Couch Time With Cat

To become a client visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930

We open our hearts about postpartum depression as an experience, not a verdict, blending biology, identity, and soul. We share tools, stories, and a journal prompt to trade judgment for compassion and to make room for slow, honest healing.

• Talking with my daughter about anxiety, depression, and invisible thoughts
• Garden metaphor for the emptiness and rebuild after birth
• Honoring Robin Williams and why speaking thoughts out loud matters
• Present, honest parenting over perfect parenting
• Dismantling the blissful new parent myth with science and story
• Hormonal cliff, nervous system overload, identity fracture
• Traumatic births, PTSD, and why bounce back harms recovery
• Medication without shame, therapy as support, writing as lifeline
• Replacing should statements with I am truths
• Practical tools: longer exhales, micro truths, reaching for help
• Journal prompt for self-compassion and gentle return to self

Support the show

Show hosted by: 

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT, CCTP, CCPC

Bright Light Marriage and Family Therapy

Founder and Lead Therapist

Specializing in Trauma and Relationships

brightlightmft.com , catiaholm.com 

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com 

To become a client, visit brightlightmft.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

Follow us on:

Instagram @couchtimewithcat and Facebook @couchtimewithcat

Sign up for our newsletter here.

--

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’...

To become a client visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

We sit down with Pioneering Collective's VP of Author Strategies, and poet Scott James to explore how writing moves us from fear to clarity and why generous, human-centered craft matters in a shortcut culture. Along the way we share tools, timelines, and a few myths worth dropping.

• writing as a path to healing and belonging
• Scott’s early journaling and the power of being witnessed
• expressive writing research and practical prompts
• fear of not being good enough and how to move anyway
• what an author strategist does and how books create impact
• divergent then convergent creativity and the ruthless edit
• sustainable habits, artist dates, and voice memo drafting
• realistic timelines, editing as a team sport, and launch thinking
• myths about talent versus the truth of rewriting

Show Guest:

Scott James is an acclaimed typewriter poet and the VP of Author Strategies at Pioneering Collective, a thought leadership accelerator based in New York City. As a poet, has written over 10,000 poems on-demand, published two best selling books, and had his work featured widely by tastemakers like Magnolia and Tim Ferriss. As an author strategist, he has helped hundreds of authors publish their own books, with many of them becoming best sellers and driving millions of dollars in new business. He loves the work of helping people get their ideas onto the page and out into the world. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, daughter, and their goofy pug.

You can connect with Scott here:

https://www.instagram.com/scottandrewjames

https://scottandrewjames.com/

https://www.pioneeringcollective.com/

Support the show

Show hosted by: 

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT, CCTP, CCPC

Bright Light Marriage and Family Therapy

Founder and Lead Therapist

Specializing in Trauma and Relationships

brightlightmft.com , catiaholm.com 

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com 

To become a client, visit brightlightmft.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

Follow us on:

Instagram @couchtimewithcat and Facebook @couchtimewithcat

Sign up for our newsletter here.

--

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’...

To become a client, visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

We trade pressure-filled resolutions for a calmer framework: release what no longer fits, choose devotion over performance, and let a single guiding word shape choices and self-talk. Science, seasonality, and story meet to create change that respects capacity and honors timing.

• overpacking as a metaphor for emotional baggage 
• winter as a cue for rest and reflection 
• why rigid goals trigger the threat response 
• intrinsic motivation over external pressure 
• trauma-informed timing and capacity 
• question one: what to release this year 
• how stress shows up in the body 
• question two: devotion as the long game 
• models of steady practice and patience 
• question three: a word to lead your year 
• integrating language, boundaries and nervous system care

Support the show

Show hosted by: 

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT, CCTP, CCPC

Bright Light Marriage and Family Therapy

Founder and Lead Therapist

Specializing in Trauma and Relationships

brightlightmft.com , catiaholm.com 

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com 

To become a client, visit brightlightmft.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

Follow us on:

Instagram @couchtimewithcat and Facebook @couchtimewithcat

Sign up for our newsletter here.

--

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’...

To become a client visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930.

We explore why holidays can trigger anxiety, how old family roles take over, and simple ways to return to peace without pretending everything is perfect. We ground together, name grief and pressure, and build a small plan—boundaries, breath, and values—to carry into gatherings.

• science of stress responses at family gatherings
• role-locking and family systems pulling us back
• cultural pressure, grief, and perfection myths
• guided breath and body reset to calm the nervous system
• practical exit strategies to reclaim agency
• boundaries as doors, not walls
• choosing one guiding value for the season
• creating a three-part peace plan
• recommended books and podcasts for deeper work

Support the show

Show hosted by: 

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT, CCTP, CCPC

Bright Light Marriage and Family Therapy

Founder and Lead Therapist

Specializing in Trauma and Relationships

brightlightmft.com , catiaholm.com 

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com 

To become a client, visit brightlightmft.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

Follow us on:

Instagram @couchtimewithcat and Facebook @couchtimewithcat

Sign up for our newsletter here.

--

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’...

To become a client visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930.

We reframe the year through seasons—winter, spring, summer, and fall—to honor rest, capacity, and the quiet work beneath the surface. Stories, science, and prompts help you map renewal, release hustle guilt, and trust your rhythm without apology.

• emotional seasons as a framework for meaning
• fallow field metaphor for rest and renewal
• expansion and contraction across day and year
• trauma‑informed lens on capacity and pacing
• permission to pause without losing growth
• tension with goal setting
• guided prompts to map winter, spring, summer, fall
• gratitude and self‑recognition as integration
• trusting yourself as seasons return
• simple practices for daily micro‑seasons

Support the show

Show hosted by: 

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT, CCTP, CCPC

Bright Light Marriage and Family Therapy

Founder and Lead Therapist

Specializing in Trauma and Relationships

brightlightmft.com , catiaholm.com 

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com 

To become a client, visit brightlightmft.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

Follow us on:

Instagram @couchtimewithcat and Facebook @couchtimewithcat

Sign up for our newsletter here.

--

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’...

Welcome! To schedule a session, visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930.

On this episode, we explore grief as a human process, not a problem -- blending science, story, and practice with Jenna Ellinger’s hard-won wisdom. The conversation moves from survival to meaning, from pinholes of hope to the choice to live with love and loyalty.

Show Guest:

Jena earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. There, she met and married her college sweetheart. The two made their home in Austin, Texas, where they raised their three children: Sam, Jake and Morgen. When her children were 14, 12, and 9 her husband tragically died competing in a triathlon in San Francisco.

Together, she and her children formed a team of four, relying on their faith, their community, and one another to rediscover joy after loss. That season taught Jena an essential truth: grief and loss are powerful forces, and pain needs a witness and lots of support.

That belief was tested again in 2021, when her middle child Jake, a gifted student and University of Texas Football Player, died from fentanyl poisoning after taking a counterfeit Xanax pill. The loss was devastating and shattering for all. But once again, Jena and her children chose to fight - not just to survive, but to keep searching for even the smallest signs of light: “pinholes of hope and joy.”

Hope and joy have continued to show up in unexpected and beautiful ways. Jena is now happily remarried, her oldest son, Sam, pursued his dreams and went to the NFL and is a Quarterback for The Denver Broncos, and is also happily married, and her youngest child, Morgen, just graduated from the University of Texas, like her brothers, and is working in Dallas in commercial real estate. Inspired by her journey, Jena returned to graduate school to be a Therapist, earning her Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy. She has a private practice and uses the experiences God has bestowed on her, both extraordinary highs and lows, to help others find healing. Jena is a speaker on grief, resilience, and finding hope in dark places. She is also an advocate for the fight against fentanyl. She spoke on Capitol Hill and worked to pass a Texas law that enables law enforcement to prosecute those poisoning others with fentanyl to face a murder charge.

You can connect with Jena at: Jena Ehlinger Counseling or on Instagram

Support the show

Show hosted by: 

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT, CCTP, CCPC

Bright Light Marriage and Family Therapy

Founder and Lead Therapist

Specializing in Trauma and Relationships

brightlightmft.com , catiaholm.com 

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com 

To become a client, visit brightlightmft.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

Follow us on:

Instagram @couchtimewithcat and Facebook @couchtimewithcat

Sign up for our newsletter here.

--

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’...

To schedule a session visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930

We explore how female entrepreneurs can shift from reactive money habits to intentional, values-aligned strategy. Whitney Morrison, CFP, shares practical tools for pricing, boundaries, hiring, and reframing money as a neutral guide rather than a measure of worth.

• common money patterns among service-based women
• fear of hiring and being seen financially
• moving from hustle to intentional flow
• pairing purpose with a practical plan
• pricing as a math problem, not a worth problem
• boundaries for scope, time, and invoices
• outsourcing timelines and seasons of growth
• the relief of simple financial systems
• money dynamics in partnerships and personal power
• teaching kids about money without shame
• first steps to clarity: know your numbers

Show Guest:

Whitney Morrison has long understood the profound role money plays in shaping a life. While others her age dreamed of fame, she was driven to decode the forces behind financial stability and identity. Motivated by her family’s early struggles, she pursued finance straight out of college, earning her Series 7, Series 66, and Certified Financial Planner® credentials. Her true transformation came when she began examining the emotional roots of money—beliefs around worth, scarcity, and success—ultimately shifting from a negative net worth to millionaire status while building her business from the ground up.

Today, Whitney serves as a strategic CFO and financial advisor to women entrepreneurs with a rare blend of rigor and reflection. She helps founders understand their numbers, make powerful decisions, and build profitable businesses that support the lives they’re creating. Her philosophy is simple yet revolutionary: money isn’t just transactional; it’s a pathway to meaning, agency, and wellbeing. To work with Whitney or learn more about her approach, visit her online and take your next step toward building wealth on your own terms.

You can find Whitney at: Holistic Money and on Instagram

Support the show

Show hosted by: 

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT, CCTP, CCPC

Bright Light Marriage and Family Therapy

Founder and Lead Therapist

Specializing in Trauma and Relationships

brightlightmft.com , catiaholm.com 

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com 

To become a client, visit brightlightmft.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

Follow us on:

Instagram @couchtimewithcat and Facebook @couchtimewithcat

Sign up for our newsletter here.

--

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’...

To book at session visit catiaholm.com or call or text 956-249-7930.

We trace how early experiences shape money habits, then work with Whitney Morrison to unpack shame, self-worth, and the seasons of finance. Practical tools help us shift from reaction to choice and build kinder, smarter money routines.

• neuroscience of scarcity wiring and identity narratives
• Whitney’s childhood imprint and career path into finance
• industry skills versus emotional money patterns
• shame, debt, and the unworthiness script
• the deserve versus pricing pendulum in business
• monthly nonjudgmental reviews to spot patterns
• money as cycles and building grace for downturns
• separating worth from net worth while pursuing potential
• one tiny step to shift a money behavior this week

Show Guest:

Whitney Morrison has long understood the profound role money plays in shaping a life. While others her age dreamed of fame, she was driven to decode the forces behind financial stability and identity. Motivated by her family’s early struggles, she pursued finance straight out of college, earning her Series 7, Series 66, and Certified Financial Planner® credentials. Her true transformation came when she began examining the emotional roots of money—beliefs around worth, scarcity, and success—ultimately shifting from a negative net worth to millionaire status while building her business from the ground up.

Today, Whitney serves as a strategic CFO and financial advisor to women entrepreneurs with a rare blend of rigor and reflection. She helps founders understand their numbers, make powerful decisions, and build profitable businesses that support the lives they’re creating. Her philosophy is simple yet revolutionary: money isn’t just transactional; it’s a pathway to meaning, agency, and wellbeing. To work with Whitney or learn more about her approach, visit her online and take your next step toward building wealth on your own terms.

You can find Whitney at: Holistic Money and on Instagram

Support the show

Show hosted by: 

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT, CCTP, CCPC

Bright Light Marriage and Family Therapy

Founder and Lead Therapist

Specializing in Trauma and Relationships

brightlightmft.com , catiaholm.com 

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com 

To become a client, visit brightlightmft.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

Follow us on:

Instagram @couchtimewithcat and Facebook @couchtimewithcat

Sign up for our newsletter here.

--

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’...

To schedule a session visit catiaholm.com or call 956-249-7930.

We explore self-led parenting through IFS with Marisa Garcia, moving from control to attunement and from managing behavior to meeting needs. We share real stories, the U-turn practice, and how repair after blowups builds trust and capacity in the family.

• why fixing and managing often miss the child’s need
• IFS basics in parenting: managers, firefighters, exiles
• the U-turn: turn inward before responding
• curiosity over the “spoiled kid” narrative
• parts party dynamics during homework battles
• repair steps after yelling or withdrawing
• fear of belonging driving control at home
• accepting our child’s uniqueness without panic
• how kids mirror our exiled parts
• practical language for boundaries and pacing
• contact details for Marisa and ways to connect

Show Guest: 

Marisa Garcia is a Certified Conscious Parenting Coach, Neurodiversity-Informed Mentor, a Level 3 IFS Practitioner and a systems and industrial engineer. 

Her personal healing journey has led her to explore and integrate a range of therapeutic modalities, all rooted in compassion and clarity. Today, she supports individuals and families in deepening their connection to themselves and each other through a heart-centered, trauma-informed lens.

Marisa is also a lifelong learner, a mother navigating neurodiversity, a wife, an athlete, and an artist—all of which inform her rich and relatable approach to healing.

Connect with Marisa at [email protected]
or follow her on Instagram at @cons.cious.ly

Support the show

Show hosted by: 

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT, CCTP, CCPC

Bright Light Marriage and Family Therapy

Founder and Lead Therapist

Specializing in Trauma and Relationships

brightlightmft.com , catiaholm.com 

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com 

To become a client, visit brightlightmft.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

Follow us on:

Instagram @couchtimewithcat and Facebook @couchtimewithcat

Sign up for our newsletter here.

--

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’...

To become a client, visit catiaholm.com or call 956-249-7930. 

We explore why holiday gatherings often trigger anxiety and old roles, then map out small, practical ways to find steadiness. We offer grounding breath, values-based choices, clear exit strategies, and a permission slip to choose peace over perfection.

• Why family systems pull us into old roles
• how the nervous system responds to holiday stress
• the gap between glossy images and real families
• grounding breath and body reset techniques
• boundaries as doors that keep you whole
• exit strategies that restore agency
• picking one guiding value for the season
• creating a three-part peace plan
• recommended books and podcasts for deeper support

Support the show

Show hosted by: 

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT, CCTP, CCPC

Bright Light Marriage and Family Therapy

Founder and Lead Therapist

Specializing in Trauma and Relationships

brightlightmft.com , catiaholm.com 

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com 

To become a client, visit brightlightmft.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

Follow us on:

Instagram @couchtimewithcat and Facebook @couchtimewithcat

Sign up for our newsletter here.

--

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’...