Ep.98 Katharine Chestnut, Inner Affirmations

Katharine Chestnut is the founder and CCO of Alkaloid Networks, a coworking space she founded in 2015.  Over the past two decades, Katharine has navigated the realm of self-care, studying multiple wellness disciplines to support her own personal growth.  Her new book, Inner Affirmations, is a testament to her practice of personal self-care and the kind of growth that comes from a mindful journaling routine.  

Katharine's journey started twenty years ago when she was introduced to her mentor, Sue Meyers who in her own right was a million-dollar realtor turned spiritual guide.  Sue was teaching weekend workshops in the area and Katharine decided to attend. The focus at the workshop was on non-dominant handwriting.  

When Katharine was introduced to this practice in the workshop, she was asked to write down her answers to a series of questions and you would write the answers with your dominant hand.  Then 30 minutes later you would answer the same question but with your non-dominant hand and get a completely different answer! 

After the workshop, Katharine did her research and found that using your non-dominant hand, helps you to slow down and be more mindful in your writing.  You have to be very thoughtful about creating what you are writing as it's not coming that easy! Because you are being more mindful and you have to slow down, your ego gets out of the way.  

This may sound a bit strange, but when you're using your dominant hand, you are writing what you should be feeling and thinking. This makes sense because your ego and logic are driving you.  When you switch to the other side, your ego short-circuits a bit and quiets down so it can become authentic and what is true for you at your core. 

When Katharine would analyze the answers to her questions with both hands, she was stunned.  It really did resonate with her and the differences and similarities in her journaling.  But the differences that she journaled were far more of the essence of what was true at her core. 

Since that day, Katharine has been practicing non-dominant journaling as her main focus of practice!

Katharine offers every Monday morning at 9:30 am EASTERN on Insight Timer a weekly practice where you can participate.  Check it out!

Years later while Katharine was journaling, she wrote down a word/ phrase that she wanted to continue to think about throughout the day so she wrote it on a piece of paper and stuck it in her pocket so she could look at it throughout the day.  She wanted to refer back to it so she could come back to a place of calm and grounded throughout the day.  Katharine would pull it out throughout the day, take a deep breath, and be able to go back into that space of calm that she desired. It was then that she started doing it more and after time she would be pulling out of her pocket these little affirmations!

It was those little slips of paper, often referred to Katharine as her "love notes to self"  that became her book!  Even to this day, she still writes down an affirmation and puts it in her pocket because it helps her to heal and focus on what's true in her life. 

If you go to Katherine's website you can see her daily inner affirmation which you can write down for yourself and stick in your pocket! 

Katharine began to put her marketing skills to work and began creating a brand for herself and her work so that she could begin to reach more people with teachings! 

We discuss how to make daily affirmations a part of your daily routine and how to write affirmations that resonate with us which are true to our inner beliefs and desires! Katharine shares that it doesn't need to be hard to access that place of calm and knowing and if you have a pen and piece of paper, you can do it from anywhere! 

Katharine shares about her Sunday evening routine which helps her to stay focused. She asks the questions 

How did my week go?

What did I plan to do? 

What could have gone better? 

How do I want to feed my spirit and soul this week?

From there she is more mindful about heading into the next week with an intention for herself 

Katharine will be creating some new content that will be available to her community in 2022 so I invite you to go over and check out her website at the link below!  

Links and Resources

Connect with Katharine Chestnut

Order the Book: Inner Affirmations

Connect with Deborah Voll

Take The Midlife Quiz

Passion and Purpose Digital Workbook

Book Your Spot for the Free 60 minute Clarity Session here