the Grow Yourself Up Podcast
a podcast to support all of us in our adult lives
Many of us did not get our needs adequately met in childhood. The devastating legacy of childhood trauma, wounding and traumatic stress lives on in our brains, our bodies, our nervous systems and our behaviour/reactions impacting the way we turn up to our lives in many ways.
We are going to unpack all of this on Grow Yourself Up. This podcast will be a companion as you journey on your own road of healing and recovery.
You will learn you are not alone. Someone has been where you are. There is hope.
We will break down shame together and learn to cultivate self compassion. There is always the possibility for change. And regardless of what has happened in our past, as adults we have to take responsibility for our own lives.
We have to tend to our pain, our sadness and our dysfunction so that we can live a life we love and shift toxic patterns for our children.
Each week we send out journal questions based around the podcast’s topic. If you would like to receive these questions, please sign up here.
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Thank you for listening to and loving the podcast. If you’ve benefitted from these conversations and would like to contribute to podcast creation costs, I’d greatly appreciate it!
Looking for a specific topic or guest? Search below:
Ep 86: Being a Changemaker, Fawning and Growing Up in Motherhood with Kemi Omijeh
In episode 86 Cath was joined by Psychotherapist, Speaker and Clinical Supervisor Kemi Omijeh. Cath and Kemi talked about Kemi's journey to motherhood, how her own parenting differs from the parenting she received and how she centres her children and supports them in getting their needs met. Kemi talked about being a changemaker in workplaces which are predominantly white and how exhausting that is, fawning, people pleasing and much more about Kemi continues to grow herself up and be her authentic self wherever she goes.
Ep 85: Making Sense of Our Own Experience: Culture, Generational Trauma and Parenting Practises
In this episode Cath answers a question she receives a lot which is some version of 'why do I identify so much with your content when I did not think I had childhood trauma'.
Ep 84: Mental Health and Personal Growth in our Mothering with Emily Adler Mosqueda (Re-release)
In this episode Cath is joined by Emily Adler Mosqueda. We discuss Emily's mothering experience. Emily shares how her postpartum time after the birth of her second daughter was much more challenging than her first. We examine what contributed to this touching on cultural expectations, perfectionism, rage, meeting our inner child in parenting, mental health, support and learning to make space for ourselves as mothers. Emily shares the arc of her journey explaining how she has landed in her own good enough space.
Ep 83: Well being, Perimenopause and Growing Up in Motherhood with Thalia Pellegrini
In episode 83 Cath was joined by Nutritional Therapist Thalia Pellegrini to talk about her mothering experiences, how she learnt to support herself better with nutrition and how she centres her own well being in motherhood. Thalia shared how she continues to grow herself up in motherhood and how changing her perspective supports her in tricky times and more.
Ep 82: Intrusive Thoughts and Growing Up in Motherhood with Caroline Boyd
In episode 82 Cath was joined by Dr Caroline Boyd to discuss her experience of motherhood and intrusive thoughts in the postpartum period. Caroline shares some of her own experience of intrusive thoughts and she highlighted how these thoughts are driven by anxiety and our stress response being dialled up in early parenthood. Caroline shares her own research into intrusive thoughts, the different types of thoughts and what our own emotional response to these thoughts indicates (based on research) and lots more.
Ep 81: Reflections on Perfectionism and Honouring our Journey's
In this the first episode of 2024, Cath shares some reflections on how complex it is to move away from perfectionism and how when we have these tendencies we are never satisfied with where we are in life.
Ep 80: Relationships, Expectations and Obligations
In this special bonus episode released on Christmas Day, Cath speaks about relationships, family of origin, expectations and obligations. And how we can get all tangled up with our childhood roles when we are back in our family of origin.
Ep 79: Anxiety, Somatics and Growing Up in Motherhood with Colleen Adrian
In the episode this week, Cath is joined by Colleen Adrian. Colleen is an author, and a connected parenting coach for parents of sensitive spirited kids. She’s a Mom, a Stepmom, and a Grandma, and lives on a small island on the west coast of Canada.
Ep 78: Resources, Rage and Ruptures
In this episode Cath speaks about resourcing yourself over the holiday period and what that might look like. There may be more rage and ruptures at this time and she speaks to how you might support yourself and the benefits of working through ruptures, why these are so important and welcoming in repair.
Ep 77: Developmental Trauma, Healing and Growing Up in Fatherhood with Stephen Terrell
In the episode this week Cath was joined by Stephen Terrell. Steve Terrell is a Healer, Teacher, and Author and sees clients at Austin Attachment and Counseling Center in Austin, Texas. He founded this center over 20 years ago for the treatment of Developmental Trauma and Adoption related issues. He has a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and a Doctorate in Psychology California Coast University and sees his clients under his license as a professional counselor in Texas.
Ep 76: Relationships, Self-Responsibility and Roast Potatoes (part re-release)
In this deeply heartfelt and personal episode, Cath speaks to the complexity of managing family relationships around the holidays and high days (particularly when we have not had our needs met in childhood.
Ep 75: Slow Parenthood, Matrescence and Growing up in Motherhood with Mariana Castaman
In the episode today Cath was joined by author and Early Years consultant Mariana Castaman. Cath and Mariana talked about slow parenting, being present for the children we have, growing up in parenthood, learning to hold space for our children when that was not done for us in childhood and honouring the work done in mothering/parenting.
Ep 74: Busting Shame and Growing Up in Fatherhood with Josh Connolly
In this episode Cath was joined by Resilience and Breathwork coach Josh Connolly. The discussion focused on Josh’s path to parenthood, becoming sober, the importance of rupture and repair and how Josh grows himself up as he lives, works and parents. We talked about the importance of self honesty and how it is impossible to be a perfect cycle breaker/parent.
Ep 73: Secure Attachment, Shame and Anxiety
In this episode Cath returns to the content of episode 72 and discusses how secure attachment impacts how we turn up in life. She uses family history and context to show the power of cycle breaking and how creating secure attachment is hugely impactful. She also chats about how comparison can sometimes be helpful. This episode is real, vulnerable, hopeful and powerful and we hope provides comfort and connection for you.
Ep 72: Secure Attachment, Postpartum and Growing up in Motherhood with Jodi Pawluski
In this episode Cath was joined by Dr Jodi Pawluski, they talked about Jodi’s path to motherhood, her postpartum time, how she prepared for this time and how her own parents’ support impacted her.
Ep 71: Why Care About Attachment Styles?
In this episode Cath speaks about secure attachment, what it really means, why it is useful to understand and how our attachment style influences much of how we turn up in the world.
Ep 70: Sobriety, Self Responsibility and Growing up in Motherhood with Cat Sims
This week Cath is joined by author, podcaster and content creator Cat Sims. Cath and Cat talk about Cat’s experiences of motherhood, how she has grown herself up as she mothers, her path to sobriety and why she stopped drinking. And how she views self responsibility. Cat shares her story on boarding school, her family of origin, making living amends and how she holds herself kindly now (instead of self criticism).
Ep 69: Attachment, Regulation, Emotional Neglect and Feeling States
Cath delves into the impacts of emotional neglect, how it can be so hard to live with these, why this is and the relationship between emotional neglect, attachment and regulation.
Ep 68: Matrescence and Growing Up in Motherhood with Lucy Jones
In this episode Cath is joined by author and journalist Lucy Jones. Cath and Lucy discussed Lucy's matrescence journey, her most recent book (Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood), how she makes sense (and continues to) of the huge transition to motherhood, what Lucy finds supportive, how we are all eco systems and some of the realities of mothering at this time in our history.
Ep 67: Estrangement, Having a Narcissistic Mother and Growing Up in Motherhood with Harriet Shearsmith
In this episode Cath is joined by Harriet Shearsmith. Harriet is a coach, podcaster, Mum of 3 and the content creator behind @tobyandroo. In this episode she shares her experiences around growing up in a household where she always tended to the needs of her Mother, how she came to see the dynamics of her family, what action she has taken to protect herself as an adult and how she is shifting dynamics in her own family.
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