Celebrating Montreal Businesses, Entrepreneurs and Influencers: Catherine Kontos

Catherine Kontos has inspired women all over the world. As a stage-3 breast cancer survivor, she has created a community of women who look to her for strength. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, as we celebrate this brave warrior.

Here’s Catherine Kontos.

Petrona: What is your official title?

Catherine: I’m a serial entrepreneur. I am the president of several businesses for retreats, individual, group, and business strategy based coaching. I am also an author, a speaker, philanthropist, Creative and Advocacy Strategist, and the creative director and podcast host at Stripped Bare FM.

Petrona: What is your greatest passion? Did that fuel you to get started?

Catherine: I’m passionate about empowering and elevating through inspired action. I intentionally made my business work with my life and purpose.

Petrona: What is the message you wish to convey to the world? In other words, how do you want to be remembered?

Catherine: When I faced stage-3 breast cancer, this question became very loud in my mind. It became very clear during that time that I needed to make an impact while here. That experience catapulted me into a life with purpose. Although I enjoyed operating businesses like brand marketing, real-estate, and reservation agencies, retail, and hospitality, I suddenly was overwhelmed with a need to connect deeper with humanity and expand my conscious leadership. That is when the law of attraction blossomed and my purpose seamlessly shifted. My experience facing death repositioned me into roles where I can have a personal and large-scale impact on the individual, group, and corporate growth, through practicing my authorship, philanthropy, speaking, advocacy, retreats, and coaching.

I want to be remembered as the little gentle inspirational warrior that had a hand in creating effective conscious leaders and made a dent in making life a little better for those around her.

Petrona: Describe your business, service, or mission.

Catherine: Simply put, I coach, I strategize and I empower people, businesses, and organized groups to achieve their goals both personally and professionally. I shift their mindset to communicate, lead, strategize, and negotiate every targeted aspect that is placed on the table both through creative and proven strategies.

Petrona: What is your biggest quirk?

Catherine: When in a situation where I’m required to be silent and accompanied by my daughter or close friend, chances are you might find me getting the giggles and I am forced to walk out to compose myself. An example of this is when my daughter and I were watching the Grand Ballet of Montreal. When the giggles started it was game over. Saunas don’t fare well either.

Petrona: What has been your biggest challenge in business?

Catherine: I am an old school marketing girl. I love connecting with people at a deeper level. You can’t get that on social media. I had to accept today’s reality and try to keep up with the lightning speed changes in social media.

Petrona: What’s next for your business or for you?

Catherine: There are a few projects in the works that are exciting. I am expanding my brand and services to the US and international markets. I am in the process of developing several online programs. One of those will train leaders in effective negotiation through strategic communication skills. I will also continue to expand inspirational content through different media. As for my other projects, unfortunately, I can not divulge them right now, but your readers can follow and celebrate with me my every announcement as I do the same for them. Collaboration is essential and nothing is more exciting to me than celebrating wins as a collective.

Petrona: What advice would give to someone reading this?

Catherine: Become the CEO of Pivoting. Life and business are constantly changing and that should not paralyze you but inspire you to experience and learn something new. Embrace the challenge and use it as your stepping stones to level up both your life and business.

Petrona: What is your favorite quote?