Heather Shaughnessy-Cato
Coaching & Self-Compassion
You’ve spent years showing up for everyone else.
This is where you learn to show up for yourself.
You’re at a turning point—or ready to create one.
Maybe you’re navigating a life transition, questioning a role that no longer fits, working toward a goal that’s been difficult to reach, or realizing that the way you’ve always done things is no longer working.
Coaching helps you get clear on what you want, trust yourself more fully, and move forward with intention.
Self-compassion is the foundation—not because the goal is simply to be kinder to yourself, but because lasting change is easier when you’re working with yourself rather than against yourself. When you learn to meet yourself with understanding instead of constant self-criticism, it becomes easier to make decisions, recover from setbacks, and take meaningful action.
The result is more than achieving a goal. It’s feeling more grounded, more confident, and more at home in your own life.
I’m Heather Shaughnessy-Cato—a coach grounded in self-compassion.
I’m a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), 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 here: years of caring for others while quietly setting myself aside. 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 course for health and wellness coaches with 9 NBHWC CE hours.
© 2026 Heather Shaughnessy-Cato. All rights reserved.