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Explore every episode of the podcast Who We Are & What We Need

Dive into the complete episode list for Who We Are & What We Need. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
The Invisible Wounds: Understanding Spiritual Abuse with Katherine Spearing29 janv. 202600:33:56

In this conversation, Katherine Spearing discusses her new book, 'A Thousand Tiny Papercuts,' which explores the complexities of spiritual abuse and the journey to reclaim autonomy after leaving high-control religious environments. The discussion delves into the insidious nature of spiritual abuse, the confusion experienced by individuals trying to navigate their faith, and the emotional turmoil that often follows leaving such systems. The conversation also highlights the importance of understanding the BITE model of control and the potential for thriving after leaving these environments, emphasizing the need for healing and self-acceptance.

Understanding AuDHD with Megan Griffith22 janv. 202600:41:40

Join Catherine Quiring in conversation with Megan Griffith, autistic and ADHD life coach, content creator, and author of Welcome to AuDHD: How to Survive and Thrive as an Adult with Autism and ADHD. This wide-ranging discussion explores what it means to live at the intersection of autism and ADHD, from communication differences and alexithymia to masking, self-trust, and disability identity.

Megan shares her diagnostic journey through misdiagnosis, the research behind her book (including lived experience from her community), and practical tools like EFT tapping for emotional processing. Catherine and Megan discuss monotropic vs. polytropic thinking, the building blocks metaphor for masking, and how childhood emotional neglect affects neurodivergent people—even in loving homes where authentic selves weren't fully mirrored.

This episode offers validation, clarity, and hope for anyone navigating neurodivergence, whether self-diagnosed or formally assessed.


Resources:

Neuroclastic Directory

EFT (Emotion Freedom Technique) Tapping (with Sophia Graniela, another podcast guest)

“HSP or Autism?”

Neurodivergence Lived Experience Summit: 1/23-25/2026


Connect with Megan Website - Book

Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube - Neurodivergent Self-Diagnosis Consultation


Key Topics:

  • The History of AuDHD: Why autism and ADHD couldn't be diagnosed together until 2013 (DSM-5)

  • Alexithymia Explained: Difficulty identifying emotions in the moment, but processing them later through "back doors" like journaling or intellectual processing

  • EFT Tapping: A practical tool for accessing difficult emotions through meridian points and parasympathetic nervous system activation

  • Communication Differences: How neurotypical people give 70% of information expecting you to fill in gaps, while autistic people typically give 100%

  • Monotropic vs. Polytropic Thinking: Flashlight (deep focus) vs. lantern (broad attention) approaches to thinking and work

  • Masking as Building Blocks: A trauma response metaphor—not a removable mask, but borrowed blocks that became part of your tower

  • Self-Trust and Validation: How diagnosis (formal or self) can affirm "I was right about me all along"

  • Disability Identity: Community perspectives on whether AuDHD is a disability, difference, or "it's complicated"

  • Childhood Emotional Neglect: How unmirrored enthusiasm and unmet attachment needs affect neurodivergent children

  • Intersectionality: Research findings on disability, police violence, and the "ugly laws" that prohibited visible disability in public until the 1970s


Practical Tools:

EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques)

  • Three-step process: Acknowledgment → Validation → Gentle Reframe

  • Taps meridian points while processing difficult emotions

  • Helps access emotions through the "back door" for those with alexithymia

The 24-Hour Rule for Self-Trust

  • When trusted people disagree with your reality perception

  • Put a pin in it for 24 hours

  • Revisit to see if your perspective has shifted or held steady

  • Neither perspective is necessarily "wrong"

Meta Conversations

  • Pausing during disagreements to discuss how the conversation is happening

  • Addressing tone, communication style, and assumptions

  • Creating clarity about different communication preferences


Hi,⁠ I’m Catherine⁠. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.

I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.

I love helping folx⁠ Befriend Your Inner Critic⁠,⁠ Become Your Own Best Friend⁠, and ⁠reclaim your untamed soul⁠.

Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and⁠ walking alongside you⁠ on your journey.

My free gift to you: ⁠⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠⁠.

With a full heart,

Catherine

From Religious Control to Self-Compassion: Healing Your Inner Controller - Inner Critics Series #621 janv. 202600:10:51

Have you ever caught yourself in cycles of self-sabotage, then felt like this proved you were fundamentally flawed? For years, many of us were told this was evidence of our “sinful nature.” But what if that explanation isn’t just wrong—what if it’s creating the very problems it claims to solve?

This episode explores religious trauma through Internal Family Systems therapy, revealing how “dying to self” theology creates internal oppression, and offering a revolutionary alternative based on self-compassion rather than self-control.

What you’ll learn:

✓ How religious environments create the “Inner Controller”—an internal slave master

✓ Why “dying to self” doctrine is psychologically harmful, especially for sensitive minds

✓ The neuroscience showing self-compassion works better than self-control for growth

✓ Internal Family Systems alternative: parts with good intentions vs “sinful nature”

✓ Why your “self-sabotage” might actually be self-protection needing updates

✓ How to rebuild spirituality from wholeness rather than brokenness


Perfect for:

  • Religious trauma survivors questioning harmful theology

  • People deconstructing faith while wanting to maintain spiritual connection

  • Anyone taught their emotions, body, or instincts can’t be trusted

  • Those struggling with shame-based identity from religious conditioning

  • Individuals healing from spiritual abuse or authoritarian religious environments

Key theological reframes:

  • Human behavior stems from need-meeting, not cosmic battle between good/evil

  • Your core Self already embodies “fruits of the spirit”—they’re not borrowed from outside

  • Parts of you labeled “sinful” may actually be authentic aspects needing integration

  • Self-compassion isn’t self-indulgence—it’s neurologically necessary for growth

Important notes:

  • This episode respects diverse spiritual beliefs while addressing harmful applications

  • Focuses on psychological healing, not theological debate

  • Includes resources for religious trauma recovery

  • Content may be triggering for those with severe religious trauma

If you’re struggling with:

  • Depression or anxiety related to religious experiences

  • Thoughts of self-harm connected to religious shame

  • Severe religious trauma symptoms

Please reach out to mental health professionals trained in religious trauma recovery.


Part of the Befriending Your Inner Critics series: This penultimate episode addresses the Inner Controller—the critic formed in religious environments that taught you to distrust your own heart, mind, and instincts. Recovery involves updating these parts with compassionate truth.

Next steps: Befriend Your Inner Critic Course

Your worth is not contingent on your performance. You are loved exactly as you are.


Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - Pinterest - YouTube


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.

I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.

I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.

Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.

My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.

With a full heart,

Catherine

The Inner Destroyer: Why You Still Hear Your Abuser's Voice (& How to Heal) - Inner Critics Series #520 janv. 202600:10:35

Description: ⚠️ Content Warning: This episode discusses psychological abuse and trauma. Please prioritize your safety. Crisis resources in description.

If you’ve escaped a narcissistic or abusive relationship but still hear your abuser’s voice saying “you’re worthless,” “you’re stupid,” or “you’ll never amount to anything”—you’re not going crazy. That voice has a name: the Inner Destroyer. Understanding why this happens is the first step to reclaiming your worth.

This episode provides trauma-informed approaches to healing from internalized abuse, breaking trauma bonds with your own self-attack patterns, and developing the tools to finally silence the voice that followed you home.

What you’ll learn: ✓ How the Inner Destroyer differs from regular self-criticism (it attacks core worth, not behavior) ✓ Why you may have developed a trauma bond with your own self-attack patterns ✓ The exact tactics abusers use that become internalized (gaslighting, character attacks, future threats) ✓ How to develop “observer consciousness” to separate from destructive thoughts ✓ 6 practical steps for dismantling the Inner Destroyer’s power ✓ Specialized healing approaches for narcissistic abuse recovery

This episode is essential for:

  • Survivors of narcissistic, emotional, or psychological abuse

  • Anyone whose inner critic sounds exactly like their abuser

  • People who’ve left toxic relationships but the abuse continues internally

  • Those struggling with self-worth after gaslighting and manipulation

  • Anyone experiencing the “trauma bond” with their own self-criticism

Key insights:

  • The Inner Destroyer uses your abuser’s exact voice, words, and timing

  • Self-criticism can feel “safer” than self-compassion for abuse survivors

  • Your adult self has resources your traumatized younger self didn’t have

  • Recovery means learning to handle difficult thoughts without being controlled by them

  • Specialized trauma therapy is often necessary for narcissistic abuse recovery

CRISIS RESOURCES:

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233

  • Crisis Text Line: HOME to 741741

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988

  • Additional resources for narcissistic abuse recovery linked below

Important note: This episode is educational and not a substitute for professional help. If you’re struggling with trauma from abuse, please consider working with a therapist trained in narcissistic abuse and trauma recovery.

Part of the Befriending Your Inner Critics series: This episode addresses trauma-specific inner critics that develop from external abuse. Unlike other critics that developed as protection, the Inner Destroyer requires specialized trauma-informed approaches.

Next week: From Religious Control to Self-Compassion - healing the Inner Controller when spiritual environments taught you not to trust your own heart, mind, and instincts.

Next steps: Befriend Your Inner Critic Course

Your worth was never up for debate. The voice telling you otherwise was wrong then and is wrong now. Recovery is possible, and thousands have walked this path to reclaim their lives.


Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.

I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.

I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.

Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.

My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.

With a full heart,

Catherine

The Inner Underminer: Why Sensitive & Creative Minds Have Harsh Inner Critics - Inner Critics Series #419 janv. 202600:08:45

If you’re neurodivergent, highly sensitive, or creative, your inner critic probably attacks who you are, not just what you do. It whispers “you’re too much,” “you’re too weird,” or “you’ll never fit in.” This isn’t random self-doubt—it’s the Inner Underminer, carrying years of messages about being “different.”

This episode explores why sensitive, creative, and neurodivergent individuals develop particularly harsh internal voices, how masking trauma creates identity attacks, and practical steps to reclaim your authentic self-expression.

What you’ll learn: ✓ Why the Inner Underminer targets identity, not just behavior ✓ How “masking trauma” creates systematic self-attack patterns ✓ The 4 faces of the Underminer: Masking Perfectionist, Sensitivity Shamer, Creativity Crusher, Neurodivergent Comparer ✓ Why your “weaknesses” in traditional environments become strengths in the right contexts ✓ 5 practical steps for neurodivergent-affirming self-acceptance ✓ How to create environments that support rather than suppress your authentic traits

Perfect for:

  • Neurodivergent individuals tired of hiding their natural traits

  • Highly sensitive people told they’re “too emotional” or “too much”

  • Creative minds whose ideas are dismissed as “weird” or “impractical”

  • Anyone whose inner critic specifically attacks their identity and way of being

  • People recovering from a lifetime of masking and conformity pressure

Key insights:

  • Your Inner Underminer developed to protect you from rejection for being different

  • Masking trauma is real psychological damage from suppressing authentic self-expression

  • Your adult self has resources your criticized inner child never had

  • Authenticity attracts authentic connection—the right people celebrate your differences

  • Your sensitivity, creativity, and different processing are features, not bugs

Addresses different neurotypes:

  • ADHD: Transforming “distractible” into “notice what others miss”

  • Autism: Honoring attention to detail while managing perfectionist anxiety

  • High Sensitivity: Using emotional intensity as strength for deep connection

  • Creative minds: Celebrating unconventional thinking and multipassionate interests

This episode is part of our Befriending Your Inner Critics series: Episodes 1-2 covered foundational concepts and common critics Episode 4 focuses specifically on critics that develop around neurodivergent/sensitive identity Episodes 5-6 will cover trauma-based critics (abuse recovery, religious trauma)

Resources mentioned:

  • Masking trauma research and recovery approaches

  • Neurodivergent-affirming therapy resources

  • Online communities for authentic neurodivergent expression

Next week: The Inner Destroyer - healing from internalized abuse when you’ve escaped toxic relationships but the abuser’s voice followed you home.

Next steps: Befriend Your Inner Critic Course

Remember: Your sensitivity, creativity, and different way of processing the world aren’t problems to fix—they’re gifts that make you uniquely valuable. Authenticity is a practice, not a destination.


Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.

I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.

I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.

Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.

My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.

With a full heart,

Catherine

Your Inner Perfectionist: Why "Good Enough" Feels Impossible for Neurodivergent Minds - Inner Critics Series #318 janv. 202600:08:15

If you’re neurodivergent and traditional perfectionism advice like “just lower your standards” feels impossible, this episode explains why. Perfectionism works differently in ADHD, autistic, and other neurodivergent brains—and requires different solutions.

This episode explores the unique intersection of perfectionism and neurodivergence, how masking trauma creates impossible internal standards, and neuroaffirming approaches that actually work for different brain types.


What you’ll learn: ✓ Why neurodivergent perfectionism is often a survival mechanism, not just high standards ✓ How masking and perfectionism become dangerously intertwined ✓ The “Executive Function Paradox” - why perfectionist planning worsens ADHD symptoms ✓ How Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) fuels perfectionist protection strategies ✓ Why traditional advice fails neurodivergent minds and what works instead ✓ Neuroaffirming strategies that honor your brain’s natural patterns


Specifically addresses:

  • ADHD: Energy-based planning vs perfectionist paralysis

  • Autism: Natural attention to detail vs anxiety-driven perfectionism

  • High Sensitivity: Using emotional intensity as strength, not weakness

  • Gifted/2e: Separating identity from performance

Perfect for:

  • Neurodivergent individuals whose perfectionism feels tied to survival

  • People labeled “high-functioning” who are actually burning out from masking

  • Anyone who experiences perfectionism as protection against being “found out”

  • Those whose perfectionism creates more problems than it solves

Key research covered:

  • Masking trauma and its relationship to perfectionist coping

  • RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria) and perfectionism connections

  • Executive function challenges that traditional advice ignores

  • Neuroaffirming therapy approaches vs conformity-based treatments

Part of the Befriending Your Inner Critics series: This episode focuses specifically on how perfectionism manifests differently in neurodivergent minds and requires adapted approaches that honor rather than fight your natural neurological patterns.


Next steps: Befriend Your Inner Critic Course,

Become Your Own Best Friend (next rounds Jan/Mar 2026)


Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.


With a full heart,

Catherine

Meet Your Inner Taskmaster: Breaking Free from the Productivity Trap - Inner Critics Series #217 janv. 202600:08:15

Do you feel guilty when you rest? Does a relentless voice tell you “there’s always more you should be doing”? Meet your Inner Taskmaster—the critic that measures your worth by your productivity and keeps you trapped in the hustle culture hamster wheel.

This episode explores the most common inner critic many of us carry: the voice convinced your value equals your output. Learn why this protective part developed, how it’s actually sabotaging your effectiveness, and practical steps to transform it from a slave driver into a collaborative partner.


What you’ll learn:

✓ The difference between healthy motivation and your Inner Taskmaster’s demands

✓ Why ADHD brains are especially susceptible to productivity prison

✓ How the Taskmaster developed to protect you but became self-defeating

✓ The real costs of tying your worth to productivity (hint: it makes you LESS effective)

✓ A 4-step Internal Family Systems approach to befriending your Taskmaster

✓ What changes when you shift from “I HAVE TO” to “I CHOOSE TO”


Perfect for:

  • People who can’t rest without guilt or anxiety about unfinished tasks

  • Anyone caught in toxic productivity culture or hustle mentality

  • ADHD individuals experiencing burnout from unrealistic productivity standards

  • Those who lie awake at night with racing thoughts about tomorrow’s tasks

  • People whose identity is tied to being “the responsible one”


Key insights:

  • Your Inner Taskmaster isn’t lazy motivation—it’s fear-based protection

  • Productivity actually DECLINES after 55 hours/week (Stanford research)

  • Adults with ADHD experience significantly higher workplace burnout rates

  • Rest isn’t laziness—it’s neurological maintenance your brain requires


This episode is part of our Befriending Your Inner Critics series: 

Episode 1: Why You Can't "Get Rid" of Your Inner Critic (foundation)

Episode 2: Inner Taskmaster (productivity trap) ← You are here

Episode 3: Inner Perfectionist (coming next week)


Next steps: Befriend Your Inner Critic Course


Remember: Your worth isn’t measured by your productivity. Freedom begins when you recognize the voice demanding endless output is fear trying to keep you safe in ways that no longer serve you.


Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.


With a full heart,

Catherine

Why You Can't "Get Rid" of Your Inner Critic (And What Actually Works Instead) - Inner Critics Series #116 janv. 202600:09:46

That harsh voice in your head isn't going anywhere—and that's actually not the problem. The real issue is trying to fight or eliminate your inner critic instead of understanding what it's trying to do for you.What you'll learn:✓ Why your inner critic exists (hint: it's trying to protect you)✓ practical steps to befriend rather than battle your internal voice✓ What changes when you stop fighting yourself and start working with your mindPerfect for:Anyone exhausted from battling their own thoughtsPeople who've tried positive thinking but still struggle with self-criticismThose ready to understand their mind instead of fighting itThe goal isn't to silence your inner critic—it's to help it evolve from harsh taskmaster into wise counselor. When you understand why that voice developed and what it's actually trying to accomplish, everything changes about how you relate to yourself.Your inner critic isn't your enemy—it just needs better training. Let's figure out how to work with your mind instead of against it.


Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.


With a full heart,

Catherine

Turning, Healing, and Coming Home15 janv. 202600:24:21

In this follow-up episode, Catherine Quiring continues her story—this time focusing on the turning points that led her back to herself. Through self-compassion, somatic healing, and IFS, she learned to listen inward with curiosity instead of shame.

Catherine invites us into the beauty of emotions as messengers, the wisdom of the body, and the medicine of Indigenous perspectives that remind us: everything is alive, everything is kin. This is a story of embracing parts once exiled, welcoming them home, and living an embodied life rooted in self-trust.

For anyone longing to feel whole again, this episode offers hope, resonance, and a gentle invitation: you, too, can come home to yourself.

Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube - Coming Home


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.

I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.

I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.

Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.

My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.

With a full heart,

Catherine

My early years14 janv. 202600:14:49

In this episode of Who We Are & What We Need, Catherine Quiring shares the raw and tender story of her early years—growing up within authoritarian Christianity and the pressures of ableist meritocracy. These systems taught her to silence her desires, distrust her emotions, and hollow herself out to fit expectations of holiness and success.

Through honest storytelling, Catherine explores how these environments shape our sense of self and leave us disconnected from our bodies, emotions, and inner knowing. This conversation is both deeply personal and universally resonant, offering language for the hidden wounds many carry.

If you’ve ever felt pressured to be “good,” “perfect,” or “productive” at the cost of your own humanity, this episode will remind you: you’re not alone.


Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube - Coming Home


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.

I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.

I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.

Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.

My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.

With a full heart,

Catherine

The Shape of the Journey13 janv. 202600:09:15

Every healing path has a rhythm, a shape, a pattern of descent and return. In this episode of Who We Are & What We Need, Catherine Quiring explores the archetypal forms of transformation—from labyrinths to the Eco-Heroine’s path.

Through story and reflection, she begins to trace the contours of her own journey: moving through the harm of authoritarian systems, shedding what no longer served her, finding her center, and emerging into new life. Along the way, she invites listeners to recognize the cycles of grief, release, renewal, and belonging woven through their own lives.

This episode offers both a map and a mirror—guidance for honoring where you are, and reassurance that every step, even the difficult ones, are part of the larger shape of coming home to yourself.


Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.


With a full heart,

Catherine

From People-Pleasing to Self-Trust12 janv. 202600:07:50

What happens when caring for everyone else means losing sight of yourself? In this episode, Catherine Quiring explores the hidden costs of people-pleasing and the journey of learning to trust yourself again. She shares why people-pleasing begins as a survival strategy, how hyper-empathy intensifies the pull to silence your own needs, and what it looks like to come home to your body, your emotions, and your inner compass.

Together, we’ll walk through a gentle five-step cycle of reflection, release, reconnection, reclaiming, and re-emerging — a path that helps you shift from people-pleasing into self-trust. Along the way, you’ll discover how compassion and detached empathy allow you to care deeply without abandoning yourself.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted from keeping the peace or longed to show up as your full self, this episode offers a roadmap back to authenticity, wholeness, and freedom.

To delve into this deeper:


Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.


With a full heart,

Catherine


Self-Trust 10111 janv. 202600:27:18

This episode with Catherine Quiring examines self-trust as the cornerstone of psychological well-being and authentic living. Grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and research on interoception and self-compassion, Catherine explains how people lose trust in themselves under authoritarian systems or through people-pleasing patterns, and how to rebuild it step by step. Catherine delves into the developmental stages of self-trust through our lifetime. Listeners will gain practical insights into reconnecting with their inner compass, regulating emotions, and cultivating resilience so they can move through life with clarity and confidence.


Consent & Closeness Matrix

Read more about Self-Trust


Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.


With a full heart,

Catherine

Thriving with Hyper-Empathy10 janv. 202600:11:43

In this episode, we explore the science, psychology, and spirituality of hyper-empathy—a rare gift that allows us to feel deeply and connect profoundly, but that can also overwhelm without the right tools.

You’ll learn:

  • The neuroscience of empathy—how the insula, ACC, amygdala, and mirror neurons shape emotional sensitivity

  • The spiritual perspective of clairsentience—“clear feeling” as intuitive empathy

  • Why hyper-empathy is considered a “risky strength” linked to anxiety, burnout, and internalizing disorders

  • How autism reframes the conversation through the Double Empathy Problem and experiences of hyper-empathy

  • Practical strategies for thriving: mindfulness, boundaries, compassionate empathy, therapeutic support, and affirming communities

✨ Hyper-empaths are not “too sensitive.” We are natural healers. By nurturing boundaries and practicing compassion with ourselves, we can transform empathy from burden into profound strength.

👉 Tune in and discover how to embrace your gift of hyper-empathy—living with compassion, clarity, and resilience, not in spite of your sensitivity, but because of it.

📖 Read more about hyper-empathy: Embracing Your Unique Gift


Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.


With a full heart,

Catherine

Healing from Religious Attachment Wounds09 janv. 202600:52:18

Join host Catherine Quiring for a deeply insightful conversation with Kristi Williams, a religious trauma coach, as they explore the intricate ways attachment patterns shape our spiritual lives. In this episode of Who We Are and What We Need, they delve into how early relationships lay the foundation for how we connect—to ourselves, to others, and to the divine. Kristi vulnerably shares her own path of healing from religious trauma, offering practical wisdom and empowering perspectives on reclaiming spiritual autonomy. You’ll come away with a richer understanding of attachment and how it can open the door to a more authentic, grounded, and soul-nourishing life.


Connect with Kristi - Website

Connect with Catherine - Website - Substack - YouTube⁠


Attachment Styles and Religious Trauma Therapy with Catherine Quiring on Martyr, She Wrote


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor and self-trust coach living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.


With a full heart,

Catherine

The Fusion of Spirituality and Psychology08 janv. 202601:00:13

In this enlightening episode, Catherine and Ashley delve into the powerful synergy between spirituality and psychology, exploring how these two disciplines can be harmoniously integrated to foster personal growth. Join us as we uncover transformative insights and practical strategies that can help you navigate life's challenges with a deeper sense of purpose and understanding. Whether you're seeking to enhance your mental well-being or embark on a spiritual journey, this episode offers valuable perspectives to enrich your path. Tune in and discover how to align your mind and spirit for a more fulfilling life.


Connect with Ashley: Website 1 - Website 2 - Podcast

Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube⁠


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.


With a full heart,

Catherine

Understanding Your Patterns Through the Enneagram07 janv. 202600:52:14

What do stress spirals, people-pleasing, and your go-to meltdown mode have in common? They all make perfect sense — once you know your Enneagram type. In this lively conversation, Catherine Quiring and Jackie Contessa dive into the wild world of the Enneagram, showing how this ancient tool can help you make sense of your quirks, calm your inner chaos, and finally get out of your own way.

Jackie spills on how the Enneagram cracked open her self-awareness, and then breaks down how things like anxiety, anger, and shame show up for different types (spoiler: no one’s off the hook). They get real about why people-pleasing is exhausting, how your family role might still be running the show, and how coaching can help untangle the mess.

If you're ready to laugh, learn, and maybe cry a tiny bit (in a good way), this episode is your permission slip to grow with curiosity, not judgment — and to reconnect with who you were before all the “shoulds” showed up.


Resources:

Enneagram 101


Connect with Jackie: Instagram - Website

Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube⁠

Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.


With a full heart,

Catherine

Explore the Enneagram through the lens of Ted Lasso06 janv. 202601:04:35

In this engaging conversation, Catherine Quiring and Joanne Kim explore the Enneagram, its relevance in therapy, and its application in understanding personal relationships and popular culture, particularly through the lens of Catherine’s favorite show Ted Lasso. They discuss the importance of emotional intelligence, the role of instincts in the Enneagram, and how these concepts can help individuals navigate their personal growth and relationships.


Enneagram 101

Connect with Joanne: Website - Instagram - Facebook

Connect with Catherine: Website - Substack - YouTube


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: ⁠3 steps to trust yourself⁠.


With a full heart,

Catherine

The Power Within: Healing Through Internal Family Systems05 janv. 202600:24:21

In this special edition of "Who We Are and What We Need," Catherine Quiring delves into the profound impact of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy on her personal journey. Through heartfelt poetry and memoir excerpts, Catherine shares how IFS has been a catalyst for healing and self-discovery, offering a relational approach that transforms inner dialogue and fosters genuine connection with oneself. Join Catherine as she explores the nuances of this life-changing therapy and invites listeners to embark on their own path to self-awareness and healing. Tune in to discover the power of coming home to yourself.


Befriend Yourself Program

1:1 IFS Counseling

Coming Home: The Journey Back to Myself

I AM: Poems for Expansion and Renewal


Hi, I’m Catherine. I’m grateful to share this time and space with you.


I’m a counselor living on the Emerald Coast of Florida, on the unceded land of the Muscogee. I am a creative, mystic, and neurodiverse adventurer. I love writing, creating, and connecting.


I love helping folx Befriend Your Inner Critic, Become Your Own Best Friend, and reclaim your untamed soul.


Thank you for being here in this sacred space we get to co-create, as we come home to ourselves and enjoy the fruit of that self-belonging. I love hearing from you and walking alongside you on your journey.


My free gift to you: 3 steps to trust yourself.


With a full heart,

Catherine

Social Justice for Sensitives with Dorcus Cheng-Tozun02 juin 202500:46:46

In this conversation, Catherine Quiring speaks with Dorcas Chang-Tozun about her work in social innovation, the importance of empathy, and the various ways sensitive individuals can engage in justice work. They discuss the unique challenges faced by highly sensitive people in activism and the need for compassion in a divided world. Dorcas emphasizes the significance of relational activism and the power of small, meaningful interactions in fostering understanding and connection. The conversation concludes with a focus on finding joy and community amidst challenges.


Resources:

Guides, Books, and Playlist


Connect with Nancy: Website - Books - Instagram

Connect with Catherine: ⁠Website⁠ - ⁠Substack⁠ - ⁠Instagram


Edited by Catherine Quiring

Show Notes by AI and Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring (including graphic by @andrewpixel)

Medicines26 mai 202500:21:49

Catherine Quiring explores the concept of emotional medicine, emphasizing the importance of care, love, and compassion in today's world. She discusses various forms of healing, including breath, dance, rest, curiosity, and grief, as essential tools for navigating life's challenges. Catherine reflects on personal experiences and insights, highlighting the significance of boundaries, voice, and belonging in the healing process. Ultimately, she connects these themes to a broader understanding of our existence, emphasizing our connection to the cosmos and the transformative power of life.

Navigating Political Overwhelm with Andrew Lang19 mai 202500:30:56

In this episode, Catherine Quiring speaks with Andrew Lang about navigating political overwhelm and the importance of community action. They discuss the role of curiosity and compassion in conversations, the challenges faced by therapists during crises, and the significance of collective support in resisting fascism. The conversation also touches on the pressures of activism, the need for balance, and the qualities essential for wellbeing. They provide resources for engaging with legislative representatives and emphasize the importance of community in creating meaningful change.


Gentle Change Starter Kit

Gentle Change Collective


Connect with Andrew: Website - Instagram

Connect with Catherine: ⁠Website⁠ - ⁠Substack⁠ - ⁠Instagram


Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Gentle Change with Andrew Lang12 mai 202500:45:58

In this conversation, Andrew Lang shares the concept of 'Gentle Change' and how it relates to activism in today's political climate. He emphasizes the importance of community, personal growth, and the need for a gentle yet fierce commitment to social change. The discussion between Catherine and Andrew covers various aspects of activism, including the distinction between waves and points of activism, the significance of focusing on one issue at a time, and the role of parenting in fostering activism in children. They also introduce Andrew's Gentle Change Starter Kit, which provides exercises to help individuals identify their passions and take meaningful action.


Resources:

Gentle Change Starter Kit

Gentle Change Collective
Connect with Andrew: Website - Instagram
Connect with Catherine: ⁠Website⁠ - ⁠Substack⁠ - ⁠Instagram


Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring


Coming Home to your Body & Confronting Christian Nationalism with Jenny McGrath05 mai 202501:01:25

In this conversation, Catherine Quiring speaks with Jenny McGrath, a licensed mental health counselor and researcher on purity culture. They explore the impact of purity culture on women's identities, the healing power of movement, and the connection to nature. Jenny shares her journey of deconstructing her faith and understanding the historical roots of Christian nationalism. The discussion emphasizes the importance of community, liberation, and the need for a deeper connection to our bodies and the world around us. In this conversation, they explore the complexities of cultural identity, the challenges of safety in connection, and the need for revolutionary change in the face of capitalism. Jenny reflects on her personal journey through purity culture and missionary work, the ethical implications of NGOs, and the contradictions within Christian nationalism. The discussion also delves into the importance of reconnecting with ancestral spirituality and the transformative power of embodied healing.


Resources

Sensuous Knowledge by Mina Salami

Our Green Heart: the Soul and Science of Forests by by Diana Beresford-Kroeger

Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard

Earth Path by Starhawk

Sex, God, and the Conservative Church by Tina Schermer Sellers

Elaine Pagels

Constantine’s Sword by James Carroll

adrienne marie brown

Prentiss Hemphill

Anatomy of a Missionary by Jenny McGrath (to be published)

Consent/Control Matrix by Catherine Quiring

Reform or Revolution by Rosa Luxemborg

Lessons for Organizing by Ricardo Levins Morales

Feroze Manji

Taking America Back for God


Connect with Jenny: Website - Instagram

Connect with Catherine: ⁠Website⁠ - ⁠Substack⁠ - ⁠Instagram


Edited by Catherine Quiring with AI assistance on show notes

Logo by Catherine Quiring

S3E13

The Divine Feminine with Nancy Hagman28 avr. 202500:29:58

In this enlightening conversation, Catherine Quiring speaks with retired therapist, Nancy Hagman, LMHC about her exploration of the Divine Feminine. They delve into the significance of the labyrinth as a symbol of transformation, the cycles of nature, and the influence of goddess archetypes. The discussion emphasizes the importance of community, the power of circles, and the need to reconnect with the earth. They share valuable resources and insights for those interested in exploring these themes further.


Resources:

Kate Northrup - Do Less

Starhawk - several books

Sue Monk Kidd - The Dance of the Dissident Daughter

Christena Cleveland - God is a Black Woman

Elizabeth Lesser - Cassandra Speaks

Audre Lorde - The Power of the Erotic

Katherine Maillard - Medicine Woman Oracle Cards


Connect with Nancy: Website

Connect with Catherine: ⁠Website⁠ - ⁠Substack⁠ - ⁠Instagram


Edited by Catherine Quiring

Show Notes by AI and Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring (including graphic by @andrewpixel)

Poetry Soak21 avr. 202500:26:28

Bask in poems to inspire and care for your soul. Catherine reads poems from her books I AM: Poems for Expansion and Renewal and Awakening Wonder: Embracing Kinship with all of Life. You can find both of these books for sale on Amazon. (links below). Please comment and let us know what resonated with you the most. 💛


Resources

I AM: Poems for Expansion and Renewal

Awakening Wonder: Embracing Kinship with all of Life


Connect with Catherine: ⁠Website⁠ - ⁠Substack⁠ - ⁠Instagram - Books


Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring

S3E10

Recovering from Autistic Burnout with Dr. Alice Nicholls14 avr. 202500:41:47

Dr. Alice Nichols, an autistic clinical psychologist, shares her expertise on autistic burnout, its cycles, and the importance of self-compassion and community support in recovery. The discussion delves into the nuances of navigating stress, the role of neurodiversity, and practical strategies for creating sustainable living environments. Dr. Nichols emphasizes the significance of connection and compassion in managing the challenges faced by autistic individuals, while also addressing the differences between autistic and ADHD experiences.


Resources


Connect with Dr. Alice: Website - Instagram

Connect with Catherine: ⁠Website⁠ - ⁠Substack⁠ - ⁠Instagram


Edited by Catherine Quiring

Show Notes by Catherine Quiring and AI

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Meeting Autistic Needs with Dr. Alice Nicholls05 avr. 202500:28:42

In this conversation, Dr. Alice Nicholls discusses the shame often associated with neurodivergent needs. She emphasizes the importance of self-compassion and understanding one's own needs while navigating societal expectations. Our discussion delves into the power of connection and compassion in healing.  We also touch on what to do with the question, “how are you?”


Resources


Connect with Dr. Alice: Website - Instagram

Connect with Catherine: ⁠Website⁠ - ⁠Substack⁠ - ⁠Instagram


Edited by Catherine Quiring

Show Notes by Catherine Quiring and AI

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Inner Stillness with Max Komes24 mars 202500:38:28

Episode: S3E7

Title: Inner Stillness with Max Komes


Description

In my conversation with Max Komes, Licensed Mental Health Counselor Registered Intern, we discuss how various Eastern practices can inform our personal growth inside and outside of psychotherapy. Max shares the three different ways of being with our thoughts: reflection, contemplation, and meditation, and how each is helpful. Max also teaches us about different layers of human existence, known as koshas. We explore the wound of disconnection we all experience, and we explore creative ways to heal, reconnect, and foster healthy interconnection and community.


Resources

Living Resistance by Kaitlin B. Curtice


Connect with Max: Website - Instagram - Substack

Connect with Catherine: ⁠Website⁠ - ⁠Substack⁠ - ⁠Instagram


Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Intuitive Wisdom with Asia Suler10 mars 202501:01:28

Episode: S3E6

Intuitive Wisdom with Asia Suler


Description

In my conversation with writer, healer, and Earth intuitive Asia Suler, we explore her book Mirrors in the Earth and her journey of motherhood as a sensitive person. Asia shares some of her primary connections to the more-than-human world. We discuss astrology, shamanism, ancestral healing, and dance. Asia gives a few hints about an upcoming book and her new podcast! Asia gives us permission to give our attention back to ourselves and care for ourselves.


Resources

Mirrors in the Earth by Asia Suler

Mothering Depth - Asia’s Substack

Remember Why You Are Here - Asia’s Podcast

Earth Healing Archetype Quiz

Sandra Ingerman


Quotes

“Longing for our caregivers to embody the divine mother and father is entirely natural. But it’s also unrealistic…If you can see your parents as regular-sized human beings, with all their beauty and imperfections, you can support your own healing, relieve them from godlike expectations, and move toward a more healthy, reciprocal, and realistic relationship.” 

- Daniel Foor, p.123-124 Ancestral Medicine


Connect with Asia: Website - Instagram - Substack - Podcast

Connect with Catherine: ⁠Website⁠ - ⁠Substack⁠ - ⁠Instagram


Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Blending Practical Life and Spirituality with Jenna Richardson24 févr. 202500:56:52

In my conversation with Jenna Richardson, a full-time psychotherapist and part-time witch, we discuss the blending of practical life and spirituality. We discuss astrology, archetypes, seasons & cycles, writing, shamanism, blending Eastern and Western philosophies and the indigenous and the contemporary, and how Jenna’s recently been centered around art, nature, and magic. 

Resources

Connect with Jenna: Website - Instagram

19:48: Jenna reads a piece of their writing

Connect with Catherine:⁠Website⁠ -⁠Substack⁠ -⁠Instagram

Edited by Jasmine Skye Smith

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Deep Knowing with Tammy Chow10 févr. 202501:12:17

S3E4

Deep Knowing with Tammy Chow

In my conversation with Tammy Chow, a somatic-experiencing and attachment-repatterning practitioner, we discuss Tammy’s healing journey and practice, their ‘awakening the wild woman’ program, the 5 channels of knowing, the role of archetypes in healing, and more.  

Resources

Connect with Tammy:Website -Instagram

Connect with Catherine: ⁠Website⁠ - ⁠Substack⁠ - ⁠Instagram

Edited by Jasmine Skye Smith

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Enneagram Wisdom with Caryn Berley03 févr. 202501:16:28

In my conversation with Caryn Berley, an Enneagram coach, we discuss the power of the Enneagram on your journey to healing. We delve into the basics of the Enneagram types, triads, and centers of intelligence, somatic work, and integrating the enneagram into your healing journey.

About Today’s Guest:

Caryn Berley is an Enneagram teacher, coach, and healer who holds hope, inspires insight, and wields wisdom in service of your inner knowing. She believes in the power of welcoming, exploring, and embracing the inherent intelligence of all parts of ourselves.

Through deep relationship, compassionate curiosity, and the framework of the Enneagram, Caryn honors, nurtures, and gently guides her clients through the process of encountering their shadows, being with the tension of life’s paradoxes, and becoming responsive stewards of the ever-emerging present.

Caryn holds a Masters in Social Work and is a Certified Narrative Enneagram Teacher, Somatic Enneagram™ Facilitator, and Awaken Your Life Master Coach. She co-hosts the Enneagram Typecast and The Somatic Enneagram Podcast.

You can learn more about Caryn and her work and find free Enneagram resources at carynberley.com/links

Resources:

Edited by Jasmine Skye Smith

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Authenticity with Lindsey Lockett20 janv. 202501:14:37

In this conversation with Lindsey, a trauma educator and nervous system coach, we discuss her journey from a background of fundamentalist evangelical Christianity and complex trauma to becoming an advocate for authenticity and self-expression. We touch on complex PTSD, neurodivergence, autism, and the importance of living authentically. 

Want to join me for a neurodiversity workshop?

MONDAY, JANUARY 27

Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm CT (9:30-11am PT/12:30-2pm ET)

Location: Zoom

Join me to explore your flavor of neurodiversity in a fun, playful way. Uncover new layers of self-understanding, self-expression, and self-care. You leave this workshop with a workbook full of how your neurodiversity shows up for you. This workbook is for your own self-reflection and self-care. It is also to share with loved ones, if you’ve been looking for a way to explain your neurodiversity to them. Participants will get a free pdf of the workbook. Or you can get an advance copy in my shop or on Amazon: Define Your Neurodivergence Workbook.

>>>get your ticket<<<

Related Resources

Edited by Jasmine Skye Smith

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Exploring Neurodivergence with Megan Griffith13 janv. 202500:51:25

In this conversation with Megan, a life coach for autistic, ADHD, auDHD, and neurocurious individuals, we discuss her journey of discovering her autistic and ADHD identities and explore the topic of neurodivergence as a whole. We touch on self-diagnosis and professional diagnosis, the identities included under the term neurodivergent, executive dysfunction, self-sovereignty, and neurodivergent communities.

As mentioned in the episode, I’m hosting a Neurodiversity Workshop on Monday, January 27 from 11:30am CT to 1:00pm CT via Zoom. You can find all of the details below! 

Neurodivergent workshop hosted by Catherine

MONDAY, JANUARY 27

Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm CT (9:30-11am PT/12:30-2pm ET)

Location: Zoom

Join me to explore your flavor of neurodiversity in a fun, playful way. Uncover new layers of self-understanding, self-expression, and self-care. You leave this workshop with a workbook full of how your neurodiversity shows up for you. This workbook is for your own self-reflection and self-care. It is also to share with loved ones, if you’ve been looking for a way to explain your neurodiversity to them. Participants will get a free pdf of the workbook. Or you can get an advance copy in my shop or on Amazon: Define Your Neurodivergence Workbook.

Related Resources

Edited by Jasmine Skye Smith

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Self-Advocacy with Mehgan Cash02 déc. 202400:26:18

In my conversation with Mehgan Cash, a Pensacola pet sitter, we discuss her experiences with anxiety, self-advocacy, and how learning about the Enneagram changed her life. 


Connect with Catherine

•Therapy + Coaching

•Learning + Support

•Instagram

•Substack 


Edited by Jasmine Skye Smith

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Empowered Dating with Amanda Quinby25 nov. 202401:04:31

Online dating can sometimes feel demoralizing and overwhelming. In my conversation with Amanda Quinby, an online dating strategist with a PhD in clinical psychology. we discuss how you can transform it into one of playful empowerment. We discuss Amanda’s personal journey with online dating, the importance of self-compassion and authenticity, navigating intense connections and red flags, and expressing needs and wants and setting boundaries around those. 


More About Amanda

Her passion is wanting to help women transform the online dating process in a way where they not only meet people who are really good fit for them, but they also feel good about themselves and feel like they’re seen and heard rather than feeling like they have to shrink themselves. 

• Get her free red flags checklist 

• Website: playfullyempowered.com

• Instagram: @playfullyempowered


Connect with Catherine

• Therapy + Coaching

• Learning + Support

• Instagram

• Substack 


Edited by Jasmine Skye Smith

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Navigating Relationships during Deconstruction with Katherine Spearing18 nov. 202400:35:45

There are complexities and emotional challenges when deconstructing faith and navigating friendships. In my conversation with Katherine Spearing, a spiritual abuse and religious trauma recovery specialist, and author, we delve into personal experiences and insights on maintaining self-worth within evolving belief systems, addressing spiritual abuse, and the journey towards healthier, more mutually-respectful relationships.


Related Resources

• Consent/Closeness Matrix (mentioned by Catherine)

• Acupressure Rings and Bracelets (mentioned by Katherine. Catherine now has some and uses them regularly, as well as shares them with clients during sessions.)

Connect with Katherine Spearing:

• Check out Katherine’s website: katherinespearing.com

• Connect with Katherine on Instagram: @katherinespearing


Connect with Catherine Quiring:

• Therapy + Coaching

• Learning + Support

• Instagram

• Substack 


Edited by Jasmine Skye Smith

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Messy Healing with Sara Aird11 nov. 202400:53:53

Survivors hold so much wisdom for their own recovery process. When empowered to make their own choices and trust their own intuitive guidance, their healing process really opens up. But, building an empowered, healthy relationship with yourself as a trauma survivor can be really hard.

In this continuation of my conversation with Sara Aird, a complex trauma survivor, educator, and advocate, we discuss how to learn to take care of yourself, the day-to-day nitty gritty of meeting your needs, how healthy behaviors can feel like threats to complex trauma survivors

finding wholeness and a sense of self, and the most effective, ongoing, far-reaching, long-term effective tool in healing complex trauma – curiosity.

More about Sara:

Sara is a complex trauma survivor, educator, and advocate. Through her Instagram platform @survivorwise, she shares resources and tools for trauma recovery in the context of her own healing story. Using her background in biology, education, writing, and trauma training, she breaks down complex trauma recovery into accessible and relatable packets of information offered in her Survivor Wise workbooks and courses. She has over five years of experience working and volunteering in the nonprofit sector with organizations dedicated to the prevention and healing of sexual abuse and other trauma. She is Level 1 NARM Informed Professional and has training in Internal Family Systems and Somatic Attachment. She brings her professional and lived experience into her Survivor Wise resources, where she empowers survivors to become the experts on their healing process. Her personal research and lived experience give Sara a compassionate perspective on the psychological and neurobiological impact of trauma, which makes her a valuable advocate for complex trauma recovery and survivors.

Related resources:

• Befriending the Body (mentioned by Sara)

Connect with Sara

• Website: saraaird.com

• Instagram: @survivorwise

Connect with Catherine

• Therapy + Coaching

• Learning + Support

• Empathic Changemakers Community

• Instagram

• Substack 

Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Survivor Wisdom with Sara Aird04 nov. 202400:15:47

Complex trauma leaves us with an incredibly ruptured relationship with ourselves, right? That’s why I’m SO excited to speak with Sara Aird, a complex trauma survivor, educator, and advocate. 

We discuss the single-most important factor in her own healing from complex trauma, the modalities that have been useful, the healing impact of being single-most important factor in her own healing from complex trauma, and the shift from post traumatic stress to post traumatic growth in practical, everyday terms.

More about Sara:

Sara is a complex trauma survivor, educator, and advocate. Through her Instagram platform @survivorwise, she shares resources and tools for trauma recovery in the context of her own healing story. Using her background in biology, education, writing, and trauma training, she breaks down complex trauma recovery into accessible and relatable packets of information offered in her Survivor Wise workbooks and courses. She has over five years of experience working and volunteering in the nonprofit sector with organizations dedicated to the prevention and healing of sexual abuse and other trauma. She is Level 1 NARM Informed Professional and has training in Internal Family Systems and Somatic Attachment. She brings her professional and lived experience into her Survivor Wise resources, where she empowers survivors to become the experts on their healing process. Her personal research and lived experience give Sara a compassionate perspective on the psychological and neurobiological impact of trauma, which makes her a valuable advocate for complex trauma recovery and survivors.

Connect with Sara

• Website: saraaird.com

• Instagram: @survivorwise

Connect with Catherine

• Therapy + Coaching

• Learning + Support

• Empathic Changemakers Community

• Instagram

• Substack 

Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Whimsical Witchiness with Kandi Zeller28 oct. 202400:50:30

Today on the show, I’m joined by Kandi Zeller, a writer and editor at the intersections of spirituality, creativity, and justice. We celebrate wonder and whimsy. We explore how freedom to be our authentic selves increases our access to wonder, ourselves, soul-space, magic and presence. We discuss masking and the gifts of neurodivergence. We discuss how we would like society to transition from one way of being as the norm, to communication about who we are and what we need being the norm. 

We cover how disability can be due to trauma as well as physical health issues. Disability for Kandi reflects that she lives in a body that is not welcome or well-treated in our society. Exploring things that brough Kandi joy and wonder led her down the path to witchcraft. Kandi discusses her interpretation of tarot and its connection to our intuition. For Kandi, being a witch represents her connection to radical autonomy, rooted in feminism and nature. We discuss systemic barriers to meeting needs. Kandi recommends moving from us versus them to us versus problem to address them.


Quotes

“The love that holds up the universe” - Julian of Norwich

“Today I am worthy of all that I need” - Kandi Zeller


Connect with Kandi

KandiZeller.com

Undead Faith Zine

Substack: All the Threads

Book: Disabled Witchcraft: 90 Rituals for Limited Spoon Practitioners


Connect with Catherine

• Therapy + Coaching

• Learning + Support

• Empathic Changemakers Community

• Instagram

• Substack 


Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Inner Aliveness with Joy Malek21 oct. 202400:25:45

Today on the show, Joy Malek, LMFT, and I continue our conversation. We explore what liberates us socially and personally, especially for those of us who live in our inner worlds. We discuss personality typologies that speak to our inner experience, such as Jungian personality typology and the Enneagram. We weave the understanding of our inner experience with larger community systems through frameworks such as Internal Family Systems. We explore the “spinal cord” of linked systems. Catherine shares some aspects of how her personality and energy work. How she finds breathing space that exhales into liberation and care. We explore various gifts of introverts, empaths, and intuitive folx.


Connect with Joy

Instagram

Website: joymalek.com


Connect with Catherine

• Therapy + Coaching

• Learning + Support

• Empathic Changemakers Community

• Instagram

• Substack 

Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Empathic Activism with Joy Malek14 oct. 202401:18:09

Today on the show, I’m joined by Joy Malek, LMFT. We delve into the empathic experience of feeling the pain of the world. We grieve and process the heaviness of the world, carving out space for ourselves and our personal care. Joy describes the deep nuances of what we are collectively seeing and feeling, and some paths forward including personal and collective care. Since taping this podcast, I have been working on a community space for empathic care and activism. That community, Empathic Changemakers, is now live! Click on link below to join us!


Joy and I had a long, enjoyable conversation. Part 2 will be out next Monday, so stay tuned.


Connect with Joy

Instagram

Website: joymalek.com


Connect with Catherine

• Therapy + Coaching

• Learning + Support

• Empathic Changemakers Community

• Instagram

• Substack 

Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Full Moon Meditation17 sept. 202400:16:12

I am adding this meditation to our podcast episodes. It is a tiny taste of our live moon sessions in Empathic Changemakers. (We picked the full moon and new moon as two natural points in the month to reflect, release, and reclaim.) Our next live session will be October 2 at 10am CT for a time of new possibilities with the new moon.


In today's session, we squeeze out our "sponge" after absorbing so much around us as empathic beings. We release what no longer serves us, and explore what we most desire.


Astrology knowledge informed by Rakai'el, the Chani app, and the Pattern app.


Connect with Catherine

• ⁠Therapy + Coaching⁠

• ⁠Learning + Support⁠

• ⁠Empathic Changemakers⁠

• ⁠Instagram⁠

• ⁠Substack ⁠


Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Self and Community Empowerment with Erin Cuneo16 sept. 202401:04:16

Today on the show, I’m joined by Erin Cueno, a friend and therapy client of mine. We discuss Erin’s journey navigating work and mental health, bringing intuitiveness and social engagement and connection to her role, and we touch on ADHD, grief and loss, societal expectations, playfulness, self-worth, polyvagal theory, imposter syndrome, and finding a community.

Related Resources

• Prentis Hemphill (mentioned by Catherine)

• Touché Amoré (mentioned by Erin)

Connect with Catherine

• Therapy + Coaching

• Learning + Support

• Empathic Changemakers

• Instagram

• Substack 

Edited by Jasmine Skye Smith

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Meeting our Sensory Needs with Amber Watson Landau09 sept. 202400:48:43

Today on the show, I’m joined by Amber Watson Landau, owner and lead speech therapist of Let’s Get Talking LLC. We discuss Amber’s unique approach to therapy, her experience leading social skills groups, the sensory system and sensory strategies, Amber’s personal journey with ADHD, the importance of setting boundaries and self-care, and finding educational resources and community so that you can see yourself for who you are. This fall, Amber is expected to launch All Seasons, a membership community aimed at connecting parents in the same, beautifully chaotic season of life. 

Resources Related to the Podcast

• Courage affirmation

Connect with Amber

• Instagram

Connect with Catherine

• Therapy + Coaching

• Learning + Support

• ⁠Empathic Changemakers (formerly Collective Care)

• Instagram

• Substack 

Edited by Jasmine Skye Smith

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Self-Care = Collective Care with Sarah Allison02 sept. 202400:50:32

Sarah Allison, Tea Chaplain, is my guest today. Sarah is going to be our "internet auntie" for the Empathic Changemakers (formerly Collective Care) community space we are creating. You can join us starting today! 

In this episode we discuss protecting your spirit, healthy boundaries, disability and ableism, social models and medical models of ableism, neurodivergence (autism in particular), disability (fibromyalgia in particular), imposter syndrome around labels, meeting soul and somatic needs, and self-care as a vital part of collective care and vice versa. 

Resources Related to the Podcast

• Collective Care Community Space

Connect with Sarah

• Sarah's links

Connect with Catherine

• Therapy + Coaching

• Learning + Support

• Empathic Changemakers (formerly Collective Care)

• Instagram

• Substack 

Edited by Catherine Quiring

Logo by Catherine Quiring

Unbundling Spirituality with Zach Helton26 août 202400:51:17

Welcome to Season 2 of Who We Are & What We Need Podcast!

My guest today is Zachary Helton:

Author | Spiritual Care Provider | Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life |


We discuss:

* how to not confuse the form with the deeper transformational work of spirituality

* how facing his anxiety and doing the deeper work has had profound effects on his well-being

* how exploring and creating stories can be a place of healing and well-being


A quote from Zach's website about who he is and what he does to meet our collective needs: " I work to remind us to listen to our inner-knowing and remember what we really are, because when we do that, love, joy, peace, and justice are natural by-products." (⁠⁠zhelton.com⁠⁠)


You can find Zach at:

IG: @zachary_helton

TikTok: @zhelton2

Facebook: @ZachHelton2

zhelton.com


Edited by: Javon Winston

Cover art: Catherine Quiring

@catherinequiring

catherinequiring.com/podcasts

From Legalism to Liberation with Frances Cutshaw03 juil. 202400:57:17

Today's Guest: Frances Cutshaw

Frances is a DMin student focusing her work on spiritual resilience in the aftermath of shame and creating refuge spaces beyond religious structures.

Frances is particularly and personally interested in the colorful ways women recover from the nonconsensual theologies that have victimized them for centuries across geopolitical landscapes.


Summary:

Frances Cutshaw and Catherine Quiring discuss their personal journeys of self-discovery and overcoming shame in the context of religion and spirituality. They explore the importance of giving oneself permission to experience the full range of human emotions and to move away from shame. They also discuss the role of leadership in creating spaces of acceptance and support, and the need for leaders to have the space to experience their own emotions and ask for what they need. The conversation touches on the work of Brené Brown and the concept of shame versus shalom in religious settings. The conversation explores the themes of shame, healing, and spirituality. Catherine Quiring discusses how shame plays out in the community and how many people come from a fundamentalist Christian background. She emphasizes the importance of allowing oneself to be okay with being apart from the institutional church and exploring how Christianity was misrepresented. The conversation also touches on the topics of sovereignty, embodiment, and the wisdom of the body. Catherine shares her work with the Order of Hildegard, a community that supports spiritual leaders and fosters healing and growth.


Takeaways:

Giving oneself permission to experience the full range of human emotions is essential for personal growth and healing.

Leaders need space to experience their own emotions and ask for what they need in order to create supportive and accepting environments.

The work of Brené Brown, particularly her research on shame, can be instrumental in overcoming shame and embracing vulnerability.

Religious institutions can perpetuate shame, and there is a need to deconstruct and move past religious shame to promote healing and acceptance.

The Order of Hildegard, founded by Frances Cutshaw, aims to create a space for individuals to explore their spirituality and overcome shame, emphasizing agency and personal growth. Shame can be a significant issue for individuals who have a problematic relationship with Christianity, and it is important to allow oneself time and permission to explore and heal from this shame.

The journey of healing and spirituality involves moving away from shame and towards a sense of shalom, which includes liberation, non-binary thinking, and finding treasures within Christianity.

Listening to and honoring the wisdom of the body is crucial for healing and discerning what feels safe and authentic.

The Order of Hildegard provides a supportive community for spiritual leaders to explore their beliefs and grow in their understanding of themselves and their spirituality.


Find Frances at:

@cutshawfrances (IG)

@FrancesCutshaw (fb)

@orderofhildegard

Frances@orderofhildegard.org

https://www.orderofhildegard.org


Show Notes written by AI and Catherine Quiring

Editing and Logo by Catherine Quiring

(I apologize for the rough edit. I'm working on a fix for it!)

@catherinequiring (IG)

@cqcounseling (fb)

catherinequiring.com, cqcounseling.com

Bohemian well-being with Maggie Evans26 juin 202400:36:35

In this conversation, Catherine Quiring and Therapy for Bohemians creator, Maggie Evans, discuss the importance of creating space and finding rest in their lives. They explore the concept of quiet and how it relates to their need for solitude and creativity. They also touch on neurodivergence and how it influences their self-care practices. Maggie shares her experience as a single parent and an entrepreneur, emphasizing the importance of having supportive relationships and connections. They also discuss the role of astrology and nature in finding grounding and hopefulness.


Takeaways:

  • Creating space and finding rest are essential for personal well-being and creativity.
  • Understanding and honoring one's neurodivergence can lead to a more self-referencing approach to self-care.
  • Having supportive relationships and connections is crucial for single parents and entrepreneurs.
  • Astrology and nature can provide grounding and hopefulness in challenging times.


Resources:

Returning Home to Our Bodies by Abigail Rose Clarke

The Pattern (astrology app)

Chani Nicholas

Jenara Nerenberg: Divergent Mind

Elaine Aron: The Highly-Sensitive Person (caveat: Elaine Aron has some helpful things to say here, but some of her comments have been called out as disrespectful to the neurodiverse community)

"The Neurodivergent Princess and the Pea"


Connect with Maggie:

www.therapyforbohemians.com

@therapyforbohemians


(Summary created by AI and Catherine Quiring)

Editing and Logo by Catherine Quiring

(I apologize for the rough edit. I'm working on a fix for it!)

catherinequiring.com, cqcounseling.com

@catherinequiring (IG)

@cqcounseling (fb)

© My Podcast Data · Independent project · Data from Apple & Spotify