When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. That saying relates to Catherine Newell. Catherine was born in the UK and married my nephew, Paul. My mom loved her accent as she came from the same area as my grandmother in northern England. She went to university and majored in law and marketing. She worked for a UK Marketing firm and they transferred her to Toronto as a VP!
Paul and Catherine met on a plane! They married and she had two beautiful sons. She suffered with post partum depression before and after both births. Paul took his life five years ago. Catherine picked up the pieces and has volunteered for many organizations. She's involved in the boys school, Crescent Beach Swim Club, Heads Up Guys and Pacific Post Partum Support Society (PPPSS). She was just appointed to the Board of Directors of the Pacific Post Partum Support Society. Catherine is amazing and everyone in the family is very proud of her!
Below are some of her posts on Facebook. She's an inspiration to everyone she meets!
August 18
For most of my life I have only had 1 speed .. BUSY! It my coping mechanism and I thrive on busyness. Or so I thought. Til Covid hit. And I ground to a halt like all of us. And I realized how exhausted I was. How I haven’t stopped in years. First in a stressful profession, then in a long distance relationship for 3 years juggling the red eye flight from Vancouver to Toronto Sunday nights, going straight from airplane to the office. Then postpartum anxiety hit, and then I became a widow and a single mum overnight. And so i stayed busy to cope and bury trauma and avoid sitting home alone and dwelling on life. And then Covid hit and like us all I ground to a halt. And being home alone with my thoughts and I hated it ... until I loved it. And I realized, yes I’m a social being but I also need to refill my cup. I also need to be still. I have practiced yoga and paddle boarding and yoga on a paddle board! And had time to think a LOT. And now I’ worry that as life gets busy again I’ll default to my warp speed. I need to practice taking time to rest. And realize I need to fill my cup daily so I’m not constantly running on empty.
August 17
Posting this to remind myself I an something in addition to being a mum. Yes “mum” is my most important and heartfelt role but it has also been super tough not to have another outlet for a while. Postpartum anxiety and then the loss of Paul kept my world much smaller than I planned for a very long time. I’m fortunate and grateful I could be home with my kids to smooth their loss but it’s time to spread my wings a little. And no better place to fly then for this amazing organisation.
Catherine Newell
Board DIrector - Pacific Post Patrum Support Society
Catherine first encountered the PPPSS in 2008-2012 as she struggled with acute anxiety and depression following the birth of her 2 sons. She credits the incredible support of the the Society for saving her sanity and, quite possibly her life, and has been looking for a way to pay this support forward since then.
Catherine is passionate about ending the stigma that surrounds mental illness and is a tireless advocate for wellness, mental health and self care. Having walked with mental illness for many years she brings the perspective of real life experience to this role. She is also grateful to be involved with another not-for-profit organization, Heads Up Guys, supporting male mental health issues. With a background in international business and conference planning she also bring these skills to the Board and hopes to help with fundraising and supporting the Society in any way she can. Her current self care practice involves her new love of paddle boarding and yoga and getting outside in nature whenever she can.
