Interview With Award-Winning Business Coach Cathy Dimarchos

Cathy Dimarchos is an award-winning business advisor, mentoring and coaching leaders internationally, and is an indefatigable philanthropist who believes we can all contribute to lifting the baseline of people across the world one person at a time.

She founded Solutions2you with the purpose of impacting so that she can serve others and leave a lasting imprint. As a professional advisor and motivational voice, Cathy dedicates her time to perfecting a combination of people, business, and situational skills. Her values take center stage, and business becomes honest and expressive. She believes that knowledge exchange leads to self-reliance with effective and sustainable outcomes.

Her Advisory services extend to New and Established Entrepreneurs, teams, and large corporates and support people to become antifragile in a world that is forever changing, stretching their boundaries.

“When we rise, it is important to also lift those around us” — Cathy Dimarchos.

Award-Winning Business Coach, Cathy Dimarchos

Cathy Dimarchos’ commitment to developing today’s leaders to shape a better tomorrow comes from a deep commitment to reshape the world and to raise the baseline of where people start their journey across the Globe. From Finance and Business to Published Author, Advisor, Coach and Philanthropist, Cathy does not hold back when to comes to sharing knowledge. She says knowledge is only of value when shared, but first we must stop telling people what to do and start SHOWING them.

At a time when people across the globe are going out in search of who they are, and what they want from life, she shines a beam of light showing others how they can transform themselves and move forward. Having navigated through challenges both personally and professionally, she shows future leaders the roadmap forward, supporting them steer through values that are ethical and conscious. We all face challenges in everyday life both personally and professionally but when we understand where our boundaries are how we want to contribute to living our best life, we respond rather than react to the situations that present themselves to us. Added to this, we can also create a second order thinking mentality that will prevent us yet again in adopting reactive approaches that are seen in every day life.

Crossing boundaries are an everyday event that are presented to Cathy in both her business advisory role and Coaching business. There is very little she has not faced and it is the reason why her insight and lived experiences can bring clarity to every situation.

From CEO’s, Executives and Entrepreneurs, they all seek her out to bring about transformation that is sustainable but what is even more exciting, is the joy that people have for their path forward, as they too create a ripple effect around them, showing others how do to it too.

Who is Cathy?

Oh, I was asked this recent at my book launch and it took me by surprise, because I had to pause and think.

Truth be told, I believe that I am yet to really identify who I am, as my journey through life is one of evolution. I yearn to understand more on a global basis and I want this passion for learning to continue to be the instigator of knowledge being shared across the globe.

My life to date is not what defines me but what I will do and for whom will show you who I truly am. Having been raised in Sydney as a first-generation immigrant, the youngest of two children with my brother being 10 years old, I have sailed through life with the ability to see potential where others have not. My life has been somewhat of a privileged one as I have travelled the world from Bhutan to Borneo and Tanzania and many other countries in between. I have worked across borders and cultures having learnt as much from my staff and clients as I have shared with them. I am not saying that life has been easy, as I have faced many challenges but it hasn’t been hard either, especially if I compare my very short and enriching journey to that I when I have shared when living with the Maasai.

I have recently realised that I go against the grain, I find roadmaps and pathways where others see roadblocks. I see potential where others see failure. I apply second and third order thinking to mitigate risk and ensure there is no key risk failure point where others create one high-risk strategy.

Whilst I have spent 35 years in finance and business, it has also been with a depth of knowledge from others skills. Having also become a qualified counsellor whilst staying in the financial sector, my lived global experiences provide knowledge and skills that are seldom held by any one individual and these lived experiences are what form the development of high performance in the people that engage me.

To share a short story of how what others see as challenges and I see a roadmap forward, I will share a short story of what happens to me in those moments and how I look to navigate forward. In March 2020 I had landed back in Sydney after a National speaking engagement, the pandemic hit Australia and we went into lockdown 5 days later. My father had a tragic accident 4days after I landed and sadly, we lost him within a week (I was fortunate to be able to be with him during that week – how lucky was I that the pandemic brought me home to be exactly where I needed to be) but sadly the day before my father passed, my mother suffered trauma and was in a separate hospital to my father.

This time allowed me to pause and look inwards and ask “How can I do more, be more?” so I began to write, I wrote my book “SAME PEOPLE, DIFFERENT VISION” this book is for leaders who are prepared to step into the world to reshape the way we look at leadership and to elevate their way of thinking. I then considered how I wanted this book to add a further impact, so I have dedicated proceeds from the book to fund leadership programs that I have developed to support underdeveloped communities starting with students through to young entrepreneurs. Through challenges and adversity, we can dig deep and reflect on what our true purpose is.

When you want to bring about change, first you must want it for yourself, then you must show others how and finally you must bring others on the journey with you.

I hope this gives you a glimpse of who I am today. But watch this space as the best is still to come, especially if you join me.

What is it that you do for your clients?

As a business advisor, I provide a roadmap forward to scale your business and make it sustainable but mostly I help you achieve this by bringing those around you on the same journey. You have the vision, I have the structure, language and clarity that glues the puzzles together – from start-ups looking to scale to multinationals – steering your business forward with alignment and a culture that innovates is how I will support you.

As a coach and mentor, you will not only develop personal and transformational skills for yourself, but you will elevate those around you so that they too perform at their peak.

Removing roadblocks and creating pathways so that you drive your future the way you want – not how others tell you it should be is how you start to live the life that you deserve.

If you have ever considered engaging a Coach, advisor or mentor but held back, ask what have you gained and then consider if you know what you don’t know but would like to!

Who should hire/work with you?

Millennials and GenZ, because I am your biggest advocate. I can hear you and have listened to how you want to do things your way and to bring about real change.

If you want to step up to lead – I will support to strengthen your skills and build your tool kit through sharing my knowledge and showing you how you can adapt them and make them your own so you can succeed. I leave nothing behind because success to me is about your success.

If you are an entrepreneur and have been told it can’t work or it's too hard – don’t give up. If you have a vision and more importantly a passion, then there is a way, we just need to create the roadmap to get you there.

Anyone who has been told you have to stay in your lane, and you believe you know how to do things differently, then reach out, engage me because together the path forward to innovation, creativity and a new way to lead and shine is where you can be.

Most importantly, I will show you, not tell you what has worked.

My work will be complete as I make myself redundant as you stand up and show others how they too can do it.

What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

Raising the baseline of where people begin their journey in life and this will be done through sharing knowledge across the globe. In the next 3 years, we will have placed 1000 students through our Leadership Programs starting with school students in Tanzania.

You engaging me will help fund these students to shape a better tomorrow not just for themselves but for their families, their school, their community and their country. The ripple effect will be exponential as they too will show others how.

You as 1 person can create an impact, will you choose to be the change you want to see in the world? I know for me this is my path. Share knowledge and show others how they too can do the same!

For example, your top 3 tips within your expertise!

1. The road less travelled does not need to be the most challenging one, but it does need to be the one that will serve you to achieve the best version of you

2. The letter between D and F is the greatest value you can place in life and your career. What does “E” stand for when D is “DRIVE” and, F is “Failure”? by the way “Failure is a dirty word – we need to become antifragile.

3. Make yourself the “Human Library” when you share knowledge you become the “subject matter expert and show others that you will continue to be what others strive to achieve.

Want to learn more from Cathy? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website.

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