Healing Journey of a Wellness Coach
Join me on my ever-evolving journey of healing and transformation. I hope my experiences inspire you, bring joy, expand your perspective, and open your heart.
Meet Wellness Coach Cate Ritter: Guiding Healing and Transformation
Hi, I’m Cate Ritter, a Wellness Coach dedicated to helping others remove obstacles to happiness and enjoyment by addressing root issues within the mind, body, and soul. Together, we work to transform limiting subconscious belief systems, release emotional baggage, and clear stagnant energy that may be keeping you stressed or frustrated. By letting go of this old energy, you open yourself to new opportunities and unlock your true potential. This deeper connection with your soul, love, or Source nurtures profound healing and the possibility of experiencing greater love and joy in your life.
Cate Ritter’s Backstory: From Athlete to Wellness Coach
I’m excited to share the journey that led me to become a Wellness Coach and the insights that have helped me support others in their healing worldwide. Embracing the common challenges we face is a powerful source of healing. My experiences have deeply shaped my practice and strengthened my empathy for those I work with. This journey has taught me resilience, the value of holistic care, and the profound impact of recognizing our shared struggles on the path to healing.
Healing Journey: Overcoming Chronic Illness and Discovering PSYCH-K
I grew up in a small lake town in the mountains of Northern California, near Mt. Shasta. When people ask about my childhood, I describe it as a beautiful journey, though I didn’t always see it that way. Like many, I faced challenges, especially balancing the stress and pressure of striving for a full-ride college golf scholarship. This is where my wellness coaching journey began, as I searched for tools to support my mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. From age 8 to 18, I competed in over 300 junior golf tournaments across California and the country, eventually earning 99 trophies and multiple scholarship offers from top universities.
Same Subconscious Beliefs, Same Problems
I attended Hofstra University, where the transition to Long Island was a significant adjustment for my empathic and highly sensitive system. Despite securing a nearly full-ride golf scholarship and winning a Division One tournament, my health and well-being began to deteriorate. My old subconscious belief in overworking led to burnout—an issue I now address in my wellness coaching practice, helping clients overcome similar limiting beliefs.
Life Without Golf
Seeking a fresh start, I transferred to CSU, Chico, where I continued playing golf on a scholarship. However, my health remained a challenge. Weight gain during my freshman year led to painful plantar fasciitis, which hindered my performance. After deciding to leave the golf team, I shifted my focus to self-care and what I truly wanted, though I still didn’t know how to create deeper, lasting change. I redirected my overachieving energy into academics, earning a 4.0 GPA in my first semester post-golf while taking 19 credits, working two part-time jobs, volunteering as a tutor, and completing a 44-page thesis.
Farm-to-Table Chef Training
After finishing college early, I followed my heart and booked a ticket to London, UK, eager to explore the world. Fortunately, I landed a job at a gastropub on the Suffolk coast, northeast of London. For about a year, I lived above the pub and learned from a skilled chef. My days started with morning runs through the picturesque English countryside and ended with long hours in the kitchen. In my spare time, I took notes and wrote recipes—it felt like attending culinary school while getting paid. I fell in love with the farm-to-table approach and was excited to deepen my skills through this healthy connection.
How My Wellness Coaching Journey Began
After my work visa expired, I traveled around the UK and Europe before settling in Scottsdale, Arizona. I found work at a high-end restaurant and volunteered at a permaculture garden. Eager to deepen my connection with health and wellness, I enrolled in Yoga Teacher Training. Around this time, I discovered a Holistic Nutrition Program that perfectly aligned with my passion for wellness and culinary arts. By 2009, my journey culminated in the launch of my Wellness Coaching business. Before I knew it, I was a full-time nutritionist, offering services as a grocery and local food guide, cooking coach, and personal chef to a diverse clientele—including busy moms, affluent families, retired athletes, and even celebrities.
Is Life Better at The Beach?
Within a few years, my husband was offered a job in Pebble Beach, CA. Having frequented golf tournaments there as a child and spent several summers in the area, I often fantasized about living in such a beautiful place. It seemed like a dream come true, so we sold our home and moved to the beach.
However, shortly after moving to Pebble, my health rapidly declined. We rented a home just off the scenic 17-Mile Drive, within walking distance of the beach. But the day after we moved in, I didn’t feel like myself—fuzzy-headed, nauseous, and inflamed. The symptoms persisted despite my efforts to improve.
About seven months later, workers repairing a roof leak informed us that many previous tenants had left or even been hospitalized due to mold-related illnesses. Lab tests later confirmed toxic mold levels in our home. We immediately terminated our lease and discarded any belongings that couldn’t be thoroughly cleaned. After three more moves, we found another rental with black mold, forcing us to relocate yet again and part with even more of our possessions.
Wack-a-Mole Health Care
To restore my health, I consulted various specialists and underwent extensive, costly testing. The doctors diagnosed me with a “genetic defect” that impaired my ability to detoxify mold, causing my immune system to malfunction. As a result, mold toxins (mycotoxins) accumulated in my body, leading to a host of serious health issues. During this time, I was diagnosed with Mold Illness, Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, infections, hormone imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, and more.
Brain Rewiring Boost
Things took a turn for the worse when I lost my beloved golden retriever to cancer. Shortly after, I was involved in a traumatic car accident in heavy Bay Area traffic. The combined stress, sadness, and frustration during this time took a toll on my health. As doctors began discussing disability options, I started seeking alternative paths to wellness. I explored various modalities before discovering the Dynamic Neural Retraining System, which helped me begin rewiring my brain toward a healthier state.
Inspiration to Make an Impact
After working remotely for Laird Superfood, a health food company founded by big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton, I was invited to Bend, Oregon, to collaborate on a cookbook with Laird’s chef. Before I knew it, I was working as Product Development Director, and we relocated to the mountains. While the corporate environment wasn’t aligned with the life I envisioned, I eventually returned to Wellness Coaching, feeling more inspired than ever to help people in a deeper, more meaningful way.
Healing Through Plant Medicine: The Call from Ayahuasca
Before discovering plant medicine, I had everything that seemed like it should make me happy, yet something was missing. I felt stuck in old narratives and weighed down by feelings of not being “good enough.” This desire for transformation led me into my dark night of the soul. A few months into this process, I watched a documentary featuring Deepak Chopra, who recommended ayahuasca for healing. I had never heard of this powerful plant medicine, but I felt my soul wake up. Embracing this calling, I set the intention to “lose my mind and find my soul.” And so, my jungle journey began.
Welcome to the Amazon Jungle
In 2018, I immersed myself in a profound healing experience that transformed my perspective on health and life. I traveled to the Amazon jungle outside of Iquitos, Peru. My destination was a bumpy bus ride and an exotic boat ride deep into the rainforest. For a couple of weeks, I attended an intensive ayahuasca healing retreat within an indigenous community. My ceremonies were ineffable, painful, awakening, and beautiful. Mixed in with all of the emotions and lovely forms of purging, it was a psychedelic rollercoaster.
Space for a Break
It wasn’t just the ceremonies that were healing. I had space to go within. After being free from the never-ending stimulation and distractions of the modern world, I realized how depleted I was on all levels. For the first time in a decade, I didn’t have a to-do list to tackle. Relaxing was challenging. I was addicted to doing. Having time to go inward was immensely beneficial. The more I connected with myself, the more clarity, wisdom, and guidance began to flow.
Beyond Self-Help With PSYCH-K
Upon returning to Bend, I had a profound synchronicity—a mild mystical experience—while walking my dog. I witnessed an eagle and a condor flying together in a circle, a scene that mirrored the PSYCH-K logo. This serendipitous moment led me to train in PSYCH-K, a powerful modality for overcoming limiting beliefs, releasing emotional baggage, and cultivating self-love. It marked a turning point where everything in my life began to align.
My Shaman Initiation: A Journey of Spiritual Healing
Guided by intuition, I felt a deep calling to return to the jungle. I signed up for an intensive two-month Shaman Training, a journey that marked a significant life change. I packed a few suitcases, sold my car, and donated the rest of my belongings. Back in Peru, I spent three weeks volunteering at an ayahuasca retreat and research center, followed by visits to Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Eventually, I rented an apartment in the slums of Iquitos for a few weeks. Of all the experiences I’ve had, this was one of the most transformative. Living alongside others in a third-world country gave me a powerful perspective on what truly matters in life.
Back to the Jungle, I Go
I was ready to return to the jungle when the time came. The journey involved a lengthy bus ride from Iquitos and a hike through mud into the heart of the rainforest. There, under the guidance of indigenous Shipibo Curanderos and alternative healers, I underwent my Shaman Initiation. This profound experience deepened my understanding of the healing powers of plant medicine, including plant diets, purgatives, protective baths, soplaying (energy cleansing and protection), Icaros (healing songs), and various other remedies. The rigorous training demanded adherence to a restrictive diet, periods of silence, fasting days, and more, all of which contributed significantly to my growth and understanding of healing practices.
Mosquitos, Chiggers & Parasites
The jungle is beautiful but can be a challenging place. With relentless mosquitos that bite through clothing, you’ve got to be on alert. Although I was luckier than my Shaman’s wife, who got Malaria, I got chiggers from my bed sheets on day one of my training. With their biting and itching, these minuscule pests quickly covered my body. Scratching caused them to spread and burrow deeper under my skin, making for an intensely uncomfortable experience.
Alongside the visible challenges, the jungle harbored even smaller, more insidious dangers like parasites. During my time there, I contracted three parasitic infections. Over half of our camp got sick, including our facilitators. Unable to retain food or water for five days, I experienced sharp pains in my kidneys, urinary tract, and heart. Consequently, my weight fell below my already low body fat, and my energy dropped.
After making the trek into town to see a doctor, I was instantly hooked up to an IV for hydration. My tests confirmed parasitic infections and blood in my stool. I already felt so weak and depleted from weeks of ceremonies, purgatives, fasting, restrictive meals, and plant medicinals that getting parasites was especially challenging.
Healing Realizations: Integrating Plant Medicine and Brain-Rewiring
With lots of rest, hydration, and papaya, I returned to the jungle. I knew that to complete my training, I had to embrace joy. So, I slowed down, laughed more, and even made friends with the cockroaches in my room. This lesson became a crucial part of my healing journey: just like plants, some people thrive in the dark, while others grow in the light. I was ready for the light.
When my training ended, I turned down an offer to become an ayahuasca facilitator. I realized that I could support myself and others far more when I truly enjoy life. Enjoying life brings you into the present flow. We often believe we’ll enjoy life after reaching a certain goal—whether it’s achieving perfect health or hitting a financial milestone. But this mindset has it backward, and the root of it is often a lack of self-love. In my experience, success in all areas of life hinges on my ability to enjoy it.
The Self-LOVE Secret
When you focus on what you truly enjoy, you begin to live from a place of love rather than lack. Love has the power to heal everything, and it all begins with self-love. You naturally connect with joy when you love yourself, the people around you, and what you do. The world needs more people who radiate and spread that love and joy. But for love to truly heal, we must first eliminate the blocks that keep us from fully loving ourselves and enjoying life. I’ve developed my unique blend of modalities to help clear those blocks. By releasing the “gunk,” you reconnect with your authentic self and the present moment. From this space, you can create your own epic self-love story.
The Magic of Integration
As I integrated my experiences, I realized that everything I went through was happening for me, helping me create the health and life I truly desired. I don’t see my past experiences as “bad,” but as “badass builders!” Even the traumas have transformed into some of my greatest gifts. I was guided to do this work and make these realizations so I could best guide others on their healing journey. What’s especially meaningful is that it took exactly nine months—mirroring a cycle of death and rebirth—from my first journey into the jungle to when I left. In that time, I allowed old stories, patterns, and parts of myself to die, giving birth to a new way of living. My life continues to unfold in ways better than I could have ever imagined.
Synchronicities & Sound Therapy
When I returned to Oregon, I felt called to help others transform their lives without taking such drastic measures. Around this time, my dad passed away. He was deeply musical—writing songs, singing, and playing guitar and harmonica. As fate would have it, I was at the PSYCH-K Divine Integration Retreat when Biofield Tuning found me. My connections to sound therapy and my dad have expanded ever since.
The Gift of Transformation: What It Means for You
I “tried everything” without seeing the results I deserved—until I started working with my subconscious mind. As I removed limitations from my body, mind, and soul, healing naturally followed. I began enjoying life more and built a relationship with myself based on love instead of lack. Now, I experience more signs, synchronicities, magic, and miracles than ever.
Everything happens for a reason, and everything is connected. Life isn’t meant to be perfect—it’s supposed to be messy, which makes it interesting and exciting. Every symptom, pain, and challenge holds a lesson, and when you learn the lesson, you unlock new levels of healing and joy. What once seemed like a problem becomes a gift.
Through my healing journey, I discovered that true healing comes from within. I spent years focused on external fixes, but real transformation began when I turned inward. This truth has shaped my journey and proven true for the many clients I’ve coached. I’m not a shaman or healer—I’m a guide, empowering others to heal themselves by removing the limitations that hold them back.
While I cannot recommend ayahuasca for safety reasons, my journey with plant medicine inspired me to become a licensed psilocybin facilitator in Oregon (Prism Bend LLC). One of my first psychedelic experiences revealed that my purpose is to help others heal by living from their heart rather than their head—a lesson I had to learn myself. The more you know yourself, the more you expand your awareness and the more you heal. This awareness is foundational for creating true health and well-being in all areas of life.
Though we live in a complex world, the solutions are simple. You CAN heal and deserve to create the life you want. Your wellness is essential—to your own life and healing others, this planet, and beyond. Let’s co-create your beautiful healing journey together.