I created this “Get That Goal” series to honor and share a variety of astounding goals that influential women around me have achieved, the details on how they did it, and what they experienced along the way.
Setting and achieving goals is one of the essential ways we enrich ourselves through primary foods, which creates healthier, fuller lives. (Learn more about primary foods here.)
My mission is to show if they can do it, you can do it, too. My hope is that this series will portray how powerful primary foods are to our overall health and well-being.
Please enjoy, give feedback, and share with a friend.
Cathy Breshers, yoga teacher at Asana FIT, founder of Yoga Here on Earth and fellow Tenacious Lady
Today, I’m talking with Cathy Breshers. Besides being a fellow Tenacious Lady, Cathy is a yoga teacher at Asana FIT and the founder of Yoga Here on Earth.
She is also a Process Coach who guides people through self-therapy and self-improvement. Learn more about Cathy and her Process Coaching here.
Tenacious Lee: What goal have you achieved that you are most proud of in your life?
Cathy: I’m most proud of my relationship with my daughter, Jade. I have such an amazing relationship with her; we are able to share every aspect of our lives with each other.
Tenacious Lee: Congratulations! That’s such a huge accomplishment, especially in today’s fast-paced, digital age. Why did you choose to highlight this particular goal as your greatest achievement?
Cathy: Thanks. I’m so stoked when she comes to me to share things that I never would have been able to share [with my mom]. Communication between mother and daughter at this age [Jade is 15] can be really difficult. We go through all the emotions together; she lets me guide her and mentor her. We can hang out together. She has her teen life, and I have my adult life, but we can meet in the middle.
I feel like her foundation is so solid that I’m free to make my own goals and they will only encourage her in whatever her goals are. I want to be a role model for her, so she knows that any goal is possible for her.
Tenacious Lee: I like that you chose to highlight this as the goal you’re most proud of; the parent-child relationship is often overlooked or taken for granted as far as goals go. How did you cultivate your loving, open and trusting relationship with your teenage daughter?
Cathy: I used my intuition in raising her. It was confusing to people who weren’t used to my methods. Whenever you do things against the grain, there’s always someone saying, “What the heck are you doing?”
I really stood my ground for what I wanted, and that’s what I did with all my parenting with her. And to me, that’s me being true to myself. The truest sense of the expression “be true to yourself “is having boundaries for yourself and being loving to yourself. I feel like I can take that power and continue it to anything else I want to accomplish in life. It’s an empowering way to live my life.
Tenacious Lee: Yeah, everyone’s a critic when it comes to parenting or relationships. What pitfalls or setbacks did you experience along the way toward your goal?
Cathy: We had a little speed bump at 13. She didn’t really understand that I had feelings, too. Then she realized that, “Oh, the things I do do affect my mother.” Before, it was all about her feelings. I never used blame to have her understand that. Part of communication is letting each other know how you feel.
Tenacious Lee: Were there any other tools or resources you used in reaching this goal?
Cathy: Honestly, I give a lot of credit to my coaching training with Process Coaching because as we’re learning, we’re working and practicing on ourselves. To be a Process Coach, I learned how to parent myself, which made me a better parent to my child. Since I was able to help the hurt child and hurt teen in me, I could better help her.
Tenacious Lee: Very cool. How would you say achieving this goal has affected other areas of your life, such as relationships, career, etc.?
Cathy: I don’t have to identify as only a mother. I get to experience other aspects of myself because I know our relationship is so good. I have my career and don’t feel guilty. I have a recreational life – I like to sing and make music with friends – and it only makes my identity as a mother richer. Plus, she doesn’t need me as much now. It’s a perfect time for us. She doesn’t have to “fire” me because I’m already her partner.
Tenacious Lee: That makes complete sense. I hope your comments ease the minds of other working moms who might feel guilty for having a career. What’s your advice for other women who want to create the same kind of relationship with their teenage kids?
Cathy: Trust your intuition. You can get a lot of information, but only you know what’s right for you, and trusting that is very important. Beyond that, I would suggest finding a mentor, guide or coach that you admire and ask a lot of questions.
Tenacious Lee: I think that’s solid advice. So what’s your next big goal?
Cathy: I’d like to have a thriving coaching and yoga practice here in San Clemente. I love teaching; it excites and thrills me. I want to keep sharing; it brings so much joy for me.
Tenacious Lee: Well, I certainly wish you the best of luck!
