THE JOURNEY

I experienced my awakening at the age of 23. After being misdiagnosed and over-treated in emergency surgery where I lost my left ovary out of "precaution", I opted out of undergoing “preventive chemotherapy” (thank you forever Kris Carr!) and changed my life and diet from the inside out. I asked myself how a young body, with no signs of malignancy, could undergo such severe and invasive treatment.

I now know, that it is not our experience that makes our life, it is what we do with the experience. After the health scare, I packed my bags in New York, moved to Miami to fulfill my desire of working on a presidential campaign, went raw vegan, started juicing, ate under the warm sun, got fresh air daily, met the love of my life... and subsequently, started to feel whole again. I gave myself the opportunity to live slower and with more intention. This, in turn, shifted my perspective, and perspective is, really, all that matters.

I was named a "top food tech entrepreneur to watch in New York City" by AlleyWatch after launching my first startup, GreenHopping. We were a semi-finalist of NYU'S $200,000 competition, selected by SXSW for the Startup Village Spotlight, and TechWeek's launch competitor. I launched GreenHopping out of my own personal necessity to live greener. It didn't "make it" but it opened me up to a whole new world of skillsets. It allowed me to expand my creativity and search for new paths. Ultimately, bringing me "home" to "me" through new challenges, knowledge, and leadership.

THE CREDENTIALS

Catherine is wldflwr's founder and head publicist. She's been working in communications for a decade. Her passion for communications stems from the desire to build, unite, and inspire. Catherine served as assistant press secretary in Tampa, Florida during President Barack Obama's reelection campaign in 2012 - and acted as the press secretary for Judge Rita Mella during her race for Surrogate Court in New York City, which she won. She's worked on the social corporate responsibility teams for the Hispanic Agencies of Record (The Vox Collective + MullenLowe Profero) representing top Fortune 500 companies in pharma, food, and retail.

Independently, Catherine spearheaded the launch of accelerator programs empowering women of color in technology, plant-based restaurants & brands, startups in the consumer household space, and national emergency programs for disaster relief. Catherine has expertise in landing high-profile public engagements, ranging from interviews to panels.

Catherine earned her BA in International Relations and Politics from Coventry University, England and will someday complete her MA in Food Studies, Culture, and Policy from New York University. She is American but grew up in Santo Domingo, Geneva, and Brussels, partially. She is trilingual in English, Spanish and French. Catherine is a 2016 Aspen Institute Scholar, a 2017 Aspen Institute 'Ideas Festival' Scholar, and was most recently published by TIME and Thrive Global. You can follow her journey on Instagram here.