Today we’d like to introduce you to Catia Hernandez Holm

Hi Catia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

Therapist. It was the first thing I wrote down on my grade school questionnaire when asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” But life took me on a winding path before I found my way back to that calling.

My first career was managing high-end restaurants and bars, where I developed leadership skills and learned the art of connecting with people from all walks of life. While I thrived in that environment, deep down, I knew there was something more I was meant to do—something more personal, more meaningful.

Trusting my heart, I took a leap and wrote my first book, The Courage to Become: Stories of Hope for Navigating Love, Marriage, and Motherhood. Writing a book, publishing it, and getting it into the public was a transformative experience. It taught me that I could set my sights on a goal, be derailed, and keep going. The three years it took to write, edit, and publish the book taught me that patience is a key ingredient when creating.

Being an author and having my book on the shelf at Book People(!), next to authors I had always admired, among other respected bookstores, opened doors to public speaking and eventually led me to TEDx.

Writing and speaking connected me with so many incredible women, and I quickly realized how much I valued these connections. These women, their stories, and their strength taught me so much about resilience, vulnerability, and the power of community.

In those moments, I felt a true calling to serve others on a deeper level. That desire to be of service drove me to become a Certified Conscious Parenting Coach, where I learned how when one person decides to heal their wounds, it can transform their family system. Right away I knew I was on my path, and I wanted a more profound knowledge and resource base for my clients. So at 37, I applied for graduate school, and in 2020, I went back to school to earn a master’s in marriage and family therapy.

Balancing my family, career, and studies was difficult, but my commitment to helping others heal pushed me forward. While I was in graduate school, I felt the call to write again, and A Gentle Return: A Mother’s Meditations on Embodying Fulfillment, Pleasure, and Worth was the answer to that call. Writing it was quite the creative experience, and finding out it was a #1 bestseller was the cherry on top.

Now, as a trauma-certified marriage and family therapist associate (LMFT-Associate under the supervision of Susan Gonzales LMFT-S, LPC-S), I combine all of my experiences—from my coaching background to my years of public speaking—to help individuals and families break cycles, find peace, and embrace their authentic selves. Every step of the journey has taught me that following my heart, being of service, and connecting with others creates lasting change.

Read the full feature here.