Couch Time With Cat

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

In today's episode, we slow down the urge to “fix it” and talk about why healing often takes longer than we want, especially when our nervous systems have been carrying stress for years. With therapist Lauren Mitchell, we explore holistic healing as an embodied and relational practice that helps us come back home to ourselves with more compassion. 

• reframing exhaustion as rest rather than laziness 
• noticing overwhelm as a nervous system signal, not weakness 
• challenging productivity culture and chronic stres...

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

In today's episode, Inside A Free Youth Crisis Respite Program In Texas with Lauren Mitchell, we sit with the reality of the youth mental health crisis and what it feels like when a family runs out of ideas and energy. Lauren Mitchell breaks down how a Youth Crisis Respite Center offers a free, trauma-informed pause that helps kids recenter and helps families reconnect with hope. 

• what a youth crisis respite center is and why it exists 
• how Hill Country MHDD su...

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

In this episode, we explore why healing happens faster when we stop carrying everything alone and let safe people and safe faith practices hold some of the weight. Pastor Gaylon Clark joins me to connect neuroscience, worship, mental health, and real-world support into a picture of community that feels loving and practical. 

• nervous system safety through presence and attunement 
• why isolation increases stress and anxiety 
• worship as humility that opens us to God and others 
• the pull of rugged in...

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

In today's episode, we talk with strategic communication mentor Bia Berlitz about why our feelings can be bigger than our vocabulary and why that gap can make us feel alone. We connect language, identity, and mental wellness so we can communicate with more clarity, self-trust, and compassion.

• linguistic relativity and how language shapes emotion
• why some feelings feel clearer in certain languages
• accessing different layers of self through multilingual life
• frustration and shame when you cannot find wor...

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

In today's episode, we sit with the hidden reality of kratom dependence and how something marketed as natural relief can quietly reshape a life. We talk with Chad Womack about Feel Free, high-functioning addiction, rehab, and the slow return to clarity, responsibility, and self-respect. 

• Kratom basics and why dose changes the experience 
• How “legal” and “easy to buy” can speed up dependence 
• Chad’s first experience with Feel Free and why it felt like support 
• The quiet ramp from two bottles...

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

In today's episode, we sit with the question of whether relationship conflict is really about love or about emotional language that never got translated. With therapist Emily Pierce, we name how neurodivergence shapes communication and we share tools for building compassion, safety, and clarity in neurodiverse couples. 
• neurodivergence as a broad umbrella including ADHD, autism, OCD, PTSD, learning differences, and acquired differences 
• executive functioning, sensory processing, and emotion regulation differences that change how partners respond 
• why “everyone is a little ADHD”...

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

In today's episode, we break down the science and hope of neuroplasticity and why your most repeated thoughts can feel like fixed roads even when they are just well-worn trails. We share simple tools to build healthier neural pathways through repetition, nervous system safety, and supportive connection. 

• thoughts as mental trails that can change over time 
• what neuroplasticity means in plain language 
• “neurons that fire together wire together” and why practice matters 
• why the brain defaults to efficiency and...

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

In this episode, we talk about confidence the way it actually shows up, not as loud perfection but as small brave choices made while you’re still nervous. We hear from my daughters, Alexandra (11) and Luciana (9), as they explain what helps them feel brave, what makes confidence drop, and how being yourself can be enough. 

• defining confidence as being different without shrinking 
• feeling confident through friends, family, and true belonging 
• how anxiety shows up as butterflies and shaky nerves 
...

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

In this episode we talk about the quiet ways perfectionism and approval-seeking shape our lives, then practice a kinder truth: we are already enough. Andrea Markusich shares how “enoughness” can change parenting, emotional regulation, and the way we show up at home, school, and work. 

• perfectionism linked to anxiety, depression, and burnout 
• self-compassion as the antidote, not more striving 
• Andrea’s turning point and the creation of The Enough Company 
• approval and validation as a hidden driver of overdoing...

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

We name the quiet burnout that hides behind competence and show what it costs when being the responsible one becomes your identity. We break down emotional labor, nervous system depletion, and simple practices that help you care deeply without carrying everything alone. 

• quiet burnout as slow depletion rather than a dramatic collapse 
• chronic responsibility plus low emotional recovery leading to functional overdrive 
• emotional labor as invisible work in families and workplaces 
• subtle signals like irritability, guilt while resting, and...

Welcome to Couch Time! To connect, visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930.

In today's episode, we explore therapeutic ketamine through the lens of Internal Family Systems and somatic integration, asking what becomes possible when science and soul sit down together. Grace Laurie, LPC, shares practical insight on safety, structure, and why honoring protective parts is central to lasting change.

• how ketamine reduces rumination and opens neuroplasticity
• why IFS and compassionate parts work deepen integration
• who benefits most: TRD, PTSD, CPTSD, OCD, burnout
• postpartum depression potential and safety considerations
• dosing routes, ti...

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

We explore marriage as a living container rather than a fixed destiny, tracing how history, attachment, and modern expectations shape what partners ask of each other. We share practical tools to repair, reconnect, and choose each other with open eyes.

In this episode we talk about:

• redefining marriage as legal, economic, spiritual, social and psychological container
• modern expectations concentrated on one partner
• attachment patterns shaping conflict and triggers
• moving from blame to humility and repair
• Gottman insights on bids, r...

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

We sit with Amanda Ebner, St. Stephen's Episcopal's Head of School, to explore how empathy, follow-through, and honest feedback create safety for students, staff, and families. Stories from Germany, South Korea, and Texas show how culture becomes care and why belonging beats perfection.

• defining culture as daily safety for kids, parents, and staff
• co-regulation and why safety unlocks learning
• Amanda’s journey from military spouse to head of school
• earning trust through consistency and follow-through
• what diverse cultures teach about autono...

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

We explore how to set down part of the mental load by using AI as a quiet co-pilot, not a replacement for connection. With Sarah Dooley of AI Empowered Mom, we share practical workflows, safety guardrails, and small wins that protect time, energy, and joy.

• naming the mental load and why it burns us out
• AI as a tool to protect connection, not replace it
• Sarah’s path from enterprise AI to family-focused tools
• practical meal planning and grocery workflows
• temp...

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

We explore a warm, accessible path into Ayurveda with counselor and breathwork practitioner Brett Aldrich, moving from big ideas to daily choices that soothe the nervous system. Practical tools, a simple breath exercise, and a gentle rethink of routine help us feel more like ourselves.

• what Ayurveda is and why it matters
• the five elements and choosing opposites for balance
• doshas explained and how to notice your mix
• differences from western symptom focus
• the 50 percent training rule to prevent burnout

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

We explore gratitude as a practice of attention, not a forced feeling, and show how to hold it alongside stress, grief, and complexity. Science, story, and simple tools help you build resilience without pressure or toxic positivity.

• what gratitude is and what it is not
• how attention reshapes neural pathways
• why stress makes gratitude feel out of reach
• micro-noticing to find calm in seconds
• empathy-based gratitude that honors effort
• being-held gratitude through people, pets, and music
• holding grief and grat...

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

We trace how early experiences teach our bodies what love feels like and how those lessons shape anxious, avoidant, disorganized, and secure patterns. We share body-based tools and compassionate questions that turn reactivity into choice and repair.

• attachment as adaptation not identity
• overview of anxious, avoidant, disorganized, secure
• polyvagal safety cues and survival states
• real-life signs in texting, conflict, and closeness
• self-inquiry to map “what kept me safe”
• tools to name patterns and slow the body
• separating past from present d...

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...

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...

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 st...

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...

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 ma...

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 th...

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
• outsou...

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
•...

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

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
•...

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

We explore Internal Family Systems with Marisa Garcia, mapping managers, firefighters, and exiles while centering the calm of Self. A real-life partner moment shows two paths: reactivity or repair, with a one-minute practice to meet parts with compassion.

• IFS as a compassionate map of the inner world
• Origins in Dr Richard Schwartz’s work and trauma-informed care
• Parts 101: managers, firefighters, and exiles
• Self versus self-like parts and why agenda matters
• Perfectionism as a once-helpful strategy that needs new roles
• Partne...

Welcome! For support, reach out at catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930.

In today's episode, we explore how conscious breathing calms the nervous system, opens access to the luminous mind, and widens the space between trigger and response. Liya James shares her journey from high‑achieving designer to breathwork guide, with practical ways to practice when the stakes are low.

• breath as a direct line to safety and presence
• luminous mind explained through Zen and IFS
• shifting from doing for worth to acting from worth
• training the gap between stimulus and response

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

In this episode, we explore endurance sport as a path to healing, not just performance, and how long efforts rewire our response to fear, shame, and overwhelm. Marisa Garcia shares tools from triathlon and trauma-informed coaching to help us find control inside chaos and know when to pause.

• Endurance movement as moving meditation and trauma repair
• Open-water swim strategies for panic, boundaries, and control
• Rewriting old shame through steady, present miles
• Hydration and fueling as mental health tools on course

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

Show guest:

Dr. Paulina S. Flasch is an Associate Professor of Professional Counseling at Texas State University, where she teaches in the Marriage, Couple, and Family track and co-leads the Trauma and Interpersonal Violence Research Lab. Her work centers on trauma, intimate partner violence, and interpersonal violence, with a growing focus on Jewish identity and the lived experiences of antisemitism.

Dr. Flasch is also a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and the founder of...

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

We explore Relational Life Therapy with Jess Johnson and show how conflict, when repaired with care, builds deeper trust. We share the harmony-disharmony-repair cycle, the “whoosh” of reactivity, and practical steps to shift from the adaptive child to the wise adult.

• why harmony without repair stays shallow
• how the nervous system shapes connection and conflict
• adaptive child, wounded child, and wise adult explained
• noticing the “whoosh” as a cue to pause
• relational mindfulness as a daily practice
• what real repair looks like in words and act...

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

We question the belief that value equals output and explore how rest—scientific, emotional, creative, and social—restores the mind, body, and spirit. We share stories, micro‑practices, and rituals that make slowing down feel possible without guilt.

• culture of productivity and the cost of pushing through
• personal burnout story as a turning point
• brain science of sleep, memory and creativity
• nervous system basics and why rest heals
• expanding rest beyond sleep: emotional, creative, social
• how family messages shape rest guilt
• s...

To become a client, visit me at catiaholm.com or leave an anonymous question for the show by calling or texting 956-249-7930. 

We open a hard, necessary conversation about sex, power, consent, and culture with educator Kelsey Benton. We share personal stories, define consent literacy, unpack coercion, discuss college “red zone” risks, and offer tools that build agency and care.

• making mental wellness accessible, compassionate and real
• consent literacy beyond slogans; context, power and identity
• nervous system responses: freeze and fawn explained
• forensic exam access and survivor agency in Texas
• social norms, m...

To become a client, visit me at catiaholm.com or leave an anonymous question for the show by calling or texting 956-249-7930. 

Movement isn't just for physical health—it's powerful medicine for our mental wellbeing too. Science shows that just 30 minutes of moderate movement 3-5 times weekly can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by releasing mood-enhancing brain chemicals.

• Movement helps regulate the nervous system and process trauma stored in the body
• Trauma becomes stored as "implicit memories" when we lack language to process experiences
• Movement allows processing of emotions without needing c...

To become a client, visit me at catiaholm.com or leave an anonymous question for the show by calling or texting 956-249-7930. 

Mental wellness requires an anchor deeper than our fleeting emotions, and living by our values provides the stability we need to navigate life's challenges with integrity and purpose. 

• Values are steady qualities we want to embody, while feelings are temporary messages from our body and brain
• Research shows people who live aligned with their values report higher life satisfaction, lower anxiety, and greater resilience
• The affect heuristic makes us decide based on...

To connect with Catia and become a client, visit- catiaholm.com

Connect on Instagram, Facebook, and to leave an anonymous question for Catia call or text 956-249-7930

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Scott James shares his journey from writing poems out of desperation to creating over 10,000 typewriter poems on demand, revealing how creativity became his path to healing and presence. Through his practice of instant poetry, Scott discovered how to transform resistance into flow, establish energetic boundaries, and create meaningful connections with strangers through art.

• Started writing poetry during a personal crisis after moving to...

To connect with Catia and become a client, visit- catiaholm.com

Connect on Instagram, Facebook, and to leave an anonymous question for Catia call or text 956-249-7930

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Katie Taylor, Certified Child Life Specialist, shares strategies for talking to children about medical procedures in ways that reduce anxiety and build trust.

• Children pick up on our non-verbal cues during difficult times and may imagine scenarios worse than reality
• Research shows children who receive preparation before medical procedures exhibit less anxiety and recover faster
• Using concrete, age-appropriate language helps childr...

To connect with Catia and become a client, visit- catiaholm.com

Connect on Instagram, Facebook, and to leave an anonymous question for Catia call or text 956-249-7930

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Katie Taylor opens our eyes to the transformative role of child life specialists - healthcare professionals who use play, preparation, and child-friendly language to turn potentially traumatic medical experiences into manageable, even empowering ones for children and families.

With over 15 years of experience as a certified child life specialist and as CEO of Child Life On Call, Katie shares how these professionals...

To connect with Catia and become a client, visit- catiaholm.com

Connect on Instagram, Facebook, and to leave an anonymous question for Catia call or text 956-249-7930

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Have you ever wondered why you keep repeating the same patterns, even when they no longer serve you? This eye-opening conversation with Jessica Cherry – sound bath practitioner, NLP coach, and TV host – reveals how our minds create patterns that shape our entire lives, and how we can change them.

Jessica explains neuro-linguistic programming as "a manual for your mind," offering a powerful fram...