06/09/2026
Hiring a mentor changed my life because, well, I really think it saved my life more than anything. I was directionless, broke, and hopeless. I had so much ambition, but every bit of my own efforts without higher education got me nowhere. I honestly don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t found my mentor, . Probably still working in the service industry, barely making enough money to get by. I think about all of the things that I’ve been able to do now that we’re once dreams. If I hadn’t taken that chance on myself, so many of those dreams would’ve been left unlived. Travel is a normal part of my life now. People traveling to work with me is a normal part of my life now. Charging my worth has become my new normal, for the first time in my life. I’ve learned to become someone who looks at a spreadsheet and feels excitement rather than dread. And most of all, I’m doing the thing I got the most pushback for my entire life, and that’s making a living as an artist.
My mentor taught me how to hold myself accountable, know my numbers, value myself, and how to RECEIVE money. That last one is very important. Because you can charge whatever you want, but when you are a young Hispanic college dropout with only a public high school diploma, no ability to hold onto money, and no wealthy upbringings, it’s difficult to believe that any sort of fortune is yours to claim.
For anyone, no matter what field you are in, if a mentor exists, do whatever it takes to find the one that is perfect for you and I promise it will change your life in a way you did not know it was possible.
So to that I’d like to say thank you so much Cat. You have guided me so perfectly throughout my journey as a mentee. I could not imagine my life without you as my teacher and friend. Because of what you taught me, I am the woman I’ve always dreamed of becoming. Because you taught me to live with intention, my dreams become my reality daily, when I decide they do.