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Magalie René is a Confidence & Compassion Expert, Executive Coach, CEO of Workplace Catalyst, and host of The “C” Word miniseries. She activates compassion, authenticity, and impact in organizations, executives, and entrepreneurs.
Her team of powerful facilitators at Workplace Catalyst deliver Compassionate Leadership Development to mission-driven companies for well-being and belonging in the workplace.
Magalie’s coaching supports leaders in finding the confidence to successfully transition careers, launch their businesses, and shift their habits to create epic results.
She has worked with Fortune 500 companies, the renowned Ford Foundation, and clients including Publicis Groupe, Senator Mark Kelly, Kaiser Permanente, Live Nation, California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech), Eventbrite, and more. Magalie has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS News, Forbes.com, KTLA, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and The Ladders, among others.
As the founder of “Find Your Shine,” she hosts transformational events and courses for entrepreneurs and business leaders, inspiring them to conquer fear and share their message.
When she’s not speaking, writing, or coaching executive leadership, you can find the native Brooklynite on a walk, in her cities of residence (Los Angeles and Palm Springs) with her dog Prince.
I always thought my career trajectory would be linear. I decided I would pursue a career in Public Relations in my Freshman year of High School. I made the choice so early because I’m ambitious and driven by nature. I chose PR because it’s a “somewhat” creative field that was still corporate enough to appease my Haitian immigrant parents who wanted me to become a lawyer. #Firstgenerationproblems
Someone should’ve told me the “s” in somewhat stands for settling. I worked in PR and Marketing for nearly 15 years creating campaigns for companies like Heineken, Allied Domecq, HGTV, Fidelity Investments and more. But, as a compulsive creative, I always felt compelled to have an artistic side project cooking (including decorating but we’ll come back to that in a moment). The lesson there?
When you have a calling, life won’t leave you alone until you fulfill it.
I chose to listen to the nagging feeling and began following the breadcrumbs. I tried my hand at things I had an interest in and excelled at: I was a fashion stylist. I became the lead stylist for several magazine editorials and landing a Bloomingdale’s catalog in less than 6 months.
I was an event planner traveling the country planning dinners, galas, and conferences ranging in size from 10 to 500+ attendees for 2 years. I went back to my PR roots (mainly because I was still afraid to fly too far from my comfort zone) but this time as a fashion and lifestyle publicist. The real turning point didn’t happen until I got divorced.
Suddenly (and finally!!) settling in any area of my life became intolerable. That realization helped me step fully into my calling as a creative. I quit PR for the last time, embraced my natural hair (for a girl straightened her hair since the age of 13 to be someone else’s version of beautiful, those two things were equally life-changing), and devoted myself to the cultivation of my Life’s Work.
It was an exciting time but it wasn’t all sunshine and empowerment. I was a little lost and a lot uncertain. Bills were piling up, rent was past due, and I had no idea what to do next. At 31, the life I had meticulously planned for myself was gone.
It was there, in the midst of emotional turmoil, financial upheaval, and loss of identity, that I began my journey of self-discovery. I began exploring personal development (through books You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay, A New Earth by Eckart Tolle, Peace From Broken Pieces by Iyanla Vanzant) and jumped head first into all things mindset, motivation, manifesting, and spirituality
Becoming self-aware allows you to uncover your inherent gifts – what’s always been there. Once you tap into those gifts you’ll learn what you really want (not the stories society, your parents, or your ego say you “should” want) and make powerful, conscious choices to get it. The final step comes naturally. You confidently and consistently share those gifts and watch your vision come to life.
I took a job in philanthropy at the prestigious Ford Foundation with the sole purpose of finding a truly creative pursuit I could parlay into a sustainable living.
I gave myself 5 years.
As Oprah says “Intention determines outcome.”
I learned what’s possible when we go beyond the roles and limitations forced upon us and follow our own path. I learned what’s possible when we let go of the “shoulds” and leap into the unknown with clarity of purpose, a timetable, a step-by-step plan, and a dash of faith.
That practice is how I took the leap and launched my first business to change the way schools look, expanded it into my first business Consciously Design , gained media attention, became a bestselling author and began coaching purpose-led leaders and entrepreneurs. Most important, it’s what led me to launch Workplace Catalyst helping vision-driven companies bridge Compassionate Leadership, Wellbeing and Belonging.
Through it all, I continue to learn from incredible mentors and thought leaders. I’m also learning from you and your stories. We’re blessed to walk the path together.
