#216 You’ve probably noticed that there’s been a lot of suffering going on in the world, especially where mental health is concerned. That’s because many intelligent and accomplished people don’t realize that self-awareness can help them enjoy deeply fulfilling and meaningful lives. They think that self-awareness is some touchy-feely nuisance that doesn’t yield tangible results. Self-awareness is a key part of being happy and living a fulfilling life because, when you understand yourself well, you experience the world as the real you rather than living unconsciously or based on what others expect you to do.

That's why I was so thrilled and honored to bring on Cat Tweedie for a chat. She has an incredible story about how a physical breakdown at age 37 that left her bedridden for 9 months led her down the path of appreciating the beauty and intelligence of her emotions as well as the importance of being self-aware. In a world that has been living in a very disembodied state for generations, Cat co-founded Sleepawake to help 18 to 24-year-olds have a space to learn embodiment and so much more. She also leads women’s circles that weave meditation, movement, and connection. Tune in to gain from the insightful and empowering wisdom she had to share.

“If there’s content that’s unprocessed, eventually the body will pay the toll for it” - Cat Tweedie

“There’s no part of us that’s not worthy of being attended to” - Cat Tweedie

“From a spiritual standpoint, our children are another engine for our awakening if we choose to accept every time they point to a trigger” - Cat Tweedie

About Cat: Cat Tweedie holds a fire for honoring this one life. She is committed to the inner work needed to live in harmony with each other and the Earth. She brings twelve years of facilitation experience and twenty years of meditation practice. She supports individual healing and growth through relational group work, attention practices, and movement.

Cat was an All-American pole vaulter in college, earned her Ph.D. at MIT in Materials Science and Engineering, and traveled the world managing and facilitating transformational change projects in private companies and public organizations.

For most of Cat’s life, she thought she was happy and healthy. But at 37 a physical breakdown left her bedridden for 9 months, dependent on her family and community. This experience let her see how deeply her sense of contentment had been dependent on her achievements and ability to please others. Her body’s vitality returned as she began honoring the needs she had learned to dismiss.

At home in Oregon, Cat facilitates women’s circles exploring life experiences through meditation and movement in community. Cat’s sculpture work can be found at cattweedieball.com.

Cat's Website: 
www.sleepawake.camp
www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-tweedie-a877945

Key points with time stamp:

• Breakdown To Break Through: Mastering How To Listen To Yourself (00:00)
• Listening to herself and following: How she continuously moves from the preciousness of this life and the joy that feels possible (00:42)
• Figuring out your mind especially if you’re an overthinker (04:08)
• What repressed emotions from her childhood had to do with the physical breakdown she went through at age 37 (06:19)
• The healing power of letting go and acceptance (13:02)
• Mastering how to listen to yourself (18:04)
• Strengthening our relationships with trust and vulnerability (23:24)
• Parenting genius 101 from her own experience (31:08)
• Breaking down the dynamics of relationships and learning to reprogram some of the beliefs and limitations that we bring to our interactions with others (39:10)
• Sleepawake Camp and how it’s changing lives (43:05)

About me: My Instagram: www.instagram.com/guyhlawrence/?hl=en
My website:
www.guylawrence.com.au
www.liveinflow.co