Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.
Albert Einstein
Are you tired of being tired?
This week on Ivy Unleashed we sat down with the inspiring Catherine Gagnon. A woman who absolutely blew our mind and tapped into our energy. What if we told you more energy is available to you, would you be interested? We’re leaking energy and Catherine has the perfect equation to solve it.
Introducing…
Catherine Gagnon
Catherine Gagnon is a Health and Life Vitality Coach, a Transformational Master Coach and Evolved Neurolinguistic Programming Master Practitioner, Applied Neurosciences Practitioner and former Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner.
Catherine Gagnon is a woman of multiple passions as a scientist, artist, lifelong learner and a world traveller, both on the planet and the invisible world. She loves to hang glide, bike, horse ride, paint, play music and dance on the bridge that unites the scientific and spiritual realms. She combines the Art and Science of Health and Wellness through transformational conversations using her unique Energy Equation to harmonize the mind, body and soul connection for optimal living. She is a specialist at hearing, seeing and feeling the “emotional and physical energy leaks” within people and helps them plug the leaks so that they can have sustained focused energy, mental clarity, inner peace and self-confidence. Also a chronic Lyme disease survivor, Catherine developed a rare expertise in helping people regain their life and health from Lyme through extensive teachings and coaching using a powerful natural protocol and the lifestyle/mindset habits to incorporate for an optimal healing journey.
Our conversation with Catherine was one couldn’t wait to have and one we can’t wait for you to hear. Check it out below along with where to find her under resources!
IVY UNLEASHED
Raise your hand if you want more energy! Gold Ivy found the perfect person to discuss ways to generate more energy in your life. Catherine Gagnon, a Health and Life Vitality Coach, loves to walk the bridge between science and spirituality. She helps people discover their energy leaks, find the source of their self-limiting beliefs, and creates new strategies to overcome them. Catherine shared her unique Energy Equation that she created to help harmonize the mind, body and soul connection for optimal living. In this episode, Andrea & Brooke loved learning about how addressing energy leaks and self-limiting beliefs can help us have sustained focused energy, mental clarity, inner peace, and self-confidence. Listen in and investigate your own energy leaks and how you can overcome the self-limiting beliefs that get in the way of you living the life of your dreams.
Behind-the-Scenes Video
Episode Highlights-
Catherine Gagnon is a health and vitality coach and comes from the medical world as a nurse practitioner. With a science mind but a passion for mystic, Catherine works to bridge the gap between science and spirituality. When we sat down with her, she explained that science is now explaining how spirituality works. As a nurse practitioner, she realized that medicine has separated the body and the mind. She believes that true healing starts when you tap into the mind.
Catherine works with people who are tired of feeling tired and long for more energy. With direct experience herself, Catherine shared that she was burning the candle at both ends in her 20s. It wasn’t until her 30s when diagnosed with Lyme disease that she realized the true power of energy. She learned firsthand that “when you feel good, you do good”. After her journey back to health, Catherine begun helping individuals regain their own energy.
So how does the work begin? Catherine has a gift of recognizing energy and sensitivities. When she works with someone she can feel, hear and see their energy leaks. She shared with us that she can see their strengths and weaknesses. Catherine was aware of her gift and could tap into it, but her science mind was desperate for an answer as to why and how her method actually worked. This desired caused her to develop her Energy Equation. Catherine created an equation to regain energy that consists of both science and spirituality.
Catherine’s Energy Equation-
There are many ways to generate energy (think nourishing food, supportive/loving relationships, exercise, meditation, etc.) and there are also many ways to investment your energy. Catherine explained that the goal is to get a bigger return on your investment when it comes to what you give your energy to. Think of getting coffee with your best friend and how on fire you feel after. Your return on investment with your friend was bigger than the energy it took to get there and be there.
3 BASIC PRINCIPLES BEHIND A COMPLEX ENERGY EQUATION
1. GENERATE MAXIMUM ENERGY
2. INVEST YOUR ENERGY STRATEGICALLY
3. PLUG ENERGY LEAKS
The equation consists of ways to generate energy + investment of energy divided by energy leaks.
What are energy leaks?
The biggest amount of work is plugging the energy leaks, Catherine explained. Energy leaks are within the body and are caused by pain, bad habits, poor immune responses, or eating food that hurt, not heal. There are also big energy leaks of the mind like saying yes to something or some people when your heart says no, not expressing your needs, or feeling obligated to do something. Telling yourself “I have to do this,” squishes your energy, Catherine explained. It’s a contracting energy, not expansive. Any time we have guilt or shame, resentment from someone a long time ago, self-judgment, or lack of self-confidence, we are leaking energy.
Catherine encourages us to really listen when people speak. She says listen with a loving, observing ear and just listen to what people say. Most of the time we hear, “I should have done this..” What if we told ourselves, “I did the best I could do with the resources I had”. Catherine urges us to be more gentle with ourselves. She explained that when we listen, things become so obvious to us. We are on autopilot and we need to become more aware. That’s where a coach comes in. Most of the things we say to ourselves and our beliefs are unconscious and we need someone in a non-judgmental way to point these out. When Catherine works with her clients she first listens and then gives them their blueprints. She shared that when we talk about something we no longer want, to talk about it in the past. She furthered explained that if you talk about it in the present your nervous system will re-download it as if it’s happening again and will crystalize that feeling in your body. The past is 1 second ago, up until now you have been feeling tired, you’re not tired, that’s not your identity. Anytime you say “I am” you’re talking about your identity and your subconscious won’t let go of anything bound to your identity because it doesn’t want to let go because that’s who you are (or so it thinks). We need to dissociate our identity from things that are no longer serving us. The more you notice, the more you’ll be self-reliant to do this on your own, Catherine explained.
Going to the source of self-limiting beliefs-
Advance coaching is helpful because most of our self-limiting beliefs have imprinted before the age of 5, Catherine explained. A coach can bring the person back to the moment the self-limiting belief was imprinted. The key is that this time it’s without the trauma, and we can gather the lessons from a loving observer and give it a different meaning. When we give it a different meaning it reshapes all the other events in our life because we’ve changed this one source. Even though the event won’t change, the meaning will change and we can let go of that burden and energy leak. We must first become aware and then remove what is causing that leak, so it doesn’t deplete us all the time. If you can let that go, what does that mean for your new identity? It is a shift – people can act different without remembering to act different. People who have done this work will say things like, “In the past I would have handled that differently” or “I wouldn’t have been able to state my needs.” This work transforms how the event is imprinted in our nervous system. It becomes who you are because it feels so much better than the previous state you were in, Catherine explained.
Confidence and Inner Peace
With greater confidence comes inner peace, but also self esteem- feeling worthy of things that you want in your life. Inner peace comes from having our heart and our head aligned. There is nothing worse than the war that goes on in between your head and your heart. You’ll never be at peace until you understand why they’re at war and what they both need, Catherine argued. Think if you’re in a relationship that no longer serves you. You may feel not worthy of having something better or you lack confidence of leaving the relationship undamaged. The heart says “I can’t do this” and the head says “What are my friends going to say?, Will I have no money and live on the street?” This an enormous amount of energy leaks. When you address what that could look like, you realize it’s not that scary. Fears are there as a compass, Catherine believes. Be loving to the part of your self that is scared, your inner child is afraid and we must show them that it’s okay. When we confront our fears, we get a boost of confidence and realize how much we can truly do.
State Hacks for Ending Self-Limiting Beliefs-
Whenever you’re facing a situation, get into your body, Catherine instructed. She then asked, “Does that energy feel contracting like it wants to close/does it give you a knot? Or does that statement you’re telling yourself feel expansive and feels like your going for something great? Catherine shared that most self-liming beliefs will feel contracting. Knowing this and catching your body feeling this way will help give you awareness quicker, she argued. If someone isn’t able to notice this feeling, Catherine has another hack to help change our state. She calls itthe rampage hack. You literally go into a rampage. Abraham Hicks says that if you want to manifest something and change your state, talk about it as if it’s already there. “I know I’m fully capable of this, I have evidence of this in my life. Even though I don’t know the way, the path is coming to me.” Go on rampage for 66 seconds and it will send your nervous system into an “oh yeah I can do this” state. You have moved from a contracting to expanding state. Also when you go into rampage you can hear if there’s other limiting beliefs or fears that come through. You have then brought them into awareness and can tackle these self-limited beliefs as well, Catherine explained.
Ian Mcdermott says “There are no unresourceful people, only unresourceful states”. – Thorsons Way of NLP
Even if you don’t believe the things you’re saying, you can trick your brain into believing them. Fake it ’til you make it, Catherine says. She recommends going into your senses (a lot of what they do in NLP) and model successful behaviors. Even if someone has never experienced it, model it through the eyes of someone else. Go into that person’s body and see through their eyes, hear through their ears. Notice what that person is hearing, feeling and seeing and what their thoughts are. Then bring it back to yourself. The more you go into your senses (see the beach, smell the salt, feel the sand, hear the waves and know it is already accomplished) the more you will be in an allowing state for you to attract more of the things you want. Catherine explained that anything we think, we can create. She shared that any creation is accomplished twice- first it’s accomplished in your mind and then it’s accomplished in the physical world. Your body hears whatever your mind suggests. Science shows you can make physical progress without lifting a finger, your mind is that strong.
How do we find the balance between self-acceptance and wanting to grow and do more? We all have someone in our life who isn’t taking care of themselves and we want it more than them. It’s very hard to get people to believe that they’re capable of more or want more for themselves. It is easy to be complacent and not chase their dream. We want people to feel how we feel how good we feel. Catherine shared with us that when someone is choosing the “easy way”, it’s serving them in one way. They need to know and acknowledge that this has been a solution to a past problem. Think smoking- it’s been a companion for all these years. What is the intention behind that, what is the highest good it is serving you (highest positive intention)? Whatever that may be (smoking, binge eating, etc.) it was just one strategy to get there. There are infinite strategies, you just haven’t found them yet, Catherine explained. Think of driving to work and there’s a short cut- would you take it? The need is relevant, it’s good. We just need to know there are other possibilities and ways to get there. Catherine has her clients put their motivation toward something, not away from it. Your ‘why’ is the motivation that hooks you to something. She challenges them with questions like, “what does being healthy going to bring you? What is important about that? What is moving you forward? If you’re not tired, what are you going to be? What will that bring you? Motivation that moves you forward is endless. That is how you hook people to what’s important to them and it’s different for everyone. What makes you feel accomplished and fulfilled – you can’t decide for someone what’s important to them. This is your journey, your life- what do you want? No matter how big or how small, it’s relevant and deserves our attention.
Self-Sabotage –
Why do we do it? Why do we move toward our goals and then do something that sets us back. When we start changing or adapting healthy behaviors, part of it feels exciting and part of it feels very scary because it’s unfamiliar to us. Catherine explains that when we self-sabotage, our 3 brains aren’t aligned with each other.
3 Parts of the Brain-
- Reptilian Brain: our oldest brain responsible for survival and wires you for quick response
- Limbic brain: the middle part responsible for our emotions we have our own identity, all the emotions felt and unfelt, said and unsaid.
- Prefrontal Cortex: the newest brain only 30,000 years old responsible for our highest executive judgment, our reasoning.
When we work towards a new behavior, the prefrontal cortex is leading the pack. The reptilian brain doesn’t like it and wants ground hogs day, it wants familiar and safe, Catherine explained. The limbic system is stuck between the war of the reptilian brain and prefrontal cortex. When this war takes place, self-sabotage happens. For example, a woman is losing weight and feels like she’s going to lose her friends. One of her basic needs is being threatened (belonging) and so she self sabotages herself to make sure she doesn’t risk losing her sense of belonging with her friends. Catherine explained that we have 3 human needs- love, belonging and safety and when one is threatened, we can’t help but self-sabotage.
How do we overcome self-sabotage? Catherine argued that we must acknowledge the positive intention behind the behavior. It has a reason behind it; it’s there to protect us. This is where having a coach is so crucial. People hit this wall and need help identifying what the positive intention behind the sabotage is. For example, it’s protecting me from conflict from my loved ones, so you keep saying yes even though your heart says no. Catherine shared that we must acknowledge the part that has been doing such a good job and offering that part of the brain an upgrade, offering new strategies to that are better. Catherine explained, “What if we could offer this part of you that wants to love your family, a new way? Would that be okay?” Once we acknowledge it, we can then explore different strategies to conserve the need or positive intention, without leaking energy.
When we change we become a model for other people to change. We also become unpredictable to the people around us because they want the version of us they know. However, by sticking to your track you’re giving them permission to up their game and be their best self too. Catherine urged us to understand that this takes practice. The more you practice being uncomfortable with something that will create good, the more comfortable you get, because you understand that the short term discomfort is positively serving you. Lean into your fears like it’s a compass, Catherine told us. Would you rather stay uncomfortable and leak your energy or would you rather do the brave stuff that gives you the life you want?
One practice that helps is to picture talking to your future self and seeing them happy and confident. Your future-self can tell you come on just do it, you’ll be happy. Catherine also recommends that we talk to ourselves like how we talk to our friends – with compassion. Lastly, she recommends using what if’s. She explained that we get what we expect. If we expect it to be hard and difficult, it will be. So talk yourself into the “what if”- ask yourself, “What if it was easier than you think? What if by opening up you liberate this person that is stuck in their emotions. What if doing this thing that is uncomfortable in the moment, opens you up to an even more nourishing relationship? What if it didn’t have to be this hard?” Your job is to know the what and why and leave the how to the universe, Catherine argued. Just trust. Remember a time in your life where you made a decision and the how came along the way. You figured it out along the way. The how is not for you to figure out. The how is the journey and your job is to enjoy it. Instead of thinking the how, live the how.
Catherine wrapped up our conversation with saying that when people are feeling tired, in pain, or not feeling on purpose, they tend to take that as their normal. It’s not normal, Catherine argued. She went on to urge everyone to not wait until a debilitating accident to realize that and to want that for yourself. Don’t let a suboptimal life be the normal; everybody deserves an amazing life.
Catherine offers a free initial discovery session that is an hour long and truly transformational.
In this session you’ll:
- Uncover what’s stopping you or slowing you down from having the vitality and life you want
- Discover what mindset and habits have been silently sabotaging your health and life
- Create a powerful vision for what your life with full vitality in all aspects looks like
- Construct a step by step plan to move you forward
We cannot recommend working with (and learning from) the incredible Catherine Gagnon enough!
Links provided under resources section below.
3 Gold Stars
- Become your own detective and take yourself into your own mind-body laboratory. Once you become aware of something, you cannot un-see it. Notice what gives you energy and start making small changes.
- Right longing, wrong medicine. When you’re about to sabotage yourself, pause and ask yourself how do I feel, what do I need right now. Practice using a different strategy to fill the underlining need.
- Stop tolerating pain and things that are leaking your energy. It’s okay to leave a space or person because you don’t jazz with the vibe. Nobody came on earth to suffer. Choosing you and your wellbeing is the most generous act you can do.
Ivy Reflections
- What’s one thing that helps you cultivate energy on a daily basis?
- When you’re really struggling with self-limiting beliefs what’s one thing that can steer you in a positive direction?
- Identify an energy leak and how you can correct it.
Piece of Gold
When you feel good, you do good. Imagine what world we will live in when everybody feels awesome in their body, clear and peaceful in their mind, so that they can be contributing their unique gifts into the world and realize their wildest dreams.
Catherine Gagnon
Resources–
Find Catherine on…
Websites- Energy, health & relationships wellness coaching- www.catherinegagnon.ca/en/Lyme disease coaching and resources- www.missionlyme.com/home
Discover Session Booking- https://calendly.com/catgagnon/discoverysessiondecouverte
YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs2Wjqm8fEaLpdA4uaBqk-g
Instagram- @catherinetransformationalcoach
Facebook- Catherine Gagnon – Transformational Coach
LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-gagnon-transformational-coach/?locale=en_US
- Abraham Hicks (Law of Attraction)- https://www.abraham-hicks.com/
- Learn more about NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) – https://www.nlp.com/what-is-nlp/
We thank you for joining us in the fearless pursuit of self-discovery and growth and hope that you transform our lessons into your gold.
Listen to your truth and go chase your gold.
– Gold Ivy Health Co.
