My dahlings, I’m so excited to introduce you to my first ever guest on the Divine Living podcast! Cathy Heller is an extraordinary human and a real example of what it means to live like a Queen. She is the host of Don’t Keep Your Day Job, an incredibly successful podcast.
Cathy is also an amazing girlfriend of mine, someone I turn to for inspiration and divine encouragement. Actually, she was the one who made me stop with the excuses and launch this podcast ASAP! I’m so glad that she did, and I’m so happy for you to hear her story!
“The opposite of depression is purpose.” – Cathy Heller.
God Doesn’t Make Extras—Cathy’s Story
Growing up, Cathy’s parents had a bad marriage and an even worse divorce. With her family suffering and in a state of constant turmoilCathy was surrounded by people who were just not showing up for life. It got her thinking—what’s the opposite of depression? And she realized that it wasn’t happiness, but a sense of purpose. A sense of enthusiasm. That became a feeling Cathy wanted in her life.
Cathy moved to LA when she was 24. She wanted to become a singer-songwriter and get a record deal. And indeed, she was signed to Interscope, but the label dropped her. What followed was a string of day jobs. Cathy was now faced with one of the first lies everyone tells about adulthood: “Dreams don’t come true.” “You have to be practical.” “That’s just how it is.” Twenty years later, Cathy is here to say it loud and proud: “THAT’S GARBAGE. That’s not how it is at all.”
After working in real estate for a while, Cathy started writing songs for TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Pretty Little Liars. She was really successful, but somehow, that just wasn’t enough. On the outside she had it all, but on the inside… her soul was screaming for more! he had to ask herself: What’s my path? When you ask a question, it’s never about the answer. It’s about asking. Because what you seek is seeking you, and through that question, it can finally find you.
It was finally the idea of a podcast that busted the creative doors wide open. Cathy wanted to help creative people like herself understand that it doesn’t have to be either Beyoncé or a bust. A path can be forged for everyone, in every way. When you finally show up for your purpose, everything gets aligned, and the divine living becomes your reality.
Breaking Down the Walls to Have Deep Conversations
One of Cathy’s Queenly superpowers is her ability to have a deep, meaningful conversation. I have been so touched by this feminine power of hers countless times.
She told me that, from Rob Lowe to Howard Shultz to you and me—everyone has the exact same core need. We all want someone to make space for us and to feel seen. This is precisely what Cathy brings to each and every one of her interviews. This is why people feel so ready to be open and vulnerable with her.
We’ve been told that vulnerability is something we have to hide. We need to go to dinner parties and rattle off all the impressive pieces. But as Cathy told me, and as many of you probably know, that’s not what makes people lean in. One of the powers we have as Queens is the power to be vulnerable and find strength in that vulnerability. No hiding. When you genuinely show up for people, when you make space for them, and when you share your own story, people feel 100% loved and accepted. And that’s how you build deep, meaningful connections that light up your path and open so many possibilities.
Being There for the Full Human Experience
I often see people who are only into certain parts of their humaneness. Not Cathy. When I look at Cathy, I see a model of what it means to be fully human, to accept and love all parts of that experience. She’s genuinely obsessed with all of it, and it’s really disarming. I wanted to know where does that love and acceptance come from because that’s the thing we as Queens should model too.
Cathy told me it comes as an answer to this question: What are you passionate about? Cathy found that she’s passionate about being enthusiastic about life. She’s also passionate about celebrating life, about growth, and about God. That’s all she cares about.
And that epic life, that epic feeling, it can only come from accepting and diving into all parts of our humanness. Yes, even the parts we’d rather avoid looking at. Let me tell you, my dahlings, these are exactly the parts where you can have the most significant breakthroughs. Your greatest weakness can become your greatest strength if you’re willing to see it, accept it, and transform it.
The World Can’t Live Without You—Cathy’s Spiritual Journey
Cathy grew up in a secular Jewish household, but her knowledge didn’t go further than Woody Allen movies. She even got a graduate degree in religion, but none of her classes were about Judaism! That is until she was missing a couple of credits, and these were the only classes she could take.
Reading through the great books of her tradition, Cathy was so inspired. She went to Jerusalem for a couple of weeks and ended up living there for four years. While there, she was blessed to meet a Rabbi who was the #realdeal.
What he taught her was that everyone is a masterpiece, a piece of the master. You were born because God said that the world couldn’t live without you. You are needed, and you have a divine assignment. These words were the key that unlocked the door to divine living for Cathy, and it’s something I can relate to as well. Regardless of what meanings you ascribe to the word God, there’s no denying that the divine is out there, waiting for us to accept our mission.
Love Can’t Be Earned
Everyone is dealing with some pain. A lot of us grew up thinking love has to be earned. Cathy told me this was her experience as well, but during her time in Jerusalem, she understood one thing: Love, if it’s real love, it can only be GIVEN. Love can only be given, and God gives you grace—you can’t earn it. He just gives it to you, and you need to be open to receiving it. This is how we, as Queens, manifest our mission and our dreams. We fearlessly open our hearts to RECEIVE.
Getting Over Yourself and Going After Your Dreams
When I look at Cathy’s life, it’s all glory to glory. From her massive career switch to raising her beautiful kids to interviewing Rob Lowe and Matthew McConaughey and creating such an inspiring business and brand, that’s how I want you to understand your Queenly mission. It’s not either/or. Feminine leadership means you can have it all. And it’s not supposed to be hard. It’s not a struggle. But it is a journey. So many people don’t give themselves that permission to go for it, to dream BIG and to continue taking the small steps in the direction of their dreams. So I wanted to ask Cathy where she finds this divine motivation to be a Queen in all areas of her life.
From talking to people and her own experience, Cathy understood that joy seems to be the scariest emotion. When you’re in a state of joy, you let go, and your walls drop. But so many of us keep the walls up because we suffered so much already. We want to protect ourselves, and we set limits on our experiences. It takes courage to dream big.
Cathy told me that what helps people really go for it is the knowledge that they’ll still have problems even when they receive all the glory. Funny as it is, people need a little spice to go with the sugar so they can start believing in their most audacious, big, beautiful dreams.
And the thing that inspires Cathy and me and all you beautiful feminine leaders out there is exactly the prospect of those new challenges. When you get over the initial hurdles, that’s where things get interesting. Now you have problems that can take you to the full manifestation of your potential. How to show gratitude? How to serve others? What problem can I solve in the world?
Feminine Leadership Is About Thriving, Not Surviving
Because let me tell you, my dahlings, we weren’t meant to struggle financially. We are the generation of women who have everything in front of us, just ready for taking. In this day and age, you can create content, start a business, serve clients and operate your business from literally anywhere in the world with merely your laptop! . Our challenge is to recognize that and make it work for us. We are here to acknowledge our Queenly mission and make space for our divine assignment.
We need to show up for ourselves and say to the world: I am here, and I will live out my god-given purpose, create success on my own terms, live within financial abundance and manifest every last one of my desires, and I will do it following my feminine principles. Because if there’s one thing I want you to take away from Cathy and from me, it’s that everything is possible. Everything is there for you. The world needs your unique beauty, and you’re invited to share it with us!
If you enjoyed this podcast, please take a screenshot and share it on Instagram and tag me at Gina DeVee. I’d love to hear what your biggest takeaways are!
My dahlings, if you’re as impressed with Cathy as I am, go subscribe to her podcast and get in touch with her on Instagram at Cathy Heller.
And also, please go and subscribe to the Divine Living podcast. I really want to make sure that you get all the new episodes that come out. I’d also be so grateful if you could share this with a friend and leave a review as well! I’d love to hear your feedback and takeaways.
