New diagnoses. Caregiving roles. Shifting identities. Finding your footing again.
Every chapter of change deserves compassion—and you don’t have to walk it alone.
Your first step awaits. Schedule your discovery call.
Hello there!
Welcome to
Invisible Not Imaginary, a space created to honor the strength it takes to rebuild when life shifts beneath you.
My name is Caitlyn, and through 1:1 coaching and training, I help individuals living with chronic illness and their caregivers find clarity, self-compassion, and a renewed sense of identity.
Whether you're adjusting to chronic illness, or caring for a loved one, you deserve support that meets you where you are — and honors the journey ahead.
About Me
I’m Caitlyn Valadez — a coach, facilitator, yoga teacher, and lifelong learner, passionate about helping people living with chronic illness and navigating nervous system overwhelm reconnect with clarity, self-compassion, and a renewed sense of
identity.
With professional roots in executive coaching, leadership development, and curriculum design — and a personal journey shaped by chronic illness, loss, and deep healing work — I bring both expertise and lived experience to this work.
Through Lifestyle & Empowerment Coaching, I support clients in designing compassionate, sustainable ways of living that align with who they are now. And through Nervous System Regulation Coaching, I help individuals understand their body’s patterns and build tools for calm and inner safety, so they can feel grounded in both body and self.
My Turning Point
My work is deeply personal.
After a series of life-altering auto-immune diagnoses, personal losses, and career upheaval, I was forced to slow down, grieve, and rebuild my life in a way that honored my new reality.
Out of that journey, Invisible Not Imaginary was born — a practice rooted in the belief that even when life changes us forever, we are still whole, powerful, and capable of living fully.
Why Work With Me
Because I’ve been there—and I’m still here.
Working with me means having someone in your corner who gets it—not just intellectually, but from lived experience. I was a caregiver for my grandma during end of life. When she passed away it cracked my heart open and pushed my nervous system over the edge. That along with other trauma stored in the body, neurodivergent burnout at work, and having very few coping mechanisms at my disposal I believe amplified my chronic illnesses.
My chronic illnesses have been some of my greatest teachers, showing me the true meaning of tenacity, compassion, and radical self-acceptance. I understand what it feels like to grieve the person you used to be, to feel like your body is working against you, to carry frustration, isolation, and fatigue deeper than words can express.
You won’t have to explain or justify your experience here. You won’t be met with pity or performative empathy. You’ll be met with presence, honesty, and a deep respect for your resilience. I’m still on the journey myself—still learning, still practicing self-love on the hard days, still remembering that asking for help doesn’t make me weak. It makes me human.
So if you’re navigating a big life change—whether it’s a diagnosis, a shift in identity, a new role as a caregiver, or simply the unraveling of life as you knew it—you don’t have to do it alone. I’ll hold space for your truth without judgment. I’ll walk with you, not ahead of you. And I’ll remind you that you are not a burden—you are brave.
If that resonates, I hope you’ll let me be one of your “team members.” You deserve that kind of support. Let’s help you build a life you’re proud of—one aligned with who you are now, not who you think you have to be.
Client Testimonials
What I Offer
Through 1:1 coaching sessions, you'll receive personalized support, tailored strategies, and a compassionate space to move forward on your terms.
Coaching For Those With Chronic Illness
Lifestyle & Empowerment Coaching
Practical support and compassionate guidance to grieve, realign, and rebuild a life that truly fits you
Nervous System Regulation Coaching
Education and embodied practices to calm your body, restore safety, and create lasting regulation.
Coaching for Caregivers
Compassionate support to help you balance care for others with care for yourself—without losing your identity along the way.
AI Coaching
Personalized support to harness AI for clarity, creativity, and ease—whether you’re managing a disability or running a purpose-driven business.
The Broader Vision
Invisible Not Imaginary is more than a coaching practice — it’s a growing movement.
In time, this space will expand to include disability consulting services, educational materials, community support, and advocacy resources for individuals living with conditions that are invisible to the eye and for caregivers navigating life’s unseen challenges.
Because what we carry may be invisible — but it is never imaginary.
Ready to Choose You?
I envision a world where transitions are not seen as disruptions, but as sacred opportunities to pause, reflect, realign, and rise. A world where support is readily available in the in-between spaces, and where individuals feel empowered to rebuild their lives with authenticity, courage, and compassion.
Even when life shifts in ways we never expected —
even when health or circumstances challenge us...
We are whole.
We are powerful.
We have trust in what is next.
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