Meet Catalina Peña | Founder and Lead Career Coach, Catalyst Creation

We had the good fortune of connecting with Catalina Peña and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Catalina, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Well. as a Colombian-American mixed Afro-Latina who emigrated to the US as a child who has lived in 9 different places (Houston, Nebraska, SF, NY, Miami, Bogota) and has experienced a range of socioeconomic situations, from being on Food Stamps as a child to being employed by one of the top VC’s in Silicon Valley 18 years later, my background has influenced me greatly because my whole life I have lived a dichotomy of experiences. This richness of experience has heavily influencedhow openly I view the world today and how I approach my work so empathetically, also. Due to my experience, I am given the opportunity to be in rooms many can’t get into, but in those rooms, I am also acutely aware of the socioeconomic barriers that must be changed for true equity for people like me to exist freely in Corporate America and the world, in general. For me, having that privilege means figuring out ways to become a bridge between the worlds so that true equity can continue being built and those coming from a BIPOC or other underrepresented background can tap into their individual power more easily so we can change Corporate America to truly be inclusive and reflective of the diverse world we live in.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Catalyst Creation is a professional development company that supports the hiring ecosystem by providing mindful career resources to organizations to help empower the BIPOC and underrepresented individuals they serve to own their power and make their dreams career realities. We believe teaching individuals to become change agents in the workplace will exponentially increase the impact on the overall socio-economic advancement of underrepresented communities.

What sets Catalyst Creation apart from other professional development and coaching companies is that we understand the career struggles many of our clients face firsthand and use a mindful approach to helping our clients along the career journey so that they can keep work-life integration in mind as they navigate their careers. The career struggles for underrepresented folks are typically overlooked or dismissed so we try to bring them to the forefront during our workshops and coaching sessions so we can create a real space for our clients to address the issues and equip them with the tools needed to overcome them taking into account the realities of Corporate America.

Talking about the realities of Corporate America, I started Catalyst Creation after being fired for the third time and realizing that there was a need for underrepresented folks to understand how to actually succeed at work but on their own terms. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made, but also has been the best so far. Since starting in late 2019, we have been able to work with 35 organizations (including UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, UNCF STEM Scholars), help support 2500+ professionals, and generated 500K+ in salary raises. Our biggest goal is to help underrepresented workers generate 1 Billion dollars in salary raises so we are well on our way!

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from starting a company is that you truly get to create your career or business or your own terms. There is a lot of stuff out there that pushes a lot of new entrepreneurs to grow quickly and scale as soon as possible, but what I’ve learned is that starting a business can be an opportunity to shape your life as you grow your business so that you do have the freedom to enjoy life as you build, not just after you’ve made your millions.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In a previous life I wanted to be a travel blogger so this is a perfect question! I currently live in Miami and I love the outdoors (also because it is more COVID safe) so my activities would center on that. Some of the things we would do are bike around Miami because there are a lot of trails by the ocean, swim in the ocean at nighttime, paddleboard, kayak, and take walks around the different neighborhoods. Some of my favorite neighborhoods are: Wynwood, Coconut Grove, Little Haiti, Buena Vista, and Edgewater. For food, there is so many different cuisines here, but we would hit up some Colombian, Cuban, and Haitian spots! Also, we can’t forget dancing– anytime anyone visits, we check out different spots to dance, whether it’s Salsa, Hip-Hop, House, etc, there is a dance spot for everyone!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Honestly, this question is a bit tough for me because I feel like all the people I’ve encountered in life have helped shaped me into the person I am today in some way. As I mentioned before, I have moved around alot—20 times to be exact and in every place, I have had to make a home from scratch and that wouldn’t have been possible without all of the wonderful people I’ve encountered which at the very moment we met were exactly what I needed for that chapter. The most important person who’s had the biggest impact on my life, however, is my mom. I honestly wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near where I am without her. There is a word we use in Colombia–berraca (badass)– which is the definition of who she is. After my dad left us in Colombia after 14 years of marriage, my mom decided to immigrate to the US with us so we could have a better life and raised my sister and I alone on a teacher’s salary, with no family, no connections, and made sure that we each got a chance to live out our dreams. I am forever thankful for the sacrifice she made and have taken notes from her work ethic, fearlessness, and commitment to others in order to create a company that helps as many people make their dreams career realities, as well.

Website: catalystcreation.co

Instagram: @curiouscata

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cpenapen/

Image Credits
Credits: Rhadamés Julian, JJ Harris, Sacha Cohen