What are you doing for Lent this year? In today’s episode, Virginia is exploring the purpose of the 40 days of Lent, and offering practical tips to prepare for this season of repentance.

“The observance of Lent is the very badge of the Christian warfare.” - Pope Benedict XIV

She reminds her listeners that Lent isn’t supposed to be a 40-day diet plan: it is an opportunity to course-correct and choose practices that will lead you into a deeper encounter with Christ.

Virginia suggests beginning your Lenten preparations by asking God what He wants you to do for Lent. She shares a little about the obligations of fasting and abstinence during Lent, and then offers practical suggestions on other more personal sacrifices you might want to consider, such as removing distractions from your life and focusing on habits that bring you closer to the Lord. She also reminds her listeners that, even during Lent, there will be times of celebration, such as the feasts of St. Patrick, St. Joseph, and the Annunciation, and shares traditional ways to enjoy each one. 

And finally, Virginia suggests one really unique way to enhance your Lenten experience this year: How can you incorporate the number 40 into your sacrifice? Stay tuned for her unique suggestions at the end of this episode!   

Contact Virginia!

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In today’s episode, she’s helping you achieve your goals by walking you through a goal-setting journal that she made with you in mind.

“Many are the plans in a person's heart but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.”

- Proverbs 19:21

Happy New Year! Today, Virginia is encouraging you to set realistic, attainable, virtuous goals: not just at the beginning of a New Year, but during any new beginning that you may face in the near future.

First, she suggests taking a trip down memory lane by looking at your photos and social media posts from the past year and recognizing your accomplishments and challenges. She also suggests identifying behaviors that you want to start, stop, and continue, and offers four examples of virtues that students may want to pursue this year. She offers advice on creating SMART goals, and has an entire section devoted to creating a Big Virtuous Goal for this year. And finally, Virginia encourages you to take action on the goal you have set.

As you work through the journal, Virginia encourages you to choose goals that will improve your life, bring you closer to God, and help you to become happy, healthy, and holy.  

Resources

Goal-setting Journal (Please check back here for the link to the My Goals Journal described in the podcast. Coming very soon! )

Student Success Workshops

Contact Virginia!

Website

Instagram

In today’s episode, Virginia is discussing the virtue of magnanimity, which is the “stretching forth of the mind to great things.”

“Success is more about happiness than power, possessions, or prestige.”

- Strayer University, 2014 Success Project Survey

If you aren’t sure why you’re in college, or maybe don’t know what to pursue after graduation, stick around. This episode will help you understand what motivates you, and give you the Catholic mindset to pursue true success in your future relationships, careers, and dreams.   

Have you heard of the 7 Whys? Virginia explains the process of questioning your own choices until you unlock the deepest motivations that drive your actions. She shares the top seven reasons people tend to pursue a college education and breaks them into two categories: social mobility/financial achievement, and non-tangible reasons. In the first category, she briefly addresses some sticky thoughts about money that many Catholics have, and gives tips on how to pursue and utilize wealth in a saintly way. In the second and more important category, Virginia explains why uncovering your “Why?” from a Catholic perspective can help you unlock God’s incredible plan for your life. 

This journey to abundance doesn’t have to be complicated. With a few specific tips and some student-specific workshops, Virginia is ready to help you to achieve the kind of success that will bring you eternal happiness - literally.

Contact Virginia!

Website

Student Success Workshops

Instagram

Resources

The 7 Whys

Do Colleges Fulfill the Promise of Social Mobility?

Does College Really Improve Social Mobility?

Katherine Drexel

Complaining and Blaming Others Wastes Time

5 Ways to Develop the Virtue of Magnanimity

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Top Seven Reasons Why College is Important

Called to Greatness: The Virtue of Magnanimity

The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

Laborem Exercens: on Human Work

The Art of Living: The Cardinal Virtues and the Freedom to Love

Videos

The Virtue that Takes Virtues to the Next Level

Professional Athletes Testifying About Jesus

What’s Your Definition of Success?

College students need more sleep! In today’s episode, Virginia is exploring the sleep-deprivation that college students face, the good and bad consequences incurred by their sleep habits, and the resources available to help them prioritize better sleep. 

“Our bodies and souls need to rest. Even God rested on the seventh day of creation!”

- Virginia Koch

Thanks to noisy roommates and bad pre-bed habits, college students aren’t getting the 7-9 hours of recommended sleep they need to function well. Numerous scientific studies are exposing the cognitive decline, emotional volatility, and weight gain that their bodies experience because of sleep deprivation. But the opposite is also true: getting more sleep improves everything from grades to moods to athletic performance! Want to win at life? Take a nap!

Virginia also addresses the stressful thoughts that keep students awake at night, and offers a popular Examen and other resources to help them slow down their thoughts and enter into more restful sleep. She includes stories of multiple saints who received God’s directions in their dreams, and recommends praying to one saint who was particularly known for his “sleep on it” spirituality. Virginia ends this episode with a short, simple process for getting better sleep, and a prayer called, “Prayer for Peaceful Rest.” Check out the sleep resources below for more great suggestions, and sleep well, friends! 

Contact Virginia!

Website

Instagram

Email

Resources

Snoozeletters

Ignatian Daily Examen

Center for Action and Contemplation

Prayer for Peaceful Rest

Gregorian Chant

Practical Suggestions for Catholic to Sleep Well

Metanoia Catholic Journal

In today’s episode, Virginia is exploring the art of living with less, specifically in dorm life.

“Be brave and try to detach your heart from worldly things,” - St. John Bosco

When a stressed Dad requested that his daughter be given a bigger room because her current room couldn’t hold her belongings, Virginia gently posed the question: Was the room too small… or was his daughter’s pile of belongings too big?

Sharing various studies, statistics, and saint quotes, Virginia explores both the damage of living in clutter, and the freedom of living with less. Did you know that our clutter speaks to our brains? Citing Youtube sensation Dawn Madsen (The Minimal Mom), Virginia shares the berating way our clutter speaks to us, and offers five simple tips from Catholic author Susan Vogt on how to combat clutter and find more freedom in our environments. Finally, Virginia also explains how minimalism can affect our ability to live virtuously, and offers journaling prompts to help us explore our mindsets around our belongings. 

Virginia ends by reminding us that there are students at the other end of the spectrum too: those who show up on move-in day with only a duffel bag containing a few items. She shares a non-profit organization that helps low-income students acquire the supplies they need to attend college. 

Contact Virginia!

Instagram

Email

Resources

Decluttering by Faith

Blessed by Less: Clearing your Life of Clutter by Living Lightly

Ready to Succeed Project Dorm Room 

2022 Back to College Market Study by Deloitte

The things we own, own us, by Father Mike Schmitz

How to Be Happy When You’re Never Satisfied (Christian Simplicity), by Father Mark-Mary Ames, CFR

Habits for Holiness: Small Steps for Making Big Spiritual Progress (2023). Read Chapter 4 on Simplicity

In today’s episode, Virginia is discussing self-doubt, particularly when it manifests itself as Imposter Syndrome.

“Imposter Syndrome: a psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one's abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one's ongoing success.” - Merriam-Webster

In today’s episode, Virginia is discussing self-doubt, particularly when it manifests itself as Imposter Syndrome. If you feel like you’re the only one who struggles with this, let Virginia reassure you: you are not alone. Imposter Syndrome affects men and women of every age, race, ethnicity, and occupation. Citing studies and using saintly examples, Virginia reassures her listeners that doubt is a tool of the Enemy, and everyday students and great saints alike struggle with this common frustration. 

In light of this, Virginia is offering Catholic mindset coaching as a useful tool to overcome Imposter Syndrome. Today, she’s sharing an example of a coaching session with a student, showing her listeners that asking the right questions can help them move from self-doubt to hopeful solutions. Most importantly, Virginia invites you to remember that when Peter was overwhelmed with self-doubt, Jesus instantly reached out His hand to catch him (Matthew 14:22-33). Never forget that the Lord Himself is in your corner, ready to support you when you are doubting. 

If you would like to personally experience the way that Catholic mindset coaching can remove your self-doubt, contact Virginia! She would love to help you succeed in achieving your goals with God.

Contact Virginia!

Instagram

Email

Resources

Doubt - Wikipedia

What Does the Bible Say About Doubt?

Definition of Imposter Syndrome

Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: a Systematic Review

Public Viewpoint: Enrolling in Education: Motivations, Barriers, and Expectations

St. Hildegard of Bingen

Chant to the Holy Angels

Harpa Dei

The Unruly Mystic - Instagram

As the school year comes to an end, Virginia is reflecting on the bustle of graduation and the transitions that naturally happen at this time of year.

“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” - Proverbs 27:19

Juxtaposing all of this activity, Virginia points to the quiet of the iconic reflection pond on her campus. In the midst of the busy-ness of this time, she is encouraging her listeners to find time to sit quietly by water and reflect on the thoughts running through their minds.

Spiritually, Virginia reminds her readers of the symbolic power of water in the Bible and the Sacraments. Scientifically, she shares that research has proven that the sound of water helps people to refocus, relax, and relieve anxiety. With this in mind, Virginia suggests that powerful interior work can be accomplished when we combine water views with prayerful journaling. 

She also offers several practical tips. First, she shares three powerful questions to ask yourself when you are feeling anxious. Second, she reminds her listeners of the importance of solitude for reflection. Finally, she shares the six reasons that Jesus would seek time alone, and suggests that her readers use these times as inspiration to find their own quiet time with the Lord. 

Does your campus have amazing water views? Post a photo to Virginia’s instagram account and show her your favorite spot to reflect and journal with the Lord! 

Contact Virginia!

Instagram

Email

Resources

Clifton Strengths

Campuses with Fountains

Beachfront Campuses

In this episode Dr. Virginia Koch will open up the four cardinal virtues and how they play an important role in the life of a college student.

“Virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good.” - CCC 1833

Pop quiz: can you list the four cardinal virtues? In this episode, Virginia Koch is exploring both the virtues themselves and the characteristics of virtue. And if you recognize one that you would like to start living more fully, don’t go away: Virginia is offering you the steps to achieve the virtues you desire, to help you live life fully here on earth and to prepare for eternity in Heaven.

Virginia begins by defining the virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude, and also explains the four characteristics of virtue: consistency, ease, promptitude, and joy. To illustrate these more fully, she describes a common scenario between roommates in a college dorm, and plays out how the characteristics of virtue can ease the situation and create a better living environment for everybody involved. She also suggests that even the desire to live virtuously can elevate whatever circumstances we may find ourselves in.

Virginia shares three ways that the Catechism suggests to grow in virtue: First, by educating ourselves in the virtues; second, by putting in intentional and deliberate effort; third, by relying on God’s grace. She also includes a specific resource to utilize in completing each of these steps - respectively, the book “The Art of Living,” mindset coaching, and the Bible. The podcast closes with a beautiful prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas, “A Prayer for the Virtues.”

Links

Contact Virginia!

Resources

The Art of Living: book

The Art of Living: 6-part series

A Prayer for the Virtues

More prayers for the virtues

The Enduring Value of Temperance

Did you know that today’s teens are the most well-behaved and the most depressed?

“No one can know God without knowing himself.” - St. Athanasius

Welcome to the second episode of Catholics on Campus with Virginia Koch, a certified Catholic Coach and the founder of Knots Untied Coaching. Today, Virginia is addressing the current mental health and faith life crises among highschool and college-aged Catholics. Young people today are trying to live up to the impossible standards of social media, while simultaneously cutting ties with the only relationship that will ever truly fulfill them - their relationship with God Himself. 

Virginia gives her readers access to the disturbing statistics and studies that reveal the depth of the issues, but she’s also sharing hope through groups like Active Minds and FOCUS: warriors on the front lines of the battle for minds and souls. As a mindset coach, Virginia also shares three ways that mindset coaching can help college students redirect their lives back to deeply fulfilling, personal relationships, both with God and with like-minded friends. 

And if all of that isn’t enough, she ends by answering this question: Statistically speaking, who do you think is more successful in college? Hint: If you want better grades, you might want to consider chatting with the Lord. 

Links

Contact Virginia!

Resources

The Crisis in American Girlhood

Richard Weissbourd

Lisa Damour, PhD

Jean Twenge

Active Minds

Ryan Burge

FOCUS Ministries

CDC study

JED Foundation

Bishop Robert Barron

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the U.S. Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at: 988 for free and confidential support.

In this first episode of Catholics on Campus, Dr. Virginia Koch is answering a question she gets a lot: what is Catholic Mindset coaching?

“During his public ministry, Jesus was the ultimate Catholic mindset coach… (He) asked hundreds of questions to challenge our thinking.” - Virginia Koch

Welcome to the very first episode of Catholics on Campus with Virginia Koch, a certified Catholic Coach and the founder of Knots Untied Coaching. Her mission is to help people pursuing post-secondary education to remove mindset barriers to achieve supreme happiness in life.

To begin this episode, Virginia travels back to the 1980s to discuss Thomas Leonard, the ‘Father of Life-Coaching,’ who created life coaching as a way to help his clients achieve goals. She explains its foundations in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT), and the aspects of CBT that are still hallmarks of the therapeutic approach today. She also discusses the differences between secular and Catholic mindset coaching, and introduces her audience to Matt and Erin Ingold, the founders of a coaching method steeped in the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Virginia is reaching out to college students everywhere and asking a few simple questions: Would you like to unravel your self-doubt, your overwhelm, and your anxiety? To recognize when you’re letting your emotions drive your thoughts and actions? Would you like to learn these tools from a radically Catholic perspective? Maybe it’s time to get in touch with a Catholic mindset coach. Contact Virginia. She has all the tools you need.

Contact Info

[email protected]

Website Info

https://www.knots-untied.com/

It takes a village to birth a podcast. Special thanks to:

Photography: BrandedBossLady.com @thebrandedbosslady

Podcast Art: EA Creative, @lulu5685

Podcast production: Tilma Studios https://tilmastudios.com

Follow me on IG: @knots.untied.coaching

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