In this episode, Katie speaks with Sas Petherick, a self-belief coach, writer, speaker, and podcast host whose work explores the connection between self-doubt, self-trust, and meaningful living.
“You’re going to experience failure and rejection anyway, why not do it while doing something you actually care about?” - Sas Petherick
Sas believes that healing our self-doubt is one of the most important contributions we can make to ourselves, our families, our work, and the world. She holds a Master's degree from Oxford, and their research on self-doubt was published in the International Journal of Coaching and Mentoring. She has developed an evidence-based, trauma-informed, ICF-accredited coaching methodology for cultivating self-belief.
Over the past decade, she’s supported hundreds of women navigating self-doubt in their personal and professional lives. Their top 1% rated podcast, Courage & Spice, has over half a million downloads, and she’s worked with high-profile organisations like BBC Worldwide and Pinterest. Now living by the beach in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, with their partner Ash and pooch Bodhi, Sas spends their time imagining a post-capitalist world, exploring consciousness, and listening to obscure UFO podcasts.
We cover:
The personal and collective cost of self-doubt and how to recognise its disguises
Sas’s own journey from City burnout to self-belief coaching and sobriety
Why exquisite self-care is a radical act of defiance against capitalism
Reframing success through the lens of meaning, joy, and compassion
What it means to live a brave life and why discomfort is not the enemy
The connection between midlife, the inner wild, and returning to nature
The power of small actions and ripple effects in a world of despair
“Taking exquisite care of yourself is not indulgent. It’s an act of rebellion.” - Sas Petherick
This episode is an invitation to pause, to ask better questions of ourselves, and to cultivate self-trust as an anchor through uncertainty. Whether you’re in a season of burnout, transition, or craving more meaning in your work and life, Sas’s insights offer a grounded, hopeful compass for what’s next.
More from Sas:
Website: https://selfbelief.school/
Instagram: @saspetherick
Substack & Podcast: Courage & Spice
More from Katie:
Instagram: @katietreggiden.1
Website: https://katietreggiden.com/
Blue Health Coaching: https://makingdesigncircular.org/coaching
Nature-inspired poetry:
Resources mentioned:
Books:
Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown (this is an affiliate link)
Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit (this is an affiliate link)
If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie
All Fours by Miranda July (this is an affiliate link)
The Middle Passage by James Hollis (this is an affiliate link)
Falling Upward by Richard Rohr (this is an affiliate link)
Substack
Things to do when you feel shit, To Reality With Love by Nora Popova
Joeli Caparco & The Crumb, Brackish with Katite Treggiden
What next?
If all this talk of defiant hope has got you wondering where you can find some, I have something for you. Cultivating Hope is my three-part mini-course and it’s the three steps I move through whenever I start to feel despair tugging at my edges.
You will move out of ‘fight, flight or freeze’ mode and into a calm and connected state, reconnect with nature, and find aligned actions that you can take now to keep you to remind you that you can make a difference.
In the current climate, hope is an act of defiance, and it’s one I hope you’ll take with me.
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