Heather Shaughnessy-Cato
Coaching & Self-Compassion
You’ve spent years showing up for everyone else.
This is where you show up for yourself, too.
You show up. You follow through. You notice what other people need.
And maybe you’re ready to make more room for your own needs, questions, and hopes, too.
Coaching gives you space to slow down, hear yourself more clearly, and make room for questions that may not have had enough attention before:
What do I need?
What do I want now?
What is asking to change?
What would it mean to include myself more fully?
Together, we’ll get clear on what matters, strengthen your trust in yourself, and identify meaningful next steps.
Self-compassion is the foundation—not because the goal is simply to be kinder to yourself, but because stress and uncertainty often bring self-judgment along with them. Meeting that judgment with a little more kindness makes it easier to think clearly and choose well.
The hard thing may still be hard. But you can learn to meet yourself with more support as you move through it.
I’m Heather Shaughnessy-Cato—a coach grounded in self-compassion.
I’m a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher, and I hold a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.
I came to this work through my own version of what many women bring to coaching: years of caring for others while giving less attention to my own needs.
Learning to meet myself with care rather than criticism changed how I move through my life. It helped me trust myself more fully, take my own needs seriously, and create change from a place of clarity rather than pressure.
That’s the work I help my clients do.
Through coaching, I help women reconnect with themselves, navigate change, move through self-doubt, and take action on what matters most.
“With your gentle and insightful guidance, I was able to shift some long-ingrained patterns of harsh self-judgment — and got so much more out of it than I could have possibly imagined.“
Work With Me
Coaching
1:1 coaching for women navigating change, transitions, and questions about what’s next.
Together we’ll explore what matters most to you, what’s getting in the way, and how to move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and self-trust.
Get a free guided practice, delivered to your inbox.
Plus monthly reflections and resources delivered to your inbox.
Blog
Practical reflections on self-compassion, well-being, and creating a life that feels more like your own.
Guided Meditations
Free audio meditations in mindfulness and self-compassion.
Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion
A six-week live course. Includes 9 NBHWC continuing education hours.
© 2026 Heather Shaughnessy-Cato. All rights reserved.