Podcast 5: Let’s Talk About Overall Wellness with Kat Badry

Welcome Kat.

Hi Holly.

How's it going?

I'm doing really good.

How are you?

Good. Thanks for coming on.

Before we get started, I've got a couple of rapid fire questions for you. If you've listened to Britney's podcast, which is how we met, you might know. I just shoot her a couple of questions. So your favorite

my favorite color is green. Green.

Okay. I was half expecting yellow cause everyone else that's been on the show so far has said yellow.

Yellow is a great color.

So why green?

Green is the color of the earth. I mean, when you think of the earth, you think green, right? I know that there's water and it's blue and all this stuff.

But when I think the earth, I think green, and I think that's just why. I love it. And it's my favorite. Yeah. And you're a big outdoors hiker and you love being out there in our downtime.

So, and then your go-to snack. So is it a hiking snack or are you bit of a treat girl?

Oh gosh. Okay. So my favorite snack right now, my boyfriend makes these like marshmallow chocolate granola bars.

I like how you throw the word granola in there. It's almost like it's healthy.

Oh my gosh. It's not healthy, but when you're hiking, You burn so many calories, you don't have to worry about it. So these things are my favorite. They are amazing. He makes them, every time we go hiking and he makes like, I swear, like 15 servings and we eat the whole thing. So right now that's my go-to snack.

Well, you did bring your recipe that we're going to share later, but I'm feeling like we also need this recipe now, too. I don't go hiking enough to burn those calories, but I will definitely. eat them while I watch your Instagram stories, as you hike, do you have a word of the year?

My word of the year. So I've never had a word of the year before my first word of the year and it is enrich. And the reason why it's enrich is because it is to bring value to something in your life or anything at all. And. The reason why I chose that is because my life right now, it's I feel like it's going in the right direction, but I want to make it better.

I want to make it bigger and I want to make it just more valuable to me. So that's why I chose it for every thing in my life. Right now, with fitness, with nutrition, with work. I want to enrich it. And that's kind of what we're going to be talking about today is taking on those challenges and not waiting for permission and kind of why we always give ourselves.

We have to, we always have to wait to give ourselves permission instead of just jumping head first into it. Why is it this year, the first year that you have a word of the year? That's a good question. So I think this year I'm really just becoming my true self and becoming this authentic version of myself.

And so with that, I think. I need to pick a word of the year because I need to just focus on this thing. That makes sense. Enrich everything. And I think that's just where I'm going with my life is I want to make everything bigger and better and just more authentic and more me and with the purpose for sure.

Well, it's definitely been a big year to start with not only are you a fitness coach, but you also started a new job. Congratulations. And on top of that, you also launched a blog. So a whole bunch of things are happening right now, which is so exciting. But as we're on the topic of wellbeing and wellness, what does that mean to you?

To me, it means. Being content in your skin and being just all around in every part of your life, just content and happy and. That's. I know a lot of people think, you know, mental health, physical health, and spiritual house. And I think all those things combined together and working on all of them simultaneously is what true wellbeing is.

And to me, it's just, you know, it's not about just losing the weight. It's not about just going to therapy or it's not about just connecting with your true self it's about taking all of those things and putting them together and seeing how it works. That's really cool. And I definitely think we have to give ourselves that grace to that it's not going to be a balance either.

There's going to be certain things that take priority at different stages in life. So what kick started this journey for you? How did you get into this realm? So to speak. So, I guess I go way back. Yeah. I mean, I was married for seven years and that's, um, I mean, it was a big part of my life, obviously. And when my husband and I decided to separate, I kind of fell into this dark place in my life.

And I had gained a lot of weight. My health was suffering and I was not taking care of myself. I was drinking way too much. I was eating fast food and you could see it on me. You could feel it on me. And my entire energy was that. I actually started following the girl on Instagram and I had known her previously a little bit and I just seen her completely become this light.

And I kind of went initially I was envious. I was like, wow, how did she find the time? How does she become this person? And after a couple of months of, you know, secretly watching her behind the screen, I went, I can do that too. And so I just contacted her immediately and went, okay, I want to do what you're doing.

I want to wake up. And find my purpose and find what I want to do. And, and, uh, obviously she immediately replied and we kind of hit it off and I decided to start moving my body. And it was really hard. I mean, it was, I remember working out and just being on the floor, sweating, like crazy and just crying because I couldn't do things and not really realizing how out of shape and how depressed I really was.

Yeah. And so that's kind of how I started that whole journey was it was initially with movement because of. The easiest part. It was the less the least invasive mentally. And, uh, and then after that I actually started going to therapy and that just kind of opened up a whole wellness, um, thing for me.

That's I really want to touch, I want to go further into your finished journey as well as the mental side. Um, but first of all, I just want to acknowledge the fact that you said you were initially NBA. And you decided to shift that mindset and actually celebrate her win and see it for yourself. And I think especially over the past two years, we've really allowed ourselves to just start seeing people as screens rather than full stories and full people.

And rather than ask questions and be like, or like, Hey, and champion them and say, I'm so proud of you. Can you tell me what you did? Or can you teach me what you've done? We see as a competition, right? What you just acknowledged was you've acknowledged that feeling, but then you ask yourself, well, why and how can I move forward from that?

And speaking of triumphs, not only just asking for help and then committing to yourself to move your body, you also just completed 75 heart and not just 75 hard Christmas new year's and your birthday 75. Um, what is 75 part for those that don't know? How do you feel about it? I know it's on your blog.

You've got a whole blog post. So tell people where they can read the full description, but if you could give us like a little sneak peek and your overview of 75, let's hear absolutely. Seventy-five five is one of the hardest things we've ever had to do. Um, mentally, mostly, uh, physically. It was also challenging.

Yeah, it was very hard. I did not think it was going to be hard over my birthday. Or Christmas or new years, I thought it wouldn't be a big deal, but once those holidays came around, it was like, wow, this is a big, you know, thing on my mental health. And it really, it, it brought me down and brought me to a really low place.

And, uh, so 7,500, I guess, for those who don't know, it's, it's a task list that you have to do every single day. You cannot knock do the task list. If you do the start all over. It's very, um, particular, you've got to be very adamant of doing these things. And so the workout for 45 minutes every day. Can be indoors or outdoors and you have to do it outdoor work over 40 minutes, four, five.

So two workouts a day, essentially. Yes. And so with these workouts going outside of minus 40 brutal, totally brutal. I was wearing snow pants, like a full winter jacket, slightly different if you're doing it in the summer, or if you're in the warm states and you're doing it in the winter. Here. Yeah. It's in December, especially we had a cold snap of like minus 35 Celsius down to like minus 42 Celsius.

It was not pleasant. It was horrible. Yet you still quote, unquote have to go outside. Yes. And you did. And it felt like I had to go outside, like could be like, just don't do it. And I'm like, I have to, like, I have to finish this. So when it got to about day 40, I started feeling really like mentally low about it.

But in my mind, I went, I need to finish this because I need to have a firm opinion of what this challenge is actually like, because I need to share my experience with it. And so I felt like I had to finish the challenge to be able to fully share and be taken seriously on the cons about this challenge.

You know, lots of people are talking about the pros and everybody sees the physical results. I lost a lot of weight. And so people seen that and went, wow, that's amazing. And they were really focusing on that when I went, no, that like, you know, my mental health took a really big toll. And so I really wanted to, to say that in my blog, because I know a lot of people were like, I'm going to do a two and you know, and then last people mentioned, like I didn't finish 75 hard and it really made me feel depressed.

And like, I wasn't strong enough. Honestly quitting 7,500 when it's really affecting your mental health. It's not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength and knowing and leaning into yourself and being protective of those things. Would you ever do 75 hard in the summer to compare maybe days are shorter days or longer warmth, all of those things.

Would you ever. Do that, or are you like, I'm done that's the first time anybody's asked me that question, which is really great. I mean, I'm surprised I didn't get asked that question earlier, but, um, no, I would not do it again, just because as soon as the challenge was over, it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders and then success.

Yeah. And so I felt like, Ooh, I'm finally done. And I already worked out every single day. I already take my dog for a walk every single day. I already drink lots of. It wasn't the fact that the tasks themselves, it was a fact that I didn't have a choice in those tasks and the semi-nudity and shame that came with it.

If you didn't, can I be that literally? Yes. And when. I was done those things and I was doing them by choice. You know, I put, I put quote contortions around that because I'm like, there's always my choice. But, um, when it's my choice, it feels like I'm doing it for my health rather than I have to do this.

Like, it's a chore. So for me, I wouldn't do it again, but that's just me. Yeah. And you said again, protecting your mental state and I think that's a really important piece too. Um, with Brittany about a couple of weeks ago, but I'd love to know how you're kind of protecting that element. You said you were going to therapy as you walk through, and you said that was the harder task than the fitness task.

Would you mind sharing a bit of how you're taking your well-being into your hands that way? So that way, so like I said, I started with movement cause it, it seemed like the hardest thing to do, but it was actually the easiest thing out of the trifecta of the spiritual, mental, physical, and, uh, I, I actually kind of perfected the fitness part where I was like, I'm working out every single day, you know, I feel really good.

And then it was kind of like a canine to start working on the other things. And so I go to therapy quite every two weeks, um, religiously and I absolutely love it. And I remember walking into my first therapy appointment and, uh, and just feeling like I had this. Pit in my stomach. Like I was like, I'm going to actually talk about the things that are scaring me and the things that I feel guilt for and the things that I, you know, haven't told anyone else ever.

And it's terrifying. Yeah. Because you're prejudging your own mental thoughts. You're like, what is someone else going to think about me when I actually speak them into reality? Absolutely. And I think we get. Stuck in our own head and we have these thoughts and they're so safe inside our, you know, depths of our brain.

And we just kind of go, nobody else knows that. So it's not a big deal, but we, but the problem with that is we never ever come to terms with those things they're hidden. And you know, when they actually speak them out loud, it's like we can move on from that trauma. We can move on from those thoughts we can move on from that guilt.

And it becomes. This thing that somebody else knows, and then they process it and then you can move on from it. And I never, ever, ever realized that before. And when I started going to therapy and even when I started writing my blog, it was like, I thought I'd be really, really sad when I wrote my blog posts, but it was this ability to actually exhale that trauma and then let it go.

Yeah. I have another question on the opposite side, as we've talked about bringing the darkness into light, but has there been a time where you've actually thought something. So almost dark. And then you spoke it out to someone and you're like, this is actually ridiculous. And kind of had that weight lifted in the sense of, oh, I was actually carrying around something that was not beneficial whatsoever.

Not a fact, but maybe a thought that you were like, I can't do this or anything like that. And you walked out and been like, why was I carrying that for the past couple months, or weeks or anything like that? Absolutely. I I've had that with a lot of things. And I think one of the main things was my self doubt.

All of my entrepreneurial things, like my coaching, my blogging, I would constantly self doubt myself and say like, why me? I'm not smart enough. I'm not pretty enough good enough. And you know, none of the followers or whatever. And it came down to the point where I was like, if I don't do it now, I'm never going to do it.

And so I would say to my boyfriend mostly, or my therapist. Yeah. Well, I just feel like my life's not bad enough to be able to write a blog. Isn't that silly? Like when you think about it, like, it's not terrible enough. I have no drama, but it's true. Like I saw like, okay, these things have happened to me and I know other people have gone through the same things and what made me feel better.

And what made me heal was actually listening to other people's. People sharing their stuff and the vulnerability piece. It's so hard. And I even do that too. I write and I write in a right and then I'm like, no one wants to read this. And they're like, no, that's actually the part that makes you human. And that connects the one thing that I've kind of, um, talked about with friends and not necessary.

Online yet, but I have this series that I go through when I am processing something, is if it's still a cut and it's fresh, I will write it out, but I'm not going to post it or share it because I don't want to bleed on other people. If it's a scab, I don't want to itch on it. Cause again, it will cut back open, but once it's a scar, it's there.

People can ask me about it, but it no longer bothers me. And that's kind of how I gauge what I'm willing to share and when I'm willing to not. And so I think that's also kind of what you were saying. Writing as a sense of therapy, but also knowing what people want to hear and how to connect with them is also valuable to take the time first, do the work, do the mental, the physical, and the emotional wellbeing, and then share.

Once you've walked past it and you, then you're able to heal from that as well. I love that cause I love how you say don't scratch the scab, right? Yeah, because I write about, um, you know, all my family trauma, all my family history right now, um, you know, sibling staff, um, past relationships because I had to go through the healing process first, before I could actually authentically write about it because I would have written about it before and I would have left things out.

You know what I mean? Cause I wouldn't have been able to heal from it. Or you come from a place of. It's still sour and bitterness. And not that healed of, I can see that they were hurting too, but it didn't reflect on me. And I had to step out of that. And you ended up with that, um, that contrast, right? One of the biggest things that, um, got me to heal was my therapist told me to write a letter to my father.

And she said, you don't need to send it, just write it out, really get it out on paper. And like all those emotions. You can send it if you want, but you don't have to. And so I did it and, uh, I cried the whole time I wrote it. It was so painful and I actually did end up sending it and it was one of the most therapeutic things I've ever done in my life.

And I remember dropping it off at the, at the mail office. And literally, as soon as the guy took it from me, I was like panicking. I was like, give it back. Like, no, that's not supposed to be like, said, oh my gosh. And, uh, my boyfriend's like, no, it's gone. Like, it's done. Let's go. And it was one of the best things I ever did.

And I ask how it was received. Do you know how it was received or it, um, it was, it was received not the best initially. Um, we didn't talk for about eight months afterwards and, uh, but actually right before Christmas, he did end up calling me. Very awkward, very weird. But, um, we just, he just kind of told me how he felt and I said how I felt, and we didn't talk for a little bit after that again, but we're slowly trying to work on a relationship.

Um, for him it's very awkward. He just doesn't really know how, but, um, we're working on it. I mean, I'm trying to work on it and we'll see, I'm gonna see what the future holds. I'm hoping good things for you, but it's also nice to see. You've laid it out all out. You aren't hiding. And now when you see him or talk with him, you're not holding that resent as well.

He knows exactly where you stand. And it's nice to hear that he's also trying to put in the work, even if it feels a bit awkward. It's always nice to know, but I also think that's a great task for anyone that's listening to this that feels stuck. Cause that kind of goes into how we even started talking was why do we wait for permission to make a change?

And I think there's your permission right now for the listeners is if you're feeling stuck, write it down, send the letter w let it all out first and then see, and bring that into light and see how true or ridiculous, whatever it ends up being on paper. And, but just taking a moment to reflect on it and bring it into existence.

Can help you make those changes. I also just finished reading a book called the power of writing. I don't remember who it's by. I listened to it on audio, but I will put it in the show notes as well, but it literally unfolds all those things of how we carry so much extra weight, so to speak in our mind, because we don't want to put it down on paper, but as soon as we do, we've given ourselves permission to move forward from it.

And I think that's an amazing piece. What made you. Start this new job. How do you evolve and to change and giving yourself permission and all of those things. That's the next piece we're going to talk about? Absolutely. So I'm going to love this topic because I love the courage and the strength to change.

It is a terrifying thing. It is absolutely scary. And I think a lot of people will stay in situations for a very long time before they have the courage to change. If they ever. And you see it all the time. And, um, so with the Stu job, I was in another job previously that I was very unhappy. It was just mental health wise.

It was draining, it was a toxic environment. I, um, wasn't getting the opportunities that I was promised that I wanted. And it just kinda made me feel very unhappy with myself. And I felt like this job is easy, but I'm not getting. So I actually applied for a bunch of positions within that company and didn't get any interviews.

So my self worth was like an all time low at that point. Like it was like, I'm not going to get any jobs anywhere. This is where I'm gonna be stuck forever. And that's what I felt. And then eventually I got the courage to apply externally and I got a ton of interviews, a ton of, um, knowledge, a lot of acknowledgement, and it was just fantastic.

I, myself, worst, like skyrocketed after that. And so this new job, I, um, I'm a little nervous. I mean, it's, it's going to be a lot more work and it's going to be a lot more challenging, but I'm definitely there for the challenge. And with that change, I think will come so much growth and that's just the most important part of it all.

Yeah. I think part of the challenge of growth and wanting to make those changes as the fear of rejection. Now, it's always amazing to get multiple offers and multiple iterations. Have you got any advice or any words of encouragement for those who might face rejection before they get that job offer or that opportunity that they've been waiting for?

Absolutely. So I think that for first off, if it doesn't work out and you don't get the job, it was not meant to be. And I know that sounds super corny, but it's true. Like there's so many jobs that I've applied for and I didn't get them and it was just cause they were leading in the wrong door. Um, but then secondly, if there's a job out there that you really aren't like definitely fight for it.

If you don't get it the first time, try this, the, you know, the second time, the third time, the fourth time, I know one girl that is such an encouragement to me. She has applied for the same job over and over again. And she's like, I want to be there. I want to be in this position. I'm just not ready for it yet.

And that's amazing to me that just shows that you know, your true self and really leaning into yourself and. Yeah. I just really think don't give up, don't ever give up on things that, you know, you deserve. I think as well, cause I've been rejected in places, but then later I had them come back to me or I've moved, I've grown.

And then I reapplied and they seen that potential. And that's why I asked them for feedback first. And once you get that feedback, make those changes. And when the opportunity does come up again, You can be like, and here's what I was told last time. And here are the changes I've made and using the example that, or just in stride, keep working on yourself.

Even if you aren't able to get feedback, because some people just put you in junk box. As soon as they've given you the know, they don't want to talk with you again, but you ask around people that either you already have known that work there that have worked there, or just acknowledge the culture of the company.

You do a deeper dive into. What they're like and how your values align. And you can let those shine through the next time and just putting your self in those rooms and in those positions to meet the right people, whether it's an entrepreneurial goal or a retail job, whatever it looks like. I think putting yourself in the right environment, asking the questions and being authentic to yourself and knowing exactly where you want to go.

People always admire someone that has a goal further than where they are. If it says, oh, I'm just happy with what I have definitely encouraging to them either, because they're hoping that you're going to bring something to the company. So I feel like that's also a very tangible way of kind of moving forward.

I agree. Yes. I mean, gross is one of the most attractive traits in people. I think that people that are wanting to do. I become the second best version of themself. It's just this amazing thing. It's like this light that shines from within, it's just, you got to have enriched soil. , it's amazing. And it's fun.

I mean, I think when we take the pressure off herself and just, okay, this is where I want to be in. These are the steps that I have to take, and I think it will be, we commit to those steps and we slowly work through them and we let them just grow us, working out. It's a beautiful thing and it's not, it's not stressful.

It's not scary because it's just like where this human it's still hard, but he coming as a wonderful person. And I just think it's, it's wonderful. It's beautiful. Yeah. That's amazing. Well, I do ask all my guests at the end of the show, not only to share a recipe, what you've done, but share what you bring to the table.

I believe everyone has value and I want everyone to have a seat at the table. So what do you bring to the team? So me personally, what I bring to the table. So, um, with my blog authentically cat, I mean, I bring a raw, authentic truth, um, to what it's like being a young woman and, you know, in her mid twenties to late twenties.

Um, obviously I don't know anything beyond that at this point, but I think I've been through, you know, a lot of ups and downs. And I just want to bring this honest, raw content to show people that you're not alone. You are so marble, right? Um, I remember reading a book by Glennon, Doyle love warrior, and the way that she writes about her life and her struggles, but all her beautiful things too it's happen.

It is so raw and it made me feel like, oh my God, thank goodness. I'm not alone. Like I just felt so warm on the inside. Like I was like, this earth is not horrible. I mean, it's not all these horrible things. There's so many beautiful things too. And I think that's what I bring to the table. I just bring this really honest person that is just showing me.

Even if you were at rock bottom right now, you can totally climb up. You can get out of it. And you know, if you want more, if you want something, it is attainable. Yeah. It's that vulnerability piece of sharing where you've come from, where you're going, but also where you're at. I think people focus a lot on past and future and not always in the middle, the messy middle, but that's where most so bizarre.

Absolutely. I think that true happiness. Content and present. And if you're not, you know, where you are right now and enjoying this moment and focusing always on the future or, you know, feeling the guilt or, you know, the loss of the past, you're just never going to find my happiness. Yeah. I think too, you were saying me focus on the beautiful thing.

I've heard it before and I'm sure they'll come up again. But if I said to you in the room, like, look for all, everything green, we'll talk about green again. You'll notice all. But then if I say, oh, like how many pink things did you see going to be? Like, I didn't see anything because you weren't focusing on that.

Um, so I think that's a beautiful way to capture vulnerability as well as be open to what's in front of you and the audience that you have and the way you can impact them best. Now we do have a recipe. We have a green smoothie recipe. Favorite color. I feel a sensing, a theme, maybe it's cause St.

Patrick's day coming up, but you also have a monthly challenge. So what is the challenge for month, for the month? Where can people sign up? Where can people find you give us the details? So as we all know, vegetables, vegetables, vegetables, we gotta eat our vegetables guys. So what's the best way to get those vegetables is to get green supplements.

Um, it is amazing. I drank my. Almost everyday guys. I'm not perfect. So I try to drink it every day. I drink wine straight, but a lot of people don't like that. So I have a smoothie recipe here that, um, Holly's gonna post and you guys can use that instead. So with the challenge, all I'm asking is, you know, have some movement every single day and put grades into your life.

So drink in the morning, evening, doesn't matter. And, uh, and obviously just a nutritious diet. That's what fuel your body rather than just. Yes. And so you can, we can find you@authenticallycat.com. We can slide into your DMS to sign up for the challenge and get a welcome bundle. And your Instagram handle is Kat factory underscore.

Is that correct? That is correct. Wonderful. All right. Well, thank you so much for joining me today. This is so fun. Any last words? Are you good to sign off? No. Last first, just thanks for having me. It was so much fun and, uh, have a good night guys. Awesome. Thanks so much. I remember it. You were to buy me.

Thank you so much. That was cool.