Instagram story viewer> @caecastillo__> Posts

caecastillo__

@caecastillo__

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

READER RAFFLE 🎟️ August in 🇵🇭 is Buwan ng Wika (National Language Month), and Akdang Pinoy (Filipino Written Works), a movement dedicated to promoting Philippine Literature. I feel like it’s the right time to open something for my readers, locally and globally (and tbh, overdue).

Starting this month through December, I’m running a reader raffle. Enter once and you’re in for all five monthly drawings, no need to re-enter. It’s open to anyone who has read, bought, or shown up for In the Darkness of Shards in some way since it was published over a year and a half ago now, and it’s my small thank you for that.

I also have some book-related events coming, more details soon, but I wanted this to go out first.

On the raffle landing page, there’s a section where I tried to name everyone who’s carried this book fwd with me, book clubs, libraries, reviewers, readers who’ve shared it in ways... I can't know all of you so If I missed you there, tell me, I would love to know.

Come enter, link in bio. 🖤

#InTheDarknessOfShards #BuwanNgWika #AkdangPinoy #FilipinoPoetry #IndieAuthor by @caecastillo__

3

19

2 months ago

Warming up to competitive bodybuilding - ICN National Championships @icn_philippines 🇵🇭

This won’t be the last post abt what happened last night, but here’s what I’ve processed so far.

I went in to dip my toes into competitive bikini bb, and it gave me what I needed. Competitive bb wasn't the OG goal. My goal was to regain the muscle I lost last year (muscle wasting), so I could get back to feeling strong again. Gaining a new experience is a given.

This post captures the people who were behind the scenes. These are their media, and I got to be fully present in the moment, because behind that privilege were people capturing it and made it theirs too:

@ikongsky – my prep coach - stage dad, who pumped me, put me in all sorts of first time things before stage
@coach_marlz, my personal trainer, who shaped my body
@itselainejoymorala_ & @coachroms both I met at accreditation, became my biggest cheerleaders and paparazzi
@juyjuy.muy , my stage mom,quietly looking out for us all day
@trayajovel best hmua, made me MissU

Endless gratitude to the brands who have been in my corner:

@nuthera.ph took care of my nutrition through nutritionist-designed, coach-approved meal preps since last year
@kinetiqq gave me the recovery tools I needed for the gym and beyond
@relazzphilippines by Aemis (PH @bluemorphinc ), my not-so-secret weapon, making sure I was asleep by 9–10 PM every night so I could wake up for 4–5 AM training
@yogalove_ph - I smother my body with their recovery cream, oils for my mood
@proagebeautyofficial looked after my skin, keeping my perimenopausal symptoms at bay even through peak week
@lumiereantiaging – my medical-grade partner for a long time, keeping my glow intact even during the toughest training
@nutriplusph Astra Plus kept me from getting sick with Astaxanthin (6000x even better than vitamin C)
Cocoon Original Vietnam @cocoon.vietnam (distributed by @bloomwell_ph PH) – my shower time gives a luxury feel, not an exaggeration
Royal Fitness BGC (now closed), my first home gym and sponsor since coming back

Also, special thanks to @kyriestandley my teammate,@airdanielle, my posing coach, @paulo.smt, my sports therapist, @luxkinishop 👙 hands down🙏 by @caecastillo__

3

29

a month ago

August Recap time! Swipe for some of my extracurricular highlights:

🇵🇭 Philippines
- My book is now on shelves at @roelsbookshop + @lostbookscebu, joining Fullybooked, Bookshelf PH & Amazon Global in the PH🙌
- Met my @tbrgirlies_bookclub readers
- Partnered with @kindle.buddiesph for their 3rd anniversary 🎉
- Featured by @bookchickasph- thank you!
- Stepped in as a model athlete for ICN Philippines' posing coach accreditation. Thanks for the invite, Ricky @icn_philippines
- 3 weeks out from my first warm-up comp, posing sessions with Coach @airdanielle have begun 💪

🇺🇸 US
- Went "in spirit" for @booksinbloomoly Oly's launch of The Bookish Club
- Invited to speak on the Dear Katie podcast @dearkatiepodcast as both clinician and someone with lived experience. Founded by Katie Koestner, who made history as the first person to speak out publicly as a survivor of “date rape” on the cover of TIME Magazine at 18. The podcast has spent 30+ years giving survivors a platform. More details soon!
- Guested on Ingrid Dutton’s 1in3 (formerly @beyondstatspod ), also sharing both perspectives, a survivor-led podcast exploring domestic violence, trauma, and healing, recently rebranded to reflect that abuse is more than a number. Airing this October for Domestic Abuse Awareness Month 🎗️

...And the quiet thank you to my readers globally - Drew 1 of the 5 winners. Congrats to you, @haveyoureadreviews and thank YOU (and everyone) for showing up for this book.

On to the next (month)! 🎄 by @caecastillo__

3

9

a month ago

Self-care starts with skincare.
@proagebeautyofficial @lumiereantiaging @bloomwell_ph (@cocoon.vietnam) by @caecastillo__

3

9

3 days ago

Body by @coach_marlz & @ikongsky 💪🦿 by @caecastillo__

3

20

9 days ago

Feature Friday author post + GIVEAWAY✍️

Catherine Castillo writes poetry. Her book, In the Darkness of Shards, focuses on healing after getting out of a toxic relationship.

Learn more about the author, her books and her writing process by looking through the carousel of photos in this post.

GIVEAWAY 🎉

If you’d like to win a copy of In the Darkness of Shards, please follow both me and also @caecastillo__

Open anywhere Amazon ships to. Should be 18+ years old. Must be willing to share your address if you win. Entry closes 13 October at midnight UK time and the winner will be posted in my stories 14 October.

Thank you Cate for taking time to answer these questions and for offering a copy of your book for the giveaway.

(And if you’re an author seeing this post and would like to be featured in a future Feature Friday post, please comment below or send me a message!)

#featurefriday #authorfeature #poet #poetry by @caecastillo__

46

4

10 days ago

When I independently published my book In the Darkness of Shards: Poems from a Broken Place exactly 3 months ago, my intention was simple: I wanted it to be a creative outlet for my healing journey & a piece that might encourage others to reflect on their own experiences.

I chose Amazon for its simplicity: no pre-launch checklists, no elaborate campaigns. I designed the cover and back, had it approved by my sisters, collaborated with an editorial team (because if you know me, you know I needed that team), and hit publish.

I had a good feeling about it, thinking of it as a tangible form of closure. It turned out to be so much more.

The book quietly made its mark, becoming an Amazon US 🇺🇸 Top New Release and climbing to #5 on the bestseller list for contemporary poetry. In its first month, I got orders and reads, numbers that felt surreal as a debut author. I received heartfelt messages from readers who resonated with its words. Their stories & reflections reminded me how healing & creativity can ripple outward in ways I never expected. Engaging with the writing community deepened that sense of connection and accomplishment too.

I signed my first copies, books my family & friends lovingly purchased, and later ordered my own author copies. Towards the end of the month, Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores across the US, like Bird & Beckett in San Francisco, CA; Florey’s Book Co. in Pacifica, CA; Bookish Boutique in Panama City, FL; and Astoria in Queens, NY, picked it up.

Last month, global retail outlets followed suit. To name a few - Indigo (🇨🇦), Waterstones (🇬🇧), and Booktopia (🇦🇺), even Akademibokhandeln (🇸🇪), along with Open Door Bookshop in Rome, Italy, and Flutter Romance Bookstore in Texas, which is owned by NYT bestselling author Laurelin Paige.

I read from my book on World Poetry Day through Poemstellium (UK) and will be hosting a takeover in Lola Kilgus's Book Club this weekend.

This journey has reaffirmed my belief in choice over chance (though I believe in both).

The universe truly pays attention.

As Rumi so beautifully said:

“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”

🌌 by @caecastillo__

3

37

2 years ago

I Compete Natural - ICN National Championships 🇵🇭 @icn_philippines

Coaches: @coach_marlz @ikongsky @airdanielle
Bikini: @luxkinishop
HMUA: @trayajovel
Photo: @cheonchiingzary

Nutrition: @nuthera.ph @nutriplusph
Training Grounds: Royal Fitness BGC, @athlifeperformance
Skincare: @lumiereantiaging @proagebeautyofficial @bloomwell_ph
Recovery: @yogalove_ph @relazzphilippines @bluemorphinc @kinetiqq @relazzph @paulo.smt taken in Chiang Kai Shek College by @caecastillo__

3

24

a month ago

Making love to the camera is a skill. Uncut version. | HMUA @trayajovel by @caecastillo__

3

16

a month ago

My routine has been drinking spearmint tea at night, and I use HelloCalm by @healthyherph. It has spearmint, rhodiola rosea, and stevia leaf, naturally sweet with no bitter aftertaste. It's become part of how I manage things day to day as someone living with PMOS/PCOS. With or without honey works! 🫖🍃 by @caecastillo__

3

1

11 days ago

September isn't just PCOS Awareness Month, it's Perimenopause Awareness Month too. 🌸

So, in line with this, here's @ninma.co 's Perimenopause Support Trio 💛

✨ Glorious Goddess, a hormone-balancing herbal tea for hot flashes and mood swings
✨ Menova, a herbal tincture to ease the peri-to-meno transition and support sleep
✨ SuperGlow, an adaptogenic blend for skin, hair, and nails

All from the Philippines' first wildcrafted apothecary, small-batch, organic, and herbalist-formulated. 🌿

#NINMA #PerimenopauseAwarenessMonth PCOSAwarenessMonth #womenswellness by @caecastillo__

3

0

13 days ago

PCOS Awareness Month 💐and if you didn't know, there is such thing as PCOS-support meal plans. I get mine fr @nuthera.ph

Here's a sneak peak on what you get in a day 🍴

Balance your hormones with meals built to stabilize blood sugar, reduce cravings, and support your body through every phase, without restriction.
✔️ Hormone-Supportive ✔️ Anti-Inflammatory ✔️ Low-Glycemic & Nutritionist-Curated

Use code CATE10 at checkout for a discount!

#PCOSAwarenessMonth #mealprep #nuthera #healthyliving by @caecastillo__

3

5

17 days ago