Every leader has a series of challenges, opportunities, and decision points that define their journey. But only a few manage to take those experiences and drive impact that sounds far greater than their individual accomplishments. Cathy Peng is one of them. Her life has crossed continents, industries, and fields, but it has one guiding principle at its heart: success is not about fame or prestige; it is about creating a positive impact on people’s lives.
A Chinese naturalized American citizen, Cathy’s life is one of courage, purpose, and resilience. She has headed multinational corporations, founded innovative businesses, and undertakings that touch and make a difference in communities. To her, leadership is not about climbing ladders to serve self-interest but building bridges so others can climb.
“Success to me is defined by the number of lives enhanced through my actions,” she says. “Nothing is as great as helping someone to become their best self.”
From Engineering Beginnings to Worldwide Leadership
Cathy started her professional life with an engineering degree from one of China’s best universities. The technical training she received gave her precision and problem-solving capabilities that became the core of her leadership style. She joined the high-technology sector as a sales leader, initially in China, but soon expanded into the United States and Europe, where she quickly demonstrated her capability to cross cultures and industries.
Her will to lead at the strategic level encouraged her to pursue an Executive MBA from the University of Chicago, enhancing her acumen in leadership, strategy, and organizational development. This technical and business acumen prepared her for top executive positions at Asian, American, and European companies, where she established a reputation for vision, execution, and people-driven leadership.
“Skills come from challenges. Welcome challenges, and pursue challenges, the fuel for growth.”
The Entrepreneurial Leap: Building Businesses with Purpose
Following a successful and lengthy corporate career, Cathy turned to entrepreneurship to integrate her work and personal life and facilitate flexibility, integrity, and empowerment. In doing so, she gave birth to ROCS Global, a consultancy that focuses on international talent deployment and cross-cultural integration.
What started as technology consulting quickly grew. Cathy saw that her team’s technical expertise and trusted networks positioned them to assess talent more accurately than typical recruiters. The companies enjoyed the specificity, and the candidates appreciated the real conversations that went beyond resumes. This created a new opportunity. Most candidates were not only seeking employment but also seeking mentoring. Seeing this gap, Cathy launched MyT.coach, a platform that provides clients with pre-screened coaches for one-on-one sessions, group coaching, and skill development. The platform aims at making coaching more intimate, more convenient, and more effective.
“Our expansion has been driven by carefully hearing what individuals actually require,” Cathy clarifies. “Hiring was the starting point, but then coaching was the obvious next step because individuals placed importance on direction as much as possibility.”
Leading Through Wellness: A Nonprofit that Inspires
Cathy’s passion for development goes beyond the business world. In 2020, she started Cathy’s Fun Fitness, a nonprofit organization that unites instructors, volunteers, and participants from around the world through online fitness classes. What started as a small concept expanded quickly into a successful program that fosters health, bonding, and happiness across borders.
This venture is an expression of Cathy’s conviction that wellness cannot be divorced from leadership. She demonstrates balance in her life, operating businesses, raising three children, and living personal passions such as traveling, athletics, and community activities. “Balance is not a luxury; it is necessary,” she maintains. By establishing systems enabling others to flourish comprehensively, she is a leader with a philosophy that is based on both accomplishment and wellness.
“Impossible means I’m Possible.”
Turning Challenges into Strength
Cathy’s path has also been characterized by resilience. Throughout her corporate life, she was usually the sole woman in the room and most often the sole Asian voice at the table. Rather than let it restrain her, she flipped those obstacles into sources of strength. Being on what amounted to the visiting team instilled toughness in me,” she remembers. “I had to keep growing by watching, speaking thoughtfully, and coming up with improved ways to navigate obstacles.
These experiences honed her skill in self-advocacy, to stand strong in her beliefs and make decisions with integrity. They also learned her the value of teamwork and acknowledgement since she always put effort into establishing trust in various teams. This principle still drives her leadership to this day: lead from the front, raise others, and inspire people to unlock their potential.
The Future of Education: Skills, Curiosity, and AI
Being a learning and development-oriented leader, Cathy envisions a future for education that is courageous. She thinks that the actual purpose of education is not just to impart knowledge but to prepare learners to continue learning in a changing world.
The education of the future will be teaching individuals how to think, how to question, and how to learn indefinitely,” she illustrates. She considers artificial intelligence a revolutionary tool, but asserts that it should be utilized as an amplifier for learning, not as a shortcut. Her schools proactively investigate new technologies, incorporating tools that maximize curiosity, critical thinking, and flexibility. For Cathy, getting learners future-ready is about developing resilience and technological savvy, so they can succeed in jobs that have not yet been invented.
Empowerment as a Daily Practice
As CEO and leadership coach, Cathy gets to balance strategy, execution, and inspiration daily. Her mornings start with aligning the team on priorities, setting the pace for progress, and making sure everyone is going in the same direction. She spends most of her day fostering partnerships, meeting with clients, and playing the role of chief ambassador for her businesses.
She models energy too, heading out at the end of her day to participate in her own nonprofit’s fitness programs, demonstrating to her team and community that being a leader means energy, resilience, and presence. When asked to state herself in one word, she promptly responds: empowered. It is a description not just of how she leads, but of what she aims to instill in others.
“Success begins with a mindset. A growth mindset combined with accepting feedback are a formula for resilient success.”
Advice to Aspiring Leaders
Cathy’s guidance to up-and-coming leaders is straightforward but deep: be grateful for feedback. She finds feedback to be one of the greatest tools for change, even if it’s painful.
“The best leaders are lifelong learners,” she says. “Impact is not built on certainty but on curiosity, humility, and continuous improvement. She challenges leaders to listen deeply, remain curious, and not forget that leadership is about serving. To Cathy, the most impactful leaders are those who integrate authenticity with purpose and constantly invest in others’ growth.
Conclusion
The journey of Cathy Peng is one of service, vision, and courage. From her engineering background in China to leadership positions all over the world and now being an entrepreneur, coach, and nonprofit founder, she has always shown that leadership is not about recognition but about impact. Through ROCS Global, MyT.coach, and Cathy’s Fun Fitness, she has developed ecosystems that empower individuals in their professional lives, their personal development, and well-being. Her story is a reminder that resilience can redirect adversity into strength, that balance is a foundation of lasting leadership, and that education and empowerment go hand in hand.
Cathy Peng remains a shining example of what leadership with vision, courage, and compassion looks like. Her lifetime contribution is proof that success is actually measured in the lives that are touched and enriched along the journey.
