New Year's resolutions can be so seductive for many of us, convincing us that we need a new version of ourselves (and that this is even possible in a short time frame).

In this episode Cath suggests a more expansive, loving framework that you can apply to all areas of your life. She explains why this is important and how part of tending to our needs is actually considering the life we want to create. Although this may feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable, written instructions for this exercise will be in the journal prompts, so do sign up for those if you need more clarity.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

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In this special bonus episode released on Christmas Day, Cath talks about what can sometimes derail us over the holidays. She makes suggestions around how to return to our own centre, to consider what is important to us and to focus on our own values. 

Grow Yourself Up will now be on a break for 2 weeks and will return in the new year with the first episode on Tuesday 10th January 2023.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

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Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ironically Christmas is often a time when many of us struggle with our mental health and with staying in a regulated enough place.

Cath addresses why this may happen, focuses on why an understanding of our nervous system is so helpful in de-shaming this experience and suggests some practical tips to help you if you are feeling like this.

Please know that you are not alone if you struggle at Christmas AND there is hope in terms of how you manage yourself and your experience. You can re-frame and re-focus to help yourself and Cath explains what actually helps with this.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

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There are some reflections on Christmas and how this may feel like a mixed time for many listeners (for multiple different reasons).

Cath reflects on how the most important thing in the present moment is to develop a warm, supportive, loving relationship with all the different parts of ourselves, even if we don’t fully understand what is going on for us. How do we actually do this though? What helps with this? 

Cath speaks to how we progress with this in the episode and shares details of how self-compassion is useful in her life and in parenting in general, with a very funny story towards the end. In this episode, she draws from the work of Kristin Neff and the book she refers to is called "Self Compassion by Kristin Neff".

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

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Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The way we come into relationships with our needs when we are babies and young children, has a huge influence on the way we learn to tend to our needs as adults.

We learn about what is 'allowed' in terms of our needs in our family of origin. Many of us have a very complex relationship with our own needs, because of the parenting we received (and the parenting our parents received). In this episode Cath digs more into needs (Listen to Episodes 1-4 of Grow Yourself Up for more on needs), looking at why our needs may feel 'illegitimate' and how we can bring these needs back to ourselves.

She shares some imagery that could be helpful with this and also some ideas about how to proceed when you don't know where to start with your needs.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

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Facebook: Cath Counihan

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In this episode Cath digs into the detail of people pleasing more, explaining why this is a sub-optimal parenting strategy and scenarios that can arise when we go down the route of people pleasing our children.

She explains why containment is important for our children, how we create that and how (and why) we may need to soothe ourselves as we do this. She shares some anecdotes to illustrate the points more clearly and gives an example of how you could respond to your child. Setting down a boundary when our children are (having a lot of feelings). The nervous system science Cath references is from the body of work by Stephen Porges and Deb Dana.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

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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).

How can we remain in touch with people who we deeply love, have a lot of history with and yet the relationship may also have a lot of potential for pain? How can we turn up in these relationships, own our own stuff and still find joy in the present moment?

Through the use of personal anecdotes Cath makes various points about how we can manage and even thrive at these times. This episode has lots of practical tips and suggestions so that you can craft the holiday period to best suit you and your family, and allow this for others.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

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In this episode Cath colours in more of the people pleasing picture.

How and why does this arise in our family of origin? How were we set up to act as people pleasers? She speaks about patterns of relating and dysfunctional behaviours that are common to many families.

Cath also explains important steps we can take, as parents, to help our children avoid becoming a people pleaser. She speaks about how we can support ourselves to start to stop pleasing.

As always, please go gently with yourself and know that change takes time. 

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

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In this episode Cath is joined by her first guest, Tamu Thomas (Live Three Sixty). Cath and Tamu talk about Tamu's experience of motherhood, how she has grown herself up and how people pleasing turns up in her work and home life.

Tamu also tells us about her decision to spoil her daughter with love, how she went about meeting her daughters needs and why this felt so important to her. She talks about how people pleasing turns up in our work and why this is so damaging to our lives. 

Tamu Thomas is an emotional well-being coach, writer, workshop facilitator, podcaster and Non-Linear Movement practitioner who helps over-functioning, overworking, high achieving women fall in love with themselves. So, in turn they can make powerful choices about how they live, love and work.

Tamu's mission is to help women enhance how they live, love and work by recovering from their addiction to toxic productivity. 

Tamu can be found here:

www.livethreesixty.com

Instagram: @livethreesixty

Twitter: @livethreesixty_

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The beginning of this episode focuses on how, when we are perfectionists, we often don't stop and appreciate what we have done/completed/achieved. We just rush onto the next thing.

Cath speaks about this and about how it is important to really take the time to acknowledge what we are doing. The bulk of the episode is focused on 'people pleasing' behaviour. Cath discusses how and why this arises in our family of origin, how it manifests in relationships and life. And, the challenges of taking 'people pleasing' into parenting.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.