Latest / Numotion Ally Program Podcast / The CathCast With Leah: New Beginnings and Adventures With Katherine
Transcript
- Leah Holderbaum: Everyone, welcome to Cathcast. I am so excited about this specific episode because I am joined by one of my dearest friends who I have known a little over seven years. Her name is Catherine. I met her in Dallas. She no longer lives in Dallas, she lives in Austin. I'm gonna, you know, turn it over to her in a little bit. I want to ask her a ton of questions about her experience. But first and foremost, ⁓ Catherine, I just want to give you a few seconds. If you were gonna introduce yourself in 30 seconds or less. How would you introduce Katherine? Yeah, I would probably say, hi, I'm Catherine. I'm 30 years old. Freshly 30. I freshly 30, part of the club now. Happy to be here. ⁓ it is more fun. They were right. And let's see, I work from home as a product designer, ⁓ working for a tech company. and let's see. a dog. His name's Meatloaf. We live happily together in Austin, Texas. I've lived here for over two years now. I love it. Those are the highlights, I think. Okay, so first and foremost, we've already discussed a new member of the 30 club. You recently took a special trip for this very significant birthday. I want to know where you went. Tell me all the details. Yeah. I went to Puerto Rico, which highly recommend you must go. Okay. ⁓ was perfect and magical. I went with a group of friends. There was like maybe seven or eight of us. ⁓ we took like maybe two or three separate flights, so I flew with three of the people in the group. yeah, the food is so good. It is pretty accessible. Okay. ⁓ because it's a US territory, so they have some responsibility to follow most ADA guidelines. ⁓ and everyone was so nice, like, you know, if there's a ramp but it's maybe a little steep, like the owner of the restaurant is like, Come on, I'm gonna put you. ⁓ we we want you to come in here, I'm buying you a drink kind of deal. Yeah. Well, okay. ⁓ I love that. Yeah. How was the travel? Like just airplanes and like how was that experience getting to and from? Did you have a straight flight? Did you have layovers? We had one layover in Miami. Okay. I think I'm a professional flyer at this point. I've taken many many flights. I did take a solo flight recently. Where did you go? That time I went to Colorado. That was also this. ⁓ Okay. And I met friends there and then flew back alone as well. But the process is always pretty similar. Like we don't go I don't go through the metal detector. I have someone pat me down and then I get on an aisle chair. ⁓ to get onto the plane. Okay. I love to check all my bags other than like a purse or something. And of course like I have like catheters and medications and stuff. Sure. But just checking the bag means like I don't have to worry about carrying it around or like it on and off and asking someone to put it in the overhead. ⁓ and I have a travel shower chair that also doubles as a like toil like a commode chair. Very nice. And it fits into like a carry on sized case, which is lovely. Convenient. I all any device that you recommended originally, like all When when that one gets old, I'll like look for a better one and there never is a better one. So I have pretty much old faithful. Yeah. I have like gotten new versions, but they're still old faithfuls, you know? Mm-hmm. You just need you can't go wrong, you know. Yeah. So yeah, flying's pretty smooth. So one thing that I have loved about you is I've gotten to see your, you know, journey over the past seven years. And just ⁓ I think one of the coolest things is you literally Would you say two years ago it was that you moved to Austin? You packed up, you know, you were outside of Dallas, you know, packed up everything, moved to Austin. and you just you started fresh. You got, you know, a brand new life. You got to figure out the new restaurants, the new grocery store, like the new, you know, dog parks. tell me a little bit about that experience. Like what was it like just to pack up and, you know, start over, just start fresh and begin new. Yeah, it was scary at first for sure. Sure. ⁓ but also very exciting. I think I kind of ⁓ after a couple years of being in a chair, I developed the mindset of like, I'm gonna go try this thing, and then if I look really stupid, I'll just never talk to those people again. And it'll be fine. Yeah. You know? Never go to the location different. Yeah, we're ⁓ So like I'll go I've been to like a yoga class and I'm like, all right, if I look real dumb, I'll just never go again. But usually I don't look real dumb and then I was gonna say, how how did the yoga class go? How fun was that? That was really fun. ⁓ Okay. And again, like people are gonna be like, ⁓ what do you need? And like maybe like stare at you. I'm like, I don't care. If I really Again, I'll just if I hate it, I'll never go again. But it I want to try. So yeah, most of the moves there was a very obvious adaptation. And then for any time there wasn't, I would just I did a little research beforehand of like adaptive yoga poses. So then if there was anything I truly couldn't adapt from what they were doing, I would just do one of those. Yeah. And yeah. Sometimes I just do it like me in the scene. You know, even if I'm not doing exactly what you're doing, I'm I'm out there, you know. And I love that you're in Austin because Austin's life, like for someone of your age, your demographic, like the food, the restaurants, the lifestyle, the art, the I mean, the people, it's just knowing you like I do, I'm like I you just fit in so perfectly in Austin. So what are some of the coolest experiences that you've had? Like what are some of, you know, either best restaurants or you know, something cool you saw, an exhibit. What are some of your top if you had to say top three? Yeah, I would say one thing about Austin is there's always something new and everyone, you know, is like somewhere between twenty and forty and I think like the specialty of Austin is just fun. So there's always restaurants, you know, if you follow like the Instagram pages, like do five one two. It's just like constant things in Austin to do. Some of my favorites would probably be like paddle boarding. That's really like popular. So there's a like paddle boarding. You must go. Because it's it's like not super tiring and you can just kind of chill on a paddleboard when you do get tired. Tell me more. Tell me everything. Yeah, so basically there's like a Ladybird Lake and it kind of like looks like a river, but it's running through the middle of downtown. But there's like trees everywhere, but you also have like the the cityscape and it's just very like beautiful area. So you always see like hot, cool people like on a paddleboard. So to get on any like water device, like a boat or a kayak or a paddleboard, I just get on the floor. I just like slither on down my chair. Yeah and then I just like transfer over. Because it's usually right up to dock, you know? ⁓ huh. So I just sit on the dock and then flop over onto the paddleboard. And I just way out pretty much. So it's not too bad. It's not too bad, no. ⁓ so yeah, definitely paddleboarding. There's a lot of like outdoor beautiful spots to go to. Like ⁓ Barton Springs is like a really famous like natural spring that everyone goes to. ⁓ and then yeah, it's gotta be the the food is here is so good. ⁓ Yeah. How do you even like you Yeah, I At some point we'll send you just the longest list of restaurants that please do you try when you come to Austin. ⁓ my gosh, yes, I can't wait. Yeah. But yeah, I think my number one favorite restaurant is an Italian restaurant called Intero. Okay. It is like everything there is so good. ⁓ they have like the best desserts. Last time I went we got all the desserts, which was like six I'm a big sweet tooth girl. So yeah, but there's always new things popping up. Just nightlife and just so many things to do. It's funny. Yeah. Like there's one with robots, of course, and the robots bring your drinks and make them. Wild. Yeah. And there's this one called Coconut Club. It's not like a club. It really is a bar, but it's just so So fun, they play like eighties music to dance to and it's just the best. Yeah. I love it. And there's dogs everywhere in Austin. So you're in heaven. I'm in heaven. Meatloaf is in heaven. For all those who don't know, that's my dog's name. Don't know. He's a retriever. He's a golden retriever, yes. And he's so handsome. He's so handsome. And yeah, he has lots of friends here. Because they're How is ⁓ like overall, what rating would you give accessibility in Austin? ⁓ it definitely depends on what area you're in. ⁓ like the domain where I live, ⁓ ten out of ten accessible. ⁓ because it's like it's newer. ⁓ but I would say there are some areas where they want to keep the like older you know, there's ⁓ there's a street called Rainy Street. And it's a bunch of like bars and restaurants, but they're all in really cute older craftsman style homes with like the steps up and the wraparound porch. ⁓ that is a little bit less accessible, but even those, like they've a lot of them have built really long ramps up into them that go like around. ⁓ so I'd say overall Austin I would give like an eight out of ten. Okay. It's not bad. Dallas is probably a nine or ten out of ten because everything most of it is suburbs that have like a new target with like no barrier entrance. Right. So ⁓ here there's a few older buildings and yeah. But I'm it's pretty good. Hey, I'm Dylan from Wheelin' with Dylan. And I'm Leah with the CAFCAST. If you're listening to this, you are already part of the conversation. But there's a lot more to explore inside New Motion Medical Supplies Ally program. And all our podcasts live there too. So if you want to catch past episodes or get the earliest access to new ones, that's where to go. And the podcast is really just one piece. Inside Ally, there's a full library of articles, webinars, and short videos focused on bladder health. Catheter use and building routines that work for you. It's also a great place to see how others are navigating things day to day. Real setups, real experiences, and things you might not always hear in a clinical setting. And a big part of that is the community forum. There are sub-forums for different experiences and stages of life. So whether you're just getting started or have been doing this for years, there's a space for you. You can ask questions, share what's worked for you. Or just read and see how others are handling similar situations. It's a really easy way to connect and not feel like you're figuring everything out all on your own. It's simple to access. Absolutely anyone can explore these online resources or set up a free Ally Program account to unlock exclusive features. Just enter your email and verification code and you'll be connected to educational tools, real stories, and community support right away. It's completely free. And everything's in one place at catheters.newmotion dot com slash ally. Head to the Ally program today and join the conversation. We'll see you there. Something else I'm dying to know about. I know for a fact that your family is so incredibly important to you. And you have some fabulous sisters, and now you have this cutie patootie niece. So I want to know how the fam is, how's the niece? How do you keep up with the little one? And how are they all adjusting to, you know, your new life in Austin? And how often do you get to see them? Tell me everything. Yeah. They have all visited in the past couple months. ⁓ my parents and both my sisters and niece. ⁓ so it's like a fun like vacation when they get to come. And I make like a whole itinerary of things for a Of course you do. Of course I do. ⁓ yeah, I think they're they're all pretty great. ⁓ they all still live in Dallas. ⁓ I go up there usually like for a holiday, like Mother's Day or something like that. So Every couple months I'll probably go up there. I love when they come down here because I'm like, we've done the Dallas stuff, you know, we know all the spots. Let's go to a new spot. And also I have a two bedroom apartment now. ⁓ very nice. That I specifically got so that they could like visit and I could take to all the places. ⁓ but yeah, you know, dealing with the niece. Not like she needs something to be dealt with, but you know what I mean. Has been really fun. She's crazy in a good way. Yes. Like all sassy and like her hair's always like messed up and it's like really curly, so and she's like, I don't want you to fix it. I want it like this. Absolutely not. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But it has also been fun like seeing what I would be like with a kid because obviously like in different phases I'm like, let me try to pick her up and put her on my lap and how we would do it. And yeah, I I figured all of it out after a few like practice runs, you know. Mm-hmm. And now that she like can follow direction, it that's been easier as well. So let me ask you this, because ⁓ one thing that I always say is, you know, there isn't a textbook for you know how you figure out everything. So where do you begin? Like, did you do research on parenting with, you know, spinal cord injury? Or are you just like, I know my balance, I know my body, let me see if I can figure this out. Or do you think a little bit of both. I just happen to follow people who are moms in chairs. So like, you know, Chelsea Hill, which most of us know, like she had a baby a couple years ago and she did posted some videos about like how I get her in and out of the car seat and like transfer her to a ⁓ a little like swing or you know whatever a mobile thing. ⁓ so I had like an idea of maybe how people like her do it and then how I kind of like figured things out from there. So like I know my balance. I know how picking things up usually works for me. kind of most of the time I just try things and see if it works. And then I'm like, okay, my actually my hand would be better here, more out in front of me, 'cause that feels more stable and Exactly. Yeah. That's That's what I always, you know, tell my friends as well. I'm like, hey, there there isn't a textbook, there isn't an instruction guide, like, let's try this. We're gonna work through this and figure it out together. So all right, my friend, I have one more question, and that is I know that you have recently you are incredibly creative and artistic. You always have been. ⁓ it's just in your soul, you exude it. And I've been slightly obsessed watching your journey with all of this. Pottery and everything that you're doing with the wheel. So I want to know how did you get into this? How long have you been doing it? How much do you love it? And when can I buy some of your pieces? That's what I want to know. Yes. Well, you will not be purchasing any. They will be giv given and gifted to you for the record. ⁓ and immediately. I've so I I started doing pottery actually like right when I moved to Austin. I knew that was something that I wanted to try. but I had never done pottery, not even like as an elective in in high school or anything. So I didn't realize how easy it would be 'cause I knew it had like the foot pedal and I was like, how am I gonna do that? I didn't realize that all of them will stay at the speed. So you c I what I was like I have the pedal and I put it up on a stool. So it's like arm height. And I just like I usually like hit it with my fist to like get it to go. And it once you take your hand or your foot off, it'll just stay at that speed. So all this time I could have been doing pottery and I didn't know that's how it worked. I didn't even know that either. No. So then yeah, you just bang it again to like lower it down to stop. And voila. ⁓ so Once I figure that out, but that was another thing that I was like, I'm just gonna book it and I'm gonna go. And then if they're like, ⁓ you can't do it, I'll be like, Okay, never mind. But ⁓ Incredible. Yeah. So I really like it. It is ⁓ you know, it's challenging for sure. I there are people that are way, way, way better than me. but it's And you're just starting and you're so fabulous. So fabulous. I made this lamp over here, that one in pottery. Are you kidding me? Incredible. I love making a little length so much talent. So creative. I think everyone should give it a try. ⁓ I love that. It's a great way to like have birthday gifts and Christmas gifts like ready to go, you know, to give people. Just like have a stash of things set aside, you know. Exactly. A stash. Yeah. It's so fun. You must brilliant. I'll take you when we when you come now. Please do. Can we go have an adventure? I know. I'm so ready to come to Austin now. I'm so ready. I've got plans. So we we are definitely gonna be meeting up in the very near future. We need to do a live session for sure. Yes. So f last thing before we wrap up this session, you mentioned that you follow a few individuals on social media. If you would be so kind as to share their handles and also I've shared your handle, but I want you to share your handle as well with anyone who would love to follow. Yes. Thank you so much. My handle is Cthula with four L's. That's K A T U L L L L A. ⁓ Yeah, that's mine. A few people I follow. I'll shout out a couple. So first fun for fun things in Austin, do 512 DO 512. I'll give you one more Austin one and then I'll move on to just like creators and chairs. No, we need them all. Yeah. Another one. So good. When, where, what, Austin. Okay. Austin. Got it. And they'll post like all the fun things constantly. There's so many. So people I like to follow in chairs. Of course, Chelsea Hill. She's like a given. Rollettes. Yes. Rollets. And then you'll follow all of them as one does. You'll go down the rabbit hole. Yes. Yes. You'll go down the rabbit hole. ⁓ I also like to follow ⁓ this is gonna be a hard handle to say. But this girl is friends with them, but she also has kids. ⁓ and I like to kind of see how and also she's really cute. They're all really Hannah. With an H on the bottom and at the top and Janina J A N E E N A. Okay. J Hannah again. Hannah. Nina Hannah. Got it. Yeah. She'll pop up. Yep. And then I of course love like wheelchair poppy. We all love wheelchair poppy. Our f our Anthony. Anthony, our our little hometown hero. Exactly. ⁓ he's, you know, much more famous than either of us, but We love them, so we'll allow it. I know. I know. But yeah, all those people are just like they're doing fun things, they're going out, they're they're active, they're working out. So And that's what it's about, you know, it's it's you know, life. Just living life. Exactly. Figuring it out. And again, like you said, there isn't a rule book. I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm gonna figure it out. And if I mess up really bad, I just won't go back. So there you go. We probably won't mess up real bad and then you'll go back. Well, my dear, it was so fabulous chatting with you. I thank you so much for your time and all of your invaluable words and insight and encouragement. And I am looking forward to having you as a very, very frequent guest on this podcast. So I would love to take care and we will chat soon, okay? Thank you so much. All right, of course, thank you.