Manifest, Disrupt & Build: A Framework for Getting Unstuck with Becca Mattie

Written By Catherine Roten

In this episode, I talk about:

  • What occupational therapy actually is (and why it's so misunderstood)

  • Why so many healthcare professionals are experiencing burnout

  • The hidden patterns that keep us stuck—even when we know what to do

  • Becca's Manifest. Disrupt. Build. framework for creating lasting change

  • Why nervous system regulation matters more than willpower

  • The power of identity shifts over chasing goals

  • Simple ways to build an environment that supports the life you're creating

I have been wanting to get Becca Mattie on the podcast for a long time. We actually had it scheduled three different times before we finally made it happen and after this conversation, I fully believe the timing was exactly right.

Becca and I first met at the Small Business Sister Circle Summit in Wisconsin over a year ago, and then spent several days together at Powerhouse Women in Arizona shortly after. We stayed in the same house and quickly realized we had an almost embarrassing amount in common…. Disney, romantasy books, running (specifically at Disney), and a shared obsession with breaking big things down into small, actionable steps. More on that last one in a moment.

Becca is a pediatric occupational therapist with seven years in OT and over a decade working with kids and families. She recently made a pivot, bringing her expertise to adults through her communityGrow Beyond Collective and her one-on-one program Cultivating Capacity. And the framework she shared? It is one of those things that sounds simple on the surface and then quietly rearranges how you think about everything.

First — What Is Occupational Therapy, Actually?

I am starting here because my husband Dylan, who works in a hospital and sees OTs regularly, literally asked me this question a few days before we recorded. And I did not have a great answer.

So I asked Becca to explain it, and of course, she nailed it.

"Occupational therapy is focused on the activities that are most meaningful to you — the things that occupy your time. It can shift so easily depending on what environment we're in and what person we're working with. You might meet an OT that helps you brush your teeth independently, all the way to an OT like me who helps with self-regulation and emotional processing." — Becca

She also shared something that made me laugh because it directly connects to entrepreneurship. OTs have to constantly explain what they do because the profession is so broad and adaptable. And as business owners? We know exactly what that feels like.

"We started our business based on a passion or a trade, but then you take on so many hats. And so the people around you are seeing you do your marketing, your banking, all of these things that seemingly have nothing to do with what you originally started the business for. And so you have to constantly remind them — no, at its core, this is what I'm actually doing." — Becca

Why Grow Beyond Collective?

Becca started her private practice after years in the public school system, where she loved the work but kept running into the same wall.

"I got tired of saying to families, 'Well, that's not an academic-related need, so we can't help with that.' It just wasn't sitting well with me anymore." — Becca 

So she went out on her own. And in doing that, she realized something: healthcare providers are not taught how to run a business. They graduate with clinical skills and almost no preparation for what entrepreneurship actually looks like. So she built the space she wished had existed for her.

Grow Beyond Collective is an interdisciplinary community, not just for OTs, but for therapists, social workers, nurses, physicians, anyone in healthcare who is feeling burned out, feeling the pull to do something different, or just craving a safe space outside of their employer to be honest about what they are navigating.

"I wanted to create a soft landing for other providers to reach out. Not to funnel everybody into private practice, but to help them strike a balance between working within a system that may not value their humanity the same way they value their professional title." — Becca

The Manifest, Disrupt & Build Framework

This is the part of the conversation I kept thinking about long after we stopped recording. Becca created this framework to take the complex, often overwhelming process of changing your life and make it something you can actually work with.

And I want to be clear: this is not just for healthcare providers. I found myself applying it to my own life in real time as she was talking.

Manifest

This phase is about identifying where you want to be. Becca starts by having people rate the major areas of their life (ie. relationships, spirituality, work, health and wellness, etc) on a scale of one to ten. Then instead of trying to fix everything at once, she asks one question:

What would take your lowest-rated area just one number higher?

"I am notorious for trying to do all the things every day. So I'm going to be better if I journal, if I meditate, if I work out, if I do all this stuff every single day. And no — you're going to be overwhelmed. So what is going to take it just one number higher?" — Becca

But manifesting is not just goal-setting. The piece that really hit me was the identity shift built into this phase. Becca shared her own example of trying to get back into a workout routine after becoming a mom. External motivation stopped working. So she shifted the question.

"I would ask myself when I was about to work out — what would that active mom do? I am an active mom. So what would she do in this situation? And that helped unlock the answer because she would make the choice to go for this run because she wants to stay active and be able to keep up with her son." — Becca

Disrupt

This is the hardest phase. And Becca does not sugarcoat that.

Disruption is about identifying and interrupting the patterns that have held you back, whether that be thought spirals, behavioral loops, emotional triggers. And the reason it is hard is because it requires nervous system work. You cannot think your way out of a pattern. You have to feel your way through it.

"In order to disrupt a pattern, your body has to feel safe in that new identity. And there's no one size fits all. You have to go out and try things that can potentially help heal your nervous system." — Becca

Becca also practices craniosacral therapy, a direct form of nervous system work, and what she has witnessed on the table is something that stuck with me. People come in for neck pain or jaw pain, and a few sessions later they are working through a traumatic event they did not even know their body was holding onto.

"If you did not have the time and space to emotionally process something, your body is going to hold on to that energy. And the energy has to go somewhere — whether that's a shoulder problem or whatever — until you give yourself the time and space to feel the feelings." — Becca

You have to name it to tame it. You have to feel it to heal it. And it is never fully done, which she says with a lot of grace for those of us who want an A+ on everything.

Build

Once the inner work is underway, the build phase is about setting up your external world for success. Becca breaks this into three areas:

  • Environment- Does your physical space make it easier or harder to show up as the person you are becoming? Are you creating micro-decisions that become obstacles before you even get started?

  • Relationships- Are you surrounding yourself with people who are where you want to be? You do not have to let go of every relationship, but you do need to be intentional about which ones you are prioritizing.

  • Time- Does your schedule actually reflect your values? If you say family is a priority, does the way you spend your time show that?

"Are you setting yourself up for success or for failure by having to make a bunch of different decisions just to get to the workout? Like — where's my biker shorts, where's my sports bra, where's my water bottle? Those are a bunch of little micro-decisions that are obstacles that can get in your way." — Becca Mattie

And here is the thing about all three phases… they are not linear. 

They overlap. They circle back. When you shift one thing, something else shifts on its own. You may realize you need to move into the disrupt phase for something new, or revisit the build phase entirely. That is not failure. That is exactly how it is supposed to work.

Dysregulation in Real Life

One of my favorite moments in this episode was when Becca named what dysregulation actually looks like day-to-day because it is not always broken down. Sometimes it looks like moving really fast around the house, rushing through bedtime routines, not being able to sit down at night, feeling like there is always something else you should be doing.

"I can feel myself literally moving quickly and not stopping. And then I have to stop and recognize — that's the place I'm in right now. What am I going to do to pump the brakes and get myself back in order? Because that is dysregulation at its finest." — Becca

She shared the moment she realized she was rushing her five-year-old son through brushing his teeth, caught herself, walked out of the bathroom, and took deep breaths in his room while he finished on his own.

"I was the problem in that situation. He's five. He's learning to brush his teeth. And being able to zoom out and take a breath — that is a skill. That is a muscle you have to build." — Becca

Connect with Becca

If this resonated with you, I cannot recommend getting into Becca's world enough. Here is where to find her:

Cat Roten

Intuitive Leader & Mentor

Resources:

Connect on Instagram – @cat.roten

Prefer Video?- Checkout our Youtube channel

Stay in the Know- https://www.catroten.com/keep-in-touch

Catherine Roten
Previous

A Love Letter to June
Next

AI, Motherhood & the Art of Honoring What’s Real with Krista Ripma