Dear Lover... with Amy Reid

05: Transforming Education: A Journey of Mental Health, Passion, and Self-Love with Katherine

August 04, 2024 • Amy Reid • Episode 5

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What if your passion for mental health could transform your teaching career? 

I'm excited to share this episode with a friend of mine - Katherine, an award-winning Teacher and School Counselor currently living in Dubai. 

We begin by exploring her inspiring journey from the UK to international education, delving into her transition from Teacher to School Counselor. Katherine's story is a testament to the power of pursuing one's passion, and she shares invaluable advice for educators looking to navigate the challenges of working abroad while balancing personal life and mental well-being.

Join us for an episode filled with wisdom, encouragement, and practical advice for educators around the world.

What we discuss:

09:19 Teacher's Journey to Mental Health

17:56 Building Relationships in International Teaching

30:11 Healing Through Mind and Energy

44:20 Empowering Children Through Creative Teaching

51:56 Self-Love and Acceptance in Education

57:17 Embracing Joy and Self-Love

Connect on Instagram and tag: @amyreidpoetry https://www.instagram.com/amyreidpoetry/

With Love and Gratitude always,

Amy

Speaker 1:

Welcome to, dear Lover, a space to dive deep into the unknown and celebrate diverse human creativity and devoted self-intimacy. My name's Amy and I'm here to get real and unscripted in sharing my journey of reclaiming my feminine nature and awakening into my truth. We'll be sharing conversations and stories on self-love, sensual embodiment, intimacy and creative empowerment, all with the intention to be on this journey together of coming home to our heart, embody the fullest expression of our sexuality and lead with love, compassion, play and joy. So let's trust, breathe and believe and create magic together. Thank you so much for choosing to tune into this. This interview and conversation is particularly for you if you're a teacher. Our intention for this, this episode, is to bring compassion to you, is to connect to other teachers and to bring light to the emotional challenges and obstacles that teachers face every day in this rewarding yet challenging profession. We talk openly and honestly about our own experiences. Catherine is also an international teacher and we're very open. In this episode you can hear the passion coming through, the passion that we have for our, for our profession, but also the honesty of the challenges that are faced. So I I feel, if you are a teacher, you're really going to connect to this episode and I would love to hear your feedback from this episode and, yeah, what you think, what your challenges are, your background, your story. So please reach out. For, yeah, please reach out, particularly if you're a teacher, and I hope you enjoy this episode.

Speaker 1:

So, without further ado, catherine, our guest today, is an award-winning teacher who has been teaching students aged 3 to 18 for the last 11 years in the UK and Middle East. Her passion lies in mental health and she has recently taken the jump from teaching to school counselling. She is a children's mental health and empowerment coach, theatre healer, access bars practitioner and currently living in Dubai. Enjoy the episode. Let's start off with, firstly, how we are connected, how we're connected. And, yeah, because me and Catherine have actually been connected for about two years now, just over two years, and we connected online via the Project Next workshop I have posted by Tony Robbins. Yeah, so we're we're both. We're both teachers, both international teachers and with an entrepreneurial spirit very much. And yeah've bonded and connected ever since. And yeah, tell us a bit about yourself, catherine, your a bit about your background, where you are right now yeah, so it was amazing.

Speaker 2:

I remember on the Tony Robbins page that we were all on. I remember you popping up as a teacher and I was like, oh, another teacher. And we just clicked, didn't we? And we've never actually met in real life. But, um, yeah, we will go to a real life in person Tony Robbins event one day. Definitely we'll do that together.

Speaker 2:

But I am a teacher well, actually, I'm currently a school counsellor, but I was a teacher. So I started off teaching in the UK and then and quit for a year to go traveling and it was amazing. And when me and my husband went traveling, we went around the world and there were three places that we really fell in love with and we were like, hmm, we could teach here, and those three places were Canada, the UAE and Australia. So we applied and we got Dubai. So we ended up moving to Dubai and we've been here seven years now. So I was teaching initially and then, during COVID, I learned lots about mental health and did lots of courses and things like cognitive behavior therapy and neurolinguistic programming and energy healing, and I'm now a full-time school counselor and I absolutely love it fantastic.

Speaker 1:

I love. Thank you for sharing. That was a really concise overview and, yeah, or dive, or dive much more into that. And I think, firstly, that's very inspirational to, I feel, many teachers. You know, I know myself. When I first started teaching, it was one of my goals and dreams to teach abroad and I was very inspired by a senior teacher who was planning to do just that and tell us a bit. Can you tell us a bit more for the teachers listening out there who right now may be teaching in in their home country with an aspiration to, to expand their experience and and take the leap to to international education, teaching education abroad? You tell us a bit about your experience there?

Speaker 2:

yeah, so I just felt a little bit stuck in the UK and I've always thought to myself once you start dreading going into work, that's when you need to make a change. So I've actually chopped and changed. Across the years I've had lots of weird and wonderful and wacky jobs and and I tried some other things, like I tried marketing, I tried advertising, I worked in a mental health prison, I worked in retail, I did makeup artistry. I tried all sorts of different things. And then I remember doing volunteer work in a school and I was like, ah, this is the one, I love it. So I applied um to go on the PGCE and trained to be a teacher and absolutely loved it.

Speaker 2:

And I remember in my first year of teaching I was like I am so lucky to have found my dream job and I put my heart and soul into it and I the first year was incredible. And then the workload just yeah, when I think in your first year you're super energized, you're super passionate, you want to well, you don't mind the 10 PM, late nights and working every weekend and it's just part and parcel of it. But then I started to miss out on social events and missed like parties and just always ended up having to say no because I always had so much work to do and I just I think, over time, gradually, it got to me and I always remember thinking, thinking I don't know how these amazing teachers who've got families, who've got young children or even older children manage to spend quality time with their families. Because, um, teachers are amazing and there's just just so much planning and preparation that goes into each and every day and all the targets need updating and all the marking needs updating and every day you're teaching five, six, seven lessons and every lesson needs preparing and it needs the books need marking.

Speaker 2:

The children put a lot of effort into their work, so you need to put a lot of effort into the marking. Then it's just a lot. It's a lot, it's an amazing job and it's it's a really hard job in terms of the admin that goes into it. It's not face-to-face teaching, it's almost like you do that, and as soon as the children go home, that's when your admin job starts. It's like almost two jobs in one. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

I feel like it's multiple jobs in one right, I feel like, as a teacher, that some people outside of education may not realize the extent, um, in the fact that teachers are, yes, they're teachers, they're educators, they're also counselors, they're also, um, yeah, dentists, yeah, social workers, all the range. You know the job description varies and and, yeah, and I feel like at the soul of it, at the heart of teaching, teaching is a creative career, like it's very creative, and I feel like a lot of um, teachers and my friends and I'm sure the people you know in education are very creative beings and you know they do, like you say, it's, it's, we do put a lot of heart and soul and energy into the lessons, but there's only to own it. There's an extent to which that can happen as well. Right, and yeah, what was your biggest in terms of personally for you like emotionally, and what was your biggest like struggle, your biggest thing that you struggled with emotionally in your story?

Speaker 2:

I always felt like I wasn't doing enough as the teacher. I felt like I was always failing, even though my lesson observations were outstanding, I always felt like it was never enough. I just couldn't keep on top of the marking and we had every piece that we marked. It had to be the children had to respond to the marking, it had to be cross with their targets, had to be cross-referenced with the national curriculum assessment and it's like there's just not enough time in the day to get the marking done and to plan amazing lessons. There's something you've got to give and then be an amazing wife, husband, daughter, son to your family and friends. And I found, like at the weekends I was always foraging, so I was like, oh, this could be good. Like if I ever went out for a walk, I was pine cones and you know, spend you spend so much of your own money as a teacher.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes yes, yeah, yeah and and I remember it, just gradually it was, it wasn't like an overnight thing, it was just gradual. I realized I had just I would was driving to work one morning and I was like I wish I could have a car accident and just crash into this tree so I could have six weeks off with a broken leg and just horrible thoughts about having accidents so that I wouldn't have to come to school. And yeah, it was pretty dark at times. Also remember sometimes driving to school in the morning so tired that I would either have to pull over or pull my window down to get some fresh air because I literally felt that I was going to fall asleep at the wheel. And and then I think it was when I was thinking I wish I could drive into a tree and sadly it wasn't. I remember telling one of my colleagues about that and they were like, oh yeah, me too.

Speaker 2:

I think that every day I think this isn't normal, this isn't normal. And then every day you're having to be Disney in front of all of the children and having to put on this like a mask that everything's, everything's always amazing. And yeah, so much energy goes into these lessons like being being like a Disney presenter, yeah. And then, deep down, I was like crumbling inside, yeah, and I remember actually one of my lesson observations didn't go very well. It was just an informal learning walk and this is the thing, like I don't know many careers where you are constantly assessed at how good you are at your job. So we would have our formal observations, then we'd have these learning walks where they'd come in and just watch the lesson and if it wasn't outstanding or anything less than outstanding, because we were in outstanding school, you were then like criticized and it's like you can't be perfect all the time, yeah, yeah, and I think that one didn't go particularly well.

Speaker 2:

I didn't have a teaching assistant with me that day because she was off sick and sometimes the lessons just can't be perfect because a child is having a meltdown in the corner and it's the nature of it, and I took it so personally and I invited them back. I said no, I know it wasn't a good lesson, come again. And they came again and it was fine, but it just I felt really inferior and inadequate and I felt like I was failing these children because, not, I don't know, not every, every moment of the day can be an outstanding lesson, and good isn't good enough, like it has to be. Yeah, everything has to be amazing, and so I remember thinking I just need a break from this, and so my husband was awesome yeah, sorry, go on.

Speaker 1:

What was the?

Speaker 1:

What was the?

Speaker 1:

Um, what? What was the thought that that inspired you to make that change, to really commit? I mean, you said about the, the thought of the having the having accidents and those intrusive thoughts, and, yeah, me too, I, that's the thing, it's, it's so, it's actually really common and it's not normal. And when I can definitely resonate with that and the thing it's, it's so, it's actually really common and it's not normal. And when I can definitely resonate with that and the feeling of, yeah, this is, this is what I want, rather than going into the classroom and you know, and it's, it's real, it's, it's very, it's very common.

Speaker 1:

But you said about that, what would you say is the yeah, yeah, is the thought that inspired you to make the change and commit to that change, because that can be scary to take that leap of faith, even though, even if you're really, really struggling, and that fear can be really instilled and because, as we know, teaching is a relatively stable job and it has lots of you know, yeah, it's a really great job, you're with kids and has lots of perks and things. But what was the? What was the thought that inspired you to commit to your change?

Speaker 2:

unfortunately for me, I had to hit rock bottom to realize. So I, um, I had a really tricky meeting with a parent one day and I was pinned up against the wall and I felt like he was going to attack me. Luckily he didn't, I was fine, but I my body then had a panic attack and I couldn't come in the next day. I actually got signed off for a week, um, and my body shut down. I ended up in hospital. I could not move and I was couldn't feel my arms and my legs and the doctor. I was convinced that I was dying and the doctor said no, this is a panic, um, it's a, it's a stress reaction in your body to an event that's happened. So luckily it was then half term, so I had another week off and then I couldn't go back to Monday, uh, to school. That following Monday I just still couldn't really move and it was weird. I've never experienced anything like that. I was having like a three-week panic attack. So I had another week up off and I went back to school and I was just shaking and I was having not in front of the children, but I was having panic attacks at the end of the day and I just knew something had to change. So luckily our school we got free counselling. We got like six weeks of free counselling if you needed it. So I went to see a counsellor, who was amazing, and I highly recommend that everyone sees a therapist or a counsellor because it just helps you reframe your thoughts. You get the tools that maybe you can't come up with by yourself and it makes you realize actually this isn't normal to be in this environment and for it be okay for teachers, for sorry, for parents to come in and physically assault you or verbally assault you even though you're trying your best for their child, and so that was really, really helpful.

Speaker 2:

And my husband as well was also a teacher and we both one night just said it's horrific, let's go and travel the world, let's quit our jobs and travel the world, because we just weren't enjoying going to work anymore and that was it. And we were like, ok, yeah, let's do it, we'll hand our notices in and go. So we did, um, and we left in January, rather than waiting the whole school year. Um, we handed our notices in and had the best, best nine months of our life just exploring the world, and I remember the first few weeks. We started off in Canada. I remember the first few weeks we were there I was like, oh, I kind of feel a bit guilty that I'm not at work, and then you soon forget that and it's like, yes, freedom, it's nice to feel free. It was amazing. Anyone who has not spent an extended amount of time traveling I highly, highly, highly recommend it.

Speaker 2:

I came back to life. I got my energy back. I got my sparkle back. I I came back to life. I got my energy back. I got my sparkle back. I definitely lost my sparkle, got my sparkle back. And that's when we were we decided we'd give working abroad a go. And he's probably the only teacher I've ever met that verbally says he loves his job. He loves teaching in Dubai. He absolutely loves it. It's everything and more he could wish for. And, yeah, I feel really lucky to have found my job and to be teaching. Mental health is, yeah, it's incredible.

Speaker 1:

I feel so, so lucky that and I'm really grateful that I transitioned into mental health yeah, it sounds like now I feel like it sounds like you can connect the dots going backwards, but at the time it was really difficult and really challenging but it took that leap of faith right and I think that's, you know, it's a good example for the kids and the students that they teach is to one, not be perfect and accept that no one's perfect and really, you know, in those challenging moments, the key, the number one key thing we can do is is look after ourselves and take care of ourselves and go inward and and yeah, and the work of I completely agree, yeah, like looking um sitting with a therapist and with a counselor coach to help you, guide you, to help yourself, is so, so empowering. And now you're helping kids with the same, so it's like a, it's a full circle and it's just amazing when you teach abroad.

Speaker 2:

I know you've taught abroad in lots of countries, more countries than me, um, but when you teach abroad it it makes teaching come alive again. It's like all fresh, all new the curriculums. I've worked in American curriculum schools, british curriculum schools. The curriculum's a bit different and it's just that exciting again, like that first year teaching. Everything is exciting again and it's amazing. International kids are so amazing because they just they've experienced travel, they've experienced transition.

Speaker 1:

There's so much, they're so open they're so open and and the multilingual.

Speaker 2:

The fact that they're multilingual as well just amazes me, amazes me, and we have 92 nationalities in our school and it's incredible and you get a piece of all these amazing cultures together and it's just. The best time is there and when you move abroad because you're not with your genetic family, you create these amazing families and school is like a family. It's like you're one tribe, we all. We've all moved to this different country together. We're one tribe, we all. You all become families.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, amazing thing that is I love what I love what you just said school becomes your family and that that's so true. That's even more true when you you might feel like, if you um, work and work and teach in your own country, but, but, like, I feel like international teaching amplifies that into a more like your chosen family. This is your chosen family. And yeah, I mean because I, I lived in Thailand. My setup in Thailand was that I, I worked with my best friends, like literally the classroom next door, you know, pop, pop over into the classroom whenever we had a small tiny moment in our day, and you know I also, we also all lived on the same floor in the same apartment building. I mean it, it was quite intense at times and private privacy rules and boundaries got got crossed and everything, all of that, but that's another story. And uh, but yeah, it is definitely like working with your best, like your friends definitely become your family abroad. And yeah, I can definitely, if you are a teacher, listen to this, thinking about that and thinking, you know, because the most common question I got was do you know anyone? You know I was like, no, I'm going on my own, and that's always been the case.

Speaker 1:

You know, when I moved to Thailand and I moved to I mean, to be fair, I did know one person, hong Kong um, but most of the time, like we don't know anyone and you, just, you make your family and you make really strong connections and really strong friends because you're all and you already.

Speaker 1:

The thing I love about it is that you already have something in common, right, you already have something in common, um, the fact that you want to go and live abroad and teach abroad, and you know, so it's, it's, yeah, it just it takes that leap of faith and that courage and the open-mindedness and patience patience as well and not and also not comparing your country to the country you're living in or the country that you've previously lived in. Right, letting go of any expectations, right, because I feel like some of my friends, and me included, put my hand up here. When I said I was moving to Thailand to teach, I had an envision, you know, you have an envision of like, oh, you're gonna be on a Thai beach and I used to get like Amy, why haven't you got a tan? I'm like I've been in the classroom yeah, I work.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I actually haven't been on the beach all the time, um, so, yeah, you know, it's like letting go of any, even though I used to do a lot of research before every transition I made and even though the amount, any research I did, like it was great, it settled my mind, but really, at the end of the day, when we got there, it's about letting go of any expectations and and things and going with it. But, yeah, the kids are very inspirational as well and they help you to. I think they inspire your own teaching practice to think outside the box as well and, you know, because you've got all the different cultural dynamics and influences going on and it's really exciting yeah, and you know what the best thing about Dubai is is that every day, when you open the curtains, it's sunny.

Speaker 2:

It's like you feel like you're on holiday just because it's sunny every day and all the apartments come with a swimming pool and that's part of the package. You get housing and you get your flights every year and you get your medical insurance and whatnot. But, yeah, it's like living in a. Actually, we did live in a hotel. That was where our, when we first moved here our housing, me and my husband, um, our housing was in a, in a hotel. We lived in a service hotel, so we got our bed sheets changed every day, oh my goodness, wow, living life a luxury, yeah, yeah it is amazing.

Speaker 2:

It just kind of brings a new lease of life to yeah, and it is still hard, like you say. People say, oh, you're so pale. Yeah, I don't. I'm black in the day, so when I get home the sun has gone in.

Speaker 1:

I can't tan in the evening exactly. I mean some let's talk about just really briefly, um, before we move on to another uh area of this conversation. It's like the challenges of international teaching or generally living abroad, because I feel like, yeah, it can get kind of glamorized. I was also really aware of like what I was. If someone went on my Instagram account during the time when I initially first left, for sure it was like I was on no wonder it would look like yeah so, yeah, exactly, it can get glamorized um what would you say is one of, yeah, the main challenges that you experienced living abroad.

Speaker 2:

I think like home is always home and, however hard you try and you make your apartment nice and you put your pictures up and you get your candles and your cushions, and it's never home like it's. But we're so lucky as teachers that we get the lovely long holidays and we can go home. But it's almost like this and it's quite transient, like you make close relationships and then they leave and new people come and people come and go, so that's kind of hard, but then it teaches you to be so much more resilient and it teaches you actually how to make relationships with people. Yes, you're kind of friends with your high school friends or university friends or, if you play a sport or whatnot, with your netball friends or whoever, and then you don't really make or need to make friends, but when you're over here you have to. You have to.

Speaker 2:

I've tried also. I remember going to like embroidery classes and painting classes and yoga and terrarium making. I've tried also. I remember going to like embroidery classes and painting classes and yoga and terrarium making. I've tried all the wacky and weird classes to try and meet people and make friends and I don't think you've done that in the UK. It forces you to become more social. So that's the hardest thing is obviously not having your family around. But it's so easy with communicating, like with video calling and whatnot it's it's so easy to keep in touch yeah, I completely agree about the relationships.

Speaker 1:

That is one of the hardest things that, the challenges that I found. But also I feel like my past prepared me for this and also my mum was very good at giving me some wise mum advice on this. Um, this was actually when I was back at uni and I made some really close friends and obviously at uni, once you graduate, you know people spread and you lose contact and I was really coming back from uni I was really like sad about this and I remember my mum saying to me she said you know, amy, like some of sometimes your friends are just for seasons of your life. Sometimes you're it's like that quote right, that sometimes friends are for your lifetime, some of the seasons. You know, amy, like some of sometimes your friends are just for seasons of your life. Sometimes you're it's like that quote right, that sometimes friends are for your lifetime, some of the seasons you know, and and it's it doesn't make it any less valuable and I love what you said about it.

Speaker 1:

It teaches you how to be resilient and it teaches you how to form relationships on a deeper level, because you don't know how long you've got together and for sure, like my relationships living abroad has there have been a deeper, more intimate intimacy about them. Because of that, because of just this environment, and that we're in and and yeah, emotions are high and everyone is away from their families, and yeah, so it does. It's uh, yeah, it's, it's amazing and it does, yeah, like it does, branch you out to do many, many different things that you wouldn't normally do, and I think that's, you know, that's amazing, especially as um being in environment when working with kids as well. It's an inspiration to, to, to be the example, to do that yourself.

Speaker 2:

So that's great, that's amazing yeah, we run lots of school clubs for the, for the children, but it's also good to say oh. I tried this at the weekend and I tried that and I tried drama improv and why don't you try this?

Speaker 1:

and I hit dragon boat racing just things I would never have done in the UK, exactly, exactly, yeah, yeah, I mean, one of the best memories I have from living in Hong Kong is is the dragon boat festival, the annual dragon boat, and this is this is like their main festival, their main sport in Hong Kong, right, and dragon boat festival and I was I was part of a dragon boat team and it was all teachers, it was good fun, like we were. It was like an international teacher dragon boat team paddleton, paddleton bears, that's what it's called. Maybe I'll, maybe I'll tag them and um, yeah, it was so much fun and I mean the hong kongers, the local hong kongers, took it really seriously. And, uh, we didn't, I guess. And um, but no, the best memory I have is is on race day um, the cap, the coach, the captain, I know, the leader of the team, uh, gave me the, gave me the position of the person being on the drum at the front of the boat with the banging the drum, uh, for the other people in the boat, and I freaked out and I said I don't think I could do this.

Speaker 1:

He just looked at me. He was like, amy, can you bang a drum? And I'm like, yes, I can bang a drum. It's like you're good. Then you have the strength to hold up the anchor, because that's the thing you have to like what there's a much so suspenseful moment at the beginning. You have to hold up the anchor and then, like the massive cannon goes off. This is all on me, like I have to do this. It's so much fun. You know, like Mai Taiai as well, I did my time when I lived in thailand and that's just. You know, it's something I just wouldn't do, right. So yeah, if you're thinking about it, just do it.

Speaker 2:

I think it's do it and even if you hate it and go back like even if you just the first term, I know plenty of teachers who've come just for a term. No, it's not for me. I want to be back with my family.

Speaker 1:

Yeah yeah, and that is the beauty of that was the thought that's always in my head. I was like you know what, if this doesn't work out, we can always go back. At least at least you won't regret it, right? I don't want to. My thought that got me on that plane.

Speaker 1:

Um, when I, when I was in my moments of doubt even though it was something that I was really 100% sure I'd been dreaming about it for years, you know. And, um, ever since, really, I I was a kid, ever since, because I lived in Hong Kong like, I feel like my experience living in Hong Kong and being in an international school from the I was in international school from the age of year three to year six, no, year five, year three to year five, so that was, I think, that inspired my experience to go back and do it on from the other side as a teacher, and so I pretty was certain that was what I was going to do. But obviously, like everyone had moments of doubt and that thought of like I don't want to be at the end of my life and have that wonder, right, have that wonder, have that um, just like, oh, I imagine, if I did this, so yeah, just do it, just do it just do it.

Speaker 2:

I think Tony Robbins taught us that, didn't he? When you're right, when you're rocking there at the end of your life, what do you want your life to have looked like?

Speaker 1:

exactly like. What do you want to be telling your grandchildren? Isn't that amazing, you know?

Speaker 2:

yeah, for me it was amazing here because I've learned that you can be a teacher in non-teaching settings. So after my first school year I became a private teacher for a VIP family, which was insane. It was so good. I got to travel around the world with them and it was just like the best part of teaching where I was just the teacher, like just teaching, without having to do any of the assessments and obviously a little bit of assessment, but without the planning, and everything was bespoke and creative and, like one of them loved the Lion King so we would make all the lessons about the Lion King and it was just so creative. It was lovely yeah.

Speaker 1:

I'm so glad you mentioned that like because just to open up people's minds of there is other options outside the classroom, like within education. That's what I've learned um having you know since resigning from the classroom of like yeah, there's so many other options as well and that's amazing.

Speaker 2:

What an amazing experience yeah, and in tutoring, like over here, it's huge business in teaching. You can be a full-time tutor and work four till eight and get more money than you can as a teacher. It's. It's amazing. I know you do teaching as well. I think, yeah, and then it gives you the day times. It's so lovely, yeah. Yeah, I did that for a little bit too, and it was so nice not having to wake up early and I'd have time to go to the gym or I'd go to the beach in the morning, yeah, and then a little bit of prep work, obviously before, and then I'd work four to eight and then that was yeah yeah, I've really enjoyed it.

Speaker 1:

That's what I've been doing, mostly alongside my my own business these past two years, like it's. It's that and it does. It's the flexibility and, whilst whilst you figure out, yeah, what, what we're doing in our own business, it's been, yeah, it's been great and I love. I love, like my background is in, yeah, individualized and teaching, so it is all individualized, it's one-to-one so and you get the relationships. You know, like some of the students I've had now are I've had them for like two, two years, over two years so really form a relationship with them, which I really love that's amazing and you can really get them when you're working one-to-one.

Speaker 2:

You can, you can. Oh the the learning is so accelerated.

Speaker 1:

It's incredible yeah, and, like you say, it's more creative. You can really instill your own creativity, but aim it towards the child's interest and creativity and what they're interested in.

Speaker 2:

And yeah, yeah, it is amazing and I think we were similar in that sense where we were both doing tutoring but then working on our own thing. So I'm a poor addict. I'm obsessed with learning at the minute, so I that's where I learned all of my, that's where I had time to learn about children's mental health and do my diplomas and do all my learning in that, so then I could really fall into alignment with my purpose. Yeah, I think that's what we did on our course together. It was all about finding your purpose, finding your why. Why are you here in this lifetime? What do you want to do?

Speaker 2:

And I realized I don't want to teach fractions anymore. I don't want to do that. I want to teach what children actually need to learn and what I. Well, what you feel children need to learn is how to understand and manage their emotions, how to become a master of their mindset, how to conquer life with so much resilience, how to learn about mental health. I feel like, once they've got that foundation and self-love, yeah, everything else will be so much easier then they're in the best place to learn about fractions exactly exactly.

Speaker 1:

I completely agree, like let's talk about now this, that flows really nicely. It flows really nicely. Let's talk about your current role now and personally as well, like your, the work that you've, you've learned in the courses and everything that you know. Yeah, you studied such a range, such a range of skills and and courses and healing and modalities in your own personal journey and share a bit about that. And also like how about some of the challenges that you see as a school counsellor in your current role as a school counsellor as well, with the children?

Speaker 2:

so for me covid was such a blessing, because during covid I hit rock bottom again, and that's when I was like okay, so one minute.

Speaker 1:

Sorry to stop you. Can you just realize what you just said? That's amazing. You just repeat that because you just said in the same sentence COVID was such a blessing, I hit rock bottom. That's amazing, like because so many people right that to have that in the same sentence is so good, you know, it shows your it shows your own personal growth and your resilience.

Speaker 1:

It literally the fact that you just said that shows your own resilience, your emotional resilience. Like COVID was just a blessing, which most people would be like, no, covid was not a blessing. I hit rock bottom.

Speaker 2:

I needed that. Like COVID was a blessing because it made me stop and it I got really bad anxiety, like I've had actually anxiety since I was little. I've I was. I say I've always had anxiety actually. No, I think I always have actually. I think we all have anxiety. Of course it's one of our emotions, but, um, it's uh.

Speaker 2:

I was exceptionally anxious as a child. I remember one of my first memories was of this memory where I was in a circle at nursery and just worried what other people were thinking about me and I thought, oh, that's quite, I was quite just a deep thinker let's not say overthinker, let's say deep thinker. I was always very concerned with what others thought of me and if I was good enough, and so in social situations I was always worried about what I was saying. I was very quiet as a result. I was very shy and I went through a lot of trauma as a child, as we all do yeah, all go through and I thought I dealt with it. I remember I got diagnosed when I was about 14 with anxiety disorder, so I was on medication for that. I really struggled with high school, but I just put it down to like, oh, everyone struggles with high school. Everyone hates high school and I thought I dealt with it. I've been seeing counsellors on and off since I was actually five years old Not consistently, I once when I was five, once when I was a teenager, then again at university. And, yeah, counselling has always saved me. It's always really really helped me. So it's something I will always continue to do and I make sure I see someone, maybe once a month, even if it's just for a debrief, but I think it's important to get that support.

Speaker 2:

But going back to COVID, all that came back, like my anxiety came back. I was having panic attacks again. I was just so anxious about getting COVID and I really hit rock bottom again and I felt awful, like really awful, really dark thoughts, didn't want to be here anymore, and so from then I was like, okay, something needs to happen and it can't. Just I don't, I didn't want to do the whole medication thing again. I so I went to a yoga retreat, which was amazing, and it taught me about breath work and how to actually heal your body on an energetic level.

Speaker 2:

And and then at the same time, I saw then um, a psychologist, and she did a lot of CBT work. And then from then, I was like, oh wow, this is, this has cured me. I want to learn how to do this so I can do this on other people, and so that's when I started training in it myself and it's just incredible, like the power of the mind and also the power of the body. Energetically, I my thing at the minute healing and I love energy healing. I've trained in access bars and data healing and it's amazing, once you shift the energy, how that changes. Everything is your mind.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so I feel like energy is the source, the energetic. At the end of the day, we're energetic beings and, going to the energy, it's the source, right, it's the source, and, yeah, definitely and if you think, like just on a scientific way, it our atom is 99.9999 nines and percent space space.

Speaker 2:

Exactly, we are space. We are space. Yeah, there's so much space for energy to transform us and I didn't realize that we a lot of our, like current nervous system responses are linked to traumatic event events from the past, from always our childhood or not always, but mostly our childhood that have been stored and then every time our body reacts in the same way. So that's why certain phobias and fears and we get anxious and situations, but once you shift that energetically, you don't get triggered. It's amazing. Everyone should, everyone should do energy healing. It's it's incredible. Also, obviously, the mind work as well, like working on your mind and energy together is really powerful.

Speaker 1:

Yeah yeah, this is exactly why, like the mission of the heart school to create space right, it's about creating space, space being really important because it's within the space that we can deeply heal ourselves, because we are space, and you know, and how do we give ourselves space? Firstly, by being present, right, what is space? You know how do we define space? It's, it's here now, space all around us and, yeah, and you know, I feel like giving ourselves that space to slow down, turn inwards. You know, look at ourselves, look at our limiting beliefs, look how our mind works, look at our past childhood traumas and and beliefs and experiences is so powerful and on an energetic level, like you say, and you know, and and seeing. Like you said, um, about the theta healing, access, access bars. I've had some sessions myself as well and seen some really deep transformations and you can feel it. I noticed even in my face. I look different as well. And you said have you had experience with kids doing this?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's amazing because it changes you on a cellular and dna level, like energy healing changes that and theta healing changes that. It's incredible. And, yeah, the kids are amazing because they're so open energetically and um, like kids often don't need. They don't need the energy healing that adults need, but um, with kids it it's amazing just by downloading unconditional love and acceptance, accepting themselves for who they are. That's all they need. And when, uh, with the, with the question you said what's the biggest challenge with school counselling, the parents will come saying my child has xyz, or they present xyz, or they they're afraid of rollercoaster, whatever it is, and fix my child, it's this whole, fix my child mentality.

Speaker 2:

It's like no, let's accept your childhood and let's, let's, let's work on you and yes, why? Why is it? Your child is afraid of roller coasters. Exactly that's why yeah, that's normal phobia and fear to have. Let's, rather than thinking there's a problem with your child, let's accept and love them through there and it's allow them to do things at the weekends that don't involve feeling like they're going to die, like it's okay not to want to go on roller coasters and and things like oh, my child, you know they don't have many friends. There's an issue, there must be a problem because they they haven't got. They've only got like one friend and and then you got. You ask them so how?

Speaker 2:

When you were younger, what type of friendships did you have? Oh, yeah, I was. I and you know, only trusted very few people. Well, there we go. It's a DNA path and your child is the same. They feel safe, maybe, with one person, rather than having being friends with 18 people and everyone's different. And just to accept and love your child as they are rather than thinking they need fixing, is the is the best thing. But as a school counselor, like you said, with the space, that's what you do. You provide a space for the child to just be themselves and to learn to love and accept themselves as they are. And once you work on a child's self-esteem and self-love and you get them to see all the things they're amazing at rather than focusing on all the things they're not perfect at, then that's when you see the shift and they're like oh, I can just be myself and a lot of it is hitting the parents.

Speaker 1:

But yeah, that's so. That's so amazing, that's so powerful and and valuable what you're sharing, catherine. I hope everyone listening to this like really hears that message. It does come down to love and acceptance, and love and acceptance of the child, but ultimately, and in that love, acceptance of ourselves as adults because what I'm hearing you say as well is that it's yeah, you're the, the parent comes to you with the child is the problem and actually it's turning the finger around and taking the personal responsibility of, like, let's look at yourself and how can you love and accept yourself and when you were that age and going back there, so that's it's so powerful to see that in action, like you literally see that in your, in your work, what you're doing and parents get most triggered when their child has the same traits as them.

Speaker 2:

That's when they get triggered. They're like this needs fixing, because I went through this and it's not okay. Yeah, but if you accepted that as a child, how different would you be now? Rather than you weren't good enough because you weren't good at public speaking, or so for me, I just I work with the children on giving them all the tools to help them feel confident to be themselves. That's yes amazing.

Speaker 1:

I honestly feel like like you're, like you're sharing, like you're saying it's it's the foundation of everything, and I feel like love and acceptance is, is it's the foundation, and I feel like a lot of our resistance and and comes from and taken from a higher spiritual uh place as well. You know Eckhart Tolle, michael Zinger, literally the whole talk, the whole message is in acceptance acceptance of the present moment, acceptance of now, and a lot of our suffering comes from the resistance within that. And it's like what if actually we accepted everything that is now, including everything in there, including our children, including ourselves, and imagine the creativity that will outflow and pour out of that, like what some of the transformations you've seen in, yeah, like some of the kids that you, or even the parents that you've, that you've worked with with the energy healing it works really well with like children with selective mutism because it's often come from age.

Speaker 2:

Then it can be something from they were bullied by somebody, somebody who said unkind, something unkind to them when they spoke up, or it could be from parent feet, just not feeling safe around parents. So energy healing on that has worked wonders to to help them feel safe to talk um, but I feel like I call it sparkle. I find that when I work with the children, when I from the beginning to the end of the sessions I usually work six weeks minimum with them their sparkle comes back and it's so wonderful. There's one girl who set up her own jewelry business and she loves that jewelry and 100% of the proceeds go to a charity in India where they get kids off the streets and into schools. She's eight years old, she's incredible.

Speaker 1:

I love that and then the.

Speaker 2:

She's also really into plastic pollution and she's made flyers to go around the whole school. Oh and yeah, I've got a lot of children now doing, children who are in my um I call it my empowerment group who struggle with confidence, like they struggle talking in class. They don't raise their hand, they maybe don't feel safe to talk. They're now doing podcasts and they are amazing. They're talking over the tannoy. There's like three and a half thousand people in our school and they're in the mornings talking over the tannoy in front of everyone. There's this one boy who sang a song in front of everyone, in front of every every Wednesday morning. We have this, uh, where you, if you want to, you can sing songs or play an instrument. And he sang a song and it was beautiful and he wouldn't have been able to do that before.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, when children learn to to be their best friend and to be their biggest champion and learn, I do it with a magic remote control. You know, I didn't learn until an adult that we can actually choose our thoughts. We don't have to listen to this negative self-talk.

Speaker 1:

We don't have to be nice, I didn't know that until I was an adult either. That was the biggest transformation, biggest like aha moment I had, like years, years ago, like, oh, we don't have to believe this.

Speaker 2:

I thought I had to be really mean, I thought I had to be a bully. It was just natural, like I was just nasty, so nasty to myself, spoke to myself like I would never speak to any other human. And then I realized, oh, I can choose, I don't have to say that. Or, if it comes, I can choose to toad straight away and be like no, let's cancel that, let's change that with something more positive, the whole positive affirmation thing. So I, with the children, I give them all a magic remote control and I'm like every it's.

Speaker 2:

It's obviously invisible and they get to choose what color the buttons are. And some of the buttons are googly eyes in the scenario. But we practice that changing the channel on our thoughts. So if they're about to do a, an exam, and they're a bit worried, or they've got their spelling test and they're a bit worried, we'll practice. Okay, let's think of an exciting thought, let's think of a funny thought, just to get them used to. Actually I can choose my thoughts. I have to. Spelling test is going to go badly, or yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1:

I love that. That's so creative. It's so creative and empowering. Actually giving them a physical object, a physical thing as well, like it's so great and oh, I can hear it in your voice you're so passionate about what you're, about, what you're doing and it's so valuable and, oh, I hope that, yeah, the people I'm sure the people listening can feel, feel the energy and feel the passion and and and feel it and and gives you inspiration to, to go and do the same and whatever, whatever avenue.

Speaker 1:

That is right, like you, fact you, obviously you found your, you found your, your um purpose and and why you're here and it's just, it shines through and now it's shining with shining through the kids and that girl. You know the entrepreneurial creativity, the entrepreneurial spirit, the creativity outpouring, and can you imagine, imagine what it's the world will be like if everyone's connected with that, like abundance of creative energy, because out of love, right out of love and acceptance for themselves and supported with adults like yourself and you know, with those with all the tools and and knowledge and skills and but, ultimately, that you're yours, I think, the most important thing as well. You're yourself and you're following your, your heart, and it's so much fun.

Speaker 2:

So much fun being a school cat, because a lot of it is through creative play. So, yeah, a lot of it is like role play and I've got like all these different puppets in my room and we practice and we play lots of games and we build stuff and just anything that helps the children feel and be creative. We do a lot of joy. There's this one boy and he was let's call it, I don't know. Let's just say he's a naughty boy. He doesn't make good. No, let's not say the word naughty, yeah, doesn't make choices that's better.

Speaker 1:

He doesn't make choices, especially with his fists. Yeah, he doesn't make.

Speaker 2:

Okay, I get it and he, um, yeah, he was really, really struggling. So I was like, right, what can I do to help this boy? Because we tried the whole, you know, reward chart, the behavior chart. Then this normal school behavior chart wasn't working and so I was like I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to give him a special, a really special leadership role and the transformation in him. So he had to be, um, our transition coordinator where he helps the whole year group feel comfortable about going up into the next year group.

Speaker 2:

So I took him to year five, because he's currently in year four. I took him to year five. I was like we're going to do some investigation work. And he interviewed the teachers and he went around all the classrooms and he found out a little bit about the curriculum and he came back and created posters. And then he went to the 10 year four classes and presented Keep calm, year five is amazing. And he did a Q&A question session at the end of them and he was incredible and at the end he said, wow, I've had the confidence to speak in front of a group of people and before this and he has been the most beautiful angel in class. He's been a role model to everyone. He's been so kind, he's been supporting people, sharpening people's pencils, like it's like he's a different child. It's wow, giving him a feeling that he's important and he is important when children are important and I'm so lucky that I get to work with students like that and work one-to-one with them to to bring them alive and bring their sparkle.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's amazing, that's so, that must. Yeah, it's so much fun, like you say, it's so much fun and seeing the confidence, seeing the transformation in the kids and yeah, they're lucky to have you as a guide, as a teacher, as a counselor, and and also I love what you said. Like it's you didn't go into, oh, like the, yeah, the behavior chart and this isn't, this isn't working, so that's it, it's a lost cause. It's like, no, how can we be creative and try something else out? And yeah, I feel like often I I know what you mean, because often with those quote-unquote naughty kids, it's a leadership role that they need that they can really step up and you know and channel their energy into, because, who knows, you know the root cause of them being naughty like is probably quite deep, and just giving them that responsibility and also being trusted with that responsibility as well, it's just, it's such a big, big message and lesson for them, so amazing.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much for sharing um. Now back to um. Before we have I have like five um five questions at the end. Five like quick fire round questions at the end before that, what?

Speaker 1:

would you say, just bringing it back like to an overview. What would you say, personally, is your biggest lesson that you've learned out of the past three years? Well, yeah, your journey, your journey so far in life, in your personal journey, your work for the kids I kind of I could kind of almost make a guess, um, based on what you said shared, but I'd love to hear your answer. What was your biggest lesson?

Speaker 2:

um, to love and accept yourself as you are and not have this constant need to be something or someone you're not just. As soon as you accept yourself like warts and all, and accept how you look, accept your body and start being kind to yourself, oh, life is just so much easier. You feel free like, oh, life can be nice with myself right right now. Yeah, I don't want to be mean. Every time I look in the mirror, rather than looking up all the wrinkles, these new gray hairs and you like you just say something nice like choose to be kind to yourself. I think is the biggest thing. Just accept yourself and be kind, like actively be kind to yourself and be grateful for who you are and what you are and what your body looks like. And as soon as that happens, it just life. Every day you walk through life with more peace and it's just easier. Life is easier when you're not battling yourself on top of everything else.

Speaker 2:

Learn to love yourself and it's a long old journey, like I'm still. I'm still trying. I have my day. I still look in the mirror. I'm like, oh, another wrinkle. No, but I'm so much nicer to myself than I used to be. I actually can't remember if I told you I did this thought tracking thing one day where I tracked all my thoughts and they were all negative, other than I think, what I was like oh I'm hungry, oh I need a cup of tea, like physical, physical things. It was just, I was just so nasty to myself but I barely do that anymore.

Speaker 2:

That's really conscious so much better. Yeah, so I'm glad I learned that at my ripe old age. I wish I'd learned it got me to where I was today.

Speaker 1:

So exactly and this is why you're so good at what you do as well you're so you're, you know, you're the person for what you do because of everything that you've experienced. And yeah, yeah, it says yeah, yeah, it's such an and and realize that what you said you know about love and acceptance and where we get to be free, and that's the thing like I feel like even freedom in this whole person-friendly world, people can be chasing this concept of freedom. It's like it's actually right here, it's available to you right now through love and acceptance. And oh, such a valuable message to end on. And thank you so much, catherine. I can see your, your, yeah, feel the energy and the creativity and the joy of what you do come through and I feel like you've shared such valuable messages and, yeah, and inspiration and skills that people can take away and just reflect on in their own life and with their children as well. And, yeah, be creative and yeah, and love and accept yourself. So thank you so much.

Speaker 1:

Now let's end with the one. Um, let's see one, two, five questions, five quick fire round questions. Okay, they are one word answers. Some of them are quite challenging to answer in one word. So, let's see, try your best. I'll try my best. So number one this is very um in line with what we've uh, we've just been sharing. What do you love most about yourself?

Speaker 2:

I one word, oh okay, I was gonna go. One word my passion, passion.

Speaker 1:

Excellent Love that Number two. What do you value most in others? Oh, this is really tough, Amy. I know it's really difficult. I go through the deep questions, the first thing.

Speaker 2:

Strangely, the first thing that came to my mind was loyalty.

Speaker 1:

Yes, wow, go for the first thing. I love the first thing. Strangely, the first thing that came to my mind was loyalty. Yes, wow, go for the first thing. I love the first things. I love the intuition coming through there. You know, loyalty, right, because I think, especially, especially with values, I feel, I feel like our mind can, can overthink value. Especially when recording a podcast, your mind can be like, oh, what's, what's maybe best to say, but no, loyalty, amazing, I think, as in loyalty to yourself, like being self-loyal, I love that. I love that. I love that, wow, thank you. Okay, number three it's a bit random this one, but go with it. If you could come back in another lifetime as an animal, what animal would you choose to be?

Speaker 2:

definitely a bird because, yeah, I've always wanted to fly. I used to wish for it. Actually I probably shouldn't tell you because it might not come true, but on my birthdays, from about the age of five, I would wish that I could fly. That actually, you know, just on an airplane, but love that with my body. So fingers crossed.

Speaker 1:

I'm moving spoiled. I don't think it's cross. I haven't even spoiled it. Now We'll get you some wings. I used to wear fairy rings, but they never were.

Speaker 2:

But I've seen jetpacks are a thing now. So hopefully in our lifetime we can have a go at jetpacks Step closer.

Speaker 1:

Okay, now ready. This is going from that question to a really bigger, higher vision question. What is the one thing you envision being included in education of the future?

Speaker 2:

mental health, mental health excellent number five.

Speaker 1:

Last one, what is one piece of wisdom you would give your youngest self from your highest self now?

Speaker 2:

please love yourself and be kind to yourself. You are perfect and amazing as you are and enjoy life. Life is meant to be joyful. Don't take it too seriously. I took life very seriously. I always had to do well and wanted to do well academically, but no, just enjoy life.

Speaker 1:

It's meant to be fun. Yeah, and amazing, amazing. Such a great message.

Speaker 2:

That wasn't one word, sorry, no it's okay, it's fine.

Speaker 1:

It's fine. It's fine it's to enjoy to love, to love yourself. Love, right, love yourself, yeah, amazing. Thank you so much, catherine. It's been a pleasure and, yep, I'm so grateful to have this conversation. Thank you so much. Talk to you soon. Thank you so much for listening in. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend or post it on social media and tag me so I can personally thank you for helping to get the message out. I am so grateful to be on this journey with you. Talk to you soon.