Story
Catherine Wright, Recoop Care
Why Sleep?
For little ones it’s an important element of healthy development.
For adults, sleep is one of the simplest ways we can nourish our mental health, relationships and boost happiness.
Cultivating healthy sleep requires us to pay closer attention to the ways in which we are tending to our minds and bodies when we are awake. When we heal our sleep we inevitably heal other areas of our lives, too.
I am a sleep enthusiast at my core - I believe we are doing some of our best work when we are sleeping. I’ve been helping people feel their best by providing individuals and families with sleep education and support since 2012. When a sleep challenge pops up, I think of it as an invitation to peel back the covers and dive into what’s out of whack in our habits, mindsets and physiology in order to course-correct and improve.
My approach is evidence based and grounded in science and psychology. Mindfulness, mindset growth and embodiment guide my life and work.
Sleep has been a recurring theme throughout my life. Even as kid, I knew my slumber was the backbone of my emotional balance and happiness - a stabilizing force in my life.
“But like many of us, I struggled during my transition into motherhood. I wrestled with overwhelm and sleep anxiety yet I didn’t feel entitled enough to carve out time for myself.”
As a new mom, I learned everything I could about infant and toddler sleep to clear the pathway for a smooth journey. By the time my daughter was 8 months, I was helping others do the same as my new business unfolded into a thriving family sleep consulting practice.
But like many of us, I struggled during my transition into motherhood. I wrestled with overwhelm and sleep anxiety yet I didn’t feel entitled enough to carve out time for myself. Instead, I leaned more and more on alcohol as a shortcut to relaxation: it felt easier to reach for wine to dull my stress than to take an afternoon off to do yoga. Drinking compounded my anxiety, deteriorated my sleep and left me feeling disconnected and depleted.
My broken sleep and hitting rock bottom was an unexpected gift because it gave me the push-off point I needed to begin untangling this knot. So began a unwinding process of slowing down, asking for help, noticing what in my life needed pruning and what needed nurturing. The changes I needed to make to heal my sleep allowed me to reconnect with myself - and now I help others do the same.
I am grateful to all of the amazing teachers I’ve had over the years. And, Nature continues to be my greatest teacher. I live and work on the traditional, unceeded territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat First Nations.
Certifications & Training
Certified Family and Child Sleep Consultant
Integrative Adult Sleep Coach
Maternal Mental Health - Advanced Training
Certification in Infant and Toddler Mental Health and Attachment
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i) – Advanced Training
Master’s Degree in Communication and Culture MA
Certified Birth Doula (DONA International)
Certified Shiatsu Therapist[1]