
Episode #8
I’m Allowed to Be Wise Now: Catherine O’Kane on Love, People-Pleasing & Coming Back to Yourself
What happens when you stop trying to be everything for everyone? Dominique talks with Canadian registered clinical counsellor, relationship expert and author Catherine O’Kane , co-author with her husband Duane of Real: The Power of Authentic Connection . Their conversation goes straight into the stuff many of us have spent decades quietly carrying: people-pleasing, over-functioning, romantic expectations, gender roles and the impossible idea that one person should somehow fulfill all our needs. Catherine explains why humans are built for connection and community—and what can happen when we stop performing our assigned roles and begin showing up as whole, vulnerable people. They also talk about Catherine's own marriage, the subtle ways patriarchal expectations become embedded inside us, and the unexpected authority that can arrive with age. As Catherine says of her gray hair: “I’m allowed to be wise now.” And there's a particularly uncomfortable little truth for those of us who chronically give and give: when we over-function, Catherine argues, we may actually be training the people around us not to do their part. Ouch. Also: worth hearing. A warm, funny and wonderfully candid conversation about relationships, community, authenticity and what changes when a woman comes back to herself. Find Catherine Website: Catherine and Duane O’Kane Inc. Book: Real: The Power of Authentic Connection by Catherine & Duane O’Kane Documentary: REAL And from Wise Women… Learn more about our film Wise Women – Why Menopause Matters at wisewomenmovie.com Rent the film at bingeable.net/wisewomen






