I’m Karen Catlin. After a successful career in the tech industry, I’m now “paying it forward” by helping to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces.
My Story
After spending 25 years building software products and serving as a vice president of engineering at Macromedia and Adobe, I witnessed a sharp decline in the number of women working in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, I knew it was time to switch gears.
What I Do
Today, I’m a leadership coach and an acclaimed author and speaker on inclusive workplaces. I coach women to be stronger leaders as well as men who want to be better allies for underrepresented groups. I speak about inclusive workplaces, being better allies, and women in leadership. To help more people cultivate ally skills, I wrote three books: Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces, The Better Allies™ Approach to Hiring, and Belonging in Healthcare.
I also have a weekly newsletter, 5 Ally Actions, where I share ideas curated from the week’s news and my interactions with clients, audience members, and subscribers from around the world. I’m on a mission to be a better ally myself, and I learn new approaches all the time. And when I make mistakes, I write about them in the newsletter so others can learn with me. You can subscribe at betterallies.com.
My clients include
