Who’s Cath?

Having worked with a few coaches, counselors and personal development “gurus” in my own learning, I’ve found that, whenever I’ve gotten my best results and learned the most, it’s been because I’ve found the tools and ideas useful AND I’ve gelled with the person sharing those tools and ideas with me. So when you’re deciding who you want to co-create your changes with, try to find out a bit about the person behind the program/s, get a feel for their style, and see if their life experiences and personality resonate with you, so that you can get the most value out of the experience.

“If you have high goals for your life, and want someone who can help you achieve them with joy and grace, hire Cath.”

Cath Duncan is as original, insightful, and powerful a coach as you’ll find anywhere in the world. Her specialty is teaching people to navigate high-pressure, rapidly changing situations while feeling calm and performing at high levels of competence–something Cath has mastered personally, and can teach exceptionally well. If you have high goals for your life, and want someone who can help you achieve them with joy and grace, hire Cath. She’s a perfect coach for the twenty-first century.

Dr Martha Beck, Ph D – Life Coach to the Oprah Show, Speaker, & Author

Here’s a bit about me, so you can decide for yourself if you can see us having a “meeting of minds” and enjoying working together:

I’m an INTJ on Myers-Briggs

As much as I hate the idea of “putting people in boxes”, I have to admit that there are a few personality tests, like Myers-Briggs, that are always on the mark. I’m an INTJ on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and this is what we’re all about:

“Independent, innovative, logical and driven by the inner world of ideas and possibilities, the INTJ often appears to others as a quietly self-confident (and sometimes stubborn) critic of the status quo, convinced that reality can be altered, the future reshaped.

Wherever there is a need for change in systems, programs, concepts or theories, INTJs will be working behind the scenes to reorganize and revise. This type’s focused attention to the personal mission may be inspiring or frankly obsessive, depending on the observer’s viewpoint or the success of the enterprise.

Introspective and somewhat shy, INTJs place their trust in logical analysis and intuition to guide their thoughts and decisions. More feeling types may find them chilly, and more practical types accuse them of being unrealistic, but INTJs take their cues mostly from those they recognize as intelligent.

Often attracted to theoretical, analytical and methodological areas of inquiry, INTJs succeed in a wide variety of fields, from ones heavily dependent on mathematics and science to more philosophical, literary or applied disciplines.”

If you’re curious, you can find out your own Myers-Briggs profile here at the original Myers-Briggs site or take this free online test that’s based on the Myers-Briggs model.

While my guiding work and life assumptions include the idea that, “no matter who you think you are, you are always MORE than that,” here are a few ideas that really resonate for me, when I think of who I am:

I’m a Practical Idealist:

I’m driven to convert possibilities into realities. And yes, being both a dreamer and a do-er keeps me very busy, hence the “frankly obsessive” reference! Because I’m a Practical Idealist, you’ll find that:

At the outset of any program, I place a lot of emphasis on understanding what RESULTS you want to get.
I ensure that every conversation, exercise or bit of information I share with you is purposeful and designed to help you get the results you want.
I emphasize application. We’ll co-design tasks for you to complete in your own time, to ensure that you affirm your new insights and make real-life changes.

I’m a Contrarian

I must have been born a contrarian because my first word as a baby was “no”. Because of my Contrarian qualities, you’ll find that:

I don’t just sit and listen – I ask a lot of questions.
I’m very considered, detailed and thorough.
I encourage you to question your experiences – including questioning the ideas and tools I share with you. You experience them for yourself and decide for yourself what you want to use.

I’m a Multipreneur

I’ve enjoyed almost every work role I’ve been engaged in, from mural painting to selling educational toys, training medical students in interviewing skills and bedside manner, to working in child protection, and the work I do online now. Because I’m a Multipreneur, you’ll find that:

I understand the need to custom-design your own workstyle, and how to go about that, since I’ve done it myself.
I work from a broad and diverse knowledge base, and I make up my own mix. Originally trained in traditional psycho-dynamic therapy as a Social Worker, before moving into NLP and Coaching, I can meet you where you’re at and offer the tools that will be most useful to you.
I’m up to date with the latest thinking in personal development, always considering whether there’s a better way, questioning my own assumptions and continuously evolving my practice and programs.

I’ve found joy and meaning again after loss

I know what it’s like to go through a major trauma and to struggle through and find my way back to joy and meaning after significant loss. Our one (and probably only) daughter died in utero at around 5 months gestation, because of an hereditary kidney condition that I suffer from. You can read more about the day we met and said goodbye to her over here. Because of the risks to my health and the strong possibility that my kidney condition would limit a baby’s growth in utero, we’ve decided not to try to get pregnant again. The multiple losses of our precious daughter and all the dreams we already had for her, my health, the chance of ever naturally birthing a child and life as we knew it left us reeling from the pain and completely lost.

It’s not been easy, but one step at a time, I’ve found my way to a new path and we’re creating joy and meaning in our lives again. If you have gone through or are still in the middle of major trauma and loss, I can meet you there. I won’t give you the “7 steps to happiness” bollocks you’ll read on most personal development blogs or the flimsy motivational hype you’ll get from many coaches. I’ve been there and I know that creating joy and meaning after loss and trauma is no easy road, but I do have many tried-and-tested, solid tools to help you find and create a life that’s worth living after loss.

I’m adventuring with my life partner

I’m 32 years old, I’ve been married to my life partner, Andy, for 12 years. Our relationship has been my greatest joy, inspiration and source of growth, and it’s the co-creation I’m most proud of. We’ve adventured around the world together for the past 8 years and, having lived in Cape Town (SA), Philadelphia (USA) and London (UK) in recent years, we’re currently living in Calgary (Canada).