Hello. I'm Catriona Mitchell

I offer BOUTIQUE BOOK COACHING AND EDITING for memoir and non-fiction that brings dormant feminine archetypes back to life.

Stories with Spine is for you if...

You wish to develop a work of non-fiction or memoir that calls the life force and creative potency of forgotten feminine archetypes back into consciousness, conversation and culture... so that we can 're-member' what we have lost, restore our whole-system intelligence, and re-imagine our relationship with the body, nature and the sacred.

You're looking for a guide to help you capture your deepest vision for your book and pin it to the page - whether this is a work of transformational non-fiction or memoir.

You have a wealth of ideas and experiences to draw from. You long to find the central message that is most true for you, giving you a full body 'YES!' and freeing you to write with focus and creative velocity.

YOU ARE AN EDUCATOR AND AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD. WHETHER YOU'RE WRITING NON-FICTION OR MEMOIR, YOUR AIM IS TO HELP HEAL THE SPLIT IN THE COLLECTIVE PSYCHE BETWEEN SPIRIT AND MATTER, THE BODY AND THE SACRED, HUMAN AND NATURE.

Your book will question cultural and spiritual norms, by exploring the powers of lost feminine archetypes from East to West, the sacred to the profane, the abstract to the anthropomorphic.

You long to see your archetype's forms, functions, symbols, motifs and mythologies become part of embodied, living culture. Why? Because we are so much more than we think we are.

YOUR BOOK IDEA IS ALIVE IN YOUR BLOOD, BREATH AND BONES. YOU KNOW IT'S YOURS TO WRITE. YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED. THIS IS HOW YOU WILL MAKE YOUR UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO A NEW CULTURAL NARRATIVE, AT A TIME OF CASCADING GLOBAL CRISES.

You have a fire in your belly because:

WE NEED TO RESTORE OUR RELATIONAL INTELLIGENCE IF WE'RE GOING TO SOLVE TODAY'S CASCADING GLOBAL CRISES.

Feminine archetypes are essential, not optional, organs of our collective intelligence, yet many have been culturally erased or are lying dormant in the collective psyche. Only when we bring their full spectrum back to life can we reclaim our totality and our co-creative powers.

FEMININE REVERENCE IS MISSING FROM OUR HIERARCHICAL, RATIONAL, LINEAR, LEFT-BRAIN-DOMINATED SOCIETY.

We're distanced from the intelligence held in our bodies, and from the body of the Earth, with consequences that affect us all. You see the body as a micro Earth, a living temple, because it houses our life force and the spark of our divinity. The body knows our interconnection with all of life.

You've been through a heroine's journey of your own

You've journeyed through a series of initiations and challenges, a kind of descent into the underworld, and you've emerged with a profound shift in identity: one that's more embodied, creative, intuitive and attuned to interconnected existence.

You're ready to develop and express your ideas about the deep feminine, whether you're writing about goddesses of antiquity, the body, nature, tantra, the life/death cycle, eros, beauty, bliss, co-creation, the womb, the sacred web of life...

YOUR ARCHETYPAL THEME IS INTERTWINED WITH YOUR OWN LIFE'S INITIATIONS, REVELATIONS AND TRANSFORMATIONS. WHEN YOUR MESSAGE IS ROOTED IN LIVED EXPERIENCE, YOU'RE FREE TO SHARE IT IN ANY CONTEXT WITHOUT FEELING LIKE AN IMPOSTOR.

WHY WORK WITH ME?

I'll help you birth the deepest vision for your book, with a methodology that is structured but not formulaic.

MY PRIMARY ROLE IS TO HELP YOU DEFINE YOUR BOOK'S POINT AND PURPOSE.

The point is the unique contribution you will make to a bigger cultural conversation.

The purpose is the journey of transformation you'll offer, to inspire a profound shift in culture... one reader at a time.

After we've done your story spine work, I offer further services:

STRUCTURE and OUTLINE your narrative
Write a detailed 60+ page book PROPOSAL
WRITE your long-form manuscript
PITCH your project to agents and publishers
EDIT, REWRITE and POLISH your manuscript

CHOOSE BETWEEN:

NON-FICTION

You have a transformational non-fiction book in mind that will deepen your readers' knowledge about a feminine archetype, and inspire cultural change. You wish to share your research and development in book form, as a natural extension of your educational platform.

NON-FICTION COACHING

MEMOIR

Your real-life experiences have led you to reclaim and re-embody a potent feminine archetype - one that carries buried yet vital wisdom for the collective. You're called to write about your personal journey in book form, because it contains valuable insights for others.

MEMOIR COACHING

My methodology incorporates:

Message development
Project management
Accountability & deadlines
Editorial feedback
Industry insights

About BOOK COACHING

Book coaching is where the muse meets the marketplace.

IT'S MY ROLE TO ENSURE THAT:

What is in your head is clearly conveyed on the page. I use 'two-way empathy' to ensure that you're saying what you need to say, and it's resonant for your readers.
Your book's structure is intentional, taking the reader on an effective, step-by-step journey of transformation, so that you can inspire cultural change.
The connective tissue between you and your reader grows healthy and strong, through the sharing of compelling personal stories.
You are free to explore the mysteries of the creative process, while being held accountable to deadlines that move you forwards.
Your idea has marketplace potential. While any kind of publishing success is wildly unpredictable, your book has the necessary ingredients to find a readership.

As one client described it, this is an act of "switching the lights on together."

DO WE FIT?

You and I might find magic together if:

You have built your expertise as an educator over time, through teaching, speaking, writing, a PhD, documentary film-making, consulting and/or coaching.

In the case of memoir, you've been through a deep feminine awakening that has led you through a dance of undoing, and a creative rebirth.

You're actively writing already - articles, essays, a Substack - even if you haven't published a full-length book yet.

Your book will endure because of its richness and depth of content. It's more than a marketing exercise for your business; you wish to make a genuine contribution to a new cultural narrative.

Are we compatible?

YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT BUILDING AN AUTHOR CAREER WITH A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF READERS, WHETHER YOU SIGN UP WITH A LARGE PUBLISHING HOUSE, AN INDEPENDENT OR ACADEMIC PRESS, A HYBRID PUBLISHER, OR YOU INTEND TO SELF-PUBLISH.

PRAISE

for my services:

I can honestly say I couldn’t have done it without her. My book is so much better for her gorgeous, subtle and sensitive touch. Thank you for making my book shine."

GINA CHICK - WE ARE THE STARS

Simon & Schuster (Australia), Oct 2024

ginachick.com

WINNER, AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARD FOR NEW WRITER OF THE YEAR, 2025

WINNER, DYMOCKS TOP 101 LIST, AUSTRALIA 2025

WE ARE THE STARS WAS ALSO SHORTLISTED FOR:

2025 ABIA Awards Biography of the Year, Audiobook of the Year, and the 2025 Indie Book Awards, Non-Fiction.

8e5243_d8384113935e433b84f86c87bfa67c8e~mv2_d_3938_5907_s_4_2

The thought-provoking practices and techniques Catriona offers took my book to another level, allowing me to see its deeper purpose.

LAURA AMAZZONE - author of Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power

Hamilton Books

lauraamazzone.com

I believe that Catriona is the only coach I trust to make this the book of my dreams. She is flexible, kind, clever, generous, an incredible listener and close reader.

JANE HARDJONO

Embodiment coach

janehardjono.com

PRAISE

AI is no substitute for this process.

HERE'S WHY:

Your book's topic is inseparable your real life. You will draw from your intimate, personal experience as well as your research and development. AI can't compete with the creative potency that comes from the deep centre of your being.
In recent years you've gone through a process of profound feminine 're-membering.' Revelations have come to you through your cellular intelligence and your intuitive senses. Your voice will emerge from this place of remembrance too.
This work brings your unique philosophy to light. It asks you to define what you want to say at the deepest level. This sparks a growth-curve of personal and spiritual development: your book works on you as you work on it. You become your truth as you write it.
Along the way, I'll share tools and techniques that can help you become a powerful emissary for your message. Your message isn't something external to you; it is who you are. This process will prepare you to speak about your ideas with authenticity, in public and on social media.
Of course you can use AI if working with me. However, I request that you use AI as a tool, not to replace you as author. Also, AI needs to be accurately prompted. Once we've done your story spine work, you'll know what your story and message is, and will have the right prompts to use.

If you're concerned about your ability to pull this off, I've got your back.

If you run into self-doubt or resistance:

I am trained in mindset work (theta healing) and embodiment methods (5Rhythms), as well as in feminine empowerment coaching to help you get back on your feet. Creative blocks are likely to arise, but we'll catch them early on and dissolve the resistance that shows up.

If you're afraid of being seen and heard:

I'll guide you back towards confidence and conviction in your project. This is big, because being an author these days requires you to be a speaker too. The subject of your book is personally edgy, if not culturally disruptive, and going public with it can feel exposing.

YOUR VOICE WILL EMERGE FROM YOUR INTELLECT AS WELL AS YOUR MYSTICAL SENSES. YOU SEE THESE AS RICH FIELDS OF KNOWING THAT COMPLEMENT RATHER THAN CONTRADICT ONE ANOTHER. THEY OPEN THE PORTAL TO YOUR DEEPEST CREATIVITY.

YOUR NEXT STEPS:

NON-FICTION

*for MEMOIR, scroll down

I strongly recommend that you start with the STORY SPINE work. This prepares you beautifully for all the work that follows. It will put your book on the right footing, whether you choose to continue working with me or not.

You're at the ideas development stage

We begin by defining the point and purpose of your book. This is difficult to do early on, but illuminating. Once you truly understand what your project is about and its value for the reader, you'll start your work off on a strong footing.

MINI STORY SPINE

→ It's time to structure your narrative

Here, I'll support you with defining your contents, and ordering them into an effective structure before you start writing. This way you know exactly where you're going and why, when you get into the long-form writing. This clarity brings joy and momentum.

YOUR STORY SPINE

→ You need a proposal for agents / publishers

Once you've outlined your book, it's time to prepare a compelling and convincing 60+ page book proposal. This an art-form unto itself that requires selling instead of telling; and high-touch professional guidance can make all the difference.

YOUR BOOK PROPOSAL

→ You have a partial or full manuscript to edit

You have written a solid working draft of your book. Now you're seeking detailed, professional insights and suggestions on what's working and what isn't, from an editor who's sensitive to your archetypal theme, and supports your vision and goals.

EDITING PACKAGES