Welcome! To become a client or connect visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930.

In today's episode, we sit with the hidden reality of kratom dependence and how something marketed as natural relief can quietly reshape a life. We talk with Chad Womack about Feel Free, high-functioning addiction, rehab, and the slow return to clarity, responsibility, and self-respect.

• Kratom basics and why dose changes the experience
• How “legal” and “easy to buy” can speed up dependence
• Chad’s first experience with Feel Free and why it felt like support
• The quiet ramp from two bottles to eight
• Personality shifts that show up as anger, coldness and isolation
• The financial cost and the sneaky behaviors addiction creates
• A non-moral question that helps clarify any coping habit
• The breaking point that leads to rehab and what firm boundaries can do
• What a day in rehab actually looks like and why it feels brutal
• Coming home after treatment and living with consequences
• Purpose shame and the slow work of self-forgiveness
• What Chad says to someone quietly struggling

--

Show Guest:

Chad Womack is a real estate professional, investor, and business owner with more than 25 years of experience building and managing successful ventures. Over the course of his career, he built and sold a company of 25 years while developing a strong portfolio of rental properties, giving him deep insight into long-term investment and sustainable business growth.

Behind that success, however, Chad faced a deeply personal challenge—an addiction to kratom, specifically the widely available “Feel Free” tonic. What began as a legal, easily accessible source of relief gradually turned into a dependency that led him to spend 45 days in rehab and nearly cost him his 20-year marriage.

Today, Chad shares his story with honesty and humility, offering a window into the reality of high-functioning addiction, the impact it can have on relationships and identity, and the ongoing work of recovery. His journey is one of accountability, resilience, and the slow return to clarity, purpose, and self-respect.

Outside of his professional life, Chad finds his greatest joy in spending time with his wife, daughter, and their two dogs.

You can connect with Chad Womack here.

You can connect with Dillon Womack here.

Support the show

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’s take this one honest conversation at a time.

Follow the show and share it with someone who’s ready for healing, hope, and a more empowered way forward.

Show hosted by:

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT-A

Supervised by Susan Gonzales, LMFT-S, LPC-S

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com

and

To become a client visit- catiaholm.com

Welcome!! To connect or become a client, visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930.

In today's episode, we sit with the question of whether relationship conflict is really about love or about emotional language that never got translated. With therapist Emily Pierce, we name how neurodivergence shapes communication and we share tools for building compassion, safety, and clarity in neurodiverse couples.
• neurodivergence as a broad umbrella including ADHD, autism, OCD, PTSD, learning differences, and acquired differences
• executive functioning, sensory processing, and emotion regulation differences that change how partners respond
• why “everyone is a little ADHD” language feels invalidating
• late diagnosis in adults, masking, and why tools can stop working during life transitions like perimenopause or parenting
• stigma, fear, and shame that can block support and assessment
• how to find more reliable education, including Neurodivergent Insights by Dr Anna Neff
• what makes a couple “neurodiverse” and why every pairing needs a custom approach
• common miscommunication loops like forgotten tasks, rejection sensitivity, and tone differences
• masking versus adapting, and how to build safety for both partners
• “support swapping” so both partners do meaningful work
• acceptance and grief after a late diagnosis, plus over-communication as a path to repair
• hope for stronger foundations once couples learn a shared language

Show Guest:

Emily Pearce is a passionate LMFT-A specializing in neurodivergent couples, with a deep commitment to understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by these relationships. Over the past three years, Emily has achieved remarkable success in helping neurodivergent couples and individuals navigate common relationship issues through the unique lens of neurodiversity. Drawing from a lifetime of being surrounded by a neurodiverse circle and understanding her own neurodivergent brain, Emily integrates personal experiences with professional expertise to offer empathetic and effective counseling. Emily is dedicated to filling the growing need for specialized training, advocacy, and education in neurodiverse counseling.

You can connect with her at her website and on Instagram.

Support the show

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’s take this one honest conversation at a time.

Follow the show and share it with someone who’s ready for healing, hope, and a more empowered way forward.

Show hosted by:

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT-A

Supervised by Susan Gonzales, LMFT-S, LPC-S

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com

and

To become a client visit- catiaholm.com

Welcome!! To connect or become a client visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930.

In today's episode, we break down the science and hope of neuroplasticity and why your most repeated thoughts can feel like fixed roads even when they are just well-worn trails. We share simple tools to build healthier neural pathways through repetition, nervous system safety, and supportive connection.

• thoughts as mental trails that can change over time
• what neuroplasticity means in plain language
• “neurons that fire together wire together” and why practice matters
• why the brain defaults to efficiency and predictability
• survival patterns that help us cope but block thriving
• using awareness to step out of autopilot and into agency
• externalizing fear loops so a pattern does not become identity
• tiny consistent shifts that build lasting change
• regulating the nervous system with breathing, walking, mindfulness, and grounding
• why healing rarely happens in isolation and how safe relationships rewire us
• the “catch and redirect” exercise for kinder self-talk
• journal prompts to spot patterns, find origins, and choose a new path

Support the show

Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:

• US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
• UK: Samaritans at 116 123
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Or find local resources through findahelpline.com

You’re not alone. Let’s take this one honest conversation at a time.

Follow the show and share it with someone who’s ready for healing, hope, and a more empowered way forward.

Show hosted by:

Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT-A

Supervised by Susan Gonzales, LMFT-S, LPC-S

You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com

and

To become a client visit- catiaholm.com