Animals & Us
Kat Finnerty · 49 min
From losing her mother at twelve to a multiple sclerosis diagnosis and marital betrayal, Kat Finnerty's extraordinary journey shows how radical perspective shifts — not perfect circumstances — are the foundation of lasting resilience.
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Kat Finnerty was twelve years old when her mother died on her birthday. Her father's response shaped everything that came after: instead of dwelling in grief, he asked her how her mother would want her to live. She chose to honour that by living fully. Thirty years later, Kat would need that same choice again, multiple times over.
At 27, holding her newborn, Kat was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. A doctor told her not to have more children and predicted she'd lose her ability to walk by 40. She had two more children anyway. By 30, she'd lost vision in one eye, her hands barely worked, and she couldn't leave the house without terror. She was drowning in anger, drinking wine each night, unable to see a way forward. Then she found a Buddhist teacher in an attic gym in Melbourne who told her bluntly to change her perspective. That single conversation, followed by a week of learning to tolerate Vegemite, unlocked something: the realisation that nothing in life is good or bad on its own. Everything is filtered through how you choose to see it.
On her fortieth birthday, Kat discovered her husband was having an affair. That night, instead of letting anger consume her, she made a conscious choice to send love to the people who had hurt her. By morning, she had processed the betrayal and moved forward. Today, Kat lives across three countries, runs retreats, teaches yoga, and writes meditations. She has built a life not despite the MS, the loss, and the betrayal, but from what those experiences taught her about perspective, choice, and kindness.
⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses grief & loss and suicide & self-harm prevention, which some listeners may find distressing.
If you need support, you're not alone. Help is available: • Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au • GriefLine: 1300 845 745 · griefline.org.au
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