How I Became an Executive Leadership and Life Coach

We sat down with Wendy Perdomo for our “How I became a…” feature to find out her life and career journey! There is no doubt that this power Latina is making a difference in her community and we’re excited to share her story…

What is your job title/company name and role? 

I am the Executive Director of Professional Development and Training at New Leaders and the Founder and Executive Leadership and Life Coach at Coaching Women of Color. 

 Where and what did you study in college?

 I went to Colgate University for my undergraduate and double majored in Political Science and Spanish. I acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University. 

I also have two Masters degrees from Baruch College, School of Public Affairs. I have a Masters in Public Administration and Masters of Science in Education Administration. 

What was that pivotal moment that you knew this is what you wanted to do as a career?

From the time I was in high school, I was always that girl that everyone came to for advice. I listened and focused on being non-judgmental. That was a gift that stayed with me as a young adult and became pivotal as I continued to evolve into the leader I am today. My career journey led me to be a professional trainer and facilitator. The topics I mostly focus on are training adults on communication, leadership, and effective management practices. Coaching was a natural complement to the training process. I started coaching and providing support to staff and managers based on my instinct and experience however, I had a deep interest in being formally trained as a coach. I enrolled in an accredited coaching program, called Accomplishment Coaching Training Program and I completed a full year program and graduated as a coach. After I graduated from my coaching program and began practicing it was clear that this was the work I was meant to do on the planet. I was changing lives, making a difference, my clients were winning powerfully. I have been serving women of color leaders primarily as part of my coaching practice and I love the opportunity that my coaching and training afford me in supporting women in overcoming their challenges to be able to manifest the life of their dreams and achieve their personal and professional goals.  

Did you have any internships or career experiences that helped get you to where you are today?

 My coaches training program, Accomplishment Coaching, which is an accredited coaches program by the International Coaching Federation was an amazing opportunity to learn the foundation and principles of coaching. I love to train and coach my clients. 

The National Urban Fellows Program was also a pivotal program in my educational and professional journey. I was 23 years old and was the youngest fellow ever admitted into the program. It was a 14-month mentorship opportunity where I was able to accelerate my career and leadership capacity and also receive my first Master's degree in Public Administration. As a result of having my first Masters at 23, I was able to get hired early on in my career at the New York City Department of Education. The role required 10 years of experience or more. However, with the Master’s degree, I was accepted for the position as the Master's degree was viewed as being the equivalent to the requisite years of experience needed for the role.

What do you love most about what you do?

 I love training and coaching staff and managers as well as my clients and watching them implement new leadership practices or engage in different habits that begin to yield powerful outcomes in their professional and personal lives. They begin making small shifts in their daily practices that begin to cause real transformational changes in their lives incrementally. It could range from volunteering to present at the next team meeting, speaking up more, leveraging their professional relationships differently, networking more, finding mentors that will support their career goals on an ongoing basis; whatever the practice is I love seeing how they are the authors of their lives and are creating their success by design all the while building greater confidence and empowerment along the way.

What do you dislike about what you do?

I have to often remember that self-care is not selfish and that I need to rest and relax so that I can restore my energy. As a single mom, full-time employee, and part-time entrepreneur I am constantly ON. I am super driven and ambitious and if I am not attentive to my personal needs for self-care, I can burn out so it’s important to make sure I take time for myself and I am not succumbing to the pressures of overachievement or the next thing or next thing. Social media is a big influencer and promotes show more, do more, and if you are not careful and do not have boundaries and the right mindset you may burn yourself out trying to keep up. The only person you need to keep up is with yourself. Stop worrying about what others are doing or not doing and focus on your present moment living it powerfully and the goals that you are seeking to manifest.

Tell us a personal/professional challenge you faced and how you overcame it.

 A professional challenge that I was encountering in my small, not for profit was having too much work to do and not enough support. As my leadership and performance grew, I noticed that good work gets rewarded with more work. In my coaching practice, I coach women of color to ensure that they are elevating their voices, speaking up if they find themselves in an inequitable situation, and making sure they are practicing good self-advocacy around their roles, responsibilities, and rate of pay. 

I found myself in my non-profit where I was leading up the entire professional development infrastructure for the organization, however, did not have adequate human capital support. So I had to practice what I preached. I spoke to my boss and explained the challenges I was experiencing with incremental work responsibilities which were oftentimes also time-sensitive and urgent. I requested a full-time staff member to work alongside me. It was approved and I now have a great Associate Director of Professional Development and Training who is an amazing partner to me in the work that I execute on behalf of my organization. Just a reminder that “closed mouths, don’t get fed.” 

If you could give yourself advice while you were in high school, what would it be? 

I was super motivated in high school, I graduated salutatorian and I was on a winning streak so I would say... “Keep going, you got this. You’ve come this far. The world is truly yours. Don’t get too distracted. That boy though... I don’t know about him, he looks like trouble [and he was] so keep focused on you love. You ARE a superstar and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Wendy Perdomo

Executive Director of Professional Development and Training, New Leaders

Executive Leadership & Life Coach, Coaching Women of Color 

Website: https://coachingwomenofcolor.com/

Instagram: @wperdomo74

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachingwomenofcolor/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendyperdomoleadershipcoach/