Finding my true calling

Cathy Dimarchos Founder, Solutions2You

How Financial Expert Cathy Dimarchos Found her True Calling Consulting Businesses and Becoming a Personal Mentor and Coach.

It was Cathy’s first trip to Tanzania that started the process of self-questioning. In many ways, it was to reshape the rest of her life.

Her daughter at 17 years of age had decided to give back and serve orphanages in Tanzania for three months, just as the Ebola virus broke out. Cathy knew that she wanted to respect her daughter’s wishes, vision and passion, and she knew that it was her journey. She felt there had to be a way to make this trip happen despite the potential danger. As a solutions-based person, Cathy found a way to navigate her husband’s needs to keep their daughter safe with her daughter’s desire to give back. So, she would join her on part of that journey.

Cathy spent two months with her daughter, some of which was spent living with the Maasai in Endulin Ngorongoro, learning not only a great deal from them, but also learning a lot about herself.

‘So much changed for me in Tanzania. I was at the bottom of the ranking class – a white, western woman when living with the Maasai – but that showed me my ability to connect as a woman.’

‘I connected with females by listening and accepting. I connected with males across generations who have some opposing views about their culture. And I connected with young aspiring girls who had a glimpse of what was possible in the world outside their tribe. This showed me my innate ability to accept and reserve judgment because I knew something else. As a female I could relate to each of them – the struggles of the women and girls and the struggles of the men whose culture was so strong that it was hard to understand how it still stood the test of time in the 21st century.’

In looking back, Cathy realised she needed to start being true to herself and find a way to do what she loved – but with a different lens this time. It was to take her a couple of months after the trip to fully realise its powerful impact on her.

My core passion and drive is to lift others and help them succeed in their lives. - Cathy Dimarchos

It was a journey of acceptance, listening, confrontation, second guessing herself and her instincts, breaking down in tears, challenging herself and recognising that privileges make us blind. At the dinner table one night after she returned from Africa, she confessed that she ‘hated her life’. We have so much and yet we work to have more. That led to the discussion of, ‘what else is there?’

The ‘what else’ discussion is ongoing, Cathy admits.

‘There are still compromises – and I can share that there are still moments of crystallisation – but I believe that now I can see the end vision and it’s about bringing the right people together to create the impact that will be long-lasting and sustainable.’

Cathy had worked in finance for 35 years. But in 2017, she came to the realisation that although she loved the work she did, and that she and her team had huge respect for the directors of the business that they had helped start, she needed to do more.

‘I had a yearning that had started to build from my original trip to Tanzania. Whilst I had not quite worked out my true “end vision”, I knew that, for many reasons, I needed to leave behind a part of me so that I could begin again’, Cathy explains.

‘I first stepped out to set up a new business venture for someone else. My knowledge and skills in setting up businesses, end to end, is my unique skill and, of course, I hold professional finance licenses. Through this period, I recognised the importance and power of ensuring that my values aligned across all areas of my life, and I continuously searched for the end game. I found out that my core passion was to lift others and support them to succeed in their life, whether it be business or personal. As time went on the real end game started to form. I call it “lifting the baseline across the globe”.’

Cathy believes it is her nurturing feminine side that she tapped into to drive down to what she truly wanted.

‘Some call me an idealist, but I believe that with passion, grit and commitment anything can be achieved, one person at a time. And I believe that, as a female, I look outward to see what I can do for others. I shed many tears, particularly when I look at some of the choices we make as human beings and when I see people in pain, animals injured or sad movies. Whilst some people see me as firm, they also feel that I am fair and transparent, and this builds trust and rapport. It is the ability as a female to know how to balance these traits and skills that have helped me set boundaries, hold values and recognise that I was fortunate in that I often felt that I could share my emotions – including my gentle side – and that I could share my voice despite working in a male-dominated world.’

‘I have recognised that listening is about understanding, and not just so that we can respond. Again, I think this has come about from my training as a counsellor but perhaps enhanced as a female, because we tend to want to talk things through and resolve things.’

‘The one thing that has taken time to develop has been to recognise that whilst I have had a passion to create a footprint for others to follow, I was still making choices to sit backstage and away from the limelight. As a mentor and advisor, I had been encouraging people to stand up and share their voice, but how could I be that for others when I had been standing behind the scenes? Remembering the saying, “You cannot be what you cannot see”, I knew I needed to show up! I started accepting speaking engagements and the journey began. I accepted to be nominated for awards in 2020, whereas in the past I had said, “Oh no, that’s not me. I have been around for a while and I know who I am”. I had failed to see that I was being remiss, as I was not showing our future generation how to value themselves by DOING IT myself.’

So, how does Cathy’s feminessence help others find their true power and purpose?

Cathy is a detailed, multifaceted business woman, and she knows how to make other people’s lives more effective. She looks at patterns, triggers and behaviours, breaking down barriers, self-beliefs and how to optimise processes. Even more important is the driver to get to the root of what stops people from doing what they love.

‘I particularly love to support females in business and make them believe and see that they can do it! There are no limitations other than the ones we tell ourselves. I show them the power of self-talk and the impact that has on their physical body, so that they can break through that barrier.’

‘I allow people to see me being vulnerable because I am me – you can see the whole of me. I encourage women to lean out and go against the grain.

When others have told them that they need to be mindful of staying in their lane, I ask them if that is what they want? Knowing what you want in life is important, but we seldom stop to consider that for ourselves. Life is about choices and each one we make needs to resonate for us not because someone else has suggested so, but because that is our TRUTH.’

‘I look to support and navigate women through their journey so that they achieve the goals that they aspire to achieve. The programs that I offer support small businesses, corporate executives and individuals, and all have one philosophy, to create impact that serves them to achieve their goals as people, so they too can surge forward with the necessary skills to teach others.’

As a business consultant and advisor, she works closely with business leaders, so that they obtain different lenses on how their company can transform. She shows them ‘what else’ with long-term gain that serves their staff and their clients whilst meeting business objectives and the company’s vision and mission. As a personal coach and mentor, she supports women to discover their hidden potential and enables them to learn new ways to reframe their mind and resolve their blockages. She empowers them to be who they are as a person, crystalise their goals and not hide behind the scenes.

‘My end goal is to create a path that enables people across the globe to have access to knowledge so that they can create their own footprint. My vision started with the work in Tanzania. Lifting the baseline across the globe is about getting an online platform that shows women and our future generation the value in giving back through life and in business. It is about creating a digital platform that has a knowledge center that is accessible to under-developed countries so that their own people can be part of the change that they need to become sustainable and live better lives.’

‘The change will come – one person at a time.’ – Cathy Dimarchos