My name is Catherine Opondo - Coach Cathy O, and l facilitate healing circles that help women release trauma so they can go on to co-create lives that they are excited about living. I am a mum of five and a grandma of 2. I emigrated to Canada some four years ago, a move I made to save my life and seek peace.
How did l get here?
You see, I was previously married for three decades - one that was the “best” or so I thought. Without the gory details, the marriage broke down and turned abusive in all aspects. It quickly became obvious that I had to fight for my life and flee. After weighing my options, I saw that leaving the dangerous situation behind would be my best option.
I made my plans and left with my youngest children. I arrived in a foreign land, settled, and carried on with my life. I thought that l would be “safe.” I mean, l had left the dangerous situation behind, right?
How wrong I was. I quickly realized that l was getting anxious and experiencing panic attacks with the same intensity, if not worse, as when l was in the “abusive situation.” Slowly, l started looking over my shoulder wondering if l was being followed, as had happened in the past. And it got worse from there.
I realized that l had to do something about this as it was getting out of hand and slowly consuming my mind. There were days that l did not find value in getting out of bed. There were days when l did not have the strength to be a mom, and it was getting crazy. Anyone who saw me would have thought, “she has got it all together.” I must say that I masked it well.
l had to do something about this. If I wanted to live and continue with my life. I was tired of acting like everything was ok. It was consuming me.
So, l found the courage to work through the trauma and to heal it. My thinking at the time was “why did l have to do the hard work when “it was not my fault?”. The reality was that l had to do the hard work to move my life forward.
.
There were days when l awoke upbeat and enthusiastic about life, and there were days that l wasn’t looking forward to the day at all.
I had to calm the chatter in my head, and squash the labels that had been assigned to me and l had “graciously” accepted.
It started with a desire to live my best life, then it graduated to taking action while scared as hell. The more action l took, the more l wanted to do it and the more l felt at ease.
Some days were easy, some were not. But l was determined. I sought the help l needed and did the work that was required. Was it a pretty journey - Hell NO! Was it worth it - HELL YEAH!
And it paid off.
I now share the healing journey with those that have walked the same path and need support to get through it. Doing it alone is scary and daunting. Walking the path with someone who has done it makes it so much easier!
Life is not a dress rehearsal - live your best life. Take the action to redesign your life.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step” - Lao Tzu.
“Feel the Fear, but Do it Anyway” - Susan Jeffers.
If you are that person feeling stuck and unable to move forward, talk to me and we can walk this journey together. You do not have to do it alone.
Best of the best,
Coach Cathy O
Connect with Coach Cathy O
www.catherineopondo.com
www.linkedin.com/in/catherineopondo
www.facebook.com/COpondo1
www.instagram.com/catherine_opondo
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