EP 76: Becoming A Transgender Woman at 60 with Penny Catterick

In this episode, I speak with Penny Catterick, a Transgender Woman who transitioned at the age of 60. She shares an inside of view of what it is like to be transgender. She speaks openly about her authentic journey and the cost to becoming who she has always meant to be. She shares the mental health challenges to hiding secrets as well as sharing stories of supernatural experiences related to her authentic journey and how her faith is still present in her life. With a warm, positive outlook on life, Penny she continues to navigate this journey with love and courage. -- We talk about: ✔️ gender dysphoria and when she became conscious of the disconnect she felt. ✔️ how shame and fear create mental and physical health challenges ✔️ how she continued in her marriage for many decades. ✔️ how women should show up in the workplace. ✔️ supernatural experience that has kept her connected to the church. ✔️ repairing the relationships with people in her past including a relationship with her mother. ✔️ what is next for her including transgender advocacy. -- CONNECT with Penny Catterick: -- ▪️You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvWPjE27oH18CEetwSfW9VQ/videos  This channel is to help the transgender community. -- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ EPISODE GUIDE ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1:31 What is gender dysphoria and does what it mean to Penny Catterick. She knew she was transgender when he was 5. 6:04 Shame, fear, anxiety begins to set in when what you see in the mirror does not reflect how you feel internally. 8:11 Penny explains what shame and fear did to her, ie, medical manifestations. 11:37 What did Penny do to hide her authentic self? And she describes the point where she felt her facade was crumbling. She tells a beautiful story of Buddha and the golden. 15:45 Penny explains how his wife found out about him. 17:03 As a devout Roman Catholic, he went through a 9 month intensive treatment to “treat” him to help his marriage. 19:33 Penny explains how his marriage was held together through the years. 21:22 Did he ever imagine that she could live as a woman in her lifetime? 22:56 Penny has attempted suicide a few times. 23:40 What was it like to walk into the world as a transgender woman for the first time? 29:00 Penny explains the death of his former self, Ian. 30:54 What is her relationship with her former self? 33:51 When did her authentic voice get really loud? 37:54 Penny uses her experience from the C-Suite to give about women in the workplace. 39:20 Penny provides leadership advice from her experience in a male dominated workplace. 40:47 Penny shares an idea from Brene Brown’s “Braving the Wilderness” from that spoke to her about stepping into your authentic. self. 42:49 Advice for people who are transitioning or thinking about it. 47:37 The reason she found the courage to transition came from Catholic mass. She shares how she feels she gets visitations from Mary. It was not a conscious choice, it was spiritual choice that got him through. 49:58 Penny looks at her life through a spiritual lens. 53:40 She shares a recent experience where he had a supernatural intervention that saved his life. 58:32 What role does faith in Penny’s life now? 1:02:14  She describes his strained and now wonderful relationship with her mother and she describes the compassion he now feels for her. 1:09:00 Penny shares how she is mending past relationships. 1:10:10  Penny talks about what’s next for her including what she wants to do for the transgender community.