Star Cathcart is a Black, disabled, female Marine Corps veteran. She is a survivor of military sexual trauma and has MST-PTSD. Cathcart sees two psychologists, and she is part of a Bible study group and a trauma group. Between 2009-2012 Cathcart hadn’t slept naturally, and when she would sleep, she’d wake up from intrusive, traumatic dreams. "I was woken up in the middle of being sexually assaulted," Cathcart said. "When those intrusive thoughts, intrusive dreams started happening, I knew something was wrong and I needed mental health support."

Cathcart is married with three children (a 14-year-old daughter, a 12-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son). When she’d wake up, she’d do a sweep of the house with her firearm to make sure her loved ones were safe. Cathcart said the military trained her how to be a killing machine, but she never learned how to protect her children in the same way she learned how to protect herself. 

In the last year, she underwent gastric bypass surgery. At the time of her surgery she was nearly 300 lbs. Since last October she has lost 110 lbs. For the past decade Cathcart has worked to heal both mentally and physically through yoga. She is deeply passionate about working with female veterans—especially Black, female veterans—in the non-for-profit world. She has taught trauma-informed yoga at Wilson’s and the VA both in-person and virtually. She is in the process of converting the downstairs area of her home into a yoga studio, which will allow her to work with more students in a safe, private setting that is judgment-free. As someone who, until recently, lived in a plus-sized body, she wants to show others who don’t fit the stereotypical white, skinny yoga body mold that they can practice intentional movement too. 

Additionally, along with her work at IBM, Cathcart has started Empowerment bracelets through which she sells high-quality bracelets. She and her youngest daughter make the bracelets together while her older daughter handles some responsibilities with the website. Although her jewelry making is a profitable business, her main reason for working with beads is to learn how to play again. Cathcart is a certified Dare to Lead facilitator and wants to use her business to help other female veterans rediscover their ability to relax, play and lower their guard. 

In addition to all the work she does, Cathcart is still a mother. Her son has special needs as well as anxiety and depression, and she advocates to ensure his IEP is being followed. Cathcart played basketball in high school and college—and will soon be Hickman's varsity assistant coach—so she connects with her daughters through sports (both the familiar world of basketball and the unfamiliar terrain of volleyball). Furthermore, one of her daughters recently shared with her mother that she is a lesbian, so Cathcart is navigating how to protect her child from the vitriol of the world. Because of Cathcart’s various disabilities and medical issues (such as degenerative disk disease), she takes a variety of medication but is in the process of finding natural solutions so she’s less reliant on prescription medication. Most notably, Cathcart relies on medical marijuana to alleviate her sleep-related issues. She is learning how to be more open about the accommodations she needs so that she can advocate for her physical and mental well-being.