About Catherine
A personal journey through burnout, psychology and spirituality
I’m Dr Catherine Buchan, a burnout specialist and spiritual coach who helps women move beyond burnout, reconnect with who they really are and discover a life that feels true to them.
My work has grown from two personal experiences of burnout, professional training in psychology, and more than 25 years of spiritual exploration and practice.
Discover the thinking and experience behind my approach to burnout and recovery.
Explore My Approach→
My Story
At 30, while working as a Press and PR Officer for the Portuguese Tourist Board, my health collapsed. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Coeliac disease, but what wasn’t recognised at the time was that I was also experiencing burnout.
That breakdown became the beginning of my first spiritual awakening, opening the door to meditation, energy healing and angelic guidance.
For a time, I followed that path wholeheartedly. I trained in psychology, coaching and Angel Therapy and began building a holistic practice that felt aligned with who I was becoming.
But the old patterns of achievement and striving had not disappeared.
I went on to complete a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology. Towards the latter part of my doctorate, I began to experience mild burnout. Instead of taking a proper break, I went to work in the NHS, where I soon realised I was unable to honour the values that mattered most deeply to me. It became soul-destroying, and I experienced a second, more severe burnout which took much longer to fully recover from.
That second collapse became another profound turning point. I rebuilt my life through mindfulness and compassion-based practice, wrote The 5 Keys to Burnout Recovery, and eventually fully embraced the intuitive and spiritual dimension of my work. I founded Heart & Soul Awakening to bring together the psychological and spiritual aspects of my experience and support women on their own journey towards greater alignment and wellbeing.
What this means for you
I work with women who may have spent years being capable, responsible and conscientious, pushing themselves beyond their own limits, often without realising just how much it is costing them.
Some know they are burnt out. Others simply know that something isn’t right anymore.
Sometimes the journey is about reconnecting with who you really are.
I help you understand what is happening beneath the surface, recognise the patterns and pressures that may be keeping you stuck, and explore what needs to change, so that you can make choices that feel more sustainable, meaningful and true to you.
A First Step
If something in my story or approach resonates with you, you can begin by taking my free Burnout Assessment. It’s a brief self-assessment designed to help you reflect on where you are right now, understand more about what you may be experiencing, and consider what might help you move forward.
My Background & Experience
A combination of psychological training, lived experience, client work and decades of spiritual exploration informs the work I offer today. This includes:
- Doctorate in Counselling Psychology
- Certificate in Intuitive Counselling
- Qualified Life Coach
- Training in mindfulness & compassion-based practice
- Training in Angel Therapy
- Training in energy healing