Unlocking Healing Through the Body: Vulnerability, Creativity & Soul Freedom

In this powerful episode of Growing Tall Poppies, Dr. Nat Green is joined by the deeply insightful and courageous Kathryn Thompson. Together, they explore how true healing unfolds when we allow ourselves to be fully seen — through embracing vulnerability, openness, and creative expression. From a traumatic childhood incident to navigating the corporate world and reclaiming her voice, Kathryn shares her journey of breaking generational patterns and finding freedom through somatic practices and radical self-acceptance. 

Kathryn is a Canadian-based entrepreneur who inspires people to use their stories as a way to create change in the world. She's an award-winning marketing and communications expert with more than 20 years of experience. After growing one of her businesses to close to a million dollars in sales in less than four years, she sold it with a single email. Kathryn is now the founder of Creatively Owned, a marketing and communications firm that helps entrepreneurs use the power of words to create instant appeal for what they are selling. 

Together, Dr Nat and Kathryn explore how embracing vulnerability, somatic healing practices, and deep inner work can lead to lasting emotional freedom and authentic personal evolution.

Whether you're on a path of personal healing or supporting others through trauma, this episode is a heartfelt invitation to connect with your body’s innate wisdom and lean into the transformative power of authenticity.

💡 In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The hidden cost of emotional suppression and why saying “I’m fine” keeps us stuck
• How vulnerability and openness act as the gateway to healing and transformation
• The difference between intellectualising trauma vs. feeling and releasing it somatically
• Why tools like EFT tapping and TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) are game-changers for nervous system regulation
• A fresh take on healthy boundaries, emotional triggers, and not taking on others' pain in helping professions
• The shift from fixing others to empowering clients and ourselves
• How integrating daily healing rituals into your life and business creates sustainable change and prevents burnout
• How breaking repeated patterns of trauma requires both courage and self- compassion

🎧 Tune in if you’re ready to:

• Break free from the past and step into embodied healing
• Embrace your vulnerability as your superpower
• Tap into your creativity as a tool for transformation
• Discover how somatic practices can shift your nervous system and your life

Connect with Kathryn

Website: https://creativelyowned.com

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Facebook

Website: https://creativelyowned.com

Resources:- 

Free Quiz - What's You

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

Transcript

Dr Nat Green: 0:01

Welcome to the Growing Tall Poppies Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Nat Green, and I'm so excited to have you join me as we discuss what it means to navigate your way through post-traumatic growth and not just survive, but to thrive after trauma. Through our podcast, we will explore ways for you to create a life filled with greater purpose, self-awareness, and a deep inner peace. Through integrating the many years of knowledge and professional experience, as well as the wisdom of those who have experienced trauma firsthand. We'll combine psychology accelerated approaches. Coaching and personal experience to assist you, to learn, to grow and to thrive. I hope to empower you to create deeper awareness and understanding and stronger connections with yourself and with others, whilst also paving the way for those who have experienced trauma and adversity to reduce their suffering and become the very best versions of themselves. In order to thrive. Thank you so much for joining me on today's episode. Welcome. I'm really pleased and grateful today to bring you our next guest on the Growing Tall Poppies podcast. It's my absolute pleasure and privilege to welcome a lady who I met recently through an event for podcasters, and she has a wealth of knowledge and experience and has generously agreed to come and chat with us today and share her wisdom. So let me start by introducing Kathryn to you all. Kathryn Thompson is a Canadian based entrepreneur who inspires people to use their stories as a way to create change in the world. She's an award-winning marketing and communications expert with more than 20 years of experience. After growing one of her businesses to close to$1 million in sales in less than four years, she sold it with a single email. Kathryn is now the founder of Creatively Owned a marketing and communications firm that helps entrepreneurs use the power of words to create instant appeal for what they are selling. So welcome, Kathryn. It's so great to have you here.

Kathryn Thompson: 2:29

I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for having me.

Dr Nat Green: 2:33

All right, so we might just start with you giving us, even though I've given a brief introduction, how about you give us an introduction of who you are and what you do in the world?

Kathryn Thompson: 2:44

Yeah, so I think the bio kind of sums it up lovely, but I'll just, I'll bridge off it a little bit more. I'm a highly intuitive, very emotional empath and so the people I typically work with are also equally very heart centered and I support them in creating. Sharing their story to create and put out the meaningful work and the work that they wanna do in the world, but more specifically in a really aligned, authentic way. So some of the values that I carry, are integrity, authenticity, creative expression, and so I really help people stay true to who they are. When it comes to marketing and sales, because I know a lot of people that come into my world struggle with that. They feel like they're losing themselves in it because they don't necessarily agree with a lot of the tactics and whatnot that have been taught. And so I really help them honor who they are so that they can bring their most meaningful work out into the world and share it with people and really get it into the hands of more people. That's me in a nutshell. Career-wise, I'm very multi-passionate. I'm a creative myself. Photography, videography, pottery, you name it. I'm very creative at heart, so

Dr Nat Green: 3:53

Oh, I love that so much. And. I, yeah, I can see why we connected immediately because I share the majority of those values, particularly authenticity and integrity. So I love that. And especially in the world of marketing, I. We see so many things and so many people who are out there and they just seem so misaligned or I feel misaligned to them. So I love that you help people tell their stories and share their story in a beautiful way. Yeah. I'm just wondering if I can ask then a little bit, you've got to the point where you help people share their stories, so today I'm wondering if you'd be willing to share a bit of your story about how you got to be able to do that in the world.

Kathryn Thompson: 4:44

Yeah, amazing question. So when I went to university, I really had no idea what I wanted to do. Originally, I was gonna go in and be a forensic anthropologist, like that was my thing. I know. And then I ended up. Talking to a counselor who talked me out of it. I've always really loved trying to understand people, places, things, culture, right? So it's not that far off. And my dad's an accountant and so I was like, okay, I'll just go into business school. It's a safe thing. I was playing competitive soccer, so I was going to university really to play soccer and fill, fulfill that dream. But I knew I had to do something and I wanted a degree that would at least set me on the pathway to. Have a career after it, right? So not just maybe your basic arts degree. Nothing wrong with that, but I just knew if I'm gonna go to school for four or five years, I wanna be able to get out and get a job. So initially I was gonna go into accounting, and the beautiful thing about commerce or business school where I live, is that you get to try all the classes before you actually pick a major. But accounting is the thing. Yeah. And accounting was the thing that my dad did. So I thought, oh, I'll probably do that and then I could work in the family business yada. All the things. My first accounting class, I was like, this is boring. Ain't doing this. And I went into my first marketing class and I loved it'cause it was so creative. And so I got my undergraduate in marketing, spent the first, six or seven years of my career doing marketing, but feeling duped because I was working for other people. And they had a like incorporations that they had a very particular marketing directive, so there wasn't really anything creative about it or that creative about it. So I ended up going to getting a master's in communication because I was trying to escape. The discomfort that I was feeling in my career of not really jiving with it. And I ended up going to the Philippines as part of my master's research, lived in a remote village, did a visual ethnography, really experienced their way of being, and then came home and started to tell stories about it. And that trip really changed the trajectory for me'cause it really changed. My life course, my beliefs really helped me get back to my values of, authentic connection, integrity, authenticity, all of the things. And from there, I ended up ditching my corporate career after 15 years and diving headfirst into opening my brick and mortar business. To sell and produce wine and I know I

Dr Nat Green: 7:15

love it. So it's such a big change. Such a wild,

Kathryn Thompson: 7:19

yeah, and I, when I reflect back now to what drew me to that business was again, the direct experience, being able to deal with a variety of different people. And I also love food, wine, travel, all the things. And so I just ended up naturally being able to talk about it and sell it. The business model and the partnership weren't aligned, and so we ended up selling after four years, and I came back to my roots of marketing and sales, but knowing I wanted to do things very differently, especially having gone into the online space where I felt like I was being hit with this, what is going on here? Because all of the. Things that weren't in integrity to me were like amplified on steroids. All of the sales tactics that were manipulative. And I was like, what is going on? So my goal was to rewrite that narrative, and that's what I've been doing for the last six years and Creatively Owned, was I'm gonna help all those business owners that want to do really good work in the world who value integrity and authenticity, and I'm gonna help them because I have the decades of experience now in marketing and sales, and I can help them in doing that. That brings me to present day in a nutshell.

Dr Nat Green: 8:29

Oh, what an interesting story. Like so many different things. And we see that so often, don't we? That oh, we think we'll follow in the footsteps of our parents, or we'll do this because there's this expectation that maybe we should, so isn't it wonderful that you tried it Yeah. And then made your own decision anyway? Yeah. That, that you also took that. Risk and backed yourself and went and explored things your way. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So as we know, a lot of guests that I have come on the show and they've experienced trauma or adversity in their life, and we talk about how they've navigated that experience. And I firmly believe that if you're human, you've been through some sort of adversity, there's. I don't think I know anyone who hasn't, so I'm wondering if you would be comfortable sharing some of that story as well, so our listeners can understand some of the things you've been through and how you've overcome them.

Kathryn Thompson: 9:35

Yeah, I think the corporate world and environment was traumatic in and of itself for me because I was having to fit myself into. The values of a company that I often never resonated with. So for example, at two different stages of my career, I ended up actually working for A CEO that had, or leaders of a company, directors of a company that I was a direct report to. That had narcissistic tendencies and so yeah, so one particular incident, which is why I ended up quitting this one position and ended up going after my master's in all the thing was they were trained to fire my boss, and they were going around it in a backhanded sort of way, and they were trying to pin on me that I had been harassed by my boss. To a point that HR in the city I lived in contacted me for a private meeting to say that my boss was harassing me, which never was. So I was being pinned with this thing and I ended up being such a toxic experience for me because. For me integrity is important. And so when somebody is telling something about me that isn't true,

Dr Nat Green: 11:00

that

Kathryn Thompson: 11:00

such wrecked havoc on my system, that took, years for me to recover from. Which is interesting'cause I then moved on to another job where the CEO was the same way. Very narcissistic tendencies where they say things to you that's like a gut punch and you're like, that didn't feel good. Why doesn't that feel good? And then you're like, Ooh, there's some manipulation happening. For example, this particular CEO said to me after I left the company, really smart people make dumb decisions. Basically implying that me quitting was a dumb decision. Like it was these undercutting we, we often called, it was like this undercutting. Statements that almost hit you after the fact. They hit, gut punched you and then you'd go away and you'd be like,

Dr Nat Green: 11:53

oof.

Kathryn Thompson: 11:54

So I had a tendency, I think it's me being an empath, I had a tendency to attract and navigate narcissistic behaviors that was corporate reality. So that the trauma around that, and then having to navigate that through corporate and then our business partnership in my brick and mortar. Wasn't the greatest partnership and that created a lot of trauma for me and probably everybody involved because it was family. So I was in partnership with my husband, my brother, my sister-in-law, and we were at odds for four years that the sad part about it was is that it fractured the relationship, which is now taken a turn and the relationship is mending, but it's taken a lot of years for that mending to happen.

Dr Nat Green: 12:40

There's often so much fallout isn't there and yeah. I know that we often get warned don't go into business with friends or family, but there's so many layers to that because it can turn out so differently. Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and it's interesting. That, that corporate space really is very different, particularly difficult with the narcissists when we are empaths, when we feel so deeply'cause that gaslighting is rife, isn't it? You leave there thinking, what did I do? Oh my goodness, it's me and you really take it on board as something is wrong with that. With me. With us, yes.

Kathryn Thompson: 13:27

Yeah. And it's because we care so deeply, it becomes that for me it was a spiral, right? I was just spiral down because I'd be like, what's wrong with me? What did I say that was wrong? And then you start to try to like mold yourself so that you don't get these undercutting backhanded gaslighting situations. You're just like, and that just makes it even worse because. You move so far away from your center and your core and your values, you're just trying to avoid. And that was what I was trying to do was avoid those situations. But even in the avoidance, I was being pinned for something that I was like, where is this even coming from? I've never once said my boss was harassing me. It was so crazy. Yeah.

Dr Nat Green: 14:09

Yeah. It was that underlying agenda that they had and Totally. You were. The fallout of that. So how did you initially cope with that? Like your nervous system would've been screaming at you, this is not okay, but you were stuck in this situation. You just had to keep going. I.

Kathryn Thompson: 14:29

Yeah, my coping mechanism that I identified after the brick and mortar, after we sold the brick and mortar, and I really healed from that, which was probably two years where I felt like I was in a neutral state when it came to thinking about the partnership, the relationship, the conversations. I was very neutral about it. It took me about two years. My natural tendency though, was escapism, and so I quit the job. I left the situation. I. And then I just kept recreating it in my existence. Because I was never actually dealing with the, all of the things that were going on. As a, not that being in a narcissistic relationship is not your fault, but to be able to identify and navigate it and not be a sponge to it, which is what I was, I just escaped. I'd quit, I'd run away. I'd walk away. And that ties back to an experience I had in my early childhood where I essentially had to run for my life. Call it a potential kidnapping situation, whatever we want to call it. Yeah. I was four years old and I was walking to a friend's house and these four women were walking down the street towards me, and I had never seen them before on this block. And I lived, grew up in a small city. Quite small, and I'd never seen them before on my block. And my gut instinct was like, cross the street. I don't know why my gut said it, but it did. And as soon as I crossed the street, they said, get her. And I ran to the archbishop's house on our street who is never home and never answered the door like ringing the doorbell. I ended up hiding behind these two big cedar trees. Oh. And then jumping a veranda to our other friend's house and finally getting someone to help me. So I think I've been running for my life my whole life. Yeah.

Dr Nat Green: 16:17

That, thank you for sharing that. That would've been like horrendous at any age, but as a little, yes. 4-year-old girl. Yeah. So much fear and yet you were brave enough or to know, to trust your gut. Yeah. That this doesn't feel right. So you were really in tune with that even back then. Yeah. You still were able to get yourself outta that situation and know to ask for help. I think there'd be very few four year olds, to be honest, that would be able to navigate that in that way. That's amazing.

Kathryn Thompson: 16:55

Yeah. Yeah. Which then I think translated and played out to, like I said, things in my life and how I handled adversity was like, I quit, I'm done. I would just avoid and move on rather than actually dealing with it until it came to a head in my brick and mortar where I was forced to deal with it.

Dr Nat Green: 17:14

Yes. So it's funny how we play out those patterns throughout our life, and so often in the work that I do with clients to do our breakthrough session, we get to the root cause. So back then. That significant trauma experience led to that pattern of I'll escape. I get out of it. Whenever I feel unsafe, I get out. So that's exactly what you've done. Yeah. Just wondering, Kathryn though, if at that, that little 4-year-old girl had that really deep intuition and trusted her gut when you were in those corporate environments. Were you getting that gut response and not able to listen or were you listening?

Kathryn Thompson: 17:59

I was getting the gut responses. I wasn't listening, so I. My natural tendency was to get, I would get it instinctively. I'd be like, Ooh, that's not right. Or Ooh, I could feel it in my gut. It was like a gut punch. But then I would justify, oh, you're overreacting. And I think that came with the gaslighting or the, I didn't mean that. Or you're taking these two personally, or you're too sensitive, or you care too much, or whatever. That was said, and so then I would. Play it in my head. Oh, I'm overreacting. They didn't mean it. And I was highly forgiving in those moments. And I would give people 15 chances when I probably should have only given them two.

Dr Nat Green: 18:43

Yeah. And we, that's the nature of who you are as a person. That's that tendency to trust, to see the best in people. Yeah, and have that integrity. It's interesting though, that we often see, and I know we chatted the other day about that head, heart, and gut, the three brains, so that gut brain was switched on and really getting that response. But after we go through trauma and adversity over and over again, going through being let down with the narcissist stuff, everything going on, your. Capacity to listen and have the head and the heart and the gut continuing to be integrated. Lessened. Yeah. Yeah. So you could cognitively go in your head and your head brain was working and your heart brain was questioning that, but somehow you'd managed to shut off that gut brain because of it being quashed based on the experiences.

Kathryn Thompson: 19:52

Yeah. Totally. And then the ruminating, like I would ruminate for almost to a point, especially when I had the brick and mortar, like I'd give myself a headache from ruminating so much playing scenarios over and over in my head, trying to convince myself that what I was experiencing wasn't true. Even though I felt it deeply, I was like, Ooh, I could sense things. And my husband always says this you have this like sixth sense. You just know. It's almost like you can predict things before they happen. And then people often go that's not true, or It didn't happen that way, or I don't see it that way. And then I go, oh, maybe I'm wrong. Yeah. So you question

Dr Nat Green: 20:35

yourself. Yeah. Yeah. And so then you finally, your back was to the wall in your bricks and mortar business with that extra dynamic of tricky family relationships. What was it that got you to the point of, I need to listen, we need to be done? How did you get to that point? Yeah,

Kathryn Thompson: 20:58

it's wild because. It is wild. So Covid hit, as everybody knows, COVID hit in. 2020, and it was April of 2020 that our store was shut to the public and everybody else's store and our location was shut to the public. And there was some disagreement at that time, and it was middle of May, and I was pretty much carrying the brunt of the work along with a lot of support from my husband. But I was doing most of it. And I just, it was internal gut instinct. I'm like, I am sending an email to my list on June one. I didn't even tell my husband, I didn't tell my other business partners. I just did it. And everyone was like, you're nuts because it's Covid We're closed to the public. No one's buying a brick and mortar business.'cause nobody knew at that point where things were going. And I just said, I don't care. I'm done. And that's. Also a trait of mine of like when the light switch goes off. And I often say this, when the light switch goes off and I'm done, there's no getting me back at that point. Like I've made the decision and when I make the decision, it's go time. Sent the email, had 11 interested buyers. Wow. In two signed NDAs. Yeah. And sold that business within two and a half months. Like we transferred ownership by the middle of August of 2020, and I was finally out of the store by middle of September of 2020, and people were like, how did you do this? And it was like amazing. My internal instinct was like, send the email.

Dr Nat Green: 22:34

So again, somehow in amongst all of that chaos within you Yeah. You were able to trust your gut and you did it anyway. Yeah. Reconnected with yourself. And knew that the pain of staying where you were wasn't worth it for you?

Kathryn Thompson: 22:51

No.

Dr Nat Green: 22:51

No. Wow. That's an amazing story.

Kathryn Thompson: 22:56

Yeah. Yeah. That decision was a wild one because it was like nobody's selling brick and mortar. It's 2020. So much is unpredictable right now, and the beauty of our industry that we were in was wine. Wine sales went through the roof when. Restaurants and everything closed because people weren't buying, they weren't going out and eating. They had a lot more disposable income. So all of a sudden our sales went through the roof and that's what really helped. It was just such a, yeah. Divine timing. Perfect. And we're all staying home

Dr Nat Green: 23:28

to drink our wine. Yeah. Basically. Yeah. There's much else to do when you're stuck at home and the world had shut down. Was there, yeah. Oh goodness. So as you look back then, you then said you had a good two years before things felt that they neutralized. Yeah. In that two years, what sort of things did you feel you were able to do to move forward?

Kathryn Thompson: 23:54

Yeah, so I did a lot of internal self-reflection, I definitely got into like victim mindset in the brick and mortar. Lots of blaming, lots of projecting outwards, lots of anger, lots of resentment, and so I knew for me to repair any relationship I had and also for me to stay healthy. I needed to go inward and I needed to heal the resentment I needed to have the forgiveness I needed to acknowledge where. I was in reaction to behaviors that I didn't like, and that was okay because I had reached a breaking point. So when. Oftentimes, and I was being punished for my reactions.'cause my reactions weren't always the greatest because I was frustrated, angry, burnt out, you name it. But I had to do a lot of inner work. And then of course I worked with various practitioners to help me navigate this. So I didn't do it alone. I had a ton of support. Over the years and still do a lot of personal development work. So it's not like after two years it was like, okay, it's neutral and we're good. It was like, this is an ongoing evolution for me. So that I don't get back to a place and repeat these patterns that I've experienced for a vast majority of my life. Yeah.

Dr Nat Green: 25:10

Yeah. And really having that insight. Not everyone has that insight. So being able to tune in again and recognize Yeah, there's things that I'll own. Yeah. But also knowing why they were there and where they had come from. Yeah. And being able to connect with some, people who could help you do that.'cause you're certainly, it's not something you can work through alone.

Kathryn Thompson: 25:34

No. No. And yeah it just isn't, and I think that's a message to, to send far and wide is you need that witnessing, especially, and this going through trauma and then trying to heal trauma. It has to be done in relation, I think. With a therapist, with an energy healer with. Whatever, but yeah, whatever works

Dr Nat Green: 25:54

for you, yeah. Whatever modality works for you. Yeah, exactly. It's not, it's definitely not a one size fits all, and some people, you go to a therapist, they're not my thing. I want go down this way. And as an empath and having that level of intuition, it probably wasn't your stock standard path to heal your nervous system.

Kathryn Thompson: 26:16

Very somatic. A lot of, I think that was probably the greatest transformation for me was the, like actually coming back into my body and somatically healing my body. Because intellectually I understood

Dr Nat Green: 26:29

my

Kathryn Thompson: 26:30

brain's really smart and intellectual. I understand I can talk myself out of things and into things and you name it, but it was all stored in my body and I could feel it. I had chronic pain. I, I was disconnected from my body. There'd be moments of am I actually even, I couldn't, I didn't even know what it felt like anymore in a lot of ways, like what do, yeah. So lots of somatic work.

Dr Nat Green: 26:52

Yeah. So you'd done what most high achieving professionals that I know, and they're the ones that I tend to work with. Really, we, in order to. Keep ourselves safe, shut down that feeling part because we have to compartmentalize things to be able to keep going a lot of the time. So that work is so essential for us, isn't it? To tune into our body and feel things again, even though it's painful, it's very painful. Yeah, and you've gotta work through it though, don't you to move through.

Kathryn Thompson: 27:27

And I wouldn't have been able to go to the depth without somebody witnessing me and holding space for me in a safe place because my brain would often talk me out of it, this is silly, this is stupid. This doesn't work. Like all the things we, and then when I would, when I'd be working with somatic therapists they would, they could sense there's more let's get to the depth of that anger. There's more like you're not sharing all of it. And that's. You know was a pattern, right? It was like, I'll just suppress it and push it all down and I'm good. I'm fine.

Dr Nat Green: 27:59

And isn't it interesting when you say that I could see you squirming in your seat? And I was thinking, I was feeling that internally too, because we are called out. Yeah, totally. Where we need to be because we feel things, we know that. Yeah. They've got me. I can't hide that anymore. So it's uncomfortable, but it's so important and really brave to be able to do that work because it's the only way we're gonna move forward after some sort of trauma or really challenging situation, isn't it? We have to own it. Yeah, totally. Totally. Do you think there's any specific qualities or personal attributes that you see as being key for moving through trauma and into post-traumatic growth where you are now?

Kathryn Thompson: 28:50

That's a great question. I think for me, what was really key was openness to just be open and allow myself to be open. Vulnerable in those experiences with my coaches, my mentors, my healers, my practitioners. Is for me it was openness because I was someone who really wanted to suppress the emotion and not really show it. Yeah. And so I needed to be open and vulnerable. Which was key for my transformation, but I wanna say that it's probably unique to everybody and their experience and what they actually need in the moment, like what their patterns are and stuff like that. I think it's possible for anybody if you're willing to do the work and you're willing to go to those places that you're trying to hide or don't want to go to or whatnot. So I would say openness and vulnerability to the process.

Dr Nat Green: 29:43

Yeah. I love that so much, and. It's funny'cause in the last couple of episodes, they're the things that have come up that vulnerability. Because often as professionals we feel like we have to be able to do everything and not show that part of ourselves because people hold us up on this almost like a pedestal. It's ridiculous that, yeah, we need to be perfect in so many ways. But the reality is we're all human. Yeah. And until we're willing to be vulnerable and be real and authentic and have integrity, things won't change, will they? No, exactly. Yeah. So what would you say is one of the most important lessons or learnings as a result of what you've been through?

Kathryn Thompson: 30:35

Yeah. I think the, for me is actually trusting my gut and not. ruminating or second guessing, that first instinct that comes through. But I think the most important thing for me is that mine would, I was very reactive, so I would get that gut instinct. I wouldn't like the situation, so I'd be very like judgmental or reactive to, towards. The person, the environment, whatever, and I'd get angry and resentful. Now I know to ask myself, what is this telling me about what I value and what matters to me, rather than just reacting to the person? Because that reaction never brings anything great, right? It just breeds more conflict. And so pausing, getting curious about what this tells me about what I value. And then continuing to honor that value because it's, to me, it's in that resistance. It's not something I need to overcome. It's just connecting me back to what is in integrity to me, but also knowing that what's integrity to me might not be the same value or integrity to somebody else. Now, it doesn't make it right or wrong, unless of course it is psychological or emotional abuse, right? There is a right or wrong element there. But if I'm being triggered, for example, because somebody's doing something that's not in the same value as me or the integrity as me, rather than reacting and being judgemental. Just understanding what I value and then getting curious about maybe what they value and if, there's a misalignment in beliefs and values, that's fine. I don't have to judge them for that. They get to be who they need to be and just have that acceptance. And I think that's probably the biggest lesson for me, is just accepting people for who they are without trying to change them because they don't match my values and my integrity.

Dr Nat Green: 32:25

Because that was what had been happening to you in those other situations, that you were being molded because your values didn't align with theirs. Yeah. But they hadn't done that work and weren't as astute and developed as you yeah. Really interesting how it goes full circle, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. So what else really stands out then as. Being something that helped as pivotal

Kathryn Thompson: 32:55

to move you forward? Yeah. I think the thing for me, I think I had to come to that breaking point. I had to come to that, like it had to come to a head where it was like, call it your rock bottom, call it your most emotional low, whatever it might be. And for me, again, I think it was somatic and I resisted somatic work for a long time. I would do like the talk therapy or the mental stuff that was comfortable and safe. But for me,

Dr Nat Green: 33:20

I. Yeah.

Kathryn Thompson: 33:21

Oh yes. EFT tapping was probably one of the most profound things that I did. But EFT tapping with somebody there to witness me, because if I was just to do EFT tapping on my own, I would not do it as deep as I needed to go. My, practitioner was like, she called me out. Often in a very loving, compassionate way that allowed me to really get the anger and the resentment out. So that was, yeah, huge.

Dr Nat Green: 33:52

Yeah. And it's an interesting modality, isn't it? The EFT tapping and there's now so much more research. It's one of those things I want it to be able to work for me, but again I've tried it and it's like I get nothing. It's yeah maybe I'm resisting that and I need to go deeper or maybe it's not my thing. And modeling, like you said, you've gotta find your thing. For me, I'm loving the TRE, which is the trauma and tension release exercises, which I know I talked to you about the other day. It's really around getting whatever's stuck in our nervous system. Yeah, from years of hearing people's stories, carrying our own stories, carrying other people's stories, and working out a way that we can let that become unstuck in our nervous system through EFT. Tapping for you, for TRE for me, doesn't matter what it is, does it? Yeah.

Kathryn Thompson: 34:50

Yeah. Yeah, that process sounds so cool. I know we've talked about it and I'd be interested in Yeah. Trying it because I think, yeah, EFT is great and I think yeah that, that release in the nervous system's huge.

Dr Nat Green: 35:03

It absolutely is. And I think the more we know about trauma and see the benefits of these. Alternative ways of doing things. The more information we get and the more research that's done, the more we realize that just plain old talk therapy isn't enough. Totally. It works and it's helpful in so many ways, but as you said before, we intellectualize stuff. We need to feel it as well to reconnect the parts of ourselves that maybe haven't felt safe enough to be connected. Yeah. Totally. Yeah. So you made that decision, you sold the business, it worked in your favor. It was wonderful. You had a couple of years where you really dug deep and did the work. What next? Tell me about how that post-traumatic growth curve really went for you then.

Kathryn Thompson: 36:01

Yeah, so for me it was, I was a lot. More calmer in this business. And because I deal a lot with personalization and one-to-one work a lot with people that I learned not to take on their, like their stuff with their frustrations, which I'd often internalize and then try to fix. So I stopped becoming this fixer. And I wasn't carrying the burden like, I need to carry you up the mountain. I need to fix you. Which then has allowed me to really expand the business because when I first launched, when I left the brick and mortar. I was terrified. I was terrified to have more than five people in a group program with me because I didn't want all the energy, I didn't want all the problems, and it was all that my nervous system could handle until I did the work. And now I've been able I'm more receptive to receiving, but I also have really clear boundaries of what's my responsibility and what isn't my responsibility, which then allows me to have that much more. Flow into my business. Yeah.

Dr Nat Green: 37:06

So how do you do that? How do you,'cause I know a lot of our listeners are health professionals, helping professionals who do have people telling their story. How do we. Not carry that burden of that person's story and keep that separate. I'd love to hear that. Yeah.

Kathryn Thompson: 37:23

Secret for that. Yeah. So me was the EFT tapping. Really? It was, that was a big one. And meditation is another one that allows me to ground like. I have a daily practice that I do, and then I also have set up my business in a way that allows me to integrate those daily practices into my client sessions. So I'm not going into back to back to back sessions so that I can clear the energy around me. So that I'm not carrying that on, but it's like almost like an energetic boundary that I was able to create by getting really clear about what my responsibility was and what it isn't, because I wasn't clear before. Yeah. And so that's part of why I took on the burden of the stuff, was because I was acting as the martyr, the fixer I'll fix that and I'll fix that, and I'll fix that. And then all of a sudden you're wrapped up in their world. Now I am very clear on what's mine, what isn't. And if I feel like I am taking something on, then I do the work, the cord cutting, the meditation, those sorts of things, those practices getting out in nature really grounding for me and lots of baths. Being in water is a big one for me. But again, I think it's finding your method, your way that really works for you. Yeah.

Dr Nat Green: 38:44

Yeah. So really knowing how you best ground yourself. Yeah. Yeah. So whatever it is. Yeah. Yeah. So for me, I know it's having a coffee by the beach. I just sit there and I enjoy the peace and quiet of that. I don't need anyone else there. I'm just sit and have my coffee for you, the bath. But just getting out in nature is also really grounding, isn't it?

Kathryn Thompson: 39:09

Yeah. And being aware where you are taking the responsibility on. So like the thoughts that are going through your head, so you know, if you're assuming something about a client or you are like. However it might be, oh, I they might be pissed off'cause I said this, or whatever it might be. Where you get in, where your brain starts to create drama. It's also starting to, like I started a trigger journal where things started to, anything that triggered me and then I'd go, what is this teaching me about what I value? Where was a boundary crossed blah, blah, blah. That has been absolutely wild for me because it's just unpacked so many triggers. Yeah.

Dr Nat Green: 39:46

I love that. I'm gonna write that one down. So trigger journal and even, and one way it just came to me then we have gratitude jars. We could have a trigger jar, or I remember doing this a long time ago with a client with things that they took on board that were negative about themselves or their environment. They would put it in this. Shoebox, I think it was, but then put all your triggers in there and then have a burning ceremony or something like that to burn it and get rid of it. So there's so many ways. I love that. So a trigger journal or trigger jar or trigger box or something like that would be powerful. Thank you. That's a great tip and strategy. Yeah. Any other little

Kathryn Thompson: 40:33

wise? Yeah. The trigger, like the documenting my triggers and getting to the root of it has probably been being the best meditation nature. Yeah. I'm trying to think of any. I also love to cook, so anything that allows me to get into my creative flow will take me out of my mental brain. But I've, I have such a calmer mind now with that combination. And understanding of what, why I was triggered or that sort of thing has been really helpful because I've always tried to, I've always looked at triggering as a bad thing. I'm, why am I triggering?'cause I'm judging. But now I've reframed it too. It's actually just showing me what I value. For example, I often get triggered by like big money claims, right? Like how to make 14 K in two days. Yeah, trigger me. Yeah, they trigger me. And I would have people say it's because you're afraid of money or you don't like money, or you have a negative charge around money. And I was like, it's actually not that. I am looking at the transparency of that. I'm going, there's more to that story. And as a depth worker, as somebody who likes to go to the truth of things, I'm going, yes, is that profit? Is that right? My brain start. So it's more around what I value and I'm I align with, it has nothing to do with the money piece and it's not an obstacle I need to overcome. I just know where I need to go as a result of that. And I think that's really helped with the reframing'cause I was always trying to fix myself because of these triggers and it, there was nothing for me to actually fix.

Dr Nat Green: 42:11

No. So recognizing that a trigger is. Again, it's just a word. It's not negative or positive. It's a trigger is a sign that something is out of alignment, whether that's what they've said, what they've done, it's about then being able to navigate that path and put it where it needs to be for you, positive or negative. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I really love that. That's excellent. Yeah, and I think, that doing something that's creative is really, that's moving it from one half of the brain to the other half of the brain, the analytical part through to creative, and it helps you move through that and help reduce that charge. Exactly. Totally. Get outta your head and into your heart space.

Kathryn Thompson: 43:00

Yeah. And usually with things with my hands, right? Pottery, photography, cooking, right? It's now I'm using this other side of my brain that isn't over analyzing and all the things. Yeah.

Dr Nat Green: 43:11

And it's that doing. Yeah. And being so doing both and just being in it and sitting with it as well, which you can do more of when you're in that creative space. Yeah. Rather than push, push. Which is so common, isn't it, as high achievers where we just keep pushing through and pushing through. Yeah.'cause that's the way society set things up a lot of the time. Yeah. Yeah. But we need to do more being and sitting. Yeah. And just allowing time and space. A hundred percent. Yeah. What I'm, what I'd love you to do now is a little bit more around what you do now and yeah, tell us more about you and where we can find you.

Kathryn Thompson: 43:58

Yeah, so you can find me at creatively owned my website's, creatively owned Instagram, Facebook creatively owned, and I hang out most on Instagram. And basically what I do now is. Predominantly support those selling the invisible, like selling a service and offering that isn't tangible and doesn't often fit into traditional marketing, right? That tells us we need one big, tangible result. We need to take people from A to B, but in the healing world, our healing is often non-linear. So it doesn't actually fit into this roadmap. That's if you just do this step. You'll heal all of your trauma. If it was that easy, we'd all be doing it. We'd all be fixed. Yeah, basically. And it's more of a spiral and it's more of a, trial and error. It's more of a non-linear experience. And so I really support people in articulating the value of what they do and how to really package and position that in a way that's. In integrity with what they're actually offering.'cause again, a lot of traditional marketing is give a guarantee, tell'em they'll get here by this date and this time. And lots of healers, as are like, I can't promise that. And everybody's experience is unique and everybody's there might be similarities in trauma. It's everybody's unique in how they're. How they're wired and operate and even just, you and I have very different experiences with our, the modalities that we use, and that's okay. And so I help them put into words what they do, how they do it, so they can really get their meaningful work and their healing work out into the world, into the hands of more people. Oh I think

Dr Nat Green: 45:33

this is amazing, and I'm thinking, oh, I can already think of so many people that will benefit from the approach you use, knowing that it's okay for us to be ourselves and show up exactly as we are, rather than feel we need to fit in this box because it's so not a one size fits all, whereas often that need to market and communicate. Our worth and our value is that hustle culture that doesn't feel right to us. Yeah. As healers and helpers.

Kathryn Thompson: 46:09

Yeah, totally.

Dr Nat Green: 46:12

Oh, I love that. So I'll put all that in the show notes, and I know that you've also got a quiz, so you wanna tell us about that because I'm definitely gonna take that quiz. I'm really keen to find out more about that.

Kathryn Thompson: 46:25

Yeah. I love my quiz. It's the, what's your Elevated Edge quiz, and basically when you take it, it gives you this very in depth. If you haven't already felt this about me I'm, I call myself a depth worker. The people that come into my world are depth workers, right? They like to go to the depths of things. They understand people are nuanced. So through this quiz, when you take it, then you get this really in depth report. I'm talking in really in depth about. Your natural gifts, what makes you different? Like maybe even the marketing platforms or channels to be on, right? So again, it's not about the cookie cutter. It's about how to really honor your authentic expression. What's your unique edge in this world and how to put that out into the world and share it. With the world and get paid for it without the compromise, without having to fit yourself into a box. And so it's a really fun quiz. My intention was you could walk away with it and have almost, I don't wanna call it a blueprint, but I. Anyone that's taken it has said, I finally feel seen. I feel like you wrote this specifically for me, which is my whole, was my whole intention. I wanted people to feel seen and understood and be able to just go, okay, I can be me and I can express myself authentically, and that actually my uniqueness or my weirdness, or my quirks or whatever are part of my superpower. And that's okay. Yeah.

Dr Nat Green: 47:57

What a gift. I think you're a gift to this world. I just think the stories you've shared today are, oh, I honestly feel so honored to have shared this space with you. I've, one question that I ask at the end, usually and given the very beautiful, powerful story you told about 4-year-old you, what do you think your youngest self. Would think of what you've achieved.

Kathryn Thompson: 48:28

I think my younger self would be so impressed, and I'd also think my younger self would say, maybe there are areas that you're being a little modest, that you could push yourself just that much more to really step into that highest potential that. Up until this point, all your lived experiences have maybe had you playing a little bit modest, and now it's time to fully shine.

Dr Nat Green: 49:00

I love that. So it's time for you to be a tall poppy. Yeah. To grow even taller. I love that. Yes. Look, lookout world. I'm really excited. I'm going to do that quiz today. Absolutely. Gonna go off there. I wanna find that. Yeah, the secrets and feel seen and see where's it gonna take me. And I'm really grateful that you've offered that. So I'll put that in the show notes as well. Awesome. Thank you so much for being you, Kathryn, and for showing up and being the most amazing, authentic version of you and sharing that with our guests. Been really wonderful having you on. Thank you.

Kathryn Thompson: 49:42

Yes. Thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure connecting and chatting and sharing my story and I am just so honored to be in this space with you as well.

Dr Nat Green: 49:50

And I look forward to our chat on your podcast soon.

Kathryn Thompson: 49:53

Yes, I know. I'm excited to have you on.

Dr Nat Green: 49:56

Yes, so am I, and I look forward to sharing that with everyone as well. So thank you so much, Kathryn. Bye for now.

Kathryn Thompson: 50:03

Thank you.

Dr Nat Green: 50:08

Thank you for joining me in this episode of Growing Tall Poppies. It is my deepest hope that today's episode may have inspired and empowered you to step fully into your post-traumatic growth, so that you can have absolute clarity around who you are, what matters the most to you, and to assist you to release your negative emotions. And regulate your nervous system so you can fully thrive. New episodes are published every Tuesday, and I hope you'll continue to join us as we explore both the strategies and the personal qualities required to fully live a life of post-traumatic growth and to thrive. So if it feels aligned to you and really resonates, then I invite you to hit subscribe and it would mean the world to us. If you could share this episode with others who you feel may benefit too, you may also find me on Instagram at Growing Tall Poppies and Facebook, Dr. Natalie Green. Remember, every moment is an opportunity to look for the lessons and to learn and increase your ability to live the life you desire and deserve. So for now, stay connected. Stay inspired. Stand tall like the tall poppy you are, and keep shining your light brightly in the world. Bye for.