Welcome
Pathways to Courageous and Authentic Living
Inviting you on the journey to your best self, igniting the fire of your soul through coaching
About Open Pathways
My Qualifications
- Certified Professional Coach (CPC)
- Whole Person Certified Coach (WPCC)
- Trauma Informed Coach (TIC)
- Certified Genesis Coach (CGC)
My Approach
As a Whole Life Coach, I am dedicated to supporting and guiding individuals on their journey toward self-discovery and empowerment. Life can present challenges—difficult jobs, painful losses, or challenging relationships—that may bury our true voice and identity. My mission is to help you unearth that lost voice, reignite your inner courage, and tap into your natural resources.
- Inner Voice Strengthening: Together, we’ll nurture your inner voice, helping you believe in yourself and find the courage to move forward even during tough times.
- Hope from Ashes: Life’s setbacks can leave us feeling like we’re in ashes. I’m here to help you find hope, restore resourcefulness, and build resilience.
- New Pathways: With renewed strength, you’ll step into new possibilities, walking pathways filled with hope, joy, and fulfillment.
Let’s transform adversity into a beautiful, fulfilling life.
My Specialties
- Holistic Approach: I address all aspects of your life, recognizing the impact of trauma experiences. Whether it’s relationships, career, or personal growth, we explore it all.
- Trauma Awareness: I integrate trauma awareness into our coaching sessions. Understanding trauma helps us navigate challenges with empathy and sensitivity.
- Practical Tools: I provide practical tips for managing trauma triggers and promoting self-care.
- Positive Change: We’ll unravel patterns that no longer serve you. Positive transformation awaits as we prioritize safety, trust, and empowerment.
- Navigating Transitions: Life transitions can be tough. Whether it’s endings, grief, or fresh starts, I’m here to guide you through.
- Build Resilience: Together, we will embark on a journey to cultivate resilience. By delving into your inner values, strengths, and resources, we’ll construct a sturdy foundation. Uncovering your authentic voice and embracing your uniqueness are pivotal steps in this process. When life’s challenges arise, remember that you possess an innate ability to rise like a phoenix from the ashes.
My Certifications and Memberships
Testimonials From Happy Clients
Katie - Ventura, CA (Oct 2025)
Working with Cathi has changed my life. When I first started coaching with her, I was struggling with anxiety, perspective issues, perfectionism and co-dependency. Through her guidance, I’ve learned to look deeper inward, understand myself on a new level, and grow closer to God in the process.
Cathi has a calm, compassionate way of helping you see things clearly. She teaches simple but powerful tools—like “Pause–Feel–Think”—that helped me slow down, regulate my emotions, and connect with my inner wisdom. Our sessions always left me feeling peaceful and more grounded.
Over time, I’ve noticed huge shifts: my anxiety has eased, I’m setting healthier boundaries, and I feel more confident and spiritually centered. Cathi creates such a safe, trusting space where I always feel heard and supported. Her questions gently lead you to find your own answers while reminding you that God is part of the process.
If you’re thinking about working with Cathi, I can’t recommend her enough. She’s helped me find balance, freedom, and a deeper sense of peace than I’ve ever known. Coaching with her has been one of the best and most healing investments I’ve made in myself.
Kelly - Ventura, CA (Nov 2025)
The primary areas of focus were emotional awareness and the establishment of healthy boundaries within our lives and relationship. Through the coaching process, I gained a greater ability to recognize and understand my emotions, as well as to communicate my feelings more effectively. I also became more aware of the origins of certain emotions and how they influence my behavior. This awareness allowed me to take greater accountability for my actions and become more attentive to the needs of my partner.
I have developed a stronger sense of self-awareness regarding my communication and areas where I can take responsibility. I’ve learned not to be so hard on myself and to acknowledge that meaningful change takes time. Although progress doesn’t happen overnight, I’m starting to see small but important wins and positive shifts.
This process has been incredibly beneficial for my relationship. It wasn’t always easy, as we had to work through difficult topics, but our relationship has grown tremendously as a result. You created a supportive environment that gave each of us time to express ourselves and explore the underlying emotions behind our reactions. I appreciated that the focus was not just on the surface issues, but on identifying and addressing their root causes. You gave each of us time to respond and helped us to realize what we were feeling and why we were feeling that way. It was nice because you would get to the root of the problem and not just the problem itself.
I would highly recommend this experience to others. It’s an impactful way to explore core emotions, gain self-awareness, and promote meaningful growth. I’ve learned so much about myself; this journey has required self-reflection, vulnerability, and a genuine willingness to change. While there have been many emotional moments, I can confidently say I’ve become a better person because of it
Tyler - Ventura, CA (Nov 2025)
Thank you again for all your support these past two years. Coaching with you really helped us strengthen our communication, understand each other’s emotional needs, and create healthier patterns together. The tools you shared — especially Pause–Feel–Think — helped us slow down, stay curious, and respond to each other more thoughtfully.
We both feel more connected, confident, and grounded in our relationship. We communicate with more clarity and empathy, and we’ve built a deeper sense of trust and understanding. Your calm presence, thoughtful questions, and nonjudgmental approach made the space feel safe and collaborative every time.
We’re really grateful for this process and would absolutely recommend coaching with you — it’s made a meaningful, lasting difference for us.
Samantha - Chicago, IL (Nov 2025)
Working with Cathi has been a transformative experience for me. From our very first session, I felt a genuine connection and support that encouraged me to dig deep and explore my goals and challenges. Cathi has an incredible ability to listen and ask the right questions, helping me uncover insights that I hadn't considered before.
Through our sessions, I've gained clarity on my career path and developed actionable strategies to achieve my aspirations. The tools and techniques provided have been invaluable, not just in my professional life but also in my personal growth. I've become more confident in my decision-making and resilient in facing obstacles.
I highly recommend Cathi to anyone seeking guidance and empowerment. Her passion for coaching and commitment to their clients' success is evident in every interaction. I am truly grateful for the positive impact she has had on my life!
Illanche - London, UK (Oct 2025)
Before beginning coaching with Cathi, I struggled to look inward and connect with my own emotional experiences. Through our sessions, we explored emotional awareness and the lifelong obstacles that made it difficult for me to reflect on myself.
Cathi guided me through a powerful process of sitting with my feelings and envisioning how they appeared within me. This simple yet profound practice helped me recognize emotions that had been present for a long time but were never fully acknowledged. As I became aware of these feelings, I began to see that they needed to be addressed before I could move toward clear goals or life direction. This was a major turning point for me—understanding that self-awareness is foundational to growth, focus, and goal-setting.
Throughout our sessions, I felt completely safe and supported. Cathi created an atmosphere of confidentiality and trust. Her partnership approach helped me gently “peel open” layers of emotion, always at a pace that felt right. I experienced her as warm, knowledgeable, and easy to trust.
Cathi brings a wealth of experience from different areas of coaching—life, marriage, and spiritual—and her deep understanding of coaching tools made each session meaningful. She has even written coaching manuals for her church, which reflects her commitment to helping others grow through self-awareness and compassion.
What stands out most for me is that Cathi touched something no one else ever had: my deep discomfort with looking inward. She helped me face that inner resistance with gentleness and curiosity. This awareness has opened new possibilities for my personal and professional growth, and I’m grateful for the experience.
Jem - London, UK (Oct 2025)
Working with Cathi Gross has been a deeply insightful and empowering experience. Our sessions focused on decision-making, boundaries, and emotional awareness, and each conversation helped me see myself and my patterns more clearly.
Cathi’s coaching models are excellent. One that really stood out to me was her process of drawing attention to thoughts, feelings, and the actions they lead to, and then pausing to reflect through Maslow’s safety cues before revisiting those same thoughts and feelings. This approach helped me recognize how some of my past experiences were still influencing my choices — and showed me a much clearer way forward.
The mindfulness and somatic practices Cathi introduced were also powerful. For example, her guided “bubble” visualization supported me in exploring and strengthening my sense of boundaries. Practices like this gave me new insights and made it easier to take actions I had previously found difficult.
Through our coaching, I developed a stronger awareness of challenging dynamics in my life and greater confidence in navigating them. After each session, I always felt grounded, clear, and equipped with meaningful next steps.
Cathi’s presence is gentle, compassionate, and deeply supportive. She listens in a way that allows trust to build naturally and asks questions that help you find your own answers.
I would highly recommend coaching with Cathi Gross. Her combination of warm presence, clear structure, and effective tools creates a space where real insight and transformation can happen — both within the session and beyond it.
Kayla – Ventura, CA (Nov 2025)
Working with Cathi has been a truly transformative experience. Together, we explored my history of codependency and navigated a challenging season in my marriage and motherhood. Through our sessions, Cathi helped me identify the roots of my codependency in childhood and understand how those patterns show up in my current triggers.
With her guidance, we created practical plans and goals to help me be proactive during difficult moments. Cathi also supported me in recognizing my personal values and strengths—and how they shape who I am today. I’ve gained a deeper awareness of my subconscious mind and uncovered emotional sore spots I had been holding onto for years.
As a result, I now feel more confident in communicating my needs and concerns with my spouse and in other relationships. Cathi is incredibly insightful and intuitive, always attuned to how I’m feeling and what I express. She is consistent, trustworthy, and fully dedicated to her clients’ growth.
Cathi is a supportive, empathetic, and truly valuable coach. She helps you uncover the underlying issues, clarify what matters most to you, and move forward with purpose and confidence. Her deep knowledge of life skills and coaching methods makes her an exceptional partner in personal growth.
I’m so grateful for the progress I’ve made with her guidance and would highly recommend her to anyone seeking meaningful change and self-understanding.
Katherine – Portland, OR (Aug. 2024)
"I cannot begin to express my gratitude for Cathi. From our very first session she created a space of trust, empathy, and understanding that allowed me to open up and explore the areas of my life that needed attention.
Cathi is dedicated and devoted to helping and guiding others, you feel that with every interaction you have with her. She is the definition of wise counsel. Cathi will dig into areas that you didn’t even realize were there and needed digging, but it’s always done in such a loving and respectful way. She is direct and empowering in her communication. She has an incredible way of blending accountability with compassion, helping you to stay on track without feeling pressured.
Cathi’s impact on me goes beyond words. Such deep healing took place as a result of us working together. Cathi will forever hold such a special and dear place in my heart. I am so grateful to know her and excited for all potential clients about to embark on this journey with her. You are truly in for a life changing experience."
De – Ventura, CA (Aug. 2024)
Before I began sessions with Cathi I was experiencing lot of anxiety, fear and insecurities. I learned from her to be better equipped with life’s challenges and my personal issues with her guidance, all the tools she uses are very effective in creating balance and recovery. Cathi has a caring, compassionate heart. I always felt safe. She has a lot of wisdom and she is highly professional. I highly recommend her.
Charlene – Hanford, CA (Sept. 2024)
Cathi has a gift of asking questions that help me to dig deeper, identify root causes and discover action plans for me that address issues in a healthier way. I'm very pleased with my growth and I'm continuing to gain awareness with Cathi's support, Thank You
Karley – Santa Barbara, CA (Mar. 2025)
Before we teamed up, I was going through a separation after an abusive relationship. At that time, I didn’t fully understand how deeply that experience had affected me. However, after a year of coaching, I have found healing, meaning, and a greater sense of awareness.
Throughout the coaching process, several techniques were incredibly helpful in my journey—Red and Blue Dog, the Road of the Wound, the Faster Scale, the Reduce Stress Tool, the Wheel of Awareness, Conflict Resolution, and Mindset Identification. These strategies helped me recognize patterns, manage stress, and approach healing with a new perspective.
One of the biggest shifts in my mindset was becoming aware of my thought patterns and recognizing the "shadows" that influenced my decisions. Understanding how I was designed has been empowering, allowing me to embrace my strengths and work on areas that needed healing.
One of the challenges I faced was realizing how my upbringing shaped my perspective, particularly in my relationship with my parents. It was difficult not to feel upset about the ways I was raised, but I learned to see that they did the best they could with the tools they had. This understanding helped me move forward without resentment while also setting healthy boundaries.
What surprised me the most was uncovering the connection between my childhood experiences and my past relationship. Realizing that I stayed in an abusive situation partly because of how I understood discipline and punishment in my early years was a difficult but necessary breakthrough.
Throughout this journey, I always felt safe and supported. I knew I could be completely open, without judgment, and that my coach truly wanted the best for me. This experience has been transformative, and I am deeply grateful to God for leading me through this process of healing and growth.