about me

Compassion is my passion

I’m inspired by the idea that when people feel free to be themselves without judgment, this sparks compassion and productivity

I used to pride myself on lacking empathy. After all, it’s my left brain that had always served me, a born overachiever and academic box-checker.

I achieved success as a salesperson in the corporate world (selling quantitative trading algorithms to asset managers - aka left-brained things to left-brained people) because my natural ambition as a producer fit right in with the intensity of the financial markets.

This environment was so me.

Or so I thought…

I finally realized that i was valued more for what made me “fit in” than for what made me an individual

This took me way more time to figure out than I would like to admit.

Growing up in a central NJ suburb and working in finance, I have always been vaguely aware that I looked different than most people I’ve been surrounded with, but was never self-conscious about it. I thought my individuality was an asset, something that made me memorable and unique.

As I reached higher levels of leadership, I realized that I not only looked different, but my entire set of life experiences, thoughts, and feelings were different, too. This made me approach leadership differently than most of my managers and peers. I desperately wanted this to be an asset, but instead I was finding it more difficult to feel like I could be my whole self at work.

Being this out of alignment made me feel lost and confused in a way I wasn’t used to.

IF I hadn’t even fully understood myself, then I must also be misunderstood

With the guidance of some amazing executive coaches and deep self-reflection, I realized that my most meaningful achievements occurred when I was the most connected with my intuition and sense of inner knowing - when my right brain was kicking into gear and working in blissful harmony with my left.

I started to view myself as this multifaceted, textured individual, not just an intense, high-achiever who used to take pride in lacking empathy.

If only we could do a better job of understanding ourselves and each other, what kinds of greatness could we achieve?

The opportunity in this question fascinates and inspires me.

It sparks my passion for compassion.

“Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I learned that compassion and understanding of others transforms leaders, teams, and organizations

In 2017, I began my own journey towards becoming an executive coach, receiving my certification as a professional coach in 2018 while advancing into leadership roles in my finance career (and becoming a mother of two)!

Over the next several years, I channelled these skills into my roles as a manager, developer of talent, and leader of high-performing sales and relationship management teams.

I experienced firsthand the greatness and potential that authentic leadership inspires in others. But it is often stymied in corporate environments, where leaders don’t have the support and time for self-reflection and are under constant pressure to perform.

I started The Catalyst Exchange to bring together visionary leaders who share my passion and curiosity for the unlimited greatness that compassionate, authentic leadership can catalyze.

Does this resonate with you?