to "keep up with the Jones's." You may have urges to try harder even when you know you know your body wants to slow down. You can feel super inadequate at times because t...

Letting go is a necessary part of life; and in fact, it's a necessary part of the Energetic Rhythms cycle.  But it's not always easy.  When you hold onto things in life you don't allow space for the new, the fresh and the vital to enter. In today's episode I interview my former pastor, Dave Weesner, to talk letting go during life's transitions and how they impact you. Ther...

Vacations are meant to be refreshing so that you return to life with a renewed energy. But what about when they are so exhausting it takes you as long as you were gone to recover?  It doesn't have to be the latter.  I want you to be able to return from a vacation or trip without feeling like you need to take a vacation from your vacation. Listen in as I share my reflections on what didn'...

Stop feeling stuck or cycling between burnout and action-taking!  The first step in doing this is to begin tracking your energetic rhythms.  Grab your Energetic Rhythms Tracker and a pen because today I'm telling you all about how to use this crucial tool so that you can move away from feeling stuck or burnt out and instead into balance and optimal productivity.  We'll walk step-by-step...

Society trains us to think of our lives as a linear...we're born, we set goals, we work to achieve them (or not), then die.  It also trains us to think of productivity in this way...take action, take action, take action... But what if that weren't really the way life worked? What if you had permission to think of life differently...to think of it in a way that actually gives you permissi...

What exactly are your energetic rhythms?  And how can they help you shift out of distraction, chaos, and burnout and into optimal productivity, balance, and focus, without giving up your action-oriented nature? I answer these questions and more in this episode. Resources from episode: Daily Rhythms Tracker Facebook Live:  What Season of Life are You in? Join our community here . Rate or review thi...

After a 2 year break, I'm back to podcasting and excited to share with you what I've been up to since we last shared this space. For  7 years I practiced 1 style of yoga and taught 1 style of yoga, primarily.  And that’s what I taught many of my listeners for years, and what you heard me talk a lot about when I started this podcast.  But for the past 2 years I have been shifting. Shiftin...

Science has proven that plants release natural chemicals that can improve immune function, mood + stress levels.  Crystal Berkenes shares what Nature Therapy is and how she combines it with music for health + what to expect from forest bathing. You may know from experience that being in nature feels therapeutic, but did you know there is actual scientific evidence that spending time in nature can...

We all have different communication styles that we tend to gravitate towards, and even though we may be speaking the same language, sometimes our needs, wants and desires get lost in translation when it comes to our relationships. Katie Rössler gives tips on how to overcome this communication breakdown and instead build positive connections. We discuss healthy arguing strategies as well as how to...

Loneliness is a signal or indicator that something in life needs to change--it’s a feeling, which can make it hard to detect. And if not addressed, it can potentially have negative health side effects in the way of chronic illness and decreased lifespan.   Loneliness actually affects nearly half the U.S. population NOT during a pandemic, so I can imagine that right now these numbers are indeed hei...

In honor of Mother's Day, I'm sharing a compilation of reflective blog posts I wrote after my first child was born.  Some of my parenting philosophies have changed, but these personal essays reveal the emotional struggle of a new mom with a colicky baby.  My son, who is my firstborn, was a challenging baby to say the least. We spent hours soothing him.  And it was during this time that I...

Water quality goes much beyond just our drinking water; it’s also the source of recreation for many, so keeping it clean means it will be safe for your family to boat, swim and play near as you reconnect with nature this Spring and Summer.  Ingrid Gronstal of the Iowa Environmental Council and I continue our discussion of where water pollution comes from and how each one of us can be a part of con...

Today is Earth Day, and access to clean and safe drinking water is not a concern that should only be reserved for speaking of 3rd World Countries.  Believe it or not it’s also an issue that impacts neighbors in our own back yards no matter where you are in the United States.   In today's episode Ingrid Gronstal, Iowa Environmental Council, and I talk about water pollution, why it concerns you...

Get rid of a single-use mindset and begin to consider that reducing the amount of stuff you live with or deem necessary at this point in life means that you’ll be living a more sustainable lifestyle and having less of an impact on the environment around you. Which in the long run means your children and their children will have a planet to care for as well.   Today I sit down with Stephanie Seferi...

For Nicole Saville herbs are far more than just for cooking; as the owner of Spiritus Vitae Botanicals, herbs are for both medicine and giving back to the land.  They are, in essence, the "Spirit of Life." By taking care of the land through chemical-free farming practices, the land can take care of us through its bounty. Herbal medicine is where herbs, used as food, cross over and begin...

With being around your home a bit more these days, we are inevitably creating more waste at home, but there are some things you can do to reduce the waste that goes to the landfill.  Today I share with you what my family does to live more eco-friendly and reduce the amount of waste we are putting back into the environment.   Your environmental or ecological footprint is a measure of how much you a...

Connection is necessary now more than ever.  At a time when we are being told to physically isolate from others, that connection is crucial; not only with others, but also with God.  And this energetic connection that we have with people can transcend social distancing.  Yet remaining connected while social distancing involves also managing the energy you give and receive from others. On an energe...

Our hormones play a critical role in how we feel; from sleep to temperature regulation to clarity, if they are out of balance you won't feel your best.  Dr. Valerie Bonnett uses functional medicine to treat patients so that your whole self is feeling its best rather than masking other symptoms. This week I talk with Dr. Valerie Bonnett about balancing hormones in all stages of life, particula...

Tuning into your creative self can help you enjoy life more and even be more productive. Listen as I share my experience with The Artist's Way and how the tools it suggests can help you get back to knowing your inner child a.k.a. your higher self. Find out the 2 methods that you can easily implement into your life that can help you gain clarity on what you want in life and open yourself to re...

Being a member of a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program has changed the way my family purchases produce. It has allowed us to go on a food adventure to discover not only new foods, but also how to prepare a variety of fruits and vegetables.  Join me for a look at how Blue Gate Farm, a Certified Naturally Grown farm in South-Central Iowa, produces chemical-free products through memb...

When it comes to fitness, mobility work or stretching is often the first thing people tend to neglect, but it is one of the things that can have the greatest impact on how you feel. Repetitive movements from traditional fitness and activities of daily living cause limitations and restrictions in the body that yoga can begin to undo. More-so if it is an intentional yoga practice that will enhance w...

Your gym is the environment, your machine is the body.  Farmer Gym specializes in online strength and conditioning training that requires little to no equipment for your body {and mind} to grow strong.  Jason Harle, an Iowa native, speaks to how the qualities of integrity and consistency that are learned on the farm are 2 of the primary beliefs his gym has for helping individuals do the work to ge...