Life After I Left

Cat Dunn
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Welcome to Life After I Left. A podcast about the moments that change us, hosted by Cat Dunn, speaker, mentor, and founder. This is a community where women share the stories they once thought they had to keep hidden. Expect vulnerable conversations, practical insights, dark humour, deep reflections, expert advice, and the kind of honesty that makes you sit in your car after an episode finishes. New stories every Thursday. Remember: Don’t be silent. Be unstoppable.

  1. 3d ago

    73: Sara Reyes on Life After… Redundancy: Pregnancy, backing yourself & redefining your version of success

    What would you do if you were made redundant at 28 weeks pregnant, in the middle of a pandemic? Sara Reyes is a VA business coach and the founder of Nook Collective, a co-working space on the Sunshine Coast designed for working parents. In 2020, after 14 years thriving as an EA and PA, Sara was made redundant while pregnant with her first child - and that same afternoon, she emailed her employer to say she wouldn't be coming back and started her own VA business. Within four weeks she was fully booked, and within 12 months she had doubled her corporate income. In this episode, we chat about: Losing a job, and an identity, at 28 weeks pregnant during COVIDThe messy middle: undercharging, saying yes to every client and battling imposter syndromeThe skills stay-at-home mums already have, and why you don't need another course to get startedLetting go of misaligned clients, and why Sara eventually let go of all of them to focus on coachingHow motherhood completely redefined Sara's version of successNook Collective, community, and why parents shouldn't have to choose between career and family This episode is a reminder that the hardest season of your life can become the beginning of the life you've been wanting to build. Sara didn't have it all figured out - no contracts, no insurance, just a decision to back herself. If you've been sitting on an idea and waiting to feel ready, this is your sign to just start. Connect with Sara: Website: https://www.assistbysara.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/assistbysara/Nook Collective Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nook.collective/The Freedom Kickstart Roadmap: https://sara-reyes.mykajabi.com/the-freedom-kickstart-roadmapLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-reyes-ilton-4a8206122/ Connect with Cat: Join my mailing list: https://catlouisedunn.myflodesk.com/mailing-listLife After I Left Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterileftpodcast/Cat's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catlouisedunn/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catlouisedunnLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlouisedunnWebsite: https://catlouisedunn.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-after-i-left/id1815891092YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catlouisedunn Support the show: New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's). And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most. ❤️ Remember: Don't be silent. Be unstoppable.

  2. Sep 23

    72: Life After… Announcing our Anthology Authors: 10 women, 10 stories & a 2027 book tour

    What happens when ten women decide their stories are too important to stay silent? In this episode, I'm sharing something I've been dreaming about for a long time. We've officially chosen the authors for the very first Life After I Left anthology, and I'm finally announcing who they are. I also share why this book is only the beginning, and how we're taking these stories on the road around Australia in 2027. In this episode, I chat about: Why I'm turning Life After I Left stories into our first anthologySpeaking from the scar, not the wound, and why some women aren't ready to share yetPlans for a Life After I Left book tour across Australia in 2027How you can get involved as a speaker, sponsor, venue or host cityWhy I'm writing a chapter too, and the parts of my story I haven't shared beforeThe big reveal: meet our 10 anthology authors This book was never about me. It's about creating a space where women can say the things they've been told they can't, and trusting that the right person will hear them. Shame dies when we share, and I know storytelling saves lives because it saved mine. The book launches in March 2027, and I want you in the room with us. Meet the Life After I Left Anthology Authors: Tara Lee Scott: https://www.instagram.com/taralee_co/Jemma Haythorne: https://instagram.com/thejemmaroseSarah Rosse: https://instagram.com/sarah_rosse_authorMelissa Gough: https://instagram.com/thebraingamechangerMelissa Omar: https://instagram.com/bodymindflowstudioTrish Burton: https://instagram.com/trishburtoncreativeMichelle Leach: https://instagram.com/michelleleach_Jayde Riana Biffin: https://instagram.com/j.r.biffinJenna Little: https://instagram.com/jennallittleMe: https://instagram.com/catlouisedunn Please give these women a follow and support them on their writing journey. Want to speak, sponsor, offer a venue or tell us where to tour? Email me: hello@catlouisedunn.com Connect with Cat: Join my mailing list: https://catlouisedunn.myflodesk.com/mailing-listInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterileftpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catlouisedunn/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catlouisedunnLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlouisedunnWebsite: https://catlouisedunn.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-after-i-left/id1815891092YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catlouisedunn Support the show: New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's). And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most. ❤️ Remember: Don't be silent. Be unstoppable.

  3. Sep 16

    71: Shaye Gundry on Life After… Sibling Loss: Nine years of silent grief, holding everyone together, and rebuilding yourself

    What happens when you lose your brother suddenly and, instead of falling apart, you become the one holding everyone else together? Shaye Gundry is a hairdresser, beauty therapist and mother of three who owns Blossom Hair and Beauty in the Sutherland Shire, Sydney. Ten years ago, at 29, right as she was planning her son's first birthday and her own 30th, Shaye lost her younger brother suddenly; he was only 25. She spent the next nine years holding her family together while quietly falling apart, before finding her way back to herself. In this episode, we chat about: The moment Shaye found out her younger brother had died suddenly at 25Becoming the "organiser" for her whole family while burying her own griefWhy there is almost no support or community for siblings grieving a siblingThe nine years she spent leaning on alcohol to cope with what she did not want to feelThe "flick of a switch" turning point that came 13 months agoRemembering her brother: the uncle who showed up for her kids without being askedRaising two daughters as hairdressing and beauty apprentices inside her own salon Shaye's story is a reminder that grief does not follow a straight line, and it does not come with a manual, especially when it's a sibling you have lost. She spent nine years being strong for everyone else before she let herself fall apart, and it took a flick-of-the-switch moment to find her way back. If you have lost a sibling and felt like there was nowhere to take that grief, this episode is proof you are not as alone as it feels. Connect with Shaye: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaye.gundryInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/blossomhairandbeautyco/Website: https://www.blossomhairandbeauty.com.au/ Connect with Cat: Join my mailing list: ⁠https://catlouisedunn.myflodesk.com/mailing-list⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterileftpodcast/⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catlouisedunn/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catlouisedunnLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlouisedunnWebsite: https://catlouisedunn.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-after-i-left/id1815891092YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catlouisedunn Support the show: Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast — I would love to hear from you. New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's). And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most. ❤️ Remember: Don't be silent. Be unstoppable.

  4. Sep 9

    70: Nikki Foord on Life After… Three Burnouts: Endometriosis, medical dismissal, and redesigning your business

    What happens when the identity you built your whole career around no longer has anywhere to live? Nikki Foord is a mentor, speaker, and podcast host who spent two decades pushing herself to 110%; first in elite sport and clinical work, then in business; before three separate burnouts forced her to rebuild from the ground up. Along the way she battled years of dismissed and misdiagnosed endometriosis, was told she'd never have children, and eventually walked away from the very business she'd built her identity around, before retraining as a psychotherapist to help others avoid the same collapse. In this episode, we chat about: Nikki's early career working with professional athletes at Geelong Football Club and why she said yes to everything in her 20sHer first burnout at 23, being flown home from Bali, and the doctor who told her "if you don't change your lifestyle, you'll never work again"Living with undiagnosed, dismissed endometriosis for over a decade; including a doctor who told her it was "all in her head"Being told years later that "women like her" who wanted a career and a family were the problem, and that she was already past her fertility windowHaving a hysterectomy, the infertility diagnosis, and going through it in the middle of COVIDHer third and biggest burnout; losing her business and income overnight and hitting a genuinely dark placeNaming the "identity lag effect"; why we keep operating from outdated versions of ourselvesWhat it actually looks like to build a business and a life that protects your health instead of costing you it Nikki's story is a reminder that burnout isn't a lack of resilience; it's often the body's last resort when everything else has been ignored. This episode is for anyone who has ever been told "it's all in your head," anyone quietly running on empty and calling it ambition, and anyone waiting for permission to build their life differently. You don't have to burn everything to the ground before you're allowed to change it. Connect with Nikki: Website: https://www.nikkifoord.com.au/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikki__foord/Podcast: https://www.nikkifoord.com.au/podcast Connect with Cat: Join my mailing list: ⁠https://catlouisedunn.myflodesk.com/mailing-list⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterileftpodcast/⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catlouisedunn/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catlouisedunnLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlouisedunnWebsite: https://catlouisedunn.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-after-i-left/id1815891092YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catlouisedunn Support the show: Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast — I would love to hear from you. New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's). And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most. ❤️ Remember: Don't be silent. Be unstoppable.

  5. Sep 2

    69: Leslie Carvitto on Life After… Moving from America: Tuning into yourself, building community, and finding your own definition of success

    What happens when the community you need doesn't exist yet? Do you wait for it, or do you build it yourself? Leslie Carvitto is an American-born photographer, podcast host, and self-described "Jill of all trades" who moved from the US to Melbourne on her husband's work sponsorship in 2018. With no plan, no network, she had no idea it would lead to permanent residency, a business built entirely on community, and a life on Australia's surf coast. From virtual assistant work to modelling to building a women-in-business community to 1,500 members from scratch, Leslie's story is proof that the wins that matter most rarely come from a five-year plan. In this episode, we chat about: The visa and sponsorship process that took Leslie and her husband from New Zealand daydream to Melbourne realityWhy leaving her creative community in the US was the thing that finally let Leslie find her real photography nicheComparison, imposter syndrome, and muting the noise so your own voice can come throughStarting the Surf Coast Women in Business community from a single Facebook post and growing it to 1,500 membersBuilding a photography business through real-life connection rather than online hustleBecoming a mother, watching her husband become a stay-at-home dad, and how that reshaped her relationship with time and ambitionWhy Leslie stopped planning five and ten years ahead, and made peace with not knowingHer biggest lesson: tuning out advice, noise, and other people's strategies to hear her own intuition This episode is a reminder that you don't need permission, a five-year plan, or a ready-made network to build the life you want. Sometimes you just need to be the one who posts first, shows up, and keeps saying yes to what lights you up. Leslie's story shows what's possible when you stop comparing your beginning to someone else's middle. Connect with Leslie: Website: lesliecarvitto.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/leslie-carvittoInstagram: @lesliecarvitto.photographyOff Script, On Brand Podcast: https://replaio.com/podcasts/off-script-on-brand-IvBmaU Connect with Cat: Join my mailing list: ⁠https://catlouisedunn.myflodesk.com/mailing-list⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterileftpodcast/⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catlouisedunn/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catlouisedunnLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlouisedunnWebsite: https://catlouisedunn.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-after-i-left/id1815891092YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catlouisedunn Support the show: Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast — I would love to hear from you. New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's). And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most. ❤️ Remember: Don't be silent. Be unstoppable.

  6. Aug 26

    68: Life After… Being Haunted: House clearing, letting go, and saying goodbye to the man who watched me sleep

    I've told you about being psychic. Now let me tell you about being haunted. For years I've sensed things I can't fully explain: a spirit who attached herself to me during my last abusive relationship, gentle presences in a home that finally felt safe, and a man who has watched me sleep for as long as I can remember. I never felt scared of him. I just accepted he was there. But recently, things in my apartment started shifting, and I had to face a question I wasn't ready for: what if the presence I'd mistaken for a protector was actually the thing holding me back? I chat about: The ghost I believe I lived with during my last abusive relationship, and how her silence mirrored the silence I was living inThe man who has watched me sleep for years, and why I never felt afraid of himHow things in my apartment turned unsettlingBooking a house clearing with a medium, and discovering the haunting wasn't just mine, it was the whole floor of the buildingBeing asked "are you ready to let go of him?" and realising the question wasn't really about a ghostThe phone call with my dad that same night, where he told me he loved me for the very first time Whether you believe in ghosts or not, this episode isn't really about ghosts. It's about the things we hold onto long after they've stopped serving us, and what happens when we finally ask ourselves if we're ready to let go. Mentioned in this episode: 19: Life After… Becoming Psychic: Intuition, ghost stories, and spiritual energy: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5vi5iqrzoPA7OvWB0EFX12Spiritual As F**k Podcast: https://www.spiritualaf.co/podcast Apply to be an author in the Life After I Left Anthology: https://forms.gle/XKMtPoukCfVKnbqF9 Connect with Cat: Join my mailing list: https://catlouisedunn.myflodesk.com/mailing-listInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterileftpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catlouisedunn/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catlouisedunn/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlouisedunn/Website: https://catlouisedunn.com/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-after-i-left/id1815891092YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catlouisedunn Support the show: Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast — I would love to hear from you. New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's). And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most. ❤️ Remember: Don't be silent. Be unstoppable.

  7. Aug 19

    67: Christine Corcoran on Life After… Tall Poppy Syndrome: Networking with intention, breaking the comparison cycle, and celebrating other women

    What if the reason you're playing small has nothing to do with readiness, and everything to do with a mindset you didn't even know you'd inherited? This week I'm joined by Christine Corcoran, mindset coach, bestselling author of Turn Imposter Syndrome into Your Superpower, and founder of the Unstoppable Women event. Christine shares the year she left Australia to chase bigger rooms in America, only to realise the real block wasn't opportunity - it was the deeply ingrained Aussie tall poppy mindset keeping her, and so many women, from celebrating their own success out loud. In this episode, we chat about: Why she spent a year flying across America to attend high-investment masterminds and eventsThe tall poppy "attack" she felt in her own body when her book hit bestseller statusWhy Australians network from a lack mindset, while Americans network from abundanceHow celebrating other women's wins is an abundance practice, not a threat to your ownPractical ways to break the jealousy-comparison cycle, including "emotional home" and practising new emotions on purposeThe simple weekly practice of sending genuine "love notes" to other women in businessHow to network with intention - thinking 18 months ahead instead of chasing an instant clientWhy "who am I?" is the question keeping so many women off stages, out of applications, and smallChristine's Unstoppable Women event on the Gold Coast and what to expect (including Cat as a speaker!) Tall poppy syndrome doesn't just stop you from celebrating other women; it stops you from believing you're allowed to take up space in the first place. Christine's story is a reminder that the block was never really "out there" in bigger rooms or bigger countries. It was the story that you don't belong yet. If you've ever caught yourself shrinking your own win so someone else feels more comfortable, this episode is your permission slip to stop. Connect with Christine: Website: http://christinecorcoran.com.au/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinecorcoran_coach/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineCorcoranCoachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-corcoran-1860187a/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-next-level-life-with-christine-corcoran/id1276992872Unstoppable Women event (10 September, QT Hotel Gold Coast): https://www.unstoppablewomen.au/ Connect with Cat: Join my mailing list: ⁠https://catlouisedunn.myflodesk.com/mailing-list⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterileftpodcast/⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catlouisedunn/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catlouisedunnLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlouisedunnWebsite: https://catlouisedunn.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-after-i-left/id1815891092YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catlouisedunn Support the show: Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast — I would love to hear from you. New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's). And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most. ❤️ Remember: Don't be silent. Be unstoppable.

  8. Aug 12

    66: Life After… Silenced to Stage: My Chapter from Empower Her Legacy, Coercive Control & Why Stories Save Lives

    Content warning: This episode contains my personal account of domestic violence, coercive control, narcissistic abuse, suicidal ideation, self-harm, and eating disorders. Please take care when listening, or skip this episode if it feels triggering. What if the story you were most afraid to tell out loud was the one that could save someone else's life? In today's solo episode, I'm doing something I've never done before on this podcast - reading my own published chapter from the bestselling anthology EmpowerHer Legacy from She Rises Publishing aloud, in full, for you. This is my domestic violence story. Not a summary of it. Not the highlights reel. The whole thing. My childhood, the 20 years of abusive relationships, the love bombing, the coercive control, the eating disorder, the moment I stood in a kitchen and stared at the knife block, the day I left, the emergency housing, the forty-page police statement, and the slow, non-linear, lifelong journey of healing that followed. I'm sharing this because I wanted to go first. Because if I'm going to ask women to be vulnerable enough to put their stories in our anthology, the least I can do is show you what that looks like. In this episode, I share: Growing up in a home where women were taught to be silent, invisible, and obedient, and how that became the blueprint for every relationship I had20 years of abusive relationships - different faces, different cities, the same story in a new costumeThe danger of love bombing and how abuse recruits your existing wounds rather than creating new onesThe moment in the kitchen that changed everything, and why the real turning point and the actual leaving are almost never the same eventWhat happened after I left - emergency housing, a 40-page police statement, 9 moves in 10 months, losing my business, and missing himWhat I would say to the version of myself still living inside fearWhy storytelling saved my life, and why I believe it can save others too This episode is for every woman who has ever been told her story is too much, too messy, or too shameful to share. It is not. Your story is not something to survive privately. It is something to use. And when you tell the truth about what happened to you - what it took to get out, what it took to rebuild - another woman somewhere hears her own life more clearly. Stories save lives. Storytelling saved mine. If you need urgent support, reach out to one of these incredible services: 1800RESPECT – National sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service Phone: 1800 737 732 (24/7) Text: 0458 737 732 Website: https://www.1800respect.org.au Safe Steps – Family violence response centre (Victoria) Phone: 1800 015 188 (24/7) Website: https://safesteps.org.au Lifeline – Crisis support and suicide prevention Phone: 13 11 14 (24/7) Text: 0477 13 11 14 Website: https://www.lifeline.org.au Beyond Blue – Mental health support for anxiety and depression Phone: 1300 22 4636 (24/7) Website: https://www.beyondblue.org.au Apply to be an author in our Life After I Left Anthology https://forms.gle/XKMtPoukCfVKnbqF9 Connect with Cat: Join my mailing list to be the first to know about my NEW fear program: ⁠https://catlouisedunn.myflodesk.com/mailing-list⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterileftpodcast/⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catlouisedunn/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catlouisedunnLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlouisedunnWebsite: https://catlouisedunn.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-after-i-left/id1815891092YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catlouisedunn Buy the bestselling EmpowerHer Legacy book and ebook Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0H4JBKJ9QUnited Kingdom: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H4JBKJ9QUSA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4JBKJ9Q ❤️ Remember: Don't be silent. Be unstoppable.

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About

Welcome to Life After I Left. A podcast about the moments that change us, hosted by Cat Dunn, speaker, mentor, and founder. This is a community where women share the stories they once thought they had to keep hidden. Expect vulnerable conversations, practical insights, dark humour, deep reflections, expert advice, and the kind of honesty that makes you sit in your car after an episode finishes. New stories every Thursday. Remember: Don’t be silent. Be unstoppable.

Information

  • Creator
    Cat Dunn
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Cat Dunn
  • Show Website
    Life After I Left