One is smart cities, digital money, AI and increasing control.

The other is apparently that we all buy some land, go off-grid and become self-sufficient. Really? 😂 This sounds amazing to me (the second one), but how realistic is it, I mean what happens when all our chainsaws break and we can’t get parts? More on that for another day.

There HAVE to be more options than that.

That was one of the things I wanted to discuss with Michael Yon and Christian White.

We went down plenty of rabbit holes, Nepal, Iran, propaganda, mind control, health and Michael’s brilliant “Routes. Resources. Ideology.”

I also asked them one of the most important questions:

What can ordinary people actually DO?

Not from fear and not by pretending nothing is happening.

By becoming harder to control and more capable of creating alternatives.

This conversation went to some very interesting places. I hope you enjoy it.

Watch below 👇

Read more

I’ve always admired César. Having worked with both humans and animals for years myself, I think he has a mastery of something we humans often seem to have completely forgotten - our energy, how to control it, and its impact on us and ALL living things that interact with us.

This was the post:

“Noise hides uncertainty. Silence commands space. When humans feel insecure, they fill the room with sound. Dogs interpret constant verbal noise as weak energy. Command your silence first, and your presence will speak volumes.” César Millan

Let’s all sit silently with that for a few minutes.

I see this a lot, in myself as well as other people. Especially online.

We are absolutely bombarded by noise now. Constant posts, scrolling, news, fear, conflicting opinions, many of them expressed in increasingly aggressive terms.

Someone disagrees with us, so of course they must be wrong.

Actually, apparently it’s not enough for them just to be wrong anymore. 😂 They must also be controlled opposition, a fraud, a grifter, on the dark side... you name it.

So why did César’s message resonate so deeply with me?

Partly because I’ve spent years watching how animals respond to disharmonious energy.

Yet I also see how easily we humans can be manipulated when we’re surrounded by repetition, noise and fear.

We get into a state where we can’t hear our own intuition. We become frozen by analysis paralysis. We convince ourselves we need MORE information, MORE opinions and, eventually, someone we can follow who will just tell us what to think.

If I hear one more time:

“Well, so-and-so said it, so it must be true...”

I DON’T CARE! 😂

Sorry. I just don’t.

I love listening to different people. I actively seek out people with different opinions and ideas. Some I agree with, some I don’t.

Yet just because someone is considered important, has a huge following, a qualification, a podcast, a blue tick or whatever else we’re currently using to decide who is credible, doesn’t make what they say true.

At the end of the day, I’ll listen, or not, and then make my own mind up.

Sometimes that will prove to have been a brilliant decision.

Sometimes I might get it completely wrong.

That’s the risk of thinking for yourself.

During Covid, I was very pleased that I stuck to my guns on some very important decisions. In fact, when I look back over my life, I struggle to think of a decision I’ve been coerced into that ultimately turned out to be in my favour.

So what did I take from César’s post?

• You will never really know your own thoughts if you never create enough silence to hear them.

• When you’re feeling unsure - get quiet.

• If you have an important decision to make, gather some information. Listen to a few different opinions if they’re useful…then:

  • get quiet.

  • Stop scrolling.

  • Stop asking another person.

  • Stop looking for one more video to confirm what you already think.

Give yourself enough space to work out:

What do I actually think?

Master silence. Master your space. Master your energy.

Learn to recognise what’s yours, and what’s being pushed onto you by somebody else.

And of course... Dogs are always right. 😂

Perhaps that’s the habit César’s post made me notice: when we’re uncertain, instead of creating space, we often create MORE noise.

Another opinion. Another video. Another post. Another person to tell us what to think.

So what else did I take from César’s post?

You will never really know your own thoughts if you never create enough silence to hear them.

I’d genuinely love to know if this brings anything up for you. Tell me below, when you’re uncertain about something, do you get quieter... or do you go looking for MORE information?

Catherine x

P.S. If you’re reading this and realising that you’d like the next phase of your life to be driven much more consciously by YOU, rather than old patterns, other people’s expectations or everything that’s competing for your attention, that’s exactly what I work on with people in my 1:1 behavioural coaching.

If something in you is saying “it’s time”, let’s have a conversation and see if we’re a good fit. You can book a call with me here:

https://www.catherineedwards.life/consults/freedom-from-self-sabotage-10-week-programme/

And yes, gentlemen, I work with you too. 😂

I’ve been reading your comments (yes I do read them all), messages and emails lately, and although everyone words it differently, I keep hearing versions of the same thing:

“Catherine, I honestly don’t know what to believe anymore.”

I get it, its a real problem. Which expert? Which doctor / vet? Which podcast? Which version of events? Who on earth do I trust?

How often when we feel like this do we just go onto auto-pilot and keep looking? Another interview, another article, another expert, another rabbit hole (you know, the ones where you emerge three hours later having forgotten why you picked your phone up in the first place.)... because surely if we just gather enough information, eventually we’ll work it all out.

The problem is, we don’t, and often I don’t think we even know what problem we are trying to solve or what information we actually want!

I think more of us are coming to the uncomfortable conclusion that the next thing we really need to understand isn’t them...

It’s ourselves - bugger!

You can spend years learning how propaganda works.

Governments.

Advertising.

Behavioural psychology.

Algorithms.

Fear.

I’ve spent years doing exactly that.

And it’s useful. Well, some of it is.

Yet I keep coming back to the same question...

What makes US so influenceable, so predictable and so stressed?

Why do we automatically trust one person and distrust another? Why does one opinion massively trigger you while another slips straight past your defences? Why do you keep repeating certain behaviours when you KNOW they’re not getting you where you want to go?

Perhaps the biggest one of all...

How can an intelligent, informed, capable person know exactly what they should do - and still not JUST DO IT? 😂

I could happily disappear down this rabbit hole with for hours. 😂

It’s also a huge part of my work that many of you probably don’t know about. You might know me through my holistic animal work, my work in human health, or perhaps you found me through the podcast. Alongside all of that, I’m a Behaviour Change Coach, working one-to-one with people to uncover the patterns, beliefs and automatic behaviours operating underneath the things they want to change.

That might be their health, relationships, confidence, work, purpose, money, procrastination or simply that incredibly frustrating feeling of being stuck despite knowing better.

I hear some version of this all the time:

“I KNOW all this. I just don’t understand why I keep doing it.”

That’s the interesting bit, because information doesn’t normally create change. If it did, we’d all be incredibly healthy, financially secure, emotionally sorted, magnificently productive human beings by now. 😂

Knowing isn’t the same as doing. We’ve all proved that to ourselves hundreds of times.

In a world where everyone seems to want a piece of our attention, behaviour, money or beliefs, I genuinely think understanding our own minds: our patterns, triggers, blind spots and vulnerabilities, is one of the most practical forms of freedom we have.

Anyway... I’ve decided I’m going to start writing more about this.

Mainly because I think it’s one of the biggest missing pieces, and also because it’s the bit I genuinely love talking about.

Don’t panic though. This isn’t about to become one of those newsletters full of “7 morning habits of billionaires.” I’d be the first to unsubscribe. 😂

I want to talk about real behaviour, real people and the things I notice: in myself, in my clients (always confidential but some patterns repeat), during my interviews and, inevitably, in my animals. Why? Because I know this will help. Personally I am fed up of endless problems without solutions.

Actually, my dogs, cats, horses and guinea pigs have taught me an astonishing amount about human behaviour. I’ll tell you about one of those lessons very soon.

In the meantime, if reading this has made you wonder where your own patterns might be running the show, you can have a look at my one-to-one coaching here:

For women who are ready to stop getting in their own way:
FREEDOM FROM SELF-SABOTAGE FOR WOMEN

For professionals who can’t simply say “Sod it, I’m doing what I want” because apparently the boss, the business and the rest of the team get a say too 😂:
BEHAVIOURAL COACHING FOR PROFESSIONALS

With gratitude,

Catherine

P.S. I’ve got some brilliant interviews coming up, and I’m going to continue doing something slightly different with those too. Rather than simply giving you more information to collect, I want to pull out the bits we can actually use in our own lives. More on that soon.

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This one is for you.

So many people tell me they simply don’t know what to believe anymore.

Here’s a thought:

Maybe you don’t need to.

Not about everything.

Some things require a decision.
Do I vaccinate my puppy?
Do I take this medication?
What do I feed my family?
What action am I actually going to take?

Other things?

They may be fascinating. They may even be important. Yet knowing the answer will change precisely nothing about what you do tomorrow.

That distinction matters.

Information overload can make us feel as though we need an opinion on EVERYTHING. Then we become overwhelmed, distracted and frightened of getting it wrong.

Brice and I went right into this in our latest Coffee Chat, including vaccines, cognitive dissonance, alternative media, fear vs intuition, distraction, belief systems and the courage to simply say:

“I don’t know.”

Or even better:

“I don’t know yet.”

I don’t think the goal is ever to find another person to blindly trust.

I think the goal is to become someone you can trust to ask better questions, investigate when it matters, change your mind when the evidence changes, make the best decision you can, and take responsibility for it.

That, to me, is a far more interesting version of freedom. What do YOU think?

🎥 WHO CAN YOU TRUST? YOU? | Coffee Chat with Brice & Catherine

If your brain currently has 47 tabs open trying to work out what on earth is true… 😂 watch this one.

Enjoy

Catherine x

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I know that.

Every day there are another 50 podcasts we should listen to, another 200 articles we should read, another breaking story we’re apparently supposed to understand before breakfast.

At some point, consuming more information isn’t necessarily making us any wiser.

So when I ask you to give over an hour of your life to one of my conversations, I want there to be a good reason.

I think this one is worth it.

My latest guest is Michael Yon.

Michael is a former US Army Special Forces soldier, independent war correspondent, photographer and author.

That description doesn’t really do justice to the life he’s lived.

After 9/11, he spent around three and a half years intensely studying cults, travelling through India, Nepal, Tibet, China and elsewhere. He went around the world six times during that period, infiltrated and lived inside a cult in California, and tracked down people practising cannibalism. He later went into war reporting.

He’s witnessed wars.

He’s been in enormous protests where people were killed.

He’s studied belief systems and propaganda.

He’s watched societies under extraordinary pressure.

He’s spent years looking at migration routes, resources and the geographical pressure points around which he believes future conflicts may develop.

All this knowledge has given him a unique insight into human behaviour.

Having myself spent years studying animal behaviour, and over the last 10 years human behaviour, I always like to keep learning from the best, and I am never disappointed when I learn from Michael.

Michael said something very early in our conversation that I think sums up much of the mess we as humanity are in:

“Nobody ever sees the cult that they’re in.”

Think about that.

We’re generally VERY good at spotting everybody else’s programming.

Their political tribe.

Their religion.

Their media.

Their ideology.

Their ridiculous beliefs.

Their propaganda.

Their blind spots.

It’s considerably harder to see our own.

THAT is why conversations with Michael are broader than geopolitics.

If human beings can be persuaded to fight wars, sacrifice themselves, turn against neighbours or behave in ways that appear completely irrational from the outside…

surely one of the most important questions we can ask is:

What am I being persuaded to believe, and how would I know if I was wrong?

Michael talks fascinatingly about his own Special Forces experience.

As a young soldier, he trained for years for a mission that could have involved parachuting behind enemy lines in Poland. He genuinely believed in what he was preparing to do. Looking back with the knowledge he has now, he interprets that situation very differently.

Intelligent people can and are manipulated.

Brave people can be manipulated.

Good people can be manipulated.

In fact, some of the very qualities we admire in people: loyalty, courage, sacrifice, belonging, can be redirected towards someone else’s objectives.

Michael describes some of those people as “misused heroes.”

What can we DO with this knowledge?

After talking about cults, war, propaganda, information operations, food, water, migration, resources and some extremely sobering predictions about where Michael believes the world may be heading…

I asked the question I’m increasingly interested in asking every guest:

What do we actually DO?

I don’t want this channel to become another place where we collect frightening information.

Knowing more isn’t necessarily freedom.

If all that knowledge leaves us frightened, angry, overwhelmed and paralysed, what exactly have we achieved?

I LOVED Michael’s first answer:

Be a leader.

Not necessarily on a stage.

Not necessarily of thousands of people.

“Everybody has leadership in them… be the leader at the level that you’re comfortable with.”

We then moved onto discuss other important factors that many of us overlook, because simple actions where we can take individual responsibility for are not popular!

• Look carefully at the information you’re allowing into your mind.

• Sleep properly.

• Walk - a lot.

• Spend time without constantly listening to something.

• Get outside, even better if its with animals.

• Think.

Let your brain actually assemble what it already knows.

Michael talks about taking extraordinarily long walks during his life, including walking to Everest base camp, but says even an hour or two of quiet walking can allow things to come together in your mind that you hadn’t previously connected.

Anyone who knows me can probably imagine how much I loved THAT part of the conversation. 😂

We talked about nature.

Animals.

Intuition.

Children.

Responsibility.

And the importance of becoming conscious of what we’re feeding our minds.

I think that one of the greatest acts of rebellion in an age of information overload is occasionally to turn everything off and think for yourself.

Experience is becoming incredibly valuable

We live in a strange time.

Almost all of us have access to more information than the greatest scholars in history could have imagined.

We can Google almost anything.

We can ask AI almost anything.

We can watch thousands of experts without leaving the sofa.

Yet there is something none of those things can manufacture:

lived experience.

You cannot Google what it feels like to stand inside a war zone.

You cannot download the pattern recognition accumulated from decades of watching human beings behave under pressure.

You cannot shortcut the wisdom, or the mistakes, collected through an extraordinary life.

You don’t have to agree with everything Michael says.

I don’t think that’s the purpose of listening to interesting people.

Listen.

Question.

Compare.

Research.

Challenge your existing beliefs.

Take what is useful.

Leave what isn’t.

And perhaps notice the moments that make you think:

I hadn’t looked at it like that before.

Those moments are priceless.

So yes, this one is long. Watch it anyway. I wanted to go MUCH longer!

Make dinner while you listen.

Go for a long walk with it, although Michael would probably tell you to take the headphones OUT. 😂

Watch half tonight and half tomorrow.

Just don’t dismiss valuable conversations simply because they’re longer than a three-minute reel.

Time is precious.

Which is exactly why I increasingly want to spend mine learning from people who have actually lived, observed, tested, failed, survived and learned.

Michael Yon has certainly done that.

And I suspect this won’t be our last conversation.

Cults, War & Mind Control: How We Are Being Programmed | Michael Yon

Watch the full conversation here:

Then come back and tell me:

What was the ONE thing Michael said that made you question something you previously believed?

Stay curious.

Stay free.

Catherine x

At the same time as enormous systems of AI, surveillance, data collection and technological control are being built around us (and in us), perhaps the most important thing we can do is become more grounded, healthy, capable, connected to nature, and sovereign ourselves.

That is where my latest conversation with researcher and author Makia Freeman goes somewhere a little different.

Yes, we discuss the big stuff.

WW3. AI. Data centres. Surveillance. Graphene oxide. Propaganda. Food and energy security. Net Zero. China. BRICS. Supply chains. We discuss how these all interconnect.

We talk about understanding what is happening in the world and asking difficult questions about where humanity may be being herded.

We don’t stop there.

Understanding the external systems of control is only part of the conversation.

We also explore the psychology of control.

Why do human beings comply?

How are fear, repetition, authority, belonging and division used to influence behaviour?

How easily can our beliefs become part of our identity?

How do we remain curious enough to question not only the information we’re being given, but our own conclusions about it?

Then comes the part I perhaps enjoy most:

What are we actually going to DO?

For Makia (and I), part of the answer is surprisingly simple.

Get back into nature. Get away from the screens. Look after your health. Build independence. Grow food where you can. Develop practical skills. Find your people. Strengthen your community. Take responsibility for the areas of life where you genuinely have influence.

Sovereignty isn’t simply something we demand from governments.

It’s something we build: in mind, body and soul.

That’s why I loved this conversation. We move from huge global events and the systems being constructed around us right back to the individual human being, and the choices still available to each of us. We don’t forget that we share this planet with many other living beings, all of which need us right now to step up into the stewardship role we were meant for.

Research the things that interest you.

Make your own mind up.

Then go outside and remember what all of this is actually about protecting.

Our humanity. Our freedom. And this extraordinary planet we call home.

You can watch the full conversation with Makia Freeman here:

Stay curious and stay free

Catherine x

Read more

What if knowing the truth about the world still doesn’t make you free?
David Icke has spent more than 40 years challenging accepted narratives and investigating power, perception and the forces shaping human society.
This is not simply another conversation about who controls the world.
In this wide-ranging interview, we go deeper, exploring how outside inf…

Read more

We talk about some serious things: mind control, the endless cycle of information, why so many people seem to know more than ever yet aren’t necessarily living any better, and why knowing what’s going on in the world isn’t the same as actually changing your life.

But we also laugh. A LOT.

At ourselves. At things we’ve previously believed. At some of the increasingly bonkers things doing the rounds online. And at the fact that sometimes the most rebellious thing you can do isn’t watch another three-hour podcast about freedom...

It’s turn the bloody thing off, get outside and LIVE. 😂

Movement. Strength. Play. Nature. Laughter. Real conversations. Real life.

We can discuss difficult and important subjects without becoming consumed by them.

In fact, I think we need to.

If everything we’re learning isn’t helping us become healthier, stronger, happier and more capable of living our own lives, perhaps it’s time to question what all that information is actually doing for us.

As I say towards the end:

If we’re not having fun and looking after ourselves, our loved ones, all animals, plants and the planet…what exactly are we fighting for?

🎥 Watch/listen to our latest Coffee Chat here:

Let me know in the comments what you are choosing to do more of…and obviously, when I say get off YouTube, I mean everyone else’s channels. You can still watch ours. 😂

Less watching other people live. More living your own life.

Catherine x

You question everything. But how often do you question yourself?

What if the person you’re least likely to question is the one making every decision in your life?

You.

We spend an extraordinary amount of our lives questioning other people - and I think we should.

Their motives.

Their decisions.

Their beliefs.

Their behaviour.

Why did they react like that?

How can they possibly believe that?

Why can’t they see what’s glaringly obvious to us?

And whether we like it or not, other people are doing exactly the same thing to us.

They’re forming opinions about our behaviour.

Noticing our contradictions.

Interpreting our motives.

And occasionally seeing patterns in us that perhaps we can’t see because we’re standing right inside them.

That doesn’t mean they’re right.

Someone can misunderstand us, project their own experiences onto us, judge us unfairly or put us into a box that bears very little resemblance to who we really are.

But neither does it automatically mean they’re wrong.

And THAT’S where I think things get interesting.

What if, instead of immediately accepting someone else’s judgement OR immediately defending ourselves against it, we became curious enough to ask:

“Is there anything here for me to look at?”

Not:

They’re right about me.

Not:

How bloody dare they!

Just:

Is there something here that I haven’t been able, or perhaps willing, to see for myself?

Surely that’s part of genuine critical thinking too?

I think that’s an important distinction.

Someone might say:

“You never let anyone help you.”

My immediate reaction could be:

What rubbish. Of course I do.

Or I could investigate it.

When DID I last genuinely allow someone else to take responsibility for something important?

Do I ask for help, and then take over?

Do I say I want support while behaving in ways that make supporting me incredibly difficult?

😂

Suddenly their observation hasn’t become my identity.

It’s become data.

Likewise, if I decide somebody is:

Selfish.

Lazy.

Difficult.

Brainwashed.

Closed-minded.

Controlling.

That’s data about my interpretation of their behaviour.

It isn’t necessarily an objective description of who that person IS.

Perhaps we need to become much better at holding both possibilities:

Other people’s observations about me are data, not verdicts.

And my observations about other people are data, not necessarily truth.

That requires considerably more self-awareness than simply deciding who’s right.

We love turning the microscope outwards

I love people who question things.

I’m one of them.

I’ve spent years encouraging people to question more, not less.

We question governments.

We question pharmaceutical companies.

We question the media.

We question Big Tech.

We question doctors, scientists, politicians, corporations and increasingly AI.

We analyse propaganda, algorithms, advertising, conflicts of interest, psychological manipulation and who benefits from what we’re being told.

And I think we should.

Recently, I’ve become increasingly interested in what I think may be one of the biggest blind spots of the critical thinker.

We’re very good at turning the microscope outwards.

How often do we turn exactly the same microscope around?

Why? Because critical thinking that only works in one direction isn’t particularly critical.

What happens when OUR beliefs become the ones nobody is allowed to question?

This is where it gets more uncomfortable.

We demand evidence from people we disagree with.

Do we demand the same quality of evidence from people we agree with?

We recognise fear-based messaging when it comes from mainstream media.

Do we recognise it when it comes from an alternative channel we watch every night?

We understand that repetition influences beliefs.

Does repetition somehow stop influencing us because we trust the person doing the repeating?

We recognise confirmation bias in them.

How often do we look for it in ourselves?

We complain that other people live inside echo chambers.

Have we checked ours recently?

We criticise people for refusing to change their minds.

When did we last change ours?

We don’t like other people putting us into boxes.

Who have we put into one?

Beliefs

We can become very attached to beliefs such as:

“The pharmaceutical industry is trying to harm us.”

“They’re all corrupt.”

“You can’t trust doctors anymore.”

“Everyone who can’t see what’s happening is asleep.”

“Everything is deliberately designed to control us.”

“There’s nothing ordinary people can do against the evil in the world.”

At the other end of the spectrum:

“My doctor says it’s safe, therefore it is.”

“The government wouldn’t be allowed to do that.”

“If that were really happening, it would be on the news.”

“Scientists agree, therefore the debate is over.”

Some of those statements may contain a lot of truth.

Some may not.

Some may be partly true.

Some may be true in one situation and completely wrong in another.

That’s not actually my point.

My question is:

At what point does a conclusion we reached through questioning become a belief we’re no longer willing to question?

Surely genuine critical thinking can’t mean:

Question everything until I reach the conclusion I agree with... then stop questioning.

Perhaps one of the most uncomfortable question of all:

Have I genuinely become an independent thinker, or have I simply found a different group of people to tell me what to think?

Ouch.

Then I realised I needed to go one step further

If I’m prepared to apply all of that scrutiny to governments, health, media, experts and other people’s beliefs...

Why wouldn’t I apply exactly the same standard to the beliefs I hold about my own life?

“I don’t have time.”

Do I really not?

“I have to do this.”

Do I?

“I can’t change that.”

Can’t I?

“That’s just my personality.”

Is it? Or could some of it be behaviour I’ve repeated for so long that it now feels like identity?

“Everybody depends on me.”

Do they?

“I can’t put myself first.”

What do I think would happen if I did?

Suddenly the critical-thinking skills we’ve developed for investigating the outside world become an extraordinarily powerful way of investigating ourselves.

So I turned the bloody microscope on myself 😂

If I’m going to ask the people I work with to examine their patterns, it seems only fair that I’m prepared to examine mine.

And I’ve found some interesting contradictions.

I say I want freedom.

Freedom is enormously important to me.

Yet when I actually look at my life, I have an extraordinary ability to collect responsibilities.

Animals.

Work.

Projects.

People I want to help.

Things I feel responsible for.

And occasionally things I’ve decided are my responsibility despite nobody actually asking me to take them on (that’s not always a bad thing, but it can become detrimental).

So instead of automatically saying:

“I’m too busy.”

I’ve started asking:

How much of what fills my life genuinely cannot be changed, and how much have I simply stopped questioning?

That’s a very different question.

Some of those responsibilities I consciously choose and wouldn’t change for the world.

Some are necessary.

Some bring enormous meaning to my life.

And some deserve another look.

I say my health is one of my greatest priorities.

I know an enormous amount about health.

But knowledge isn’t the same thing as behaviour.

If I looked only at my diary rather than listening to what Catherine says matters...

Would my diary agree that my health is a priority?

I say I want more fun.

Yet I’m exceptionally good at telling myself:

I’ll do that when I’ve finished everything.

There’s just one small flaw in this otherwise excellent plan.

Everything is NEVER bloody finished. 😂

So perhaps the problem isn’t that life isn’t giving me enough opportunities for fun.

Perhaps I sometimes postpone it.

That’s useful information.

Not ammunition to beat myself up with.

Data.

This is where behavioural work becomes fascinating

When we find these contradictions, we’re very quick to judge ourselves.

I need more discipline.

I’m lazy.

I’m terrible at boundaries.

I need more willpower.

I’m increasingly interested in asking something completely different:

Why does this behaviour make sense?

What does it give me?

What does it help me avoid?

What might it protect me from?

When did I start doing it?

What belief supports it? Are those beliefs mine?

What keeps reinforcing it?

And what is it costing me now?

That’s a very different conversation from:

What’s wrong with me?

Animals taught me this long before coaching did

I’ve worked with animals for decades, and I think they’ve influenced the way I understand human behaviour far more than I realised.

If a dog repeatedly reacts aggressively or fearfully, telling it:

“For God’s sake, you KNOW better. Make better choices.”

isn’t likely to get us terribly far. 😂

We become curious.

What’s happened previously?

What’s the animal’s temperament?

What’s happening in the environment?

What triggers the behaviour?

What reinforces it?

Is there fear?

Is there discomfort?

What makes the behaviour better?

What makes it worse?

And importantly:

What can we change?

So why wouldn’t I bring some of that same curiosity to human behaviour?

Including my own.

Influence doesn’t stop being influence because we agree with it

This is one reason I find the work of people such as Chase Hughes interesting.

I don’t have to agree with every conclusion somebody reaches to find value in their observations about behaviour, influence, expectation and the way humans respond to their environment.

This is where I’ve become particularly fascinated.

We’re extremely interested in recognising when somebody else is influencing us.

Advertising.

Propaganda.

Government messaging.

Social media.

Algorithms.

But what happens when a message has been repeated for so long that we no longer recognise it as influence?

We simply call it:

“Me.”

That’s worth investigating.

Perhaps freedom has another layer

I talk a lot about freedom.

Health freedom.

Financial freedom.

Freedom of thought.

Freedom to question.

Freedom to make our own decisions.

But I’ve increasingly realised that there’s another layer.

How free am I if I’m unconsciously repeating patterns I would no longer consciously choose?

I’m not interested in becoming impossible to influence.

I don’t think any of us are.

I’m interested in becoming more aware of what is influencing me, so I have a greater opportunity to choose my response.

Awareness → discernment → choice

To me, that’s a far more meaningful form of freedom.

TRY THIS: THE 7-DAY REALITY CHECK

Don’t just agree with this article.

Question it.

Then question yourself.

Write down three things you genuinely say you want.

Perhaps:

I want better health.

I want more freedom.

I want a loving relationship.

I want financial security.

I want more fun.

Then forget what you intended to do last week.

Look at the evidence.

Where did your time go?

Where did your attention go?

What did you repeatedly say yes to?

What did you avoid?

What did you keep postponing?

What did you insist you “had” to do?

What behaviour did you repeat even though it took you further away from something you say you want?

And then ask yourself:

If someone knew absolutely nothing about me and could only observe my behaviour for seven days, what would they conclude my priorities were?

Don’t use the answer to beat yourself up.

Get curious about it.

There may be an extraordinarily good reason why your behaviour makes sense.

And once you understand that reason, you’ve got something far more useful to work with than judgement.

Keep questioning

Keep questioning governments.

Keep questioning corporations.

Keep questioning experts.

Keep questioning alternative experts.

Keep questioning the people you disagree with.

Keep questioning the people you agree with.

And please keep questioning me.

Just don’t develop such a powerful microscope for examining everybody else that you forget to occasionally turn it around.

And when somebody else turns theirs towards you?

You don’t have to accept their conclusion.

You don’t have to defend yourself against it either.

Perhaps sometimes you can simply ask:

“Is there anything here that’s useful for me to see?”

Self-awareness isn’t believing everybody else’s opinion of you.

It’s becoming secure enough to examine it without automatically accepting it or automatically defending against it.

Other people’s observations are data, not verdicts.

Our observations of others are data, not necessarily truth.

And our own long-held beliefs?

They deserve questioning too.

Some of the beliefs influencing your life may not be coming through your television, your phone, your government or an algorithm.

Some may be coming from you.

And unlike many of the things happening in the world...

those may be the ones you have the greatest power to do something about.

This is increasingly at the heart of my private behavioural coaching work, not telling people what to think, but helping them recognise the beliefs, behaviours and protective patterns influencing the choices they’re making today.

Once you can see a pattern, you finally have the opportunity to decide whether you still want it running your future.

If this has made you recognise something in yourself that you’d like some help unravelling, message me and I’ll send you some information.

Alternatively you can check out more here:

https://www.catherineedwards.life/consults/freedom-from-self-sabotage-10-week-programme/

https://coachcatherineedwards.com/

One of the simplest changes I’ve made to my evenings has nothing to do with supplements, complicated routines or expensive wellness protocols.

I’ve simply started paying more attention to light.

More specifically, the light I’m exposed to after the sun has gone down.

And once you start thinking about how dramatically our light environment has changed, it makes a lot of sense.

Think about how humans used to live

For most of human history, our light environment changed naturally throughout the day.

We had bright natural light during the daytime.

Then the sun began to set.

The environment gradually became darker.

And eventually, we had night.

Our bodies evolved alongside those changing signals.

Of course, humans eventually discovered fire and later developed various forms of artificial lighting. But nothing really compares with the environment many of us live in today.

Because now, darkness is optional.

We can effectively extend “daytime” for as long as we want.

Now think about your evening

It’s 9pm.

The sun went down hours ago.

But your television is on.

You’re scrolling through your phone.

The kitchen lights are blazing.

Your laptop is open.

There are LEDs throughout the house.

Maybe you’ve got a tablet on the sofa and another television glowing in the next room.

To us, it’s obviously nighttime.

But what information are we giving our biology?

That’s the question I’ve become increasingly interested in.

Light isn’t just about seeing

For years, I thought about light primarily as something that allowed us to see.

It’s light outside, so we can see.

It’s dark inside, so we switch on a bulb.

Simple.

But light does much more than that.

Light also provides important timing information to the body.

Our circadian system uses light and darkness as environmental signals that help coordinate our approximately 24-hour biological rhythms.

That means it isn’t simply a question of how much light we’re exposed to.

When we’re exposed to it matters too.

And that’s where the conversation around blue light becomes much more interesting.

Blue light isn’t the enemy

I think this is really important because “blue light” is increasingly talked about as though it’s something inherently bad that we should be trying to avoid.

It isn’t.

Natural daylight contains blue wavelengths.

We’re supposed to experience light during the day.

The issue I’m interested in is timing.

Being outside in natural daylight in the morning and throughout the day is completely different from sitting in a brightly illuminated house staring at screens late into the evening.

Our natural environment used to give us an incredibly obvious distinction between day and night.

Modern technology has blurred that distinction enormously.

And this is where melatonin comes in

As evening approaches and our environment becomes darker, our bodies normally begin increasing melatonin.

Melatonin is one of the signals involved in preparing the body for biological night.

But light exposure during the evening — particularly shorter blue/green wavelengths — can influence that process.

When I began understanding this, I started looking very differently at my environment after sunset.

Not because I’ve suddenly become frightened of my television or think my phone is evil.

But because I started asking a very simple question:

Does my environment at night actually look like nighttime?

Quite often, the answer was no.

I’m also realistic

This is the bit I think sometimes gets lost in conversations about health.

You learn something new and suddenly you’re supposed to completely reorganise your life around it.

I’m not doing that.

I’m not throwing my phone in the bin.

I’m not getting rid of the television.

I’m not sitting in complete darkness from 4pm during a British winter.

And I’m definitely not pretending that I’m never going to use my laptop after sunset.

Modern technology is part of our lives.

For me, the question is:

How can I make my modern environment a little more compatible with my biology?

And that’s where I became interested in blue-light-blocking glasses.

Not all “blue light glasses” are the same

This is something worth understanding before buying anything.

You’ve probably seen virtually clear glasses advertised as “blue light glasses”, particularly for people who spend their days working on computers.

But glasses designed specifically for evening light exposure are different.

The BON CHARGE glasses I use are designed to block blue and green light between 400–550nm.

That’s also why the lenses look red/orange.

They aren’t exactly glamorous!

But there’s a reason for the colour.

I personally use them as an additional tool during the evening when I’m watching television, using my phone, working on my laptop or spending time under artificial lighting.

BON CHARGE recommends wearing its blue-light-blocking sleep glasses for approximately 2–3 hours before bed.

I don’t walk around wearing them all day.

That would completely miss the point.

For me, it’s much simpler:

Daytime = get natural daylight.

Evening = reduce unnecessary bright artificial light.

But please don’t turn this into another shopping list

This is probably the most important part of this entire article.

You don’t need to finish reading this and immediately buy something.

I’m actually becoming increasingly wary of wellness turning into one enormous shopping list.

You need this gadget.

This supplement.

This biohack.

These glasses.

This special lightbulb.

No.

Understand WHY first.

Everyone reading this will have a completely different light environment.

Some of you will already dim your lights at night, use warmer lighting and barely look at a screen before bed.

Others will spend most of the day indoors under artificial light, then sit under bright LEDs with a television, laptop and phone blazing away at 10pm.

That’s the bit I think we need to pay attention to.

Our biology hasn’t suddenly forgotten that day is supposed to look like day and night is supposed to look like night.

We’ve changed the environment.

There are plenty of things you can do without buying anything

Before worrying about glasses or gadgets, simply start noticing your light environment.

Get outside into natural light during the day.

Open the curtains in the morning.

Dim unnecessary lights as evening approaches.

Choose warmer, lower lighting after sunset where possible.

Reduce extremely bright screens close to bedtime.

Think about whether every light in the house actually needs to be switched on.

And keep your bedroom genuinely dark while you sleep.

These aren’t particularly exciting recommendations.

Nobody is going to build a billion-pound wellness industry around telling you to switch a lamp off!

But sometimes the most basic things are the things we’ve moved furthest away from.

Health isn’t just about what we put into our bodies

We spend so much time talking about:

Food.

Supplements.

Protein.

Exercise.

Water.

Detoxification.

And all of those conversations can have their place.

But I’m becoming increasingly interested in something even more fundamental.

The environment our biology experiences every single day.

Light.

Darkness.

Timing.

Movement.

Nature.

Sleep.

These aren’t new wellness trends.

They’re fundamental parts of the environment humans have lived within for thousands of years.

The technology surrounding us might be new.

Our biology isn’t.

And I think there’s enormous value in remembering that.

Try something tonight

When the sun goes down tonight, don’t change anything immediately.

Just look around.

How many artificial light sources can you see?

Your phone?

Television?

Laptop?

Ceiling lights?

Lamps?

Kitchen lighting?

Even the tiny lights coming from appliances?

Then ask yourself:

Does my environment actually look like nighttime?

You don’t need to become frightened of any of it.

You don’t need to throw away your technology.

And you certainly don’t need to buy every wellness gadget someone on the internet tells you that you need.

Just become aware of it.

Then make the changes that feel realistic for your life.

For me, blue-light-blocking glasses are simply one of those tools.

But the glasses aren’t really the important part.

Understanding why I’m using them is.

If you want to explore this further

As I’ve said throughout this article, I really don’t think the answer is buying more stuff for the sake of it.

Start with the free things first.

Get morning daylight. Get outside during the day. Watch the sunset when you can. Dim your lights in the evening. Reduce unnecessary bright light after dark. And make your bedroom properly dark at night.

But if screens and artificial light are an unavoidable part of your evenings — as they are for me — blue-light-blocking glasses are one of the tools I personally find useful.

The glasses I use

👓 UK: These are the red light-blocking glasses I personally use from Healf. My discount is automatically applied at checkout:

https://healf.com/SS-02

8197?q=truedark-twilights-sunset-fairlane

🌎 Outside the UK: I’d recommend BON CHARGE. My daughter uses these glasses:

https://boncharge.com/?rfsn=8041638.290013

Use code CE15 for 15% off.

Want to understand more about why light matters?

I’ve also recently recorded a video exploring why our light environment matters so much and why I’ve started paying much more attention to it:

🎥 Watch the full video here:

The important thing for me isn’t the glasses themselves.

It’s understanding why our light environment matters in the first place — and then deciding which changes make sense for you.

Catherine x

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Why do so many of us spend hundreds, often thousands, of pounds on supplements, biohacking gadgets and the latest health trends... endlessly consuming information... yet rarely changing the handful of daily habits that matter most?

We’ve become brilliant at consuming information...

But much less skilled at implementing it.

Modern life rewards information consumption.

Health rewards consistent implementation.

I’m not against supplements. Far from it, in today’s toxic world, where we are bombarded from all directions, I recommend them myself (carefully screened ones).

I’m not against technology either. Some machines can be incredibly helpful. I love Bioresonance and EMF protection. I can see the difference some of these make, not just with humans but with animals and plants too.

The problem comes when they become the starting point instead of the finishing point.

We seem to have become conditioned to believe that if something is free... it can’t possibly be that valuable.

And I think that’s one of the greatest misconceptions in modern health.

We’ve been taught to outsource our health.

Think about it.

Need more energy?

Buy a supplement.

Feeling stressed?

Download another app.

Can’t sleep?

Buy another gadget.

Low mood?

Look for another product.

Meanwhile...

How many of us have asked a much simpler question?

Am I getting enough natural light?

Am I spending enough time outside?

Is my body experiencing the environment it evolved to live in?

These aren’t exciting questions.

They don’t come in shiny packaging.

Nobody makes billions from reminding people to watch the sunrise.

Throughout my conversation with Dr Sara Pugh, I was reminded just how profoundly our bodies respond to something as fundamental as light, darkness and spending time in the natural world. Again, I see this with my animals - I wish I could show you now where they are all choosing to be - they always get the balance right as long as I give them the choice.

We don’t just have a food diet.

We also have a light diet.

We spend endless hours debating carbohydrates versus fat...

Vegan versus carnivore...

Supplements versus food...

Yet many of us spend the vast majority of our day indoors under artificial lighting before collapsing onto the sofa in front of another screen.

Have you asked yourself...

Could the quality of the light we’re exposed to every day be just as important as the quality of the food we eat?

The biggest lesson wasn’t about sunlight at all.

It was about behaviour.

Why do we skip over the simple things?

Why is it easier to buy another supplement than go outside for twenty minutes?

Why would we rather research the latest miracle product than consistently improve the basics?

Why do we consume endless podcasts without actually doing anything different ourselves?

Why do we blame everyone except ourselves?

Of course I know we don’t all do this - and probably most of you reading this are the ones that already know this… if so let me know your tips below.

I don’t think it’s just because people are lazy (some are).

I think we’ve gradually become conditioned to believe that the answers must be complicated.

That someone else has the solution.

That health is something we purchase rather than something we practise.

In my work as a Behaviour Change Coach, I see this pattern repeatedly.

People often know what would help them.

The challenge isn’t always a lack of information.

It’s understanding why we consistently overlook the habits that matter most.

And our animals?

This conversation isn’t just about us.

Our dogs spend more time indoors.

Our cats live under artificial lighting.

Our horses wear fly rugs, UV masks and spend increasing amounts of time in stables.

Even our houseplants are growing under artificial environments.

Modern life has changed the daily inputs every living thing receives.

It’s time we started asking whether nature knew a thing or two before we decided we could improve upon it.

The Bigger Questions

This conversation is not just about sunlight.

It’s about whether we’ve stopped asking questions.

Why are governments openly discussing and funding research into technologies designed to modify the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth?

Why do patents exist relating to weather modification and atmospheric technologies?

Why has the conversation around sunlight become so one-sided, when there’s a growing body of research exploring the benefits of appropriate sun exposure for circadian biology, mitochondrial function, vitamin D production and overall health?

And perhaps there are even bigger questions worth asking...

Why have we become so disconnected from natural light?

Why do so many of us spend our days under artificial lighting, looking at screens that emit large amounts of blue light, from the moment we wake until the moment we go to bed?

Why have traditional incandescent light bulbs largely disappeared from the market in many countries, leaving consumers with far fewer choices than they once had?

Are these simply unintended consequences of modern technology and energy policy...

Or are they by design?

Whatever your conclusion, I believe these are questions worth exploring rather than dismissing.

I’m not suggesting you accept anyone else’s conclusions.

I’m suggesting you stop outsourcing your own.

Question everything.

Read widely.

Follow the evidence (your health being a key part of that)

Be prepared to change your mind as new evidence emerges.

If we lose our curiosity and ability for critical thinking.. well we all know where that ends!

Get the foundations right first.

Many of the health tools on offer can absolutely have a use..

Build upon solid foundations, don’t replace them.

Before searching for another complicated answer...

Ask yourself:

• Am I getting outside every day?

• Am I seeing morning light?

• Am I reducing unnecessary artificial light in the evening?

• Am I giving both myself and my animals the environment our biology evolved to expect?

• Have I mastered the basics before searching for the next breakthrough?

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs aren’t hidden in another product.

They’re hidden in the habits we’ve stopped valuing.

This conversation with Dr Sara Pugh isn’t just about sunlight.

It’s about remembering that health often begins with the simplest things.

And perhaps the hardest lesson of all...

The things that transform our health are often free.

We just have to remember to value them.

You can watch the Interview Here (and available on all major Podcast Platforms) : AND FOR ALL MY PAID SUBSCRIBERS MOVING FORWARD YOU CAN WATCH ALL MY INTERVIEW AD FREE RIGHT HERE ON SUBSTACK

I hope this interview encourages you to question a few assumptions, spend a little more time outside, and pay closer attention to the everyday choices that quietly shape your health.

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. What simple, free habit has made the biggest difference to your own health, or that of your animals?

Health isn’t usually transformed by one dramatic change. It’s shaped by the everyday decisions we repeat often enough for them to become our normal.

CATHERINE X

Read more

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently.

As parents, grandparents, teachers... perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give the next generation isn’t having all the answers.

It’s showing them that we’re willing and able to change our minds.

To admit when we were wrong.

To keep learning.

To course-correct when new evidence appears.

Many of us were brought up believing things like:

“Trust the science.”

“Follow the rules.”

“Doctors know best.”

“A university degree is essential if you want to succeed.”

“You can’t do that.”

Some of those beliefs may have served us well. Some may still do.

The question isn’t whether they’re right or wrong.

The question is...

How many of the beliefs that shape your life today did you consciously choose, and how many did you simply inherit?

That isn’t a criticism.

It’s an invitation.

The world our children / young adults are growing up in is changing at a pace we’ve never experienced before.

Artificial intelligence is here.

Digital identity is becoming a reality.

Cashless societies are expanding.

Technology is reshaping almost every aspect of life.

Whether you see these changes as exciting, concerning, or somewhere in between isn’t really my point.

The point is that the ability to think critically, stay adaptable and make conscious decisions has never been more important.

The past six years alone have taught us an enormous amount.

Whether you believe the pandemic was a public health emergency, a massive exercise in behavioural control, a political turning point, or a combination of all three, one thing is undeniable: it forced many of us to question assumptions we’d accepted for years without ever examining them.

Previous generations experienced world wars that reshaped society. Every generation faces defining moments that change the way we live, think and behave. History has always demanded adaptation... but adaptation to what? And perhaps the more uncomfortable question is... who gets to decide what becomes the “new normal”? Change itself isn’t the danger, unquestioned change is. Are we consciously choosing the future we’re creating, or are we being coerced into adapting to someone else’s vision of it without ever stopping to ask who benefits?

One important question is...

Are we still holding onto the idea that changing our mind somehow makes us weak?

I believe the opposite.

Being willing to change your mind in the light of new evidence is one of the greatest strengths an adult can possess.

In some situations, it could even save your life.

Children don’t become what we tell them to become.

They become what they see us being.

If they never see us say, “I got that wrong,” they’ll struggle to say it themselves.

If they never see us question our own thinking, they’ll assume certainty is more important than curiosity.

For me, one of the greatest gifts I can give my children isn’t a list of answers.

It’s the courage and the confidence to think for themselves.

To question respectfully.

To step away from the crowd when something doesn’t feel right.

To make their own decisions.

And to take responsibility for those decisions.

Changing your mind when the evidence changes is a strength.

Staying curious is a strength.

Questioning yourself is a strength.

After all...

A mind is a bit like a parachute.

It only really works when it’s open.

The older I get, the more I realise that one of life’s greatest skills isn’t collecting more information.

It’s becoming aware of what’s been shaping your decisions in the first place.

Our beliefs.

Our habits.

Our fears.

Our culture.

The people we’ve listened to.

The stories we’ve repeated without ever stopping to ask...

“Is this actually true?”

That kind of awareness changes everything.

Of course, the moment you begin questioning accepted ideas, don’t be surprised if you’re mocked.

People like certainty.

Crowds feel safe.

Standing apart rarely does.

History is full of people who were laughed at before they were listened to.

And here’s where I was going to make a joke about not following the crowd “like lemmings.”

Apparently, lemmings don’t actually throw themselves off cliffs at all. That was a myth helped along by an old Disney documentary.

Which rather proves the point.

How many things do we know that we’ve never actually questioned?

Perhaps the greatest lesson we can teach our children isn’t what to think.

It’s how to think.

To be able to say,

“I used to believe that... but now I see it differently.”

That isn’t weakness.

That’s growth.

So let me leave you with a question...

What belief have you changed your mind about in the last five years, and what gave you the courage to question it in the first place?

If that question makes you pause, you’re not alone.

Much of my one-to-one coaching isn’t about giving people more information. It’s about helping them recognise the unconscious beliefs, patterns and programmes that have been shaping their decisions for years, often without them even realising it.

Once you can see the pattern, you have a choice.

And choice is where freedom begins.

If that’s something you’d like support with, I’d love to help

I rarely tell people they need to watch a video.

This is one of those exceptions.

We spend so much time discussing protein, supplements, detoxification and microbiome health that we often overlook something we evolved with every single day...

Natural light.

Not just for making vitamin D.

Not just for lifting our mood.

But for how every cell in our body functions.

The other key missing piece of the health jigsaw puzzle that this video brings out better than any other i have listened to is:

“Timing is the new nutrient.”

I think this is so profound and completely overlooked.

Nothing works in isolation, and we are not isolated from our environment - or we shouldn’t be!

When we’re exposed to light... and when we’re exposed to darkness are absolutely key components of health, and modern life completely scrambles our natural rhythms. .

My biggest takeaways

☀️ 1. Sunlight isn’t just for your skin.

Research discussed in the interview suggests that infrared wavelengths from sunlight can penetrate much deeper into the body than previously thought, potentially influencing mitochondrial function well beyond the skin. Since mitochondria are responsible for producing cellular energy, this raises fascinating questions about the role natural light may play in overall health.

🌿 2. Green spaces may be far more therapeutic than we realise.

One of the most fascinating discussions centered around why spending time amongst trees and vegetation appears to benefit health.I completely resonate with this as I know that I feel amazing when surrounded by trees - I always have.

The explanation isn’t simply cleaner air or exercise.

Green leaves reflect a large amount of infrared light, potentially increasing our exposure to wavelengths that may support mitochondrial function.

That “go for a walk in nature” isn’t just good advice... it’s biology.

🌅 3. Morning light helps determine how well you’ll sleep tonight.

One of the clearest messages from the interview was that our body clock depends upon receiving the right light at the right time.

Morning daylight helps establish a healthy cortisol rhythm.

That, in turn, helps melatonin rise naturally later in the evening.

Poor mornings often create poor nights.

📱 4. Darkness matters just as much as light.

This is something I often encourage my clients to think about... and, if I’m honest, it’s also a reminder to myself! I still haven’t got curtains in my bedroom (yes, I know...), although I do at least stick to incandescent lighting and make the most of natural daylight.

Many people have become incredibly good at extending our days.

Phones.

Television.

LED lighting.

Scrolling.

Our brains interpret much of this as “it’s still daytime.”

The result?

Delayed melatonin.

Poor sleep.

Reduced recovery.

Luckily the solution isn’t complicated.

Seek bright natural light during the day.

Reduce artificial light at night.

🚶‍♀️ 5. Nature really is medicine.

The biggest reminder is always my favourite:

Health isn’t found in one magic supplement.

It’s found in consistently giving our bodies the environment they evolved within.

Walking.

Fresh air.

Natural daylight.

Green spaces.

Dark nights.

Good sleep.

Real food.

None of these are particularly glamorous, yet together, they may be some of the most powerful health interventions available to us.

🐾 And don’t forget our animals...

As I listened to this interview, I couldn’t help thinking about our dogs, horses and other animals (I never forget my guinea pigs).

Many now spend far more time indoors than nature ever intended.

Artificial lighting.

Limited natural daylight. (including constant rugs and fly masks on horses)

Less opportunity to move freely outdoors.

It raises an important question...

Of course the same biological principles apply to them?

Giving our animals regular access to natural daylight, fresh air, movement and nature isn’t simply enrichment...

It is supporting their health at a much deeper level.

My biggest lesson?

We’ve become incredibly good at discussing nutrition.

Perhaps it’s time we started talking about light nutrition too.

Just as there’s highly processed food...

There’s also highly processed light.

One of the simplest ways to improve our health is to spend a little less time under LEDs...

...and a little more time under the sky.

Here are two amazing resources that are well worth watching if you’d like to explore the science in more depth. I’ve linked them both below.

Youtube Video Doctor Reveals The MOST Overlooked Medicine on Earth

Dr. Eric Berg DC

And Sunspiracy Free On Ickonic https://ickonic.com/watch/3888

Let me know the top takeaways from you

Catherine x

With gratitude

Catherine

For decades, Cathy O'Brien has spoken publicly about MKUltra, trauma-based mind control and, most importantl…

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