Catherine Hickland - actress, author of The 30 Day Heartbreak Cure, Hypnotist.

How Do You Eat An Elephant?

2012-01-03T00:10:00.000-08:00

...One Bite At A Time

Now that the holidays are over we can all take a nice exhale, clean up the rest of our 2011 thoughts and actions, take an inventory of our lives and prepare for the New Year upon us.

It's time to get EXCITED about your life! It's time to change the things in our lives that need changing without the self-defeating fears. Perhaps it's time to let go of some things and run towards others. Maybe it's time for the new. Maybe you've lost your job and are now forced to put yourself out there for something new and even better, though that may be hard to imagine at this moment. This is where Faith comes in. "Faith, is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not yet seen (Hebrews 11:1)

I always say God drags us kicking and screaming into a better life than we could ever imagine for ourselves. This has certainly been true for me, or I wouldn't bother writing about it. There have been times things happened in my life that scared me, things I didn't want or necessarily like. As with most people, I didn't like change. By nature I'm a creature of habit. I was happy with the way things were. At least I thought I was until something better eventually came my way as a result of forced change. That something turned out to be worth waiting for and only happened because I finally learned to stop fighting what was happening and got in flow with what actually was. Fighting change is one of the major things that causes anxiety. When something takes struggling and yet nothing seems to happen, it might be a signal that we need to change our course. Don't know what that course is? Pray to know. This simple prayer actually works:"Dear God, I want to know what I want"

When people come to me for coaching they often tell me that they don't know what they want, they only know what they don't want in their life anymore. I call this "emptying the cup." While it's important to know what you don't want, it's more important to know what you do.

In order to bring the new in, you must get rid of the old. Its not all that different from curtailing your spending by promising that for each new thing you buy that will add bulk to your closet, you must first get rid of something so your closet doesn't become a cluttered mess.

Our lives also become cluttered messes because we don't empty our cups before filling them with more. Simplify. Simplify. Simplify. Get rid of the old and the useless. Make room for the new and the beautiful. Have a garage sale or better yet, sell the nicer things on ebay that you no longer use. Think no one will want it? Think again. One man's trash (or woman's) is another man's treasure.

Get your life streamlined. Empty the cup. Make room for the new and the new will come. This goes for cleaning out your "people" closet too. Anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself must go. To the people who don't support your dreams, buh-bye. People who use you or if it even feels like you're being used...POOF!
This is what I call cleaning your spiritual house. You don't have to be mean, simply Bless them and send them on their way.

If you want to know what your life is going to look like in five years, look at the people you surround yourself with. A scary thought for some, but trust me, there is no truer truth.

So as we enter 2012, take stock, take inventory of where you are and focus on where you want to be one year from now, taking it a day at a time. Let nothing or no one derail you. Get control of your emotions so they don't end up controlling you. Get on a spiritual program. Meditate daily before the world hurls anything at you. Take an extra ten minutes to start a prayer book you can write in every day. Make sure you not only ask for but also thank for what you receive. Track your progress this way and you will be amazed at the movement you, and God with you, create. Be grateful for everything, every day, and acknowledge it.

You can CHANGE your life.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year

2011-12-23T01:33:00.000-08:00

December Inspirations

2011-12-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

I love to people watch, and there is no better place to watch people than a convention. This week I was part of a convention in Las Vegas for entertainers and the people who hire them.

Yesterday I spent my break finding and introducing myself to other acts, especially the people who do what I do, because I am a people-person and I appreciate meeting others who have a passion for our art.

Imagine my surprise when I was only well received by one, yes, ONE other performer. The rest looked at me like I had three heads for stopping by their booth. Having learned over the years of evolving not to take things personally, I took the opportunity to study these moments as they were happening. I'm not even sure most of them even knew the negative vibrations they were giving off, or the facial expressions they made while trying to figure out why on Earth I would be introducing myself to the "competition." I use that word because that is exactly the energy I felt off of each person (except one) that I introduced myself to. That instead of seeing me a friendly person, they saw me as someone who threatened their livelihood.

Personally, I don't believe in competing with anyone but myself. I want to be the best me. The best performing me, the best personal me, the best lover me, the best wife me, the best sister me, and so on. I guess I could say, I am in the business of me, and in short, you are in the business of you. So how does this my sad convention tale apply to an inspiration? Here are my thoughts.

If we are going to look at life as a battle, struggle, or competition, then that is what life will become. And who wants that? In business, and in life, each of us brings something unique to the table. We are individual beings. We have our own personalities, our own uniqueness, and our own abilities to reach our highest potential, regardless of what others may say we are capable of or not capable of. We get to be just who we are without fear (if we choose) we get to control each thought, and how it will affect us by learning to manage our emotions. We can go as far as we are willing to work for and use our imaginations towards, without taking away a single thing from someone else, because they get to do exactly the same. It's a big world, full of people and opportunity, and thankfully, not everyone wants the same thing, which is why the world goes round every day. Thankfully we aren't all attracted to the same type, we all find different things interesting and/or attractive, and the good news is, it works that way in all aspects of life.

When we embrace our very own uniqueness, our very own special passion, our very own special gifts and talents, and lead our lives with the energy of love and gratitude, we never have to fear the "competition," and instead, create a community of lifting each other up while at the same time honing our personal power.

In reality, competition is an illusion. And when they don't serve us, illusions are made to be shattered.

Competition is a lack mentality, because the truth is.. (drum roll please..) there's enough for all of us! What a relief! All you have to do is just be you, and more importantly, be love. It's what we were built for, and being anything less is doing a disservice to your divine spirit of the human experience. Eliminate that spirit of "not enough" in your life. Do your work, mind your business, and be a cool person and you won't believe the magic that will happen in your world.

Merry Everything!

Cat

10 Questions for celebrity hypnotist Catherine Hickland

2011-11-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

10 Questions for celebrity hypnotist Catherine Hickland

Hypnosis at Arizona State Fair, Phoenix

2011-10-31T00:50:00.003-07:00

Catherine Hickland's Hypnosis Show until November 6th, 2011.

Happy November!

AS A MAN THINKETH

Greetings from The Arizona State Fair in Phoenix!

I am on the last week of our twenty-four day run at the State fair. I have hypnotized almost a thousand people at this fair on stage and it has been a blast! I love that I have people of all ages come up onstage to experience hypnosis, and let go of any and all fears and limitations for an hour. I always do my best to empower them before the end of the show, so that the feeling of Love, acceptance, and their own mind power can stay with them for their whole lives. As I tell them, they have a wonderful God given gift called a mind, and how they use it is the most important thing of all. Speak kindness, speak love (to themselves and everyone else) and think gentle thoughts. We really are unlimited beings, and our imaginations can work for us or against us, depending on what we choose to focus on.

Our thoughts are things. Thoughts provoke action. Thoughts guide our behavior. In our business there is a saying, "What's expected, tends to be realized." And your thoughts indicate what it is you are expecting to happen. Fear thoughts bring anxiety, Loving and good thoughts bring a sense of peace and serenity. It's simple. Positive thoughts bring positive results, and vice verse. Fear of what other people think may be one of the biggest things that holds us back from risking and being daring. I love it when people come up and perform fearlessly because they BELIEVE they are who I suggest they are for the period of time they are onstage with me. When people tell me after a show that there is no way they could ever imagine a shy friend or family member could EVER do the things they see them do on stage, I know they actually become true believers of personal mind power and how we can use that to create either Heaven, or Hell, in this life. Hypnosis is not something I do to people, it is something we do together. I simply guide them there. There is a lot of trust involved, and they know they are in good hands with me.

I love people, and I want them to come to understand the body, mind, and spirit connection so they can have the life they dream about. Making dreams a reality is possible, starting with your very first thought….. right…now. One two three, WIDE AWAKE EVERYONE!

God Bless you!

Cat

It's a New Day, Child

2011-09-24T00:52:00.003-07:00

And In The End, The Love You Take, is Equal To The Love You Make

--The Beatles

Well, Friday was certainly a sad day for Soap Opera Viewers and purveyors of fine acting everywhere, as ALL MY CHILDREN ended it's forty one year run on Network television.

I cried so hard watching the first four minutes, I literally had to give up on the Kleenex and move straight to a sham wow. My face hurts. My eyes, as my Mother would say, look like "two piss holes in the snow." During the last episode, I was reading facebook posts and tweets from the viewers who were crying somewhere in America, right alongside me, all of us united by the love for a genre that we know has NOT lived out it's welcome. The writing, producing, and performances of the actors on AMC this week showed us exactly why we love our soaps, and showed us once more not only what they once were, but what they should be, and can be again under the umbrella of Prospect Park.

Most of you know how angry I felt when the cancellation of both shows were announced, it was so brutal to have two shows cancelled at once, especially when at one time, ALL MY CHILDREN was the jewel in ABC's crown, known for it's magnificent acting and story telling under the brilliant guidance of Agnes Nixon and her team of writers and producers. Of course, some were better than others. Other times some things just didn't make sense at all. Felicia Behr won the show an Emmy and soon after was gone. Say What?

When the incredible Agnes Nixon, The First Lady of Story Telling was so disrespectfully put in a corner by the powers that be, the wheels really came off the cart. No one was really allowed to mind the store, and the proverbial Fox got into the henhouse.

Our favorites were let go ("I'm sorry but you committed the awful crime of being over 40... I'm afraid we're going to have to send you to the glue factory..") and replaced with actors who were thrust front and center too fast and who didn't yet have the chops to pull us into the television screen and make us feel something. It takes life experience (which comes with age) to know how to take the audience on an addictive journey by creating a deep, charming, multi- dimensional, larger than life character, without falling into the soap pit. There's a reason why people know us merely by hearing our voices, why they sometimes cry when they meet us… Because there is a connection we have with the audience that you won't find in any other genre.

So yes, I was pissed off. But now that it's done, I am excited. I honestly do believe that now these shows have a chance to be produced the way they should have been all along; like the good old days, when characters drove story, and we didn't need to blow things up every five minutes. If you have good story, and good actors, you can put them in front of a green screen and it will still be good. Hire the best and let them do their jobs. It is very exciting to think this could now happen, and I believe with all my heart that it can.

Please don't be too disappointed that AMC is not moving along as fast as OLTL is as far as actors signing on. The actors for AMC have a lot more to think about. They do not yet know who is writing long term, who is producing long term. They have been through the ringer, moved across the country for no good reason, shooting so much material, for so many years, for so many hours, been jerked around, lied to, made to feel small, old, replaceable, and they are just plain exhausted, physically and emotionally. They just need a moment to decompress. It's hard to think, when you have spent decades working without a hiatus (as night time shows do) and learning 40 to 60 plus pages a night after working a 14 hr day. Most people don't realize what you (and your family) sacrifice to live on that schedule, it is not easy for the people who carry the shows the most. Remember, they too feel as if there has been a death in the family, and they need a minute. It's not that they don't care, but more that they have to recover from caring too much. I only have this insight to share with you because I spent twenty- something years doing it myself; seventeen of those years on ABC Daytime.

OLTL on the other hand, will have the same team, and the transition will be rather seamless with Frank Valentini at the helm. The actors know exactly what to expect, and exactly when. Frank started out being the producers assistant and worked his way up doing every job imaginable, and surviving every regime. He knows this genre, and can do every job. But he won't. He will most likely hire great people and let them do their job so he can do his job, and a big job it is.

I know you're sad, we all are, but hang in there, I have a feeling you will see your friends and family again. ..and when you do, please be there to support and cherish the time with them. It's a new day, child :)

Love For Sure,
Cat

There are no Failures

2011-09-01T01:36:00.002-07:00

There are no failures. We are either succeeding or learning something...

We are here to learn. But really, how can we know what we want, or what's good for us, if we don't once in a while end up where we don't want to be? Just like driving without a GPS, sometimes we need to get lost before we find our way back to the place we wanted to go.

Sometimes circumstances put us in harms way, and other times we put ourselves there with no help at all. We humans have a habit of making choices without first gathering, and knowing, all of the facts.

Therefore, one of the most important ingredients for living a life that works is to become a fact gathering, fact-checking machine.

Another thing that determines whether we are going to have a successful outcome in decision making, is how quickly and safely we can figure our way out of situations we don't want to be in, and pledging not to beat ourselves up over it, but rather using the experience to become emotionally intelligent in spite of it. We must stop trying to make sense out of things that simply don't.

I have a saying: If it's not a death in the family, I don't sweat it. I do not mean that we ignore things in our lives that need attention. If something in life needs to be changed, change it as quickly and painlessly as possible and move on to a more positive place. Make it your business to spend good time on figuring out not only how you got there, but why. We can change the how when we figure out the why. When we figure out the why, we can change the patterns that put us precisely where we don't want to be, and put us back on the road to where we do.

Inside of each of us is the God given gift of an inner GPS. Use your mind, common sense, and intuition. Remember that important decisions demand due diligence. If you aren't clear when you are being pressured for the answer, have the courage to tell someone you will get back to them when you are. Life decisions deserve this respect. Be not afraid to look inside and ask the hard questions of yourself. The answers are already there.

Happy Life!

Love For Sure,
Cat

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

2011-08-08T15:55:00.002-07:00

Fear is Only as Deep as the Mind Allows
--Japanese Proverb

Greetings from Nashville TN!

Yesterday I was on the first flight I’ve had to take in ages. I have become used to traveling by tour bus/RV to my work with Todd and Yippi. I forgot how going through airport security, carrying heavy bags, and being crammed on a flight is somewhat anxiety producing. I managed to keep my mind occupied reading something interesting, and my seat-mate, was a very special teen-age girl named Sabrina began chatting to me immediately. Being that I read people rather quickly as part of my job, I recognized this thirteen-year old girl as being quite extraordinary. In my mind, I saw her as someone that would grow up to do great things. She seemed wise beyond her years. Then we started talking about texting, and she turned back into the thirteen year old, and it made me smile inside and out. Towards the end of the flight, we hit some pretty rough turbulence, which lasted for a good long while and though I didn’t show it on the outside, it made me feel a bit anxious. Sabrina had been sleeping and when the very rough ride woke her up, she turned to me and said, “Isn’t this the best part about flying??" This is the fun part! It’s like a ride!" then she went on…"I love when you take off too! Feeling the jet go really, really fast right before it lifts off, it’s so cool!"

Right then I realized how right she was, and how her natural point of view on things would take her far in life. I realized from a 13 year old that we have a choice to look at life and situations thrown at us in one of two ways. Scary or exciting.

All of us have things happen to us in life that can trigger anxious feelings. And because of early childhood programming from what’s said to us and taking emotional cues off of our parents fears, we learn at an early age to go right to anxiety over a variety of issues. This is one of the reasons I have such a passion for being a hypnotist. Whether through my practice or on stage, I continually have the opportunity to show people the power of their God Given gift of a perfectly good mind. Everything we learn can be un-learned and re-learned. And Hallelujah for that!

In hypnosis, we have a tool we teach called “autosuggestion." This is also known in new-age speak as “affirmations" They are short, concise and emotionally rewarding things we say out loud to ourselves several times a day, starting with it being the first thing we say as we wake up, and definitely before we go to sleep. Again, out loud. I also suggest writing it down whenever you are near a piece of paper, as writing embeds and solidifies a new thought in the mind.

As an example, people often try to use autosuggestion but are doing so in the negative. So instead of what you tell yourself in the negative, “I will not be nervous when I go in for this job interview," you would change that to “I am confident and relaxed at this job interview. I feel happy and the person hiring me wants and needs my services and personality."

The most defeating thing I hear people say is, “I am a magnet for losers. Every person I end up with is a psycho or mistreats me." At which point, you can take a time out, love yourself, and auto suggest to yourself. “I only attract kind and giving people into my life. I deserve to be loved and I am ready for healthy love to come into my life, now."

See what I mean? We can autosuggest our lives for the better in any area we need to. This is just the tip of the iceberg, of course, but it sure is a great place to start. It was nice meeting you Sabrina, thanks for the inspiration! And yes, it surely was, a fun ride!

Love For Sure, Cat

If I only had a brain..a heart, the noive

2011-07-07T01:38:00.003-07:00

"It is good to rub and polish our brain against that of others"

– Montaigne

When I’m home, I often have the TV on in the background. Having spent my a good part of my life acting on television, as well as being a person who loves to watch television, I understand completely how the TV becomes a person’s friend.

Sometimes we turn the TV on because it feels like we have company in the house. We get to change the channel when we want to (unless you have a mate that commandeers the remote) we get to choose which friends will be in the house, and thanks to DVR, we can choose when our friends will join us.

Often, I will learn something profound watching TV, or remember something I knew at one time but forgot. I can then apply that something to my way of thinking and therefore, my life. Sometimes, I am highly entertained by my friends and other times, I am empathizing with them. And by the way, this is why Soaps still matter. But this blog is not about soaps. Today I was watching HLN and there was a new piece about a Neurosurgeon who had many life altering events happen to him at once. Within a few months, he experienced the end of his marriage via divorce, the death of a parent, as well as a few other catastrophic happenings, which threw him into depression. He was so crippled by it that he was eventually unable to work, and felt as though he was drowning in his own sad life.

Of course, when we aren’t so much fun to be around, we lose many of our so called "friends" (sad, which is when we need them the most).

One day when he was really at a dangerous low, a doctor friend took pity on him asked him if he wanted to go for a run. He was not a runner, but he went anyway. That night was the first he slept in months. The next day he went running again and started to really get into the zone of working out and getting out of his house. He eventually performed in triathlons. He finally beat his depression and went back to doing the job that God packed his bags for; being a neurosurgeon. His life became better than it had ever been and he no longer lives in a bowl of depression. He changed his story through his physical and mental self programming.

When we experience huge sudden and unexpected life altering events, our brain chemistry can be altered. This alteration is what can cause depression for a person who has not experienced it before. This is very different from someone who just "feels better when it’s raining." That, is a state of mind, which a person chooses to be in. It’s important to know the difference between the two.

The moral to this news story hit me hard. No matter what, if we don’t feel good, or even normal, it is up to us to do something about it. It is up to us to become pro-active in changing the things in our lives that make us feel sad or trapped. Most everyone experiences this feeling now and then. We can get the blues which is normal. But if you feel unbearably sad, then do something. Read a great self help book that speaks to your particular sadness, get physical, call a friend and tell them you need to talk (choose someone you trust) go for a long walk, join a group where physical activity is the theme. Every town has a yoga studio; try it, and see how your mental state changes when you quit isolating yourself within the tapes that run in your mind.

Life can be awesome, even with all the bumps and scrapes, but changing your mind can change your life in an instant. You are in control of you. Take that control back. Change the channel of your fears and get back to the business of living your best life. Yes, you CAN.

Love For Sure,

Cat

Mind Management 101

2011-05-01T00:35:00.004-07:00

“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping him up” --Jesse Jackson

A lot can happen in a month. Between Last month’s inspiration and this one, two of America’s longest running television serials, ONE LIFE TO LIVE and ALL MY CHILDREN were cancelled. Between the two, that is nearly a century of television, and an American Institution. These two iconic shows are beloved by millions of Americans who loved watching their stories so they can be transported to what’s supposed to be a fantasy world, away from whatever problems or hurts they are going through in life.

Soap Operas tackle many social issues and can do this because of the ongoing and daily nature of the productions. Add to that, people have a special relationship with their soaps, and the actors have a special relationship with their audience. To think that this relationship is going to end for these millions of fans is very sad indeed, to say nothing of the hundreds and hundreds of people who will be unemployed as a result.

Of course, the viewers are not going quietly into that good night, God Bless them. Like anyone, they want to be heard, seen, and answered to, and protests and campaigns all across the country are in place. For the most part, things are as peaceful as one can hope for knowing how hurt and angry everyone feels.

There is a right way to get a point across, and for certain, a wrong one. Being angry is okay, how we choose to channel our anger and pain is where the strength lies. Turning our pain onto power is the goal in life, whether we are fighting for our shows, or fighting for our lives. Managing our emotions, so that they do not manage us is the goal. Being upset motivates us to change something, staying in anger and upset can make us sick.

I like to give my feelings their due time. Like a job, I decide how many of the hours of the day I will dedicate to feelings that upset me. I have learned to say, “Oh, it’s 5 O clock, time to get in my pajamas, make a great dinner, pick out a movie, read a book, snuggle with my honey, or whatever makes me feel good.” Then I turn it off, and go about the business of enjoying my life. There are some things we can’t control, and in order to maintain a balance in life, we need to learn when to give something it’s due, and when to put it down in the name of peace, regardless of the injustices.

When you learn to master your emotions, it’s much like turning a light switch on and off, and talk about efficiency! Anger and sadness will wear you right out, learning to turn it off will conserve energy, much like turning out the lights to save money on your power bill. You are a precious commodity, and conserving your energy and creating balance in an emotional environment is important, and I hardly know anyone who isn’t feeling emotional about something. Emotional Peace is the goal in life isn’t it? Everything goes better when we are in that place. What has been achieved is incredible, even if sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.

I pray the soaps (and peoples jobs) are saved, the viewers are heard, and the executive in charge ousted to a place that is perfect for him. Most of all, I pray for peace and unity amongst everyone. Your well-being is the most important thing in the world. You are precious cargo in this journey of life, treat each other as such, and miracles will happen.

Love For sure,

Cat

KISS OFF

2011-04-21T14:51:00.004-07:00

I’ve been thinking, as you all have lately about all the things that I have buried within myself over the years to survive the injustice of what has now come to light.

As many of you know, for years I have been out there in the front lines with my nation wide cosmetics company events, and hypnosis show tour. My book tour alone was 30 cities! That’s a lot of soap watching folks to meet.

I remember coming back to work after one of these appearances, where I met literally hundreds of fans at a single clip, who were all eager to share their thoughts with me. As a soap opera star, when you are out in public, whether you like it or not, you are going to hear what they are liking and not liking about their “stories.” Why wouldn’t they? We are family to them, unlike any other medium, we are in their living rooms five days a week. They feel as if they know us, and they do. I happen to love this part of the dance, it’s so wonderful, I often wished my eyes were a video camera to tape the passion and enthusiasm when they talked about who did what to whom and when is so and so going to get theirs. “Leave Nora alone!” they’d say, to which I would reply with a Lindsay-like grin, “oh, come on, you know she had it coming”

Without an ounce of arrogance, and with all humility I say, I felt as if touring that way gave me the fringe benefit of actually having my finger on the pulse of what the audience was communicating, and it was easy, because most people said the same thing! I’ve always thought using focus groups were a waste of time and money. I felt and still feel that you must go to the heart of your audience and they will tell you the truth. It may not be what you want to hear, but for crying out loud, the audience is who we make the shows for! Middle America is where you go! It is too easy to be out of touch when you are a big city person. Being in the middle of Middle America was eye opening for me in the best of ways. In fact it was downright illuminating. I began a deep love affair with the fans across the country, which I am grateful for to this day. I get them.

When coming back from a long fan filled week-end, I offered to convey the direct messages at work. No one was interested to hear about that. *Sigh*

I have asked time and time again for an explanation of why things were being changed and done in a certain way (I am a curious person and I need to know why things work or do not work), I want to know, what other genre, when it ends, causes the viewers to cry, get depressed and makes them scream at their televisions when characters are acting out? What other genre has cause viewers to organize protests to not only save their shows, but to get an executive ousted? It’s unheard of. It takes a lot of energy to rally their troops to save their shows when believe me, they have jobs to do, children, homes and husbands to take care of, and most important, shopping (read: advertisers) to do Here’s the answer. None.

I have a cosmetics company that is now 10 years old (www.catcosmetics.com) I built it for the people. Companies need customers and there are a lot of other companies for them to choose from. If I want to be successful, I have to think out of the box but still include the peeps. I encourage women to tell me their wants and needs and then I give it to them. I even let them name the products! It’s so simple! I used to joke that Cat Cosmetics was the company that SOAPNET built, because I would do for them, they in turn did for me, and it was a gorgeous relationship. I Loved SOAPNET. It was at one time I believe, the fastest growing cable network in America, before a certain someone took over. It had such potential. And do you know, it was Anne Sweeny who launched it. Her intentions for that channel were incredible. She did a brilliant launch. I remember asking her at a meeting if they had planned to keep the integrity of soaps and she was totally on board for that. I believed her and I believe her still. I liked Anne Sweeny very much. I have no issues with her at all. She is a very busy woman overseeing a lot of things and you-know-who reports to her. She knows what he tells her and spins to her. The fact that she obviously likes him is of concern to me, only because he is so darn transparent (at least to me) and gross and so utterly socially inept. I don’t get it. But it’s not for me to get. He must have a charming side (although I have never seen it) she really has no way of knowing (until now) how utterly despised the man is. That being said, being one of the very few women in my field of work as a clinical as well as comedy stage hypnotist and motivator, I am always proud to have a woman sit high in a man’s world, and I support that. I only hope her eyes are now open.

Now that brings me to a funny story. Six months after you-know-who became our boss, (he was already despised from the get-go) we all thought he was way too arrogant and rude. It was also obvious that he had a significant ageism issue and did not understand us, or our audience at all. The axe was always just thisclose over any actress’ over forty neck. It felt awful. Each time a popular actress over forty or fifty was let go without so much as a good-bye scene, we knew our days were numbered. Statements he made at meetings were leaked to us, and we knew more than they thought we knew. We weren’t used to be being treated that way, and it was deteriorating company morale, certain death for success.

For the most part, Soap actors are humble people, very grateful to work in a profession we love and give our lives to. We had some great leaders of Daytime prior to you-know-who (although I am having a hard time forgiving Angela Shapiro for putting him in place) and in the past were treated respectfully.

Many (and I mean many) of us got together to put the “Molokio” on him. BIG stars of daytime I am talking about here! About Forty of us from all 3 shows put his name on a little piece of paper and put him in the ice cube tray so we could “freeze” him from ousting any more of us because of our age. Every time we’d be at an event, we’d whisper to each other, “is he still in your freezer?” Year after year, we’d wait, hoping, even praying (I had three prayer groups at some of the biggest churches in America praying for him to go anywhere else, but for the love of GOD just get RID of him) But no. He would get promoted. I was sure he must have a goat or lamb he must be sacrificing somewhere….

This is an excerpt from my book I’m finishing up titled “The Night Tad Martin Kissed Me”

NO MORE LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON

2011-04-19T16:41:00.003-07:00

Well, he did it. It took many long and arduous years but he did it.

Last week, all of us who have been touched so monumentally by daytime, either being a disrespected fan, or a disrespected participant, are angry, sad, and in disbelief. To think that we will no longer be able to see characters that we have come to consider our own is a very odd feeling. It feels like a death in the family. It is why soaps have had the following they’ve had for nearly half a century! Your characters in your stories have made you feel the gamut of emotions from A to Z. Every day!

Soap actors and audiences dance a dance. We laugh together, cry together, survive together and love together. That’s what makes a family. Whenever I would hear you-know-who make a speech and call us the “ABC family,’ it made my skin literally crawl. You don’t treat your family like they don’t matter.

Someone is counting on the fact that today you are all whipped into a frenzy, and that tomorrow and next week you will have forgotten and forgiven. Say it loud. WE WILL NEVER FORGIVE OR FORGET.

Now you may be saying, ‘but CAT, you are usually so Zen! “And to that I say, “yes, yes I am, but being Zen does not mean not feeling our feelings. I’m pissed off. Being angry is necessary! Can’t move forward without moving through. Can’t get Zen without acknowledging feelings and disturbances first. People who read my tweets can see that I am really fired up (no pun intended) over this whole thing. Dammmmn right! Do I think this know-nothing owes anyone a job? No I do not. Do I think the man owed people who gave ALL for all of those years a little respect? YES. Yes I do. Am I surprised? Not one bit. After all, I found out I had my last day of work by reading it on a magazine cover that was on the stands the day after I shot my last show, which meant that the magazine people knew for a week before I did! For crying out loud.. man up! Tell people WTF is going on. I loathe cowards.

“The ratings kept declining” he will spin. And I say

“Yes, well that was the plan, wasn’t it?” Isn’t that what you have been doing with all of your character assassinating and lame story telling? Isn’t that what you’ve been doing micromanaging your producers, writers, and staff to insanity? Business 101 teaches that you hire super competent people and let them do their job. Control freaks find this nearly impossible, which is why they ultimately fail. Its pure arrogance to think that you know what the audience will accept on shows that they knew far, far better than you. They didn’t accept mediocrity, and for that, the viewers were punished? What’s wrong with this picture?

Actually, How he stays employed is a mystery… however life is funny, and karma is not just a theory. It may not be today and it may not be tomorrow , but he has some karma coming, that’s for sure. SO many people hurt under his tenure.

A lot of destruction for someone unimaginative! As a hypnotist, I am in the business of imagination, so I feel extrememly well qualitfied to make that statement. Plus, my friends who work there have told me that you- know-who often asked his staff to give him their “best 50 ideas” as if it were a challenge. That used to amaze me. Just piss-poor chess playing if you ask me. In my world, YOU come up with the ideas that you intend to take credit for. If someone asked me for my best 50 ideas, unless it was a contest to win something (like credit for my idea) I’d tell them to get their own eff-ing ideas.

It was always hilarious listening to you-know-who’s “people” sound like that Twilight Zone episode, “Children of the Corn” where everyone was so afraid to lose their life to a little tyrant that dared people to disagree, so no matter how horrible he behaved, they were running around saying “that’s a real good thing you done. A real good thing!” while being scared to death of the kid. Sometime life imitates art in the saddest ways.

From the get go it was very clear to those of us who had been through many regimes that you-know-who did not like soaps. It always felt as if he was in contempt of them. We actors said it all the time, it was very hard to understand. That’s a hard pill to swallow when you love the genre. It’s hard to know what will make something work, and then watch it being absolutely decimated by someone you have not one iota of respect for.

Good and important people to the shows were fired, moved to another state, and then salaries were cut. Not necessarily for the best intentions. After all, they had to find those funds to pay big money for the girl of you-know- who’s fantasies De Jour. This in turn created animosity in the casts. It starts at the top, they say. Indeed. Poison trickles down and infects companies like a cancer, damaging morale that is nearly unfixable. In my 27 years of acting, In the five regimes I worked under at that network alone, I have never seen anything like it. In 30 years as an entertainer, I can not recall a more reviled executive.

I spent the majority of my career on ABC Daytime, 17 years to be exact, between LOVING, THE CITY and ONE LIFE TO LIVE, I played as many emotions and wonderful roles an actress would want to play. I am not looking to act on soaps again, it is not about that. It is about respecting the hard work all of us did to try and keep these shows alive in spite of a person who clearly had his own agenda. It is for the fans, my friends who I am eternally connected to and grateful for.

I have kept my feelings inside for a long, long time and it feels like a million dollars to get them out. Now I get to be Zen Cat again.

In closing, I want to say how proud I was to see everyone feeling their feelings on twitter and facebook. I love how social media connects us all and gives a voice to the truth, not the spin. You have a right to be sad and angry. Being disturbed makes us get things done. I can tell you that this network most likely won’t budge on their stance, because that would make the grim reaper wrong and we can’t have that, but you never know what you might accomplish by making noise. You just never know. ABC daytime was once an incredible arm of the company to work for. They can be again, but not like this.

I am so proud of your stamina. I am proud to stand with you. In the meantime, I will keep hypnotizing folks, making the world laugh, shoot my pilot, finish my book, and look forward to looking forward.

In the immortal words of Robert DeNiro..

It’s just a game, Focker.

Love For Sure,

Cat

Street Hypnosis in Las Vegas

2010-07-27T16:10:00.003-07:00

Dick Clark Tribute on The Daytime Emmys

2010-06-28T02:08:00.001-07:00

I just finished watching The Dick Clark Tribute on the Daytime Emmys, and when it was over I could not move away from in front of the television. I had tears running down my face, right along with Mr. Clark, and with those tears, so many feelings coursed through me, I feel compelled to blog.

Until this past year, I have been attending the Daytime EMMYS since 1980. I have seen it all. Every tribute, every lifetime achievement, every clip and yes, every lame number featuring so-so talent that made me feel embarrassed just to watch.

Tonight’s show stopping tribute was incredible, not just because the people performing were supremely talented, but because it took us back to a more gentle time in the world, in our lives, and in entertainment. Never in the history of the Emmys have I seen people get up from their seats and dance, and cheer their emotions through performances like I did tonight. And Why?

Because the audience wants to be reminded of a time when they felt good, and talent was on their television screens every day and night of the week.

Being a hypnotist, I tend to be observant of what makes people tick, why they think the way they do, make the choices they make, and most important, why they feel the way they do. What I witnessed tonight, is called an emotional anchor. Seeing these great entertainers took me back to a different time in life, a time of great entertainment, a time of innocence and simplicity, a time of talent, a time of dreams yet to be realized and what motivated me to be an entertainer in the first place. I am betting that the folks in the audience and at home felt the same way I do.

This brings me to wonder what the newer generations will have to look back on and feel these wonderful feelings. In a day when most of what there is to choose from is reality television, or faces that no one recognizes on their shows that are more and more fading from familiarity. I hope, that tonight will be a wake up call to what will make people come back to televsion, and that’s to feel good. To be taken back.

I am now watching Agnes Nixon get her lifetime achievement award, and I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more. I love Agnes Nixon, she started me out on LOVING and THE CITY and then ONE LIFE TO LIVE. Jill Phelps hired me and Agnes inspired me. She inspired me to be a great performer and even a writer, I never told her so, so I will write it here.

When ALL MY CHILDREN moved the entire production to Los Angeles, they put the office furniture from Agnes’ office down on loading dock to be hauled away as trash.

I happened to be in New York for a few days and heard about it and high tailed it down there with a truck and loaded it up and had it sent to my home in Las Vegas where I will hopefully write many fine things at her table. I may even have it bronzed or donate it to the Smithsonian. After all, decades of story lines were discussed and written at that table, and now it is sitting proudly in my home, under a “Spielberg” light as it should be.

To end this long blog, I will simply say this: I grew up watching soaps, and spent a third of my life acting on them, and feel so grateful to be able to say that. It was fun seeing all of my old pals on the show tonight. I hope that I will see more great talent and familiar faces on my shows in the future. And to the producers and writers, I will simply say this…

The audience wants to feel good, and it’s the “old guard” that can pull it off. So to all the Michael Knights, Erica Slezaks and Eric Bradens of Daytime, I salute and revere your talent. I hope the kids behind you are paying close attention. It is for you that the women still watch, weep, and swoon.

And as for ATWT…. You will be missed. I wept along with Michael Park and Maura West as they held their Emmys, it was a perfect ending, if there is such a thing. What a shame.

God Speed, Daytime. Remember what you saw tonight.

You have many golden years left.

One….two….three…… Wide Awake!

Cat's Beauty and Spirit Makeover Retreat in Las Vegas

2009-07-01T15:34:00.018-07:00

CAT COSMETICS
invites you to
Join Catherine Hickland in
Las Vegas September 19th or 20th 2009

It's going to be a fun-filled and radiant weekend!

We are having one of our famous CAT parties in Las Vegas! On 2 different
Days we will be offering an amazing day of soul/spirit inner/outer beauty.

Guaranteed you have NEVER experienced anything quite like this, simply
because no one has ever offered it before!

Learn how to quickly achieve two different looks:

THE TWO MINUTE MAKEOVER
(how to look perfectly beautiful for the day in just 2 little minutes)

THE RAMPED-UP EIGHT MINUTE MAKE OVER
(outstanding glamour as you have never seen yourself! You'll FLIP!)

Learn how to relieve stress, look at life in a different way, and most
important of all...RELAX, LOVE UP, AND HAVE FUN!

For one price, you get the beauty and spirit makeover experience in one
fantastic afternoon!

Choose Saturday 19th OR Sunday 20th September.

Your price of $100 for the day includes $75.00 worth of CAT COSMETICS that you will be using in your makeover experience,
and the rest of the line will be there if you choose to want more.

There will be raffle prizes to win tickets to a Las Vegas Show during the
weekend as well as other gifts at
Our Makeover Retreat!

Bring your mother, bring your daughter, bring you best bud, or come by
yourself and make new friends! One thing is for sure, it will be an
unforgettable and life-changing day!

Cat will be teaching ALL classes and Gillion will be there too! If you have
not been able to come out and meet us (or even if you have!) take a trip to
Las Vegas and see what we mean when we say "What happens in Vegas, goes home
with you!"

Add On's

HYPNOSIS PROGRAMS ALSO AVAILABLE THE SAME WEEKEND:

Cat will personally be conducting 2 different hypnosis programs:

WEIGHT LOSS & STOP SMOKING

Click to BOOK for SEPTEMBER 19th

Click to BOOK for SEPTEMBER 20th

***If you are coming from out of town, let us help you get great rates, or
check hotels.com, hotwire.com, and priceline.com for great deals!

Click to Visit Catherine's CAT COSMETICS website

Nora vs Lindsay - OLTL

2009-05-01T12:37:00.002-07:00

God Bless the fan who put this together out of pure love of our characters on OLTL, for I know well the work that goes into an edit! For Nora and Lindsay fans.. enjoy this incredible retrospective of two of daytime televisions most loved rivalries (we made 10 magazine covers in one year, a record!)

The fans made us, and we thank you! Enjoy!

Cat

Conceive It And Receive It

2009-02-14T16:16:00.023-08:00

A few days ago I had the honor and pleasure to spend the day at Annville Cleona High School in Annville PA. My good and cherished friend Ryan Clements is a brilliant teacher there and invited me to spend the day with his classes and make some magic. Magic!? Which yes do you want, yes... or YES!

Kids are very different today than when I was their age. Any opportunity I get for a chance at deep-talking with them, helps connect me with this new generation and I love it. I love spending good quality time with high school students. They will soon enough be out on their own for the very first time and embarking on this journey called life. Imagine how frightening that can be if you don't have a mind-map in these times we live in.

Since there isn't a LIFE/LOVE/PASSION 101 class, I like to think that's a part of what I bring with me. Though I have to say, as a teacher, Ryan Clements comes as close it gets. Any teacher will tell you, kids are inspired, or turned off. There's two speeds, that's it.

I met many great teachers that day. Teachers are my heroes, and from whom the kids will be learning many valuable tools they will need to march bravely into their futures.

So what did I bring to this bar-b-que? I came armed with mind-skills and just plain life experience to assist these great young people with the powerful truth that they really are more in control of their futures than they think they are.

Part of an assignment for student Jeff Sim, was to read my book THE 30 DAY HEARTBREAK CURE: GETTING OVER HIM AND BACK OUT THERE ONE MONTH FROM TODAY. Part two of his assignment was to interview me on-camera.

Mind you, this school, like every other, has NO budget, just Ryan Clements, a vision, a little video camera and a lot of imagination. Jeff and his crack team did a brilliant job with the interview, content, and the editing. I dare say it was better than many network interviews I have done, probably because the only thing Jeff was concerned about what doing his best work. He wasn't worried about losing his job, or making himself look good, but making his interview work. He did his homework, was super prepared, asked great questions, and was just all- around adorable. If he doesn't go into this as a profession, I will be shocked.

The rest of the day I sat in and spoke with several classes on the magnificent power of the mind (my favorite subject in the world) and how to have it work for us, rather than all of the unconscious ways we can have it working against our dreams, personal power and joy. In one class, I devoted the entire hour assisting them in how to create powerful vision boards (as is outlined in a chapter in my book) including wants, desires, motivation, and reward. It was really interesting to see their dreams for the future come to life through the pictures and words they had chosen. We can learn a lot about a person by looking at their vision board.

It amuses me when I see the networks and Madison Avenue execs trying desperately to figure out what today's youth want to watch, listen to, and buy. It's not that complicated.

If you want to turn anyone on, speak with their mind. Speak with their spirit. People, especially kids, know when they are being spoken to. They may not consciously know, but talk about something that turns them on, and they light up, just like it's supposed to be. I know this because like "Clem" (as his students call him) my sister Kim is a brilliant teacher, and speaks to the mind and spirits of kids all day long. I am a proud sister.

Thank you Ryan, and kids, for a magical day. I believe in you and I will be excitedly watching your lives unfold.

God, bless these kids and their dreams....

I love my work!

Say Goodnight Philly...

2009-02-10T19:33:00.009-08:00

"You come in here and think you own this place."

These were the first words I heard out of Phil Carey's mouth.

"You mean I don't?" I shot back.

It was the start of something beautiful.

No doubt about it. I have dad issues. I spent many years trying to get my dad to tell me that he loved me. I didn't know what I didn't know. It's not that he didn't want to say the words. He couldn't say the words. As an adult, I have come to understand how transparent and fragile human beings are when it comes to emotions.

When Philly gave me instant disapproval, I was an old hand at it. I knew just how to handle him, and it threw him but good. From that moment on, we were as tight as a father and daughter. Thick as thieves. He loved it when I would walk in a room and shout "lock up your sons!"

I teased him all the time. It only failed me a few times, mostly towards the end of his run as the magnificent Asa Buchanan and he wasn't feeling well.

He was a cantankerous man. But underneath it all was a softie. All you had to do was bring up his wife Colleen, or his kids, and his whole face would change. Mush.

Bob Woods tortured Phil every week with some kind of practical joke. He once got up in the grid which has to be a good 50 feet high and off limits to actors, just to hang a rubber bat on a fishing wire and lower it into Philly's scene right in the middle of it. Phil thought he was hallucinating. There he was in the middle of being Asa Buchanan, in all his glory, and this rubber bat was tickling his head, wings a-flap.

Woods would take a picture of Phil's face, and super-impose it in some embarrassing situation, and then tack it all over the studio and dressing room area. He taped it to every single camera in the studio. It was Philly's nightmare and he couldn't make it go away. Woods did that to him everyday for a solid year.

When he and Clint Ritchie and Woods would get together, it was pure magic. Talk about twinkle! The whole room would light up. The three of them would turn into teenaged boys when they were together. Once, they were horsing around pretty good, and one of the ladies on the show turned and hissed, "how do you people get dates??!" Clint said, "we pay for them!" Philly, Clint and Woods just roared. They were a fearsome three-some.

As gruff as Phil pretended to be, it was all a ruse. He hid his cigarettes from his wife. She was the boss lady and we all knew it. She loved that man. She is the best wife a man could ever hope for, and he knew it. He adored her. I used to call her a Saint. I still think that.

Poor Woods had to make two sad calls to me this week.

I was so sad to learn of his passing. But how perfect that he and Clint went on ahead at the same time.

Philly was a good catholic. He loved the Lord, and I know that he and Bucky went home to be with the Father. That gives me much peace.

In show business, whenever we finish an acting job in the theatre, we say, "I had a good run." That means we did a good job, had fun, made the most of the task at hand, and excelled.

He had a good run.

Who am I kidding? He owned the joint.

Philly, you will ALWAYS be the Big Daddy...

Carry On Clint Ritchie....

2009-02-02T22:18:00.005-08:00

FRIENDSHIP IS THE ONLY CEMENT THAT WILL EVER HOLD THIS WORLD TOGETHER --Woodrow Wilson

I just heard about Clint Ritchie going on ahead, and I thought this would be an appropriate place to pay my respect.

I adored Clint. When I came to ONE LIFE TO LIVE 11 years ago, he was one of the actors whom I worked with the most. He became Lindsay Rappaport's first on-screen husband.

Working with Clint was always interesting. He was a complicated man, and his playful wickedness always made for a fun day. He was someone I loved playing practical jokes on, and I was relentless on the poor man. For this very reason, over the course of the next few years, his nickname for me became "The Little Dickins."

My favorite day with Clint was when I ordered Chinese food for lunch. I am known there as the breakfast/lunch/dinner orderer - NO ONE loves to eat more than I do. Even though we have dressing rooms, the hair and make-up room is where all of the actors eat together (and for that reason, fish is strictly off-limits) This day would be no different. Oh yes, I wanted an audience for THIS one!

I waited for the delivery in the lobby so he wouldn't suspect what I was up to. I then went quietly to my dressing room to begin the evils of the best practical joke I would ever play on him. I fished his fortune cookie out. Armed with a pair of tweezers, and the skill of a surgeon, I extracted the fortune out of the cookie. I then cut a little piece of paper EXACTLY the same size as the fortune. With incredible detail, I typed a new fortune on the small piece of paper. I can't tell you what I wrote (I was a lot more naughty then than I am now) let's just suffice it to say that I knew it would make him absolutely double over with laughter.

I then carefully stuffed the fortune back into the fortune cookie (without so much as nicking it!) and put the cookie back in it's little plastic bag. Crawling, laughing and skulking all the way down the hall to the hair and make-up room, I placed the brown bag of Chinese food on the table, and called him to the make-up and hair room over the PA system to "COME AND GIT IT!"

Well, Clint sauntered in with that true-life cowboy walk, and sat down to have what he thought would be a nice little Chinese lunch before taping. The meal seemed like it lasted forever. I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. I couldn't WAIT for him to finish so he would open that fortune cookie! At last, the moment came. He sat back, patting his belly, and thanked me for lunch. I opened his cookie wrapper (I didn't want him to see that it has already been opened) and practically sang, "here's your fortune cookie!" I cracked mine open enthusiastically, which prompted him to subconsciously crack his cookie open and read it at the same time. As if on cue, he pulled the fortune out, and, as he did, I read mine out loud (of course I made it up) "You will have the love and good will of friends today." I said.

He smiled, suspecting nothing.

I then asked "what's your fortune say?" He put his reading glasses on, and looked at it. It was naughty and personal. He stared at it. I asked again...."what does it say?" He sat staring at it, as if he could barely believe what he was seeing. When his mind finally put it all together, he roared, and mean ROARED with that beautiful Clint Ritchie laugh, and began showing it proudly to anyone who would look. I had tears running down my face, and so did he. Laughter is the best everything. "YOU LITTLE DICKENS!" He bellowed. And that man could bellow, let me tell you.

Between me and Bob Woods, I don"t know who drove him more crazy with the practical jokes. But I do know we both loved him like a brother. Some would say he was difficult. I would just say he was authentic. Did he have issues? Oh yeah, but hey, come on, who doesn't? He could be talked to and reasoned with, and, after all, he was a true cowboy. I think it's safe to say that we would all learn a lot from being friends with each other.

We would have many of those funny days, many great talks. We would also have some difficult days, but, that's what makes us grow up.

Being a forensics fan and true gore-meister, I loved hearing about his tractor accident many years before when he had been literally run over by his own tractor, and he loved telling me about every gory detail.

Many people, including the producer at the time told me that I brought out the best in Clint. The truth is, he brought out the best in me. He made my fun side come out to play when we worked together. He challenged me in my patience and taught me tolerance. He made me laugh. He made me learn how to be "one of the guys" and I loved it. I was an honorary cowgirl-dude, and he loved it.

I will miss knowing you are on this Earth, Bucky. You may have given up your human suit, but we will all see you again someday... and, I WILL have another fortune cookie waiting.

God bless Your Journey HOME....

The Little Dickins