I develop powerful women leaders in the tech industry

After spending 25 years in the software industry, I now focus on helping other technical women achieve their career goals. I draw from my experience as an executive to coach individuals, lead workshops, and advise companies on hiring and retaining female talent. I also partner with Femgineer to deliver forums that help professionals in tech level up in their careers.

Previously, I was a vice president at Adobe Systems, where I led a department within the office of the CTO. While there, I co-founded the “Adobe & Women” initiative, dedicated to attracting, retaining, and providing career development opportunities for women at Adobe. Earlier, I worked for Macromedia, GO Corporation, Hitachi Europe Limited, and Brown University, where I received my B.S. in Computer Science.

Throughout my career, I have mentored people within my company and through programs such as Women Unlimited and the Brown University Women’s Launchpad. I am passionate about helping women, especially in the male-dominated tech industry. In fact, my favorite quote is by Madeline Albright: “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”  It’s a guiding principle for how I decide to spend my time.

I’m married to a great guy, and we have two teenagers who are pretty awesome.

About my blog

For years, my husband and my co-workers encouraged me to write a book about leadership and parenting. As a high-tech executive and a working mom, I found that I was becoming a better leader because of the parenting skills I was learning, and a better parent because of the leadership training I was receiving. When I shared my perspective with my staff and others I mentored, my approach—talking about leadership in terms of parenting, and parenting advice through the lens of leadership lessons—really seemed to resonate.

By capturing my thoughts in writing, I hope to help others during that especially busy period of life when we’re raising children and our careers are growing in both responsibility and complexity. There’s so much to leverage between our growth as leaders and our growth as parents, and by pointing out some of these intersections, I want to help you be more effective both at home and at work.

I use the term “leadership” to describe any role or situation where you provide direction, inspiration, and motivation to others. While much of my leadership focus is based on my corporate experience, I aim to be relevant and interesting to people in any kind of leadership position.

I chose the title “Use Your Inside Voice”—often used by parents to calm an exuberant child—because it also applies to leaders who need to reach inside themselves to find the right words to inspire others and to speak calmly to their teams, especially in times of crisis.

I’d love to hear your feedback. Have my posts helped you? Do you disagree with me? Do you have suggestions for future posts? Your comments are most welcome.

–Karen Catlin

In my spare time, I’m also a jewelry and knitwear designer. I share my designs and patterns at KnitOutsideTheBox.com.