Curiosity has shaped every step of my journey. I didn’t take the straight path, I took the one that called to me.
Meet Cat Hernandez
The Savage Darling
Style was my first love. That passion led me to study Fashion Merchandising at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, with a specialization in sales. I loved understanding the business side of fashion, but I was also disheartened by how often the industry thrives on insecurity and polluting the planet.
Everything shifted when I discovered Image Consulting. Learning the “rules” of style fascinated me, not so I could follow them rigidly, but so I could break them with intention. Around that same time, thrifting became my creative playground. Secondhand finds gave me freedom: to experiment, to tell new stories, and to dress in alignment with who I was becoming.
My path has never been straight. I spent almost a decade in hospitality, honing my ability to connect with people, create experiences, and keep calm under pressure. In Los Angeles, I worked in experiential marketing events and in production design for film and commercials — wardrobe, styling, set decorating. Later I pivoted into real estate, supporting a top agent while quietly building my own business.
When my husband and I moved to Asheville to start our family, I stepped into corporate life for the first time. Within two years, I rose from my first leadership promotion to become Director of Customer Success, where I built a thriving team, developed strategy, and collaborated with top executives. I loved that work. It proved I could succeed at the highest levels of business.
But my personal journey shaped me just as much. My husband had gotten sober a few years before our move, and after our son was born he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Supporting him through recovery and mental health challenges was hard, and it taught me even more about resilience, compassion, and what it means to keep moving forward even when life doesn’t look the way you thought it would.
Through it all, one thing never changed: the call to work with individuals. That’s how Savage Darling Coaching was born. Today, I bring together my love of style, my business and leadership experience, and my personal journey as a wife and mom to help others find clarity, confidence, and presence in their own lives.