Perfect Good Enoughs
A Sanctuary of Necessity
“Catherine is a somatic practitioner and founder of Perfect Good Enoughs, a sanctuary‑based support space for long‑term caregivers. She holds a BS in Sports Science and spent 13 years as a massage therapist. She has spoken at retreats and conferences and was a contributor to an Amazon #1 best‑selling anthology. For 29 years, she was the full‑time caregiver and life‑manager for her medically complex, deafblind, and cognitively impaired daughter, becoming a trained Intervener for Deafblind Individuals and mentoring many college students in community intervening. Catherine also founded a nonprofit now on sabbatical and originally created Perfect Good Enoughs to give her daughter purpose, connection, and a way to be fully herself. She now carries that mission forward by supporting other moms through trauma‑honest, grief‑literate classes, digital tools, and companioning work designed to help caregivers feel seen, supported, and emotionally resourced.”
The Perfect Good Enough Lifestyle isn’t a trend; it is a body‑based way of living forged out of the necessity to survive and the primal urge for vitality within that survival. It is a life built specifically for the terrain of medical complexity — a reality defined by the intricate management of multiple chronic conditions and the emotional, physical, and relational labor that accompanies them. In this landscape, life is shaped by the uneven rhythms of a body that ignores ordinary rules. Time is measured in the steady pulse of alarms, the gravity of stillness, and the non‑negotiable cadence of daily medications. Here, the word normal feels small and tired — a narrow box that cannot contain a life learned through the creative, fierce wisdom of navigating uncertainty.
The Brilliance of Resilience
The core of this lifestyle is not the myth of perfect health, but the brilliance of resilience. It is the refusal to be defined by clinical needs alone. It bends around pain to find possibility, gathering meaning from the quiet places the rest of the world rushes past. The mess is not a failure — it is a map and a testament.
The Art of the Pause
This way of living honors the body’s truths and the heart’s quietest requests. It is the practice of letting the world slow down enough for a single breath to become a victory.
Presence Over Perfection
We trade the exhaustion of comparison for the sanctuary of grace. We celebrate what is possible today, noticing the sparks of joy that flare even on the hardest days.
This lifestyle isn’t crafted from tidy routines, but from honesty and courage. It is fragile, yes, but it is also vibrant. It is enough — more than enough — because it doesn’t need to be polished to be brilliant. It is Perfectly Good Enough.
Catherine and Rachel Allen
For 29 years, Rachel and I navigated the medical, therapeutic, and educational systems with a surprisingly magical blend of sheer grit and extreme joy. Together, we learned to build a life that didn’t fit traditional expectations—a life shaped by creativity, resilience, and the belief that “perfect” was never the goal. What mattered was connection, meaning, and love. What mattered was living a Perfect Good Enough Lifestyle.
Our work grew from that lived experience. We dedicated ourselves to creating opportunities for a young woman with CHARGE Syndrome, DeafBlindness, Intellectual Disability, and complex medical needs to live in the community she chose, to do meaningful work she loved, and to form friendships rooted in authenticity rather than obligation.
Rachel was not the one running this organization, but she was always its heart. She was the face, the spark, the joy. Through her presence, she showed the world what courage looks like, what joy feels like, and how deeply one life can inspire another.
As this work continues, it will naturally evolve to reflect my passions, skills, and purpose. But its heart and soul will always reflect Rachel—her light, her laughter, her fierce love, and her ability to transform the emotional landscape of every person she met.
Today, this organization exists to honor her legacy by supporting families who are walking their own complex journeys. Families who are exhausted, hopeful, grieving, celebrating, adapting, and doing their best to build a life that is meaningful—even when it is messy. Families who deserve emotional support, community, and tools to live their own Perfect Good Enough Life.
Thank you for believing in this work and in the families we serve. Together, we can continue to spread the love, hope, and inspiration that Rachel so freely gave.
Rachel’s Signature Collection
As a Performer, Rachel decided she needed “Merch” to sell at her performances. To launch the Perfect Good Enoughs Online Store, Rachel was excited to paint and autograph this design of her own hand saying “I Love You” in American Sign Language (ASL). We traced her hand and then digitally placed a heart that she drew herself. The hand is symbolic of the reality that so much of what she accomplishes is dependent on the assistance of others. The asymmetrical heart reminds us that it is her Heart that dreams the dreams and, no matter how messy things end up, they are still magic…and Perfectly Good Enough.
Featured Product
Featured Product
Rachel’s ASL I Love You Hand is the basis for a lot of our designs, including this colorful mug.