Imperfectly Impactful with Cat Roten

I’m sitting down with my dear friend Amanda Key, someone I met a little over two years ago at our very first Powerhouse Women event. We showed up not knowing anyone, sat next to each other, and have been walking alongside one another ever since.
Amanda shares about her decade-long career in product development and innovation, and how she’s learned to blend data, intuition, and storytelling to create products people genuinely connect with. But we also go beyond career and into what this past year has looked like for her on a personal level.
We explore:
Why listening comes before creating
Using data and intuition together
Building a personal “rally cry” or guiding word
Letting go of constant productivity and redefining success
The quiet confidence that grows when you honor who you are
Amanda’s honesty and heart shine through this entire conversation, and I know so many of you will see pieces of yourselves in her story.
Connect with Amanda:
Instagram- @amandakeyog
Resources:
Connect on Instagram – @cat.roten
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In this special in-person, dual episode recorded in London, Priya and I sat down for an honest, reflective conversation about identity shifts, inner work, boundaries, and what it really looks like to navigate seasons of change.
We talk about what happens when the version of you that once fit no longer does, and how to give yourself permission to evolve without needing all the answers first.
In this episode, we explore:
The fear of judgment that often comes with pivots and identity shifts
What embodiment actually looks like beyond mindset work
Updating your identity as you grow and do deeper inner work
Navigating boundaries with others and yourself
Why community matters so deeply during times of transition
 If you’re in a season where things feel unclear, if you’re questioning who you’re becoming, or if you’re standing at a crossroads, this episode is here to remind you that you’re not alone and that you can trust yourself to find your way.
Connect with Priya:
Instagram- @priya_p08
Listen to her Podcast- I Wish I Knew That Earlier
Resources:
Connect on Instagram – @cat.roten
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Prefer Video?- Checkout our Youtube channel

Welcome back for part two of our 2026 planning series. If part one was about getting clear on your desires for the year, today we’re taking it a step further and bringing those desires into a more grounded, tangible focus for Q1.
I’m walking you through how to choose your true priorities for this first quarter, how to break them down into simple, needle-moving action steps, and why knowing your numbers plays such an important role in all of it.
Inside this episode, we explore:
How to pull clear Q1 priorities from your 2026 desires
Narrowing your focus to what you can realistically move forward in the next 30 days
Why knowing your numbers creates ease, clarity, and better decisions
Making intentional investments in support, team, and growth
I also share a bit about two ways to work with me more closely this year:
IME (Immersion Mastermind Experience), opens Quarterly- next opportunity Feb 5th-13th, 2026
In-person Immersion in La Crosse, Wisconsin this May
If you’re craving deeper support, community, and intentional space to think, plan, and move forward, those details are waiting for you in the links above.
It’s always better when you don’t have to do it alone!
Resources:
Connect on Instagram – @cat.roten
Interested in weekly updates? Join our weekly newsletter!
Prefer Video?- Checkout our Youtube channel

One week after finishing the Dopey Challenge, I finally had the space to sit down and reflect on what this experience truly gave me beyond the miles, the medals, and the early mornings.
In this episode, I walk you through the full experience from how I found out about the Dopey Challenge, why I chose to run with Team Fox in honor of my grandfather, and what six months of training really looked like, to the unexpected lessons that followed me long after crossing the finish line.
This wasn’t about pace. It wasn’t about PRs. It was about learning how to listen to my body, fuel myself without guilt, say no without fear, and allow something hard to also be joyful.
Here’s what I reflect on in this episode:
What the Dopey Challenge actually is and why it’s such a unique experience.
What 28 weeks of training taught me about commitment, boundaries, and self-trust.
How fueling, hydration, sleep, and recovery completely changed how my body responded.
The deeper “why” behind running.
How these lessons are now showing up in my life and business in small, meaningful ways
I also share why this won’t be my last Dopey and how this experience reshaped the way I make decisions, trust myself, and show up without overthinking.
This episode isn’t really about running. It’s about what happens when you commit to something that stretches you, and allow the journey to change you along the way.
Resources:
Connect on Instagram – @cat.roten
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Prefer Video?- Checkout our Youtube channel

Most people plan their year from a place of obligation, over-functioning, and blind optimism. In this episode, I lay the strategic foundation for planning & designing 2026 in a way that actually works, with desires that serve your life, not steal from it.
You’ll walk away with a clear framework to assess what needs to go, what needs to be completed, and what kind of life you’re actually building your business to support.
What You’ll Learn:
The #1 planning mistake even seasoned entrepreneurs make in Q1 (and what to do instead).
How to audit your calendar to uncover hidden energetic drains.
Why I don’t believe in vision casting without infrastructure to hold it.
5 foundational decisions to anchor your year in sustainability, not stress.
You can’t create alignment by accident. You need desires, intentions, & a structure that supports your energy, your family, your business, and your next evolution.

In this solo episode, I’m sharing my word of the year for 2026. This isn’t about picking a trendy word or something that sounds impressive. It’s about choosing a word that actually shapes how I show up in life, work, and every single day.
If you listened to last week’s episode on my 2025 reflections, this will feel like a natural continuation. If you didn’t, this episode still stands on its own as an invitation to simplify what doesn’t need to be so complicated.
In this episode, I talk about:
Why I choose a word of the year.
Moving from worthy in 2025 to simplicity in 2026.
How my priorities are shifting from business-first to a more holistic life focus.
Simplifying my business offers, systems, launches, and team structure.
A reminder that your word doesn’t need to be mine, but it should support real change
Also highly recommend listening to the below episode to explore your word through human design, including Nicole Laino’s work: https://nicolelaino.com/podcast/episode434
Resources:
Connect on Instagram – @cat.roten
Interested in weekly updates? Join our weekly newsletter!
Prefer Video?- Checkout our Youtube channel.

It was late December as I recorded this episode. I was cozy, cup of coffee in hand, and sitting with the last days of the year. 
And instead of pushing forward or planning ahead, I felt called to pause and reflect on what 2025 actually asked of me.
This year wasn’t about doing more.It was about embodying more.
At the start of the year, my word was worthy. Not as a mindset shift, but as something I wanted to live in my body, my decisions, and my boundaries. And as the year unfolded, that embodiment showed up through grief, rest, deep inner work, and unexpected growth in both life and business.
This episode isn’t a summary of the year.It’s an invitation. To pause. To reflect. To honor who you were at the beginning of the year and who you are now.
Resources:
Connect on Instagram – @cat.roten
Prefer Video?- Checkout our Youtube channel.

It’s been a few weeks since the Immersion I hosted in Boone, North Carolina, and the experience stayed with me in a way I didn’t expect. I’ve shared pieces of it in writing, but I wanted to capture it here, out loud, while it’s still alive.
 
The Immersion in Nov. 2025 felt different from the one I hosted earlier this year. Not better. Just more me. 
 
More intentional. More aligned with how I actually want to create space and support women in business. 
 
From the energy of the mountains, to the women in the room, to moments I couldn’t have planned if I tried, something shifted.
 
In this episode, I talk about:
How the women in the room mirrored something back to me that I hadn’t fully seen yet
My ongoing relationship with receiving (and why it’s harder than it sounds)
How the Immersion Mastermind Experience (IME) came to life organically, not strategically.
The difference between attending powerful rooms and hosting them, and what each can unlock.
 
What surprised me most wasn’t just what the women received from the space, but what I received from them. 
 
Their reflections, encouragement, and honesty invited me to stop overgiving, stop overbuilding, and allow something aligned to emerge naturally.
 
If you’re curious about future immersions or IME, joining the email list is the best place to stay connected.
 
And if you know you want in, send me a DM on Instagram (below) letting me know! 
 
Resources:
Join our Weekly Email Insider!
Connect on Instagram – @cat.roten
Prefer Video?- Checkout our Youtube channel.

In this episode, I sit down with someone who’s become such a grounding presence in my world over the last few months, KelseyLettko. 
She is an integrative hypnotist, coach, and the founder of Elevated You. If you’ve ever been curious about hypnosis… or maybe even a little skeptical… this conversation will change the way you see hypnosis forever.
From the moment I met her earlier this year, I knew there was something special about the way she blends life, leadership, science, and soul. And now that I’ve been working with her personally, I can honestly say: this work is fast, powerful, and so much more accessible than most people realize.
In today’s episode, we talk about:
How Kelsey went from tech → yoga → coaching → hypnosis
Why so many of us misunderstand hypnosis (and what it actually is)
How the brain creates patterns… and how pattern interruption truly works
My favorite part of this conversation is how approachable Kelsey makes the science of change feel. She reminds us that our unconscious mind isn’t something to fear, it’s something to partner with.
If you’ve been craving support that meets you both emotionally and neurologically… this episode is your invitation to explore a new tool. One that helps you come home to what’s already inside of you.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
Connect with Kelsey:
Website https://www.elevated-you.com/
Instagram: @elevated.you.method and @kelseylettko
Join her community for 30 days FREE
Join our Weekly Email Insider!
Connect on Instagram – @cat.roten
Prefer Video?- Checkout our Youtube channel.

There are seasons when life invites you into a deeper version of yourself, usually through discomfort, loss, or the unraveling of what once made sense.
In this episode, I sit down with my friend Joni Cesario, someone whose past few months have been marked by bold decisions, closed doors, and a vision so big she had to burn down almost everything that wasn’t supporting it. What she shares is not polished. It’s not tied up with a bow. It’s the real, in-process story of walking away from a business, releasing relationships, grieving identity, and choosing to trust the unknown anyway.
Inside the episode, we explore:
What happens internally when you let go of a business, a relationship, and an identity all at once.
How grief shows up during big transitions and why it’s actually a sign of expansion.
What it looks like to build a long-term vision from a place of embodiment, not urgency.
The early whisper of an emotionally adaptive AI tool she’s creating—born directly from her lived experience.
Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is create space before we know what will fill it.
 
Resources:
Connect with Joni- IG @withjoni
Join our Weekly Email Insider!
Connect on Instagram – @cat.roten
Prefer Video?- Checkout our Youtube channel.