Celebrated Changemaker
A Career Built on Responsibility, Community, and Clear Decisions
Some leaders redefine their lives not through grand gestures, but through quiet, consistent acts of courage. Cheila Fernandez is one of those leaders.
Her career has moved through consulting, executive leadership, and now independent work—but what stands out across all of it is consistency. She leads with integrity, she centers what matters, and she doesn’t shy away from hard decisions.
Her work began during the height of Sarbanes-Oxley in a prominent consulting firm, where high-stakes timelines were the norm. Those early years showed her she could stay steady in fast-moving environments.
She reflects, “I learned early to act before I was 100% comfortable—but to do so with integrity and in ways that reflected what mattered most to clients, creating harmony during times of stress and uncertainty.”
Later, she served as Chief of Staff for a national service offering through the Dodd-Frank era, and then as COO at a national community development financial institution. Each role widened her scope and sharpened her judgment.
Long before those titles, though, her foundation was set at home—and her pride in it is clear. “I am an eldest daughter and first-generation immigrant from the Caribbean, where commitment to community and excellence through consistency was a value I saw modeled every day,” she says.
That shows up in how she shows up: with steady effort, clear expectations, and a deep sense of responsibility, aware of who could be watching and who might benefit from her courage. It’s part of what grounds her leadership—and gave her the courage to take one of her biggest leaps yet.
Choosing Alignment and Building Work That Fits
When Cheila decided to leave her executive role, it wasn’t abrupt. It was a clear call for alignment.
“I realized I had hit a growth ceiling,” she says. “My values and needs were no longer aligned with those of the organization I served. I also deeply missed client service and the dynamic, community-centered nature of advisory work that has always been at the heart of what I love to do.”
She realized she couldn’t stay in a role that required her to shrink parts of herself. The misalignment showed up in subtle but unmistakable ways: hesitation, second-guessing, emotional exhaustion.
Naming the misalignment out loud was the turning point. It was the moment she stopped shaping herself around the role and started reshaping the role of leadership in her own life.
But even knowing that, the decision to step into something new wasn’t simple. If you’ve ever faced a crossroads in your career that feels significant, you know how it can feel: the pressure to make the right decision, the doubts about timing, stability, or even your own capability.
It was during one of these periods of transition that she sought support from It’s the Impact , whose “unique blend of science and wisdom,” Cheila says, helped her face hard situations and rebuild trust in herself.
“Through personality assessments and reflective coaching, It’s the Impact helped me navigate some difficult decisions,” Cheila says. “Rayne gave me permission to move at my own pace and helped me work through shyness, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt with compassion.”
We also helped her articulate the depth of her experience and name the value she brings to her clients, a shift that strengthened her confidence and the way she presents her work.
It became clear that Cheila needed to move on from the role that no longer aligned with her needs. She’d learned to make decisions based on her values, not her fears—and she took a brave step that’s been immensely rewarding.
“It was essential that my next chapter—and everything that followed—reflect my core values: freedom, integrity, community, impact, and innovation,” she says. “I wanted to shape how, when, and with whom I work, while creating space for experiences that empower my clients and me to design big, meaningful solutions for our most pressing social and organizational challenges.”
Leading With Humanity and Practical Support
Today, Cheila is building a consulting practice that reflects everything she’s learned and gives people healthy spaces to be honest about what’s working, what’s unclear, and what needs to change. Her straightforward approach centers clear thinking, honest conversations, and support that helps her clients stay focused on what truly matters.
“I’m most excited about the impact I’ve already begun seeing through my early work with clients and creating safe spaces for leaders to process the messiness of change and growth,” she says. “I love witnessing the relief that comes when people feel permission to be human and to experiment. That was my biggest lesson when transitioning from consultant to executive, and I’m eager to continue shaping this more integrated model of advisory work.”
This is the legacy of a leader who learned to trust herself and what she believed in enough to build something new. Cheila’s ability to create environments where people can be honest, messy, unsettled, and in transition—and pull from it something meaningful—is an amazing achievement, and a direct reflection of her integrity and the compassion she’s learned to extend to herself. It’s an authentic, refreshing kind of leadership that uplifts everyone around her.
To help ground her lessons in practical insight, here are a few takeaways from Cheila’s experience that can support leaders navigating their own transitions:
Lead from alignment, not obligation.
When your role, values, or energy are out of sync, even the strongest leaders feel the strain. Cheila’s transition reminds us that alignment is not a luxury — it’s a necessity for doing clear, meaningful work.Trust the wisdom you already have.
Leaders often wait for full certainty before making a move. Cheila’s story shows the power of trusting your instincts and allowing experience, judgment, and self-knowledge to guide next steps.Create supportive spaces for honest thinking.
Leadership is rarely about having all the answers; it’s about creating environments where honest questions can be asked. Cheila rebuilt her next chapter through conversations grounded in clarity, values, and truth.
When asked what advice she'd share with other leaders, Cheila’s answer was simple and to the point: “Ask for help. Find someone who understands the complexity of your role—someone who can hold up a mirror to your strength when you forget it’s there.”
If you see yourself in parts of Cheila’s story and want a place to think through your own next steps in leadership, consider joining The Changemaker, or schedule a FREE discovery call with Rayne. No cost, no strings, no pressure—just a supportive, steady space to find clarity of your own.