November 21, 2025 • 53 mins
Alka Sharma introduces Kathryn Bobb, who shares her journey from a successful athletic career to dealing with a major injury and transitioning into massage therapy. Kathryn discusses her history with addiction and how personal issues can contribute to it. She explores the challenges faced in competitive athletics and the path to sustainable success through daily routines. As a wellness coach, Kathryn shares healing modalities and recovery lessons, emphasizing the importance of support systems. The conversation offers valuable advice for those struggling with addiction. Tune in to learn more about connecting with Kathryn Bobb and gain insights into work-life integration and personal growth in entrepreneurship.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:03):
Hey, everyone.
Welcome back to another episode of Ask theExperts podcast.
We have a very special guest today.
If you have battled addiction, you or yourfamily member has battled addiction, what are
those challenges perhaps that you might begoing through?
(00:24):
What support system do you provide someonewho's going through addiction and has changed
their life around?
My guest today, Catherine Barb, she is awellness coach and an entrepreneur.
But her journey began to entrepreneurship.
She has been a dedicated athlete facing in thehighs and lows of competition, And I know what
(00:50):
that feels like because I was, as a Latinoballroom, also competing.
So I know what that feels like.
You go through highs and lows, but also you gothrough injuries.
But Catherine also faced addiction.
These personal challenges became the cruciblewhereby it fueled Catherine to you know, her
(01:14):
passion began to break in helping other peopleto break through their barriers and take the
step that they needed to live the life thatthey desire.
Through years of recovery and transformationgrowth, Catherine began to realize resilience
(01:37):
and sustainable success was the path she wantedto be.
And I'm so glad she chose.
Welcome, Catherine, to the show.
Thank you, Alka, for having me.
That was, you know, such an amazingintroduction, and I'm just so happy to be here
and so grateful that you offered to have me onyour podcast.
(02:00):
So thank you.
Yeah.
You're welcome, Catherine.
Let's start with can you share what drew you toathletics and how began to shape your early
identity.
Can you share moments?
(02:20):
Sure.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
So I grew up I was the youngest of the two.
I have one older brother, and he was anathlete.
He played hockey, and he was, in all essence,my hero.
Like, I wanted to be just like he was athletic,popular.
And so I started having an interest inathletics as well, and I started as a gymnast.
(02:47):
And with gymnastics, you know, it's very hardon the body, lots of tumbles, lots of falls.
And in those falls, I sustained quite a bit ofinjuries.
And it got all the way up to my collegiatelevel gymnastics before I had the worst injury
of all.
I actually broke my back in 2010.
(03:09):
I was 19 years old.
And there was a lot of psychological issuesthat happened from that injury as well.
Like, I could no longer do gymnastics.
I was thinking, you know, what is this injurygoing to do to my body?
Am I even gonna be able to walk again?
(03:29):
Am I even gonna be able to Uh-huh.
Run and be active, or is this gonna besomething that is gonna be debilitating for me
for the long run?
And so one of the things that I had to dothrough my recovery was go to physical therapy.
And it was in that physical therapy that Irelearned how to have hope within my body after
(03:53):
after an injury.
And it's it was that mindset that actually ledme into the entrepreneurial journey as well as
my own personal healing journey.
And it's it's interesting.
Everybody's journey is so different, and itwasn't until right after I had had my first
(04:14):
surgery that I actually started to learn whatunhealthy coping mechanisms actually were.
So, you know, having changed my entire life, Ihad to get surgery.
I couldn't be a gymnast anymore.
Like, my identity was wrapped around.
I'm a gymnast.
I'm a student athlete.
(04:35):
And that whole mentality shifted from thatinjury to what do I wanna do now?
And a lot of people who aren't in that, like,solution oriented mindset or growth mindset
will go, oh, woe is me.
I don't wanna keep doing this.
You know, they may end up being suicidal or gointo these tendencies of addiction, which I
(05:03):
might and I'll go into my addiction story alittle bit, in a little bit.
Sure.
Yeah.
That came from much earlier on.
Mhmm.
But the mindset itself of what do I wanna donext came from that whole idea of bringing hope
back to the body after an injury.
And so I ended up going to massage therapyschool, and I became a massage therapist.
(05:28):
And my slogan was bringing hope back to theworld one body at a time because I really truly
wanted to work with athletes.
And I have worked with quite a few professionalathletes who've gone to the Olympics, who are
pro baseball players, who are pro wrestlers,MMA fighters, and it's working with these
(05:48):
elite, athletes has truly gotten me to where Ilove working with athletes.
I love working with people who have gonethrough injuries.
Maybe they may not be a collegiate level or aprofessional level athlete, but, you know,
having those injuries can affect you mentallyin do I wanna keep doing this, or can I keep
(06:15):
doing this?
Or can I even recover to do this again?
Mhmm.
Because there are some injuries that, like myback, prevent you from being able to do that
thing again.
So, you know, it it was in shifting thatmindset from, you know, being so disciplined
and so structured in going to gymnastics fourfour days a week, training on the off days,
(06:38):
going to school that then led to the injury,which then shaped the way that I did my
business.
So I was always this go, go, go, very hard workethic person, and I still am.
But I've modified it a little bit to be moretailored towards, you know, my lifestyle.
Right.
(06:58):
And with that, you know, that mentality hasshifted me towards, life integration, which is
is similar in concept to work life balance.
But a lot of really successful entrepreneurswill tell you, like, there is no work life
balance.
Mhmm.
When you are in your purpose, you actually getto live the life that you've built.
(07:24):
And part of that is having the people who youdo business with, they're your friends or your
family, and you include them in the things thatyou're building because you're so passionate
and happy to have them in that space with you.
And so that kinda leads me towards, you know,where my addiction began.
You know, my dad was one of my heroes growingup.
(07:48):
Like, I I'm total daddy's girl.
I love him very dearly, and I watchedeverything he did.
And part of that was in his eating habits.
And so I picked up on those unhealthy eatinghabits where, you know, I would grab the bag of
M and M's instead of grabbing the bag ofblueberries or bag of strawberries.
(08:11):
And it it was in that mentality of I wanna bejust like my dad.
I started gaining a lot of weight.
And in gaining that weight, I started changingmy relationship with food, and I became
addicted to food.
And it was more of the sugary foods, and more,you know, emotional comforting foods that I
(08:37):
would tend towards.
And so that's when I started realizing, okay.
This is an unhealthy coping mechanism.
What am I trying to cope with?
And it was the internal realization that I'vepicked up on a habit from somebody that I love
very dearly and value the things that he doesvery dearly that I'm having a hard time saying
(09:04):
no to it because it doesn't serve me.
And I didn't want to admit that it wasn'tserving me because I was like, well, no.
He's my dad.
He's my hero.
This is something that's great.
He's doing good on it, but in reality, hewasn't.
And I was angry for a long time that why wouldhe choose the these foods if it was killing
(09:26):
him?
Why would he do this?
Why would he do that?
But I was projecting that anger onto hischoices rather than, you know, being angry at
myself of I'm choosing to do the same thingthat he was doing rather than choosing the
things that true I truly value.
(09:48):
And over the years, I've recognized that I'veheld on to specific, habits that other people
have taught me.
For example, my first boyfriend that I was everwith, he was the first person who introduced me
to marijuana or pot or, you know, however youwant it, cannabis.
(10:09):
And I held on to that for such a long time thatinitially, it was like, did it recreationally
because it was something fun to do.
I enjoyed it.
And then I stopped for a while while I wasgoing through the rehab process of fixing my
back, going to physical therapy, and doing themental work that needed to be done from all the
(10:32):
things that encompass that whole injury.
And then when I went back to college after sixmonths of being off, so I did have to leave
college, ended up going to a different college,broke up with that boyfriend.
I did a whole purge.
I did a whole purge.
I got rid of the people that weren't servingme.
I got rid of the places that weren't servingme.
(10:53):
And in doing that, I went to this new place.
But in this new place, I still carried thoseunhealthy behaviors because it was familiar.
Mhmm.
And staying with those familiar things, it keptmaking me stagnant in the things that I wanted
to achieve and grow in.
(11:14):
So, I I feel like that was a very long windedanswer, but answered your questions.
Absolutely.
I mean, you could expand.
I mean, this is your show, so you can alsoexpand.
But you know what?
I wanna just touch upon you know, we talk aboutwork life balance, and a lot of people,
entrepreneurs, they talk about work lifebalance.
(11:36):
But I love the idea of what you said that whenyou are creating, you know, work life balance,
when anyone's creating, is doing it creating itwith people that you love to do it with because
you're building a legacy.
And I find, you know, you're building a legacyat the same time.
And I think that is so cool because then asyou're building out your your business, having
(12:00):
the work life balance, work into it, you know,really is great.
Yeah.
And, you know, one of the things that one of mymentors talks about is you you are the the
epitome of the three most important people inyour life, the the three people that you spend
the most time with.
(12:22):
You are the average of those three people.
And so if those three people aren't operatingat the same level that you're operating at,
there's a very likely chance that you're notgoing to reach your goals because they're not
maybe uplifting you as much or they don't haveas high energy as you need in order to get to
that next level of you or of your business.
(12:45):
And I think that, you know, entrepreneurship initself, building a business in itself is, like,
the ultimate way to go through your own growthand healing journey because you are constantly
being bombarded by these things that aremirroring where you're currently at and where
your current struggles are at.
(13:06):
So for example, I just recently went to abreath work session, with one of my friends.
She has a mutual friend who lives here on theisland as well.
And there were moments where I was like, thisguided meditation isn't sitting well with my
nervous system.
And so I just did my own thing.
(13:28):
Mhmm.
And afterwards, she asked me, oh, how'd youlike it?
And in front of him, I wanted to be polite.
So I was like, you know, I liked it.
It was good.
But afterwards, when we got in the car, I waslike, you know, I felt like there were pieces
that didn't sit well with my nervous system,and so I went and did this.
And she her response was, well, you know,that's kind of breath work, especially guided
(13:50):
breath work.
Like, you do what feels good to you.
Right.
It's it's there for guidance.
It's not there as you have to do this specificprotocol.
And entrepreneur entrepreneurship is the sameway where there are proven business models that
you can follow, but there are certainprotocols, for example, that you have a little
(14:12):
bit of freedom to be creative within.
And it's in that freedom and creativity thatthat's where you find your your space.
Once you get into this this rhythm, if youwill, of I I know what I do.
I know what people gain from the things that Ido, and you love doing it.
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Life is that.
It's in creating more of that.
And for such a long time, I was in theheadspace of what can I do for other people
rather than what do people gain from what I cando?
And it's in that little shift of mindset thatallowed me to fully sit in what is my purpose.
(15:04):
Mhmm.
And for me, I truly believe that my purpose isin helping people through the same, if not very
similar limiting beliefs or issues likephysical trauma, emotional trauma, addiction,
anxiety, depression, all of those things.
Having somebody to guide you through it knowingthey've gone through this and they've, you
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know, on a daily basis, have to consistently belike, okay.
This is my energy level today.
This is where I want to be today.
Anything that doesn't fit this, gone.
And it can be hard to say that and to actuallydo that, especially when it comes to the people
(15:48):
that are in your life.
So, like, if it's a family member who youabsolutely love and adore, but they're not
healthy for you physically, mentally,emotionally, you gotta get rid of them.
Or you have to have that conversation of, look.
This isn't sitting well with me.
I need this, this, and this in order to be in agood environment for myself.
(16:10):
Are you willing to provide that?
And if not, how can we either make a compromiseor this has gotta go?
And that's really hard for a lot of people tocome to terms with.
And I truly believe that addiction is the exactsame.
You have to get to a point of I've had enoughof whatever it is, whether it's a person or an
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addiction or or nicotine, you know, it is it isan addiction, and it's a chemical addiction at
that point because your body is like, I needthat that hit of dopamine, or I need that hit
of nicotine in order for me to be able toprogress further in my day.
(16:54):
It's it's in creating this story of I need thisto get through the day that I think people
really struggle with, and that's where, youknow, the business that I am now in as the CEO
is in helping people overcome that limitingbelief, that story, because that story actually
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makes it so that people can't progress.
It stops them from living the life that theydream of.
And I've heard so many stories of peoplesaying, oh, I was addicted to meth or heroin,
and it ruined my relationship with my wife ormy husband.
And in doing so, I lost custody of my kids.
And it's like just these awful horror storiesthat you hear from people that it's it's so sad
(17:43):
that they've allowed this one insignificantthing that they've told themselves I need it in
order to live for them, and they just they fallapart.
Their whole world falls apart because of thisone little story, and it's in changing that and
getting them to switch that off within theirown bodies and their minds and their spirit
(18:08):
that allows them to have that life that theytruly desire.
Right.
How do you how do you help your clients?
And, you know, that that's very interesting.
And I've always been very curious.
You know, you mentioned, you know, people wantthat that one thing.
They can't live without it.
You know, it's like you can't live withoutbreathing, but I can only imagine how that
(18:33):
could feels like.
How do you help your clients?
How what is the root cause of addiction, andhow do you help your clients alleviate that
issue?
Sure.
So I truly believe that addiction is animbalance between your brain chemistry as well
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as this you're you're having a need met.
And a lot of that happens with the story thatyou tell yourself, but then also the, the
things that you have access to, the resourcesthat you have access to.
And in today's day and age, we have such a vastamount of things available to us that it's so
(19:22):
easy to drop into an addiction, whether it beporn or food or narcotics or even a person.
Like, you can be addicted to a person too.
And, you know, that's called codependency.
Right.
But I I truly believe that it's it's in thisimbalance that you have with yourself.
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Usually, when we cling to something, whether itbe a substance or a person or an idea, it's
because that has we've been we've toldourselves that that's safe, that this is what I
need in order to get through my day, in orderto get through my life.
And the way that I help people through that is,a, you know, I listen.
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I listen with open ears, and it's not to listento respond.
It's to listen to let them get out what theyneed to get out.
And oftentimes, and I'm gonna say 99% of thetime, what the answer that they need is in
here.
It's in their own head.
They have their own answers.
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They just don't want to admit that they havethe answers, and they don't want to trust in
themselves enough to go, yes, I know theanswer.
I have the answer.
This is the answer, and it's not this.
But they place the responsibility of their ownhappiness on this thing or this person or this
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idea.
And when it doesn't work out right, they don'thave they don't have to blame themselves for
the choices that they've made.
They blame it on this thing Mhmm.
Or the other person.
And that's where you have relationship issues,and then that's where you go into addiction.
And the way that I help them through that isthrough, you know, this company that I have
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been the CEO of now.
We have these devices that operate on afrequency and photovoltaic, energy that
penetrates your body on the cellular level.
It helps to alter the frequency within yourbody itself so that things like addiction or
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codependency have no place in your body.
It increases the amount of light energy thateach of the water molecules has within your
body, and that alone allows your body to and Ican't say heal yourself because it's not an FDA
approved, you know, device or modality, but ithelps your body have a better coherence of
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itself.
So you're you're able to be more self aware.
You're able to identify where did thisaddiction start or where did I go wrong in
saying that this is the end all be all to thenext step.
And the lights themselves help the individualdo all of this processing internally.
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I come in with energy work, massage therapy,and I also partner with other practitioners who
do different modalities like psychiatrists ornutritionists to help people identify where
exactly is this, dysfunction within theirhabits.
(22:53):
Is it you know, that they have this idea thatthey have to eat three times a day at specific
times?
Or is it that they have to eat, you know, thistype of macro and then this type of macro and
at certain times?
So it's it's in identifying where is thisdysfunction within this habit.
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Is it the idea that you wanted to, you know, bemore sexually adventurous with your partner?
Yeah.
Okay.
How do we do that within a healthy boundary foryou so you're not exceeding this and diving
into an addictive personality disorder likegoing and watching porn on a daily and stuff
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like that?
Yeah.
So it's in recognizing where the problem is.
And then putting them through these lightsallows their body to alter its state so it no
longer has the drive or desire to go towardsthat unhealthy behavior.
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But they first have to accept themselves asthey are in the space that they're in, in that
addictive personality space, and recognize,okay, I've done this to myself.
Once they get to that point, then that's wherechange and transformation truly happens because
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they're like, it it loses its power over them.
It's it's incredible to watch somebody go fromone session of I, you know, I just smoked a a
joint.
I had a really rough day.
To then the next day, they've had a lightsession, and they're, like, completely
different.
They're like, wow.
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I feel so good.
I may have had a really stressful day, but itdoesn't impact me as much.
It almost allows people to separate themselvesfrom the emotion and, you know, feel the
emotion because our emotions only last sevenseconds.
But it's that attachment to that emotion thatwe get stuck on.
We're just like, I'm angry.
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I'm always angry.
Well, now you've created this story that youare always angry
Angry.
Yeah.
And that and that you react so negatively tothese stressors.
Well, now you can separate yourself.
You say, okay.
I'm experiencing anger.
Why am I experiencing anger?
Do I want to be experiencing anger, or is thisan unhealthy amount of anger?
(25:21):
Right.
And then transition into how do I actually wantto respond to this moment in the person that I
say that I am and who I truly wanna be.
Absolutely.
Recognizing.
I think oftentimes, you know, just recognizing,being realistic, you know, this is me and this
(25:42):
is the issue, the problem that I have, butquite often, most people don't want to
recognize.
Let's go back to what were some of thememorable moments that the challenges that you
had experienced during your competitive years?
(26:02):
So some of the challenges so some of thechallenges that I experienced?
Challenges and memorable moments.
As an athlete?
Yes.
Okay.
So I would say that some of the challenges thatI experienced as an athlete was a, I was an
(26:22):
overweight athlete.
Mhmm.
So not only did gymnastics or does gymnasticshave a huge impact on your joints, but if you
add that extra weight on top of it, that justexponentially, you know, aggravates those
joints.
Right.
And so even even today, I have issues with myfeet and my ankles, and then one of my hips.
(26:44):
But I still work out.
I still am am active.
I go to the gym almost every day.
My full time job, outside of being the CEO ofthis company, I'm is a very active job.
I'm a scuba instructor.
So I'm out swimming.
I'm lifting tanks, helping people out of theirseat with this 55 pound tank plus the weights
(27:06):
in their company
plus them.
So, I mean, it's it is a very physical job, butI love it.
I enjoy it, and I love being active because mybody loves to be in motion.
And, you know, one of the the the rules ofphysics is, like, a body in motion stays in
motion.
A body in rest stays at rest.
Right.
So we wanna stay moving.
(27:26):
Because when I stop moving, that's when thingslike depression and anxiety start to come into
play.
And then I would say some of my memorablemoments as an athlete, in gymnastics, you know,
as you progress and get better, the skills thatyou are supposed to learn how to do and be able
(27:51):
to do get harder.
And there was a a specific skill on the unevenbars that I was working towards, and I was able
to achieve it, and I was super excited.
And I celebrated it.
My teammates celebrated it.
And then, you know, two days go by, I come backfor practice, and it's like nothing even
(28:16):
happened.
And I was like, okay.
But Oh, no.
But with that, I think that that was a lessonin itself of celebrate your wins, but don't
stay in that space because that's where you getcomfortable.
And growth doesn't happen in comfortability.
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So you want to continue to get better.
You want to continue to learn new skills.
And it's just entrepreneurship.
You know, as you progress from employee to, youknow, maybe a manager to then maybe owning your
own business, the skill sets involved graduallike, I would say exponentially get harder
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because of all of the extra things that youhave to remember.
Oh, yeah.
I have to do this.
I have to do income and expense reports.
Yeah.
So so things like that that as an employee, youwouldn't necessarily know how to do.
Mhmm.
True.
And then another really fond moment I had waswhen I was actually playing volleyball in high
(29:20):
school.
As a short person that I am, you know, I'm onlyfour foot eleven, I played the role of setter,
and usually, they're not doing a whole lot ofjumping.
Well, there was a meet that we were at, and theother team had put the ball over the net onto
(29:43):
our side.
Uh-huh.
And I had the opportunity to, jump up and slamit back down in their faces, and I did it.
And I was so excited that I because I was like,oh my god.
I made it over the net.
Right.
But I jumped over the line, and so they tookthe point away.
(30:05):
And I was very sad, but I was still superexcited that I was able to get over the net.
I was like, oh my gosh.
I can do it.
That's amazing.
Oh, I'm so glad you did because, you know, it'sjust that fact that, you know, we, you know,
hit the bar or whatever the case may be, but atleast we attempted to do it.
(30:26):
And it's it's almost like, Catherine, it's alsoit's almost like seeing what is your what's
next.
Because, like, you don't stay comfort,although, you know, you've been you've had a
successful day, you've had a successfulbusiness.
But then it's like, okay.
What's next?
Like, what are you looking forward to?
So it's almost like that.
(30:48):
So I really do find, you know, when success ishow are you also planning out your, you know,
your days, your year.
So, you know, you have that momentum going.
You know, as our mentor likes to say, you know,have that momentum and always be in that flow.
(31:11):
How would you define sustainable success, andhow has it helped you to, you know, achieve and
helping your clients?
It's a great question.
So sustainable success, I would say, is, youknow, creating a system and and operations that
(31:36):
you can duplicate easily.
I love the acronym KISS.
Keep it simple or keep it super simple.
The the simpler the system, the easier it is toduplicate.
And if you're able to do that every single day,then you're gonna be successful in whatever
(31:58):
that is.
So whether it's a morning routine for yourskincare, Because that's something that can be
successful or not.
You know?
I could have a bunch of pimples, and youwouldn't say that I have a successful skin care
protocol or system.
Right?
Same with hair, same with businesses, same withyour life in general.
(32:19):
Mhmm.
So some of the things that I do to schedule outmy day is I actually use, our mentor, JT Fox's
brain, to help me in scheduling my day outbased on this is what I need to do, for my
personal responsibilities for this day.
(32:39):
So maybe it's a doctor's appointment, or maybeit's I need to go get groceries, And then
budget out enough time for getting there, youknow, standing in line at the checkout, getting
back home, putting that stuff away.
And it's actually in being intentional of Ineed to actually put it away and not just leave
(33:00):
the laundry sitting on the bed for three.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
It's it's things like that.
It's like they call it time blocking or, youknow, there's lots of different methodologies
in regards to scheduling out your day.
But it also comes down to when do you have themost energy in a day.
And Right.
Everybody's different.
(33:20):
Some people are night people.
Like, they have the most energy at night.
I don't understand those people because I wakeup early, and I'm like, I do stuff early in the
morning because I don't get bothered by otherpeople.
There's usually not as much traffic.
The gym is usually quieter.
And I can get a lot done in those hours thatmost people aren't awake.
(33:41):
So if I had a significant other or if I hadkids, they'd be waking up around 7AM.
Right.
But if I'm waking up at, like, 04:45, 5AM,that's two hours that I have that I could be
answering emails or taking some, you know, oneon one calls or doing a podcast interview,
things that, you know, can move the needleforward.
(34:04):
Or, you know, if that's your time where youhave the most energy, you wanna do things that
require the most energy.
So if it's something like, you know, buildingout an automation or building a a a funnel or a
landing page, do it during that time gap.
And then when your kids wake up, you know, doyour daily routine, start doing those things.
(34:26):
And then it's, you know, spacing it out whenyou have the available time and, again, being
intentional with your time.
So, you know, JT says every night he goes tosleep watching a movie.
For me, it's it's a very simple game that Iplay at night when I'm in bed, getting ready to
go to sleep, and it actually helps me go tosleep a little bit easier even though there's
(34:49):
some there's some science behind watching ascreen right before you go to bed.
But I haven't usually ever had that many issueswith sleep itself just because I love sleep.
I I thrive on sleep.
If I get between, you know, four to sevenhours, I'm usually pretty good.
(35:09):
When I get eight hours, sometimes I feel alittle groggy in the morning.
But it just depends on what I've done that day.
And I have noticed that on days where I don'tplan out time for me to exert myself and do a
workout or go for a swim or whatever, I feelless like going to sleep at the time I usually
(35:31):
go to sleep at because I still have all of thisenergy.
And so I'm like, what do I do with it?
Do I Right.
Yes.
Have you write a chapter in my book?
Do I do this?
Do I do that?
So, you know, planning ahead and using Chat GPTor your AI in order to be like, okay.
This is my deadline Mhmm.
(35:51):
For this project.
Give me a timeline of how much time I wouldhave to spend in a day in order to achieve it
by that timeline.
And if that's not feasible, then you may haveto move your timeline back a little bit.
And there's no shame in moving a timeline backat all.
But I usually plan my projects out based on,like, the networking events that I end up going
(36:15):
to.
So for example, in less than two weeks, I'mgoing to Mega Success.
Five day business networking event where I'mnot really gonna be doing much else in my
business other than networking Because that isalso a crucial part in, you know, building a
business is building those relationships withpotential investors or potential business
(36:38):
partners or even potential practitioners that Icould train and teach how to do the modality
and how to, you know, build their business offof this system and off of this model.
So And
I could I could never be a night night owl.
So, you know, we're talking about the energies.
I'm not a night person.
(36:59):
So my energy, I like to do everything duringthe day.
I like to get up early in the morning.
I'm up by five, and that's when, you know, I'mthe most productive.
But, you know, we choose our lane.
How has healing from addiction so how hashealing actually influenced your personal
(37:24):
journey, your personal your pathway to, youknow, becoming a wellness coach?
Because I'm sure it wasn't an easy easy path,like, initially when you first started.
Can you walk us through that process?
What was it like?
Sure.
(37:45):
So first and foremost, there was a lot ofimpostor syndrome.
I felt like, you know, who am I to be coachingpeople through addiction?
Who am I to be coaching people through buildinga business in sis you know, a sustainable
business for the long term?
And part of that was because, you know, I'vegone through these things.
(38:09):
People don't wanna learn from somebody who wasaddicted to this or addicted to that.
But in all essence, that's who they wanna learnfrom.
So that was identifying my limiting belief ofsaying, I'm not worthy of doing this because I
went through this.
Mhmm.
When in fact, it's the opposite.
Because I went through that, I have theexperience and the knowledge of this is what
(38:33):
I've gone through.
This is what I've studied and been told andshown and watched from other people that I've
coached and from other people who have gonethrough addiction to give this knowledge to
somebody to help them go through it faster.
Right.
To
help them skip those steps of maybe, you know,if you wanna open up a product line of maybe
(38:59):
starting with one product and not 50 productsbecause then you can focus on that one product,
get it successful.
Once it's successful, then you can move on tothe next product or the next two products and
make them tie together.
So a lot of the things that I've done in myentrepreneurial journey have mostly been in the
(39:21):
health and wellness space.
And it was in trying to figure out how can Itie them all in that it really led me to this
coaching position of teaching people how to dothe modality and teaching them how to create a
business around this modality?
And that includes pricing themselvesappropriately, scheduling, protocols, marketing
(39:47):
strategy, and all of that encompasseseverything that I've learned.
Right.
Because you can within the training, you canfocus on people who have anxiety.
You could focus on people who have PTSD.
You could focus on people who have an addictionissue.
(40:08):
And it's because I've gone through all of thosethings and have experience in those industries,
I'm able to incorporate it into this coachingthrough the lights, which has been such a
really cool transition to go from, I can't dothis.
I don't know enough.
(40:29):
No one will wanna learn from me.
I don't look like somebody who would wannalearn from who someone would wanna learn from.
And transition to it's not what I've donebecause in all essence, nobody cares about my
story, and I'm okay with that.
It's that I've gone through these things, andthis is what I've learned.
(40:53):
This is what you're gonna gain from listeningto what I have to share.
Right.
Yeah.
That's how you find your purpose.
That's how you find your niche of, I've gonethrough this.
What do I wanna teach?
Okay.
I know what I wanna teach.
What do they learn?
What do they gain from the things that I'mteaching them?
And it's in that end goal that you find yourpurpose.
(41:17):
Right.
And you mentioned at the modalities, is itthrough lights
It it is.
So you can incorporate other modalities suchas, like, craniosacral therapy, massage
therapy, psych psych you can go through, like,therapy sessions.
(41:38):
You can go to, rehab sessions.
You can do acupuncture.
You can get cupping.
All of these modalities have a differentpurpose.
So based on what the per the person is in forwould depend on the modality that you use.
And then the lights themselves amplify theeffects of whatever you're doing with it
(42:01):
because your body is receiving it on a moreholistic level.
Right.
So when you say lights, is it almost like, likethe thermogenic?
Could you just describe as to what that mightlook like, the lights?
Yeah.
So the lights use ultra high frequency andbiovoltaic energy.
(42:27):
So that part, you have different plasmas, andthat those plasmas have a lot of there's a lot
of science behind the plasma that inconjunction with the frequency helps your body
be more receptive to whatever energy is comingin.
(42:47):
Oh.
So so for example, the lights that we currentlyhave, there's two tuning forks on it, and the
tuning forks are a specific frequency.
Based on the issue the person is coming in forwill depend on the frequency that we
potentially use, because that can penetrateyour body at different levels.
(43:12):
So for example, one frequency penetrates moreso at the joint level, whereas the other
frequency penetrates more on, like, the chakralevel.
So it's more of like an energy space.
Right.
And then other frequencies may penetrate moreon, like, the musculoskeletal level.
(43:34):
So helping people with physical trauma, whetherit be from, like, a physical sports injury or
abuse or any of those sorts of things.
I see.
Okay.
Perfect.
Your final question, Catherine.
This has been such a powerful conversation.
Thank you so much for sharing such valuableinsights as to what I you know, not just
(43:57):
addiction, but your, like, amazing and powerfuljourney you have gone through.
And I'm just, you know, very appreciative ofeverything that you have achieved, you know,
whilst, you know, you battle through addiction.
So your final question, Catherine, what lessonsdid you learn from recovering from addiction?
(44:21):
And I'm sure some of those lessons were noteasy, but can you share with our viewers as to,
you know, what do we need to learn in in thatmoment?
Well, I think, you know, everybody is at adifferent place in their healing journey.
(44:42):
And oftentimes, people get into an addictionbecause they've gone through something
traumatic or they're in a space that justdoesn't resonate well with their soul, with who
who they say they wanna be, what life they saythey wanna live.
And the biggest thing that I would say thelesson that I learned was identify the things
(45:11):
that no longer serve you.
And some of you know, like I've said earlier,some sometimes that can be people, and it can
be really, really hard to let those people go.
But in being brave enough to say, hey.
This doesn't fit well with my life anymore.
(45:34):
I need a change.
Until you get to that point, you're not goingto change.
Nothing's going to change.
Right.
And so I definitely encourage anybody who iswithin an addiction, personality or in the
midst of an addiction, the biggest thing that Ican say is really sit with yourself and ask
(46:01):
yourself, what am I achieving by relying soheavily on this thing or this idea or this
person that I'm gaining from it?
Because most of the time, people continue to dowhatever it is they're doing with that
addiction because they're gaining somethingfrom it.
(46:23):
So what am I gaining from being addicted tothis thing or person or idea, And how is it
negatively affecting me?
Right.
Yeah.
And it's in that polarity that you really haveto look and see the cost and benefits of this
thing and go, is it more beneficial for me tocontinue using it, or am I gonna be more
(46:47):
beneficial by losing it?
And the withdrawal from an addiction is it's areally hard space to be in.
It really is.
Partly because people who have never beenthrough an addiction don't know or understand
what it feels like.
So oftentimes, you may feel like you'reisolated, like no one understands you.
(47:12):
But it's in remembering and reminding yourselfthere are lots of people who have gone through
an addiction.
I mean, just go to an AA meeting and you'resurrounded by people who have been in that
space or who are in that space and whounderstand what you're going through.
They may not understand your exact story andwhy you got to where you're at, but they
(47:38):
understand what it feels like to go, I can'tlive another second without this thing.
Right.
Exactly.
So so most so it's important to have a supportsystem.
Yes.
Yes.
Because
you're there, you know, with, like mindedindividuals who have gone through that same
thing to to have that support.
(47:58):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, you know, when I went through my addictionrecovery, I didn't really have anybody.
So I did it alone, and I truly feel like had Ireached out and mentioned it to just anybody
that they would have been supportive, that theywould have been like, what can I do to help
(48:20):
you?
Who do I need to call?
Where do I need to take you?
Do you need to go to rehab?
And part of that would have been so helpful andbeneficial.
And at one point, you know, my mom did ask, youknow, do you need to go to, you know, rehab?
And I said no.
Partly because at that time where I was at, Iwas not in a space of I need this thing
(48:44):
anymore.
I was in a space of I feel good.
I have it under control.
I feel emotions still, but I'm working throughthem a little bit better and a little bit
easier.
And addiction recovery is a process.
(49:05):
It's not gonna be perfect.
You may relapse.
But one thing that I know for certain is thatif I had access to these lights and this
technology when I was at my worst, I would nothave relapsed.
I would not have taken as long as I thought Iwould in getting through it.
(49:27):
And actually, physically, and emotionallyprocessing those pent up emotions and energies
that I had stored that I was numbing myself to.
And that's what it was.
I was numbing myself so I didn't have to feelit.
Right.
What advice would you give to to someone toargue with listening?
(49:51):
What advice would you give someone who is goingthrough an addiction and then you don't know
how to navigate what they need to do, whetherit be, you know, physical, mental, emotional,
what advice would you give?
Yeah.
That's a that's a great question because thatcan be very difficult to navigate.
And oftentimes, an addiction is interwoven withall three, physical, emotional, mental, because
(50:18):
it was a mental thing that got you addicted tothe physical thing, and then your body stored
that story.
So now chemically, you are Yes.
Needing that thing to provide whatever outcomeyou're getting, whatever positive thing that
you're getting from it.
So I would say start with recognizing I have aproblem.
(50:45):
Mhmm.
Recognizing I'm in an unhealthy behavior.
And if you don't recognize it, you know, it isokay to listen to other people and say, hey.
I don't think this is a healthy thing.
Yeah.
But asking the right people.
So not going to somebody who's never beenaddicted to something, going to somebody who
has been through that sort of thing, reachingout to a coach, a mentor, even just going to an
(51:11):
AA meeting regardless if you are addicted toalcohol.
It's just listening to them talk about the factthat they have this addiction or this addictive
personality can help you in opening up becausevulnerability and asking for help is how you
(51:34):
get help.
Absolutely.
100.
Catherine, this has been such a powerfulconversation.
You know, I've we've thoroughly enjoyed.
I'm sure the viewers really enjoy thisconversation.
And where can people connect with you?
They can connect with me on Instagram.
(51:57):
I'm the kathryn bobb, and that's k a t h r y nb o b b.
Perfect.
Well, thank you so much, Catherine, and thankyou so much for everyone for tuning in today.
Catherine, you have shared such valuableinsights, and I know, you you know, it wasn't
(52:20):
easy overcoming the battles with addiction and,you know, your journey as an athlete, led you
to becoming an entrepreneur and how thoseskills really are necessary.
And, you know, I just wanna thank you forcoming on today's show.
But, you know, ladies and gentlemen, we've hadthis amazing conversation with Catherine Baum.
(52:44):
And remember, as you are battling addiction ofany kind, you know, there is always support.
We wanna reach out to people.
And this is the way, as Catherine mentioned,you know, you are gonna be on that healing
journey.
So don't be embarrassed.
Don't be shy to ask for help.
And on the root of overcoming the battles ofaddiction, you know, you find your pathway.
(53:10):
You find your purpose.
You find as to what you're here to really do.
And, you know, there's no more greater thanhaving a life that you desire.
So we've come to the end of another amazing,powerful episode with Catherine Bob.
If you've enjoyed the conversation, do like andsubscribe to the channel.
(53:34):
In this way, we can bring amazing guests to theshow.
Until next time, stay tuned, and always get thehelp that you deserve.
Bye for now.
Thank you, Catherine.
Of course.
Hey, everyone.
Welcome back to another episode of Ask theExperts podcast.
We have a very special guest today.
If you have battled addiction, you or yourfamily member has battled addiction, what are
those challenges perhaps that you might begoing through?
(00:24):
What support system do you provide someonewho's going through addiction and has changed
their life around?
My guest today, Catherine Barb, she is awellness coach and an entrepreneur.
But her journey began to entrepreneurship.
She has been a dedicated athlete facing in thehighs and lows of competition, And I know what
(00:50):
that feels like because I was, as a Latinoballroom, also competing.
So I know what that feels like.
You go through highs and lows, but also you gothrough injuries.
But Catherine also faced addiction.
These personal challenges became the cruciblewhereby it fueled Catherine to you know, her
(01:14):
passion began to break in helping other peopleto break through their barriers and take the
step that they needed to live the life thatthey desire.
Through years of recovery and transformationgrowth, Catherine began to realize resilience
(01:37):
and sustainable success was the path she wantedto be.
And I'm so glad she chose.
Welcome, Catherine, to the show.
Thank you, Alka, for having me.
That was, you know, such an amazingintroduction, and I'm just so happy to be here
and so grateful that you offered to have me onyour podcast.
(02:00):
So thank you.
Yeah.
You're welcome, Catherine.
Let's start with can you share what drew you toathletics and how began to shape your early
identity.
Can you share moments?
(02:20):
Sure.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
So I grew up I was the youngest of the two.
I have one older brother, and he was anathlete.
He played hockey, and he was, in all essence,my hero.
Like, I wanted to be just like he was athletic,popular.
And so I started having an interest inathletics as well, and I started as a gymnast.
(02:47):
And with gymnastics, you know, it's very hardon the body, lots of tumbles, lots of falls.
And in those falls, I sustained quite a bit ofinjuries.
And it got all the way up to my collegiatelevel gymnastics before I had the worst injury
of all.
I actually broke my back in 2010.
(03:09):
I was 19 years old.
And there was a lot of psychological issuesthat happened from that injury as well.
Like, I could no longer do gymnastics.
I was thinking, you know, what is this injurygoing to do to my body?
Am I even gonna be able to walk again?
(03:29):
Am I even gonna be able to Uh-huh.
Run and be active, or is this gonna besomething that is gonna be debilitating for me
for the long run?
And so one of the things that I had to dothrough my recovery was go to physical therapy.
And it was in that physical therapy that Irelearned how to have hope within my body after
(03:53):
after an injury.
And it's it was that mindset that actually ledme into the entrepreneurial journey as well as
my own personal healing journey.
And it's it's interesting.
Everybody's journey is so different, and itwasn't until right after I had had my first
(04:14):
surgery that I actually started to learn whatunhealthy coping mechanisms actually were.
So, you know, having changed my entire life, Ihad to get surgery.
I couldn't be a gymnast anymore.
Like, my identity was wrapped around.
I'm a gymnast.
I'm a student athlete.
(04:35):
And that whole mentality shifted from thatinjury to what do I wanna do now?
And a lot of people who aren't in that, like,solution oriented mindset or growth mindset
will go, oh, woe is me.
I don't wanna keep doing this.
You know, they may end up being suicidal or gointo these tendencies of addiction, which I
(05:03):
might and I'll go into my addiction story alittle bit, in a little bit.
Sure.
Yeah.
That came from much earlier on.
Mhmm.
But the mindset itself of what do I wanna donext came from that whole idea of bringing hope
back to the body after an injury.
And so I ended up going to massage therapyschool, and I became a massage therapist.
(05:28):
And my slogan was bringing hope back to theworld one body at a time because I really truly
wanted to work with athletes.
And I have worked with quite a few professionalathletes who've gone to the Olympics, who are
pro baseball players, who are pro wrestlers,MMA fighters, and it's working with these
(05:48):
elite, athletes has truly gotten me to where Ilove working with athletes.
I love working with people who have gonethrough injuries.
Maybe they may not be a collegiate level or aprofessional level athlete, but, you know,
having those injuries can affect you mentallyin do I wanna keep doing this, or can I keep
(06:15):
doing this?
Or can I even recover to do this again?
Mhmm.
Because there are some injuries that, like myback, prevent you from being able to do that
thing again.
So, you know, it it was in shifting thatmindset from, you know, being so disciplined
and so structured in going to gymnastics fourfour days a week, training on the off days,
(06:38):
going to school that then led to the injury,which then shaped the way that I did my
business.
So I was always this go, go, go, very hard workethic person, and I still am.
But I've modified it a little bit to be moretailored towards, you know, my lifestyle.
Right.
(06:58):
And with that, you know, that mentality hasshifted me towards, life integration, which is
is similar in concept to work life balance.
But a lot of really successful entrepreneurswill tell you, like, there is no work life
balance.
Mhmm.
When you are in your purpose, you actually getto live the life that you've built.
(07:24):
And part of that is having the people who youdo business with, they're your friends or your
family, and you include them in the things thatyou're building because you're so passionate
and happy to have them in that space with you.
And so that kinda leads me towards, you know,where my addiction began.
You know, my dad was one of my heroes growingup.
(07:48):
Like, I I'm total daddy's girl.
I love him very dearly, and I watchedeverything he did.
And part of that was in his eating habits.
And so I picked up on those unhealthy eatinghabits where, you know, I would grab the bag of
M and M's instead of grabbing the bag ofblueberries or bag of strawberries.
(08:11):
And it it was in that mentality of I wanna bejust like my dad.
I started gaining a lot of weight.
And in gaining that weight, I started changingmy relationship with food, and I became
addicted to food.
And it was more of the sugary foods, and more,you know, emotional comforting foods that I
(08:37):
would tend towards.
And so that's when I started realizing, okay.
This is an unhealthy coping mechanism.
What am I trying to cope with?
And it was the internal realization that I'vepicked up on a habit from somebody that I love
very dearly and value the things that he doesvery dearly that I'm having a hard time saying
(09:04):
no to it because it doesn't serve me.
And I didn't want to admit that it wasn'tserving me because I was like, well, no.
He's my dad.
He's my hero.
This is something that's great.
He's doing good on it, but in reality, hewasn't.
And I was angry for a long time that why wouldhe choose the these foods if it was killing
(09:26):
him?
Why would he do this?
Why would he do that?
But I was projecting that anger onto hischoices rather than, you know, being angry at
myself of I'm choosing to do the same thingthat he was doing rather than choosing the
things that true I truly value.
(09:48):
And over the years, I've recognized that I'veheld on to specific, habits that other people
have taught me.
For example, my first boyfriend that I was everwith, he was the first person who introduced me
to marijuana or pot or, you know, however youwant it, cannabis.
(10:09):
And I held on to that for such a long time thatinitially, it was like, did it recreationally
because it was something fun to do.
I enjoyed it.
And then I stopped for a while while I wasgoing through the rehab process of fixing my
back, going to physical therapy, and doing themental work that needed to be done from all the
(10:32):
things that encompass that whole injury.
And then when I went back to college after sixmonths of being off, so I did have to leave
college, ended up going to a different college,broke up with that boyfriend.
I did a whole purge.
I did a whole purge.
I got rid of the people that weren't servingme.
I got rid of the places that weren't servingme.
(10:53):
And in doing that, I went to this new place.
But in this new place, I still carried thoseunhealthy behaviors because it was familiar.
Mhmm.
And staying with those familiar things, it keptmaking me stagnant in the things that I wanted
to achieve and grow in.
(11:14):
So, I I feel like that was a very long windedanswer, but answered your questions.
Absolutely.
I mean, you could expand.
I mean, this is your show, so you can alsoexpand.
But you know what?
I wanna just touch upon you know, we talk aboutwork life balance, and a lot of people,
entrepreneurs, they talk about work lifebalance.
(11:36):
But I love the idea of what you said that whenyou are creating, you know, work life balance,
when anyone's creating, is doing it creating itwith people that you love to do it with because
you're building a legacy.
And I find, you know, you're building a legacyat the same time.
And I think that is so cool because then asyou're building out your your business, having
(12:00):
the work life balance, work into it, you know,really is great.
Yeah.
And, you know, one of the things that one of mymentors talks about is you you are the the
epitome of the three most important people inyour life, the the three people that you spend
the most time with.
(12:22):
You are the average of those three people.
And so if those three people aren't operatingat the same level that you're operating at,
there's a very likely chance that you're notgoing to reach your goals because they're not
maybe uplifting you as much or they don't haveas high energy as you need in order to get to
that next level of you or of your business.
(12:45):
And I think that, you know, entrepreneurship initself, building a business in itself is, like,
the ultimate way to go through your own growthand healing journey because you are constantly
being bombarded by these things that aremirroring where you're currently at and where
your current struggles are at.
(13:06):
So for example, I just recently went to abreath work session, with one of my friends.
She has a mutual friend who lives here on theisland as well.
And there were moments where I was like, thisguided meditation isn't sitting well with my
nervous system.
And so I just did my own thing.
(13:28):
Mhmm.
And afterwards, she asked me, oh, how'd youlike it?
And in front of him, I wanted to be polite.
So I was like, you know, I liked it.
It was good.
But afterwards, when we got in the car, I waslike, you know, I felt like there were pieces
that didn't sit well with my nervous system,and so I went and did this.
And she her response was, well, you know,that's kind of breath work, especially guided
(13:50):
breath work.
Like, you do what feels good to you.
Right.
It's it's there for guidance.
It's not there as you have to do this specificprotocol.
And entrepreneur entrepreneurship is the sameway where there are proven business models that
you can follow, but there are certainprotocols, for example, that you have a little
(14:12):
bit of freedom to be creative within.
And it's in that freedom and creativity thatthat's where you find your your space.
Once you get into this this rhythm, if youwill, of I I know what I do.
I know what people gain from the things that Ido, and you love doing it.
(14:36):
Life is that.
It's in creating more of that.
And for such a long time, I was in theheadspace of what can I do for other people
rather than what do people gain from what I cando?
And it's in that little shift of mindset thatallowed me to fully sit in what is my purpose.
(15:04):
Mhmm.
And for me, I truly believe that my purpose isin helping people through the same, if not very
similar limiting beliefs or issues likephysical trauma, emotional trauma, addiction,
anxiety, depression, all of those things.
Having somebody to guide you through it knowingthey've gone through this and they've, you
(15:27):
know, on a daily basis, have to consistently belike, okay.
This is my energy level today.
This is where I want to be today.
Anything that doesn't fit this, gone.
And it can be hard to say that and to actuallydo that, especially when it comes to the people
(15:48):
that are in your life.
So, like, if it's a family member who youabsolutely love and adore, but they're not
healthy for you physically, mentally,emotionally, you gotta get rid of them.
Or you have to have that conversation of, look.
This isn't sitting well with me.
I need this, this, and this in order to be in agood environment for myself.
(16:10):
Are you willing to provide that?
And if not, how can we either make a compromiseor this has gotta go?
And that's really hard for a lot of people tocome to terms with.
And I truly believe that addiction is the exactsame.
You have to get to a point of I've had enoughof whatever it is, whether it's a person or an
(16:34):
addiction or or nicotine, you know, it is it isan addiction, and it's a chemical addiction at
that point because your body is like, I needthat that hit of dopamine, or I need that hit
of nicotine in order for me to be able toprogress further in my day.
(16:54):
It's it's in creating this story of I need thisto get through the day that I think people
really struggle with, and that's where, youknow, the business that I am now in as the CEO
is in helping people overcome that limitingbelief, that story, because that story actually
(17:17):
makes it so that people can't progress.
It stops them from living the life that theydream of.
And I've heard so many stories of peoplesaying, oh, I was addicted to meth or heroin,
and it ruined my relationship with my wife ormy husband.
And in doing so, I lost custody of my kids.
And it's like just these awful horror storiesthat you hear from people that it's it's so sad
(17:43):
that they've allowed this one insignificantthing that they've told themselves I need it in
order to live for them, and they just they fallapart.
Their whole world falls apart because of thisone little story, and it's in changing that and
getting them to switch that off within theirown bodies and their minds and their spirit
(18:08):
that allows them to have that life that theytruly desire.
Right.
How do you how do you help your clients?
And, you know, that that's very interesting.
And I've always been very curious.
You know, you mentioned, you know, people wantthat that one thing.
They can't live without it.
You know, it's like you can't live withoutbreathing, but I can only imagine how that
(18:33):
could feels like.
How do you help your clients?
How what is the root cause of addiction, andhow do you help your clients alleviate that
issue?
Sure.
So I truly believe that addiction is animbalance between your brain chemistry as well
(18:56):
as this you're you're having a need met.
And a lot of that happens with the story thatyou tell yourself, but then also the, the
things that you have access to, the resourcesthat you have access to.
And in today's day and age, we have such a vastamount of things available to us that it's so
(19:22):
easy to drop into an addiction, whether it beporn or food or narcotics or even a person.
Like, you can be addicted to a person too.
And, you know, that's called codependency.
Right.
But I I truly believe that it's it's in thisimbalance that you have with yourself.
(19:44):
Usually, when we cling to something, whether itbe a substance or a person or an idea, it's
because that has we've been we've toldourselves that that's safe, that this is what I
need in order to get through my day, in orderto get through my life.
And the way that I help people through that is,a, you know, I listen.
(20:09):
I listen with open ears, and it's not to listento respond.
It's to listen to let them get out what theyneed to get out.
And oftentimes, and I'm gonna say 99% of thetime, what the answer that they need is in
here.
It's in their own head.
They have their own answers.
(20:29):
They just don't want to admit that they havethe answers, and they don't want to trust in
themselves enough to go, yes, I know theanswer.
I have the answer.
This is the answer, and it's not this.
But they place the responsibility of their ownhappiness on this thing or this person or this
(20:53):
idea.
And when it doesn't work out right, they don'thave they don't have to blame themselves for
the choices that they've made.
They blame it on this thing Mhmm.
Or the other person.
And that's where you have relationship issues,and then that's where you go into addiction.
And the way that I help them through that isthrough, you know, this company that I have
(21:16):
been the CEO of now.
We have these devices that operate on afrequency and photovoltaic, energy that
penetrates your body on the cellular level.
It helps to alter the frequency within yourbody itself so that things like addiction or
(21:38):
codependency have no place in your body.
It increases the amount of light energy thateach of the water molecules has within your
body, and that alone allows your body to and Ican't say heal yourself because it's not an FDA
approved, you know, device or modality, but ithelps your body have a better coherence of
(22:05):
itself.
So you're you're able to be more self aware.
You're able to identify where did thisaddiction start or where did I go wrong in
saying that this is the end all be all to thenext step.
And the lights themselves help the individualdo all of this processing internally.
(22:31):
I come in with energy work, massage therapy,and I also partner with other practitioners who
do different modalities like psychiatrists ornutritionists to help people identify where
exactly is this, dysfunction within theirhabits.
(22:53):
Is it you know, that they have this idea thatthey have to eat three times a day at specific
times?
Or is it that they have to eat, you know, thistype of macro and then this type of macro and
at certain times?
So it's it's in identifying where is thisdysfunction within this habit.
(23:14):
Is it the idea that you wanted to, you know, bemore sexually adventurous with your partner?
Yeah.
Okay.
How do we do that within a healthy boundary foryou so you're not exceeding this and diving
into an addictive personality disorder likegoing and watching porn on a daily and stuff
(23:35):
like that?
Yeah.
So it's in recognizing where the problem is.
And then putting them through these lightsallows their body to alter its state so it no
longer has the drive or desire to go towardsthat unhealthy behavior.
(23:56):
But they first have to accept themselves asthey are in the space that they're in, in that
addictive personality space, and recognize,okay, I've done this to myself.
Once they get to that point, then that's wherechange and transformation truly happens because
(24:16):
they're like, it it loses its power over them.
It's it's incredible to watch somebody go fromone session of I, you know, I just smoked a a
joint.
I had a really rough day.
To then the next day, they've had a lightsession, and they're, like, completely
different.
They're like, wow.
(24:36):
I feel so good.
I may have had a really stressful day, but itdoesn't impact me as much.
It almost allows people to separate themselvesfrom the emotion and, you know, feel the
emotion because our emotions only last sevenseconds.
But it's that attachment to that emotion thatwe get stuck on.
We're just like, I'm angry.
(24:59):
I'm always angry.
Well, now you've created this story that youare always angry
Angry.
Yeah.
And that and that you react so negatively tothese stressors.
Well, now you can separate yourself.
You say, okay.
I'm experiencing anger.
Why am I experiencing anger?
Do I want to be experiencing anger, or is thisan unhealthy amount of anger?
(25:21):
Right.
And then transition into how do I actually wantto respond to this moment in the person that I
say that I am and who I truly wanna be.
Absolutely.
Recognizing.
I think oftentimes, you know, just recognizing,being realistic, you know, this is me and this
(25:42):
is the issue, the problem that I have, butquite often, most people don't want to
recognize.
Let's go back to what were some of thememorable moments that the challenges that you
had experienced during your competitive years?
(26:02):
So some of the challenges so some of thechallenges that I experienced?
Challenges and memorable moments.
As an athlete?
Yes.
Okay.
So I would say that some of the challenges thatI experienced as an athlete was a, I was an
(26:22):
overweight athlete.
Mhmm.
So not only did gymnastics or does gymnasticshave a huge impact on your joints, but if you
add that extra weight on top of it, that justexponentially, you know, aggravates those
joints.
Right.
And so even even today, I have issues with myfeet and my ankles, and then one of my hips.
(26:44):
But I still work out.
I still am am active.
I go to the gym almost every day.
My full time job, outside of being the CEO ofthis company, I'm is a very active job.
I'm a scuba instructor.
So I'm out swimming.
I'm lifting tanks, helping people out of theirseat with this 55 pound tank plus the weights
(27:06):
in their company
plus them.
So, I mean, it's it is a very physical job, butI love it.
I enjoy it, and I love being active because mybody loves to be in motion.
And, you know, one of the the the rules ofphysics is, like, a body in motion stays in
motion.
A body in rest stays at rest.
Right.
So we wanna stay moving.
(27:26):
Because when I stop moving, that's when thingslike depression and anxiety start to come into
play.
And then I would say some of my memorablemoments as an athlete, in gymnastics, you know,
as you progress and get better, the skills thatyou are supposed to learn how to do and be able
(27:51):
to do get harder.
And there was a a specific skill on the unevenbars that I was working towards, and I was able
to achieve it, and I was super excited.
And I celebrated it.
My teammates celebrated it.
And then, you know, two days go by, I come backfor practice, and it's like nothing even
(28:16):
happened.
And I was like, okay.
But Oh, no.
But with that, I think that that was a lessonin itself of celebrate your wins, but don't
stay in that space because that's where you getcomfortable.
And growth doesn't happen in comfortability.
(28:38):
So you want to continue to get better.
You want to continue to learn new skills.
And it's just entrepreneurship.
You know, as you progress from employee to, youknow, maybe a manager to then maybe owning your
own business, the skill sets involved graduallike, I would say exponentially get harder
(29:00):
because of all of the extra things that youhave to remember.
Oh, yeah.
I have to do this.
I have to do income and expense reports.
Yeah.
So so things like that that as an employee, youwouldn't necessarily know how to do.
Mhmm.
True.
And then another really fond moment I had waswhen I was actually playing volleyball in high
(29:20):
school.
As a short person that I am, you know, I'm onlyfour foot eleven, I played the role of setter,
and usually, they're not doing a whole lot ofjumping.
Well, there was a meet that we were at, and theother team had put the ball over the net onto
(29:43):
our side.
Uh-huh.
And I had the opportunity to, jump up and slamit back down in their faces, and I did it.
And I was so excited that I because I was like,oh my god.
I made it over the net.
Right.
But I jumped over the line, and so they tookthe point away.
(30:05):
And I was very sad, but I was still superexcited that I was able to get over the net.
I was like, oh my gosh.
I can do it.
That's amazing.
Oh, I'm so glad you did because, you know, it'sjust that fact that, you know, we, you know,
hit the bar or whatever the case may be, but atleast we attempted to do it.
(30:26):
And it's it's almost like, Catherine, it's alsoit's almost like seeing what is your what's
next.
Because, like, you don't stay comfort,although, you know, you've been you've had a
successful day, you've had a successfulbusiness.
But then it's like, okay.
What's next?
Like, what are you looking forward to?
So it's almost like that.
(30:48):
So I really do find, you know, when success ishow are you also planning out your, you know,
your days, your year.
So, you know, you have that momentum going.
You know, as our mentor likes to say, you know,have that momentum and always be in that flow.
(31:11):
How would you define sustainable success, andhow has it helped you to, you know, achieve and
helping your clients?
It's a great question.
So sustainable success, I would say, is, youknow, creating a system and and operations that
(31:36):
you can duplicate easily.
I love the acronym KISS.
Keep it simple or keep it super simple.
The the simpler the system, the easier it is toduplicate.
And if you're able to do that every single day,then you're gonna be successful in whatever
(31:58):
that is.
So whether it's a morning routine for yourskincare, Because that's something that can be
successful or not.
You know?
I could have a bunch of pimples, and youwouldn't say that I have a successful skin care
protocol or system.
Right?
Same with hair, same with businesses, same withyour life in general.
(32:19):
Mhmm.
So some of the things that I do to schedule outmy day is I actually use, our mentor, JT Fox's
brain, to help me in scheduling my day outbased on this is what I need to do, for my
personal responsibilities for this day.
(32:39):
So maybe it's a doctor's appointment, or maybeit's I need to go get groceries, And then
budget out enough time for getting there, youknow, standing in line at the checkout, getting
back home, putting that stuff away.
And it's actually in being intentional of Ineed to actually put it away and not just leave
(33:00):
the laundry sitting on the bed for three.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
It's it's things like that.
It's like they call it time blocking or, youknow, there's lots of different methodologies
in regards to scheduling out your day.
But it also comes down to when do you have themost energy in a day.
And Right.
Everybody's different.
(33:20):
Some people are night people.
Like, they have the most energy at night.
I don't understand those people because I wakeup early, and I'm like, I do stuff early in the
morning because I don't get bothered by otherpeople.
There's usually not as much traffic.
The gym is usually quieter.
And I can get a lot done in those hours thatmost people aren't awake.
(33:41):
So if I had a significant other or if I hadkids, they'd be waking up around 7AM.
Right.
But if I'm waking up at, like, 04:45, 5AM,that's two hours that I have that I could be
answering emails or taking some, you know, oneon one calls or doing a podcast interview,
things that, you know, can move the needleforward.
(34:04):
Or, you know, if that's your time where youhave the most energy, you wanna do things that
require the most energy.
So if it's something like, you know, buildingout an automation or building a a a funnel or a
landing page, do it during that time gap.
And then when your kids wake up, you know, doyour daily routine, start doing those things.
(34:26):
And then it's, you know, spacing it out whenyou have the available time and, again, being
intentional with your time.
So, you know, JT says every night he goes tosleep watching a movie.
For me, it's it's a very simple game that Iplay at night when I'm in bed, getting ready to
go to sleep, and it actually helps me go tosleep a little bit easier even though there's
(34:49):
some there's some science behind watching ascreen right before you go to bed.
But I haven't usually ever had that many issueswith sleep itself just because I love sleep.
I I thrive on sleep.
If I get between, you know, four to sevenhours, I'm usually pretty good.
(35:09):
When I get eight hours, sometimes I feel alittle groggy in the morning.
But it just depends on what I've done that day.
And I have noticed that on days where I don'tplan out time for me to exert myself and do a
workout or go for a swim or whatever, I feelless like going to sleep at the time I usually
(35:31):
go to sleep at because I still have all of thisenergy.
And so I'm like, what do I do with it?
Do I Right.
Yes.
Have you write a chapter in my book?
Do I do this?
Do I do that?
So, you know, planning ahead and using Chat GPTor your AI in order to be like, okay.
This is my deadline Mhmm.
(35:51):
For this project.
Give me a timeline of how much time I wouldhave to spend in a day in order to achieve it
by that timeline.
And if that's not feasible, then you may haveto move your timeline back a little bit.
And there's no shame in moving a timeline backat all.
But I usually plan my projects out based on,like, the networking events that I end up going
(36:15):
to.
So for example, in less than two weeks, I'mgoing to Mega Success.
Five day business networking event where I'mnot really gonna be doing much else in my
business other than networking Because that isalso a crucial part in, you know, building a
business is building those relationships withpotential investors or potential business
(36:38):
partners or even potential practitioners that Icould train and teach how to do the modality
and how to, you know, build their business offof this system and off of this model.
So And
I could I could never be a night night owl.
So, you know, we're talking about the energies.
I'm not a night person.
(36:59):
So my energy, I like to do everything duringthe day.
I like to get up early in the morning.
I'm up by five, and that's when, you know, I'mthe most productive.
But, you know, we choose our lane.
How has healing from addiction so how hashealing actually influenced your personal
(37:24):
journey, your personal your pathway to, youknow, becoming a wellness coach?
Because I'm sure it wasn't an easy easy path,like, initially when you first started.
Can you walk us through that process?
What was it like?
Sure.
(37:45):
So first and foremost, there was a lot ofimpostor syndrome.
I felt like, you know, who am I to be coachingpeople through addiction?
Who am I to be coaching people through buildinga business in sis you know, a sustainable
business for the long term?
And part of that was because, you know, I'vegone through these things.
(38:09):
People don't wanna learn from somebody who wasaddicted to this or addicted to that.
But in all essence, that's who they wanna learnfrom.
So that was identifying my limiting belief ofsaying, I'm not worthy of doing this because I
went through this.
Mhmm.
When in fact, it's the opposite.
Because I went through that, I have theexperience and the knowledge of this is what
(38:33):
I've gone through.
This is what I've studied and been told andshown and watched from other people that I've
coached and from other people who have gonethrough addiction to give this knowledge to
somebody to help them go through it faster.
Right.
To
help them skip those steps of maybe, you know,if you wanna open up a product line of maybe
(38:59):
starting with one product and not 50 productsbecause then you can focus on that one product,
get it successful.
Once it's successful, then you can move on tothe next product or the next two products and
make them tie together.
So a lot of the things that I've done in myentrepreneurial journey have mostly been in the
(39:21):
health and wellness space.
And it was in trying to figure out how can Itie them all in that it really led me to this
coaching position of teaching people how to dothe modality and teaching them how to create a
business around this modality?
And that includes pricing themselvesappropriately, scheduling, protocols, marketing
(39:47):
strategy, and all of that encompasseseverything that I've learned.
Right.
Because you can within the training, you canfocus on people who have anxiety.
You could focus on people who have PTSD.
You could focus on people who have an addictionissue.
(40:08):
And it's because I've gone through all of thosethings and have experience in those industries,
I'm able to incorporate it into this coachingthrough the lights, which has been such a
really cool transition to go from, I can't dothis.
I don't know enough.
(40:29):
No one will wanna learn from me.
I don't look like somebody who would wannalearn from who someone would wanna learn from.
And transition to it's not what I've donebecause in all essence, nobody cares about my
story, and I'm okay with that.
It's that I've gone through these things, andthis is what I've learned.
(40:53):
This is what you're gonna gain from listeningto what I have to share.
Right.
Yeah.
That's how you find your purpose.
That's how you find your niche of, I've gonethrough this.
What do I wanna teach?
Okay.
I know what I wanna teach.
What do they learn?
What do they gain from the things that I'mteaching them?
And it's in that end goal that you find yourpurpose.
(41:17):
Right.
And you mentioned at the modalities, is itthrough lights
It it is.
So you can incorporate other modalities suchas, like, craniosacral therapy, massage
therapy, psych psych you can go through, like,therapy sessions.
(41:38):
You can go to, rehab sessions.
You can do acupuncture.
You can get cupping.
All of these modalities have a differentpurpose.
So based on what the per the person is in forwould depend on the modality that you use.
And then the lights themselves amplify theeffects of whatever you're doing with it
(42:01):
because your body is receiving it on a moreholistic level.
Right.
So when you say lights, is it almost like, likethe thermogenic?
Could you just describe as to what that mightlook like, the lights?
Yeah.
So the lights use ultra high frequency andbiovoltaic energy.
(42:27):
So that part, you have different plasmas, andthat those plasmas have a lot of there's a lot
of science behind the plasma that inconjunction with the frequency helps your body
be more receptive to whatever energy is comingin.
(42:47):
Oh.
So so for example, the lights that we currentlyhave, there's two tuning forks on it, and the
tuning forks are a specific frequency.
Based on the issue the person is coming in forwill depend on the frequency that we
potentially use, because that can penetrateyour body at different levels.
(43:12):
So for example, one frequency penetrates moreso at the joint level, whereas the other
frequency penetrates more on, like, the chakralevel.
So it's more of like an energy space.
Right.
And then other frequencies may penetrate moreon, like, the musculoskeletal level.
(43:34):
So helping people with physical trauma, whetherit be from, like, a physical sports injury or
abuse or any of those sorts of things.
I see.
Okay.
Perfect.
Your final question, Catherine.
This has been such a powerful conversation.
Thank you so much for sharing such valuableinsights as to what I you know, not just
(43:57):
addiction, but your, like, amazing and powerfuljourney you have gone through.
And I'm just, you know, very appreciative ofeverything that you have achieved, you know,
whilst, you know, you battle through addiction.
So your final question, Catherine, what lessonsdid you learn from recovering from addiction?
(44:21):
And I'm sure some of those lessons were noteasy, but can you share with our viewers as to,
you know, what do we need to learn in in thatmoment?
Well, I think, you know, everybody is at adifferent place in their healing journey.
(44:42):
And oftentimes, people get into an addictionbecause they've gone through something
traumatic or they're in a space that justdoesn't resonate well with their soul, with who
who they say they wanna be, what life they saythey wanna live.
And the biggest thing that I would say thelesson that I learned was identify the things
(45:11):
that no longer serve you.
And some of you know, like I've said earlier,some sometimes that can be people, and it can
be really, really hard to let those people go.
But in being brave enough to say, hey.
This doesn't fit well with my life anymore.
(45:34):
I need a change.
Until you get to that point, you're not goingto change.
Nothing's going to change.
Right.
And so I definitely encourage anybody who iswithin an addiction, personality or in the
midst of an addiction, the biggest thing that Ican say is really sit with yourself and ask
(46:01):
yourself, what am I achieving by relying soheavily on this thing or this idea or this
person that I'm gaining from it?
Because most of the time, people continue to dowhatever it is they're doing with that
addiction because they're gaining somethingfrom it.
(46:23):
So what am I gaining from being addicted tothis thing or person or idea, And how is it
negatively affecting me?
Right.
Yeah.
And it's in that polarity that you really haveto look and see the cost and benefits of this
thing and go, is it more beneficial for me tocontinue using it, or am I gonna be more
(46:47):
beneficial by losing it?
And the withdrawal from an addiction is it's areally hard space to be in.
It really is.
Partly because people who have never beenthrough an addiction don't know or understand
what it feels like.
So oftentimes, you may feel like you'reisolated, like no one understands you.
(47:12):
But it's in remembering and reminding yourselfthere are lots of people who have gone through
an addiction.
I mean, just go to an AA meeting and you'resurrounded by people who have been in that
space or who are in that space and whounderstand what you're going through.
They may not understand your exact story andwhy you got to where you're at, but they
(47:38):
understand what it feels like to go, I can'tlive another second without this thing.
Right.
Exactly.
So so most so it's important to have a supportsystem.
Yes.
Yes.
Because
you're there, you know, with, like mindedindividuals who have gone through that same
thing to to have that support.
(47:58):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, you know, when I went through my addictionrecovery, I didn't really have anybody.
So I did it alone, and I truly feel like had Ireached out and mentioned it to just anybody
that they would have been supportive, that theywould have been like, what can I do to help
(48:20):
you?
Who do I need to call?
Where do I need to take you?
Do you need to go to rehab?
And part of that would have been so helpful andbeneficial.
And at one point, you know, my mom did ask, youknow, do you need to go to, you know, rehab?
And I said no.
Partly because at that time where I was at, Iwas not in a space of I need this thing
(48:44):
anymore.
I was in a space of I feel good.
I have it under control.
I feel emotions still, but I'm working throughthem a little bit better and a little bit
easier.
And addiction recovery is a process.
(49:05):
It's not gonna be perfect.
You may relapse.
But one thing that I know for certain is thatif I had access to these lights and this
technology when I was at my worst, I would nothave relapsed.
I would not have taken as long as I thought Iwould in getting through it.
(49:27):
And actually, physically, and emotionallyprocessing those pent up emotions and energies
that I had stored that I was numbing myself to.
And that's what it was.
I was numbing myself so I didn't have to feelit.
Right.
What advice would you give to to someone toargue with listening?
(49:51):
What advice would you give someone who is goingthrough an addiction and then you don't know
how to navigate what they need to do, whetherit be, you know, physical, mental, emotional,
what advice would you give?
Yeah.
That's a that's a great question because thatcan be very difficult to navigate.
And oftentimes, an addiction is interwoven withall three, physical, emotional, mental, because
(50:18):
it was a mental thing that got you addicted tothe physical thing, and then your body stored
that story.
So now chemically, you are Yes.
Needing that thing to provide whatever outcomeyou're getting, whatever positive thing that
you're getting from it.
So I would say start with recognizing I have aproblem.
(50:45):
Mhmm.
Recognizing I'm in an unhealthy behavior.
And if you don't recognize it, you know, it isokay to listen to other people and say, hey.
I don't think this is a healthy thing.
Yeah.
But asking the right people.
So not going to somebody who's never beenaddicted to something, going to somebody who
has been through that sort of thing, reachingout to a coach, a mentor, even just going to an
(51:11):
AA meeting regardless if you are addicted toalcohol.
It's just listening to them talk about the factthat they have this addiction or this addictive
personality can help you in opening up becausevulnerability and asking for help is how you
(51:34):
get help.
Absolutely.
100.
Catherine, this has been such a powerfulconversation.
You know, I've we've thoroughly enjoyed.
I'm sure the viewers really enjoy thisconversation.
And where can people connect with you?
They can connect with me on Instagram.
(51:57):
I'm the kathryn bobb, and that's k a t h r y nb o b b.
Perfect.
Well, thank you so much, Catherine, and thankyou so much for everyone for tuning in today.
Catherine, you have shared such valuableinsights, and I know, you you know, it wasn't
(52:20):
easy overcoming the battles with addiction and,you know, your journey as an athlete, led you
to becoming an entrepreneur and how thoseskills really are necessary.
And, you know, I just wanna thank you forcoming on today's show.
But, you know, ladies and gentlemen, we've hadthis amazing conversation with Catherine Baum.
(52:44):
And remember, as you are battling addiction ofany kind, you know, there is always support.
We wanna reach out to people.
And this is the way, as Catherine mentioned,you know, you are gonna be on that healing
journey.
So don't be embarrassed.
Don't be shy to ask for help.
And on the root of overcoming the battles ofaddiction, you know, you find your pathway.
(53:10):
You find your purpose.
You find as to what you're here to really do.
And, you know, there's no more greater thanhaving a life that you desire.
So we've come to the end of another amazing,powerful episode with Catherine Bob.
If you've enjoyed the conversation, do like andsubscribe to the channel.
(53:34):
In this way, we can bring amazing guests to theshow.
Until next time, stay tuned, and always get thehelp that you deserve.
Bye for now.
Thank you, Catherine.
Of course.
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