You built the resume. You showed up. And still that voice follows you into every room: Who do you think you are? It tells you you’re too much. Or not enough. Or that the real you the dancer, the writer, the one who wanted to major in something that actually lit you up doesn’t belong here. That voice has a name. And Cynthia Platero has been working with it for years.
Cynthia Platero is an executive coach and the founder of Coaching Creatives, a practice built on one belief: everyone is creative, and that creative self is the key to doing the work you’re actually here to do. With over a decade in human resources, a background in finance and compensation analytics, and a first-generation college experience that cost her a dance major, Cynthia brings the full picture the corporate, the cultural, and the deeply personal into every coaching session.
In this conversation, you’ll learn how to recognize when imposter syndrome is trying to protect you versus hold you back, and what it actually looks like to make decisions aligned with your thoughts, your heart, and your gut. Two sentences. Real tools.
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Imposter syndrome is an internal voice that warns you against being seen — it’s not a sign of weakness, it’s the brain trying to protect you from rejection. Executive coach Cynthia Platero teaches her clients to acknowledge the voice rather than fight it, then move forward anyway. For Latinas navigating cultural expectations on top of professional ones, this inner critic often shows up loudest right before a real breakthrough.
First-gen Latinas often make decisions surrounded by voices — family, culture, community — that all come from love but pull in different directions. Cynthia Platero coaches her clients to acknowledge every voice, thank it, and then turn inward. The alignment test she uses: your thoughts, your heart, and your gut. When all three point the same direction, that’s your answer. And when you own that decision, you also own the outcome.
High-achieving creatives often don’t need a program or a six-figure blueprint they need a space without judgment where they can hear themselves think. Cynthia Platero’s approach is built around asking questions, not prescribing answers. She works to remove “should” from the vocabulary entirely, replacing it with “do I want this?” because internal motivation drives lasting change, and external motivation looking good by summer does not.
Cynthia Platero doesn’t use the word failure. Instead, she reframes every new attempt as a learning opportunity “let’s go see what I can learn” which removes the weight that makes people freeze before they start. This reframe works because it shifts motivation from fear of a bad outcome to curiosity about growth. The creative question she asks: if you weren’t afraid to fail, what would you actually do?
Cynthia Platero spent years working in HR, finance, and compensation before returning to her deepest identity: someone who dances. Reconnecting to dance showed her what was missing in her own life and now it shapes everything about how she coaches. She helps her clients ask: what activity makes you feel free? What do you do where you lose track of time? That’s where the creative self lives, and that’s where real leadership begins.
Andrea Diaz: I have a wonderful guest. Cynthia, do you mind introducing yourself and what you do?
Cynthia Platero: Absolutely. My name is Cynthia Platero. I am an executive coach. My coaching practice is called Coaching Creatives. I specialize in coaching creative people, emerging leaders, and people with deep mission statements. What that means is I believe everyone is creative. When I say creative people, literally it’s everyone.
I specialize in bringing out the creative genius that’s inside all of us. I also have ten-plus years in human resources. I have worked with people for people my entire career. I’ve also been a paralegal. I’ve been in finance. So I bring a really unique and well-rounded professional experience.
My deepest passion is helping people get to where they want to get. Everyone has dreams. And that’s really what I’m here to do — help you achieve those dreams by remaining authentically you, being a genuine human, and really digging deep to get clear about what it is that you want.
Andrea Diaz: And I love that. You mentioned you have a background in HR, finance, and even nonprofit leadership. That’s an unusual combination. How did those different pieces come together, and what do they each bring to your coaching today?
Cynthia Platero: That’s a great question. Initially I started off as a paralegal. I wanted to run for the U.S. Senate, if you can believe it. But I decided I was going to get my paralegal certificate first — to make sure that if I was going to invest all that money, I really needed to like the industry. We all know how much law school costs.
I was in it for seven years and decided it wasn’t for me. So I dodged a financial hole there. Before I went into paralegal, I did my internship in HR just to get some hands-on experience. And I worked in this HR department — it was a company that hired mostly Hispanic people whose workforce was mainly Spanish-speaking. I was there translating: meetings, fliers, anything. I really enjoyed that.
So I made a pivot from the legal field back to HR. I was there for — I can’t remember — maybe five years. And what I found was that I really enjoyed data. I could do Excel magic, basically. That’s how I jumped into finance. And boy, did I learn how to work magic on a spreadsheet.
That’s where my analytical genius really came out. Forecasting, analysis, all of it. But I really missed HR. So that’s how I jumped back. There’s a very niche sub-field in HR called compensation, and I was able to make that jump because I was so well-rounded in analyzing big data. I landed in compensation. I love it. I still love it. My heart belongs in comp.
Andrea Diaz: I can imagine. And I know that feeling of jumping back into something you missed. But I feel like taking different paths and returning to one you really liked helps you — because you gain different experiences along the way.
Cynthia Platero: Exactly, exactly.
Andrea Diaz: I’m curious about working with clients to reconnect with a part of themselves they’ve muted. What does that look like in practice? And how do you know when someone is ready to reclaim that voice?
Cynthia Platero: Usually when you come to me, that’s a big signal that you’re ready. You feel like something is missing. We don’t automatically jump into doing creative things, but I’ll start to bring those out.
For example, if someone comes to me because they’re struggling with a relationship — and that could be a work relationship, personal relationship, family relationship — one of the first things I’ll pepper into our conversation is: what do you do that you like to do for fun? Not with other people. Something you can do by yourself and feel at home.
That’s how the conversation starts. I know the coaching industry has grown a lot in the past few years, but a lot of coaches tell you: do my program and you’ll make six figures. That’s not the coaching I do.
What I do is ask questions. I hold up a mirror. And I want you to really dig deep: who are you, and who do you want to be? That’s the first thing we establish.
One of the first things I’ll ask is: do you journal at all? I’ll sprinkle that in. If someone says sometimes, I’ll say: okay, you don’t have to do this — I will never tell people they have to do anything. But if you feel like you want to dig more, first thing in the morning before you have a cup of coffee, before you turn on your phone, just open your notebook and write whatever’s on your mind.
That practice is called morning pages. Write whatever’s there. Your grocery list. A thought you had last night. Whatever it is, put it on paper. A lot of times we carry everything around and never distill what’s actually ours. I need to figure this out — is this really mine? That’s how we start. Then we go into other creative outlets as I start to feel who this person is, what they like to do, and get to learn their inner child.
Andrea Diaz: And I love that you work with them where they’re at. Because I know people listening probably think these questions are easy to answer — but they’re not. Even people our parents’ age are still trying to figure themselves out.
Cynthia Platero: Yeah. A lot of times we build ourselves up to mirror what society wants us to be — including our parents. Our parents tell us: you have to do this, you have to do that. And so we start to mold ourselves to someone else’s vision.
I also work with a coach. And I’ve been working on the same thing: who am I, really? I’m very creative, and that’s why I love coaching creatives. I want to coach people who are like me — people in the professional world who are also creative in any type of way. In the kitchen. Making things. Sewing, painting, writing. Because when we connect with our inner creative self, that’s when we start living to the purpose we’re here for.
Andrea Diaz: I love that you mentioned creatives. Your approach is rooted in creativity, fearlessness, and discipline — and those three words don’t always go together. How do you hold all of them in your work?
Cynthia Platero: That’s a great question. Discipline is about building habits. Let’s say I love to dance. Growing up, I didn’t always make time for it. Staying disciplined means going to dance class — it helps me work through work stress, family stress, whatever. Being there lets me release. And staying disciplined means not letting the noise creep back in to say I’m too busy. Stay disciplined. Go to class. Write the thing. Just do it. It’s incredibly important that we make time for ourselves.
Andrea Diaz: And what’s the most common thing holding creatives back, and how do you help them move through it?
Cynthia Platero: It’s ourselves. It is absolutely ourselves. Have you heard of imposter syndrome? Basically, imposter syndrome is this voice inside of us that tells us we’re not good enough. What are you doing? This is not who you are. This is a joke.
What it’s really doing is protecting us from being rejected, from feeling feelings we don’t want to feel. So it’s about connecting with that imposter syndrome and learning to say: I hear you, little voice. Thank you for trying to protect me. And I’m going to go do this thing anyway.
Usually when that voice starts to creep in, it’s because you’re onto something. This is the place where you grow, where you develop. If we listen to it and give in, it holds us back. So really it’s ourselves — provided you don’t have external noise in the background too.
Andrea Diaz: And it’s especially difficult for us to let go of family expectations and figure out ourselves. Can you give an example of working with a Latino client — what they usually go through and how you help them process it?
Cynthia Platero: Yeah. Our culture, while it’s really beautiful, is also a little controlling. I can say that — I grew up with Latinos. And it’s not malicious in any way. What I’ve seen with my clients is that it’s similar to imposter syndrome: the family is trying to protect you from getting hurt elsewhere. If you do these things, you won’t get hurt. But if you do these things, one — it’s probably not really who you are. And two — it’s not going to get you where you want to go.
It really starts with being honest with ourselves. Navigating the family dynamics, the work dynamics — it’s difficult. But once you’re really deep in it, once you truly feel: this is my calling, it gets easier. But the work is not easy. I make my clients dig deep because otherwise you won’t see the progress you want. And I don’t mean force. I just hold up the mirror: who are you, who do you want to be, how do you get there?
I will never tell my clients: okay, now you have to do this, this, this, and that. All the answers are within you. No one knows you better than you know yourself. So it’s about getting clear: how does it feel to align your thoughts to what’s in your heart, to what’s in your gut? If all three are aligned, you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.
Andrea Diaz: What advice would you give any Latina who’s trying to figure herself out? She doesn’t want to disappoint her family, but she also doesn’t want to be stuck doing something she’s not passionate about.
Cynthia Platero: The first thing I’ll say is: we all have friends, family, people we trust. But no one can really know what’s going to happen other than you. So it’s about being able to distill from all of that — all the voices around you — and turn inward.
I have a very young client who’s about to graduate from college. She was telling me about an issue with a classmate, and her friends are telling her to do one thing, her boyfriend’s telling her another. And I said: okay, thank you. Their advice comes from love. Thank your friends. Thank your boyfriend. Thank you so much. I love you. And I’m going to stay true to who I am.
Align your thoughts, your heart, and your gut. That’s how you know. And back to discipline — stay disciplined in that. Thank everyone. I love you all. And I’m going to do this other thing that you might not like. And that’s okay.
When your body is into you making that decision, you will own whether it was a mistake or not. No one else will. When you do something because your parents told you to and it goes wrong, they won’t own that. You’re going to resent them for guiding you wrong. So you have to own your decisions. Make them as conscious choices. If it wasn’t the right path — that’s okay. I learned X, Y, Z. I grew. And it got me even closer to where I want to go. That’s the hardest part. And the most rewarding part.
Andrea Diaz: Yeah. And it brings up how scared we are of failure. You have to learn, you have to fail at some point. Every failed path is still a lesson.
Cynthia Platero: I don’t use the word failure. That’s not how I see it. I see it as: let’s go learn something. That takes away the scary part — because who wants to fail? But I never look at something new and say I might fail. I look at it and say: let’s go see what I can learn.
It’s a reframe. And when you say “let me go see what I can learn here,” that changes everything. It takes away the heavy power failure has over you, and then you’re able to be more creative. If I wasn’t afraid to fail, what would I do? Ask yourself that. I’d go try out for American Idol. Seriously. That’s the shift we want — out of that heavy failure language.
Andrea Diaz: No, and I love how you reframe it. You have to put yourself out there. You can’t let the fear of failing stop you from growing as a person. And I love the way you described that. I also want to go into — you’re a first-generation graduate, and I can imagine you understand what it means to navigate change without a roadmap. How has that personal history shaped the way you show up for your clients?
Cynthia Platero: This is a great question. When I was going to college, I’m incredibly creative. In high school I was in choir and I danced. When I went to college, I really wanted to major in dance. And my mom talked me out of it — out of love, out of protection. She talked me out of it. So I went and majored in political science.
And now, having that experience, that’s really the whole reason I want to not only help clients learn who they are, but get them reconnected to who they truly are. Because I could be dancing for Bad Bunny right now. But I’m not, and it’s okay. It’s really about reconnecting my clients to who they truly are inside — regardless of what society tells them, what family tells them, what culture tells them. We have to know ourselves deeply. Otherwise, how do we navigate life as someone else?
Andrea Diaz: And I love that you still dance. How has that been — running a coaching practice and dancing at the same time?
Cynthia Platero: I love to dance. I express myself through dance. I reconnected with the dancer inside of me maybe ten, eleven years ago. When I had my son, I left it for a good while. And I always felt like something was missing. I didn’t know what it was until I went back to dance class and I was like: oh my God, this is what’s been missing.
So for me, it’s about asking clients: what do you do that makes you feel free? That’s what dancing does for me. It makes me feel free. Even though you have your steps and you have to do this thing — there’s still room to express yourself within those steps. And that translates into coaching very easily. We all have jobs. But how can you bring more of yourself into this job? Where is there flexibility to express your inner self? Where can you let people see something they didn’t know about you?
Andrea Diaz: And you work with high-achieving creatives and leaders. What do you think they need most that they’re not getting from traditional coaching or corporate spaces?
Cynthia Platero: What they need most is being able to express themselves truthfully in a space that’s not going to judge them. I’m not here to judge you. And in fact, I’m going to teach you not to judge yourself either.
A lot of times we say: oh, I really should do this. Should is a word you all need to eradicate from your vocabulary. It’s very judgmental. It’s either: do you want to do this, or do you not want to do this?
When we’re building a habit, I’m going to ask you: why do you want to do it? If you tell me you want to look good for pool time, we’re not going to get there. That’s external motivation. It has to be internal. I really want to get healthy this year — fantastic. There’s the right amount of pressure in that. Not “look like this by this date.” Keeping that continuous goal.
We also reframe: do you want to get healthy, or do you feel like you should? Because if it’s want, you’re much more likely to actually build from it. Any time somebody says “I should,” I make them rephrase it. We don’t should on ourselves.
The space I provide is: I’m not going to judge you. I’m here for you. And I’m going to help you stop judging yourself. That’s one of the key ingredients to having success as a client.
Andrea Diaz: Yeah. And I love that. Hey, 2026 notions — we’ve got to get those out. Is there anything I haven’t brought up that you want to talk about?
Cynthia Platero: One thing I really work on with clients is the judgment piece. I’ll tell your listeners: get a little sticky note and keep it with you at all times. When you feel yourself saying — look at her shoes. We’ve all done it. Write it down. Don’t judge yourself for it. It’s fine. But I want you to start catching yourself. When you’re looking at yourself in the mirror and having a thought — write it down.
The purpose is to get more aware of the things you say and do, and then decide: is this really how I want to show up? And once you get used to catching those thoughts, start asking: why do I think that? Am I judging those shoes because I actually think they’re off? Or because I’m slightly jelly? Because I want those shoes.
A lot of times that’s how we express a little envy. And being envious is okay. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s learning to understand when these emotions serve us and when they don’t. Is judging this woman’s shoes serving me? Not at all. But if I decide I’m really jelly, I’ll just go get them. Now I have a cute new pair of shoes. Everything is bite-size. Shifting your entire being in one week is not going to happen. Little by little.
Andrea Diaz: Yeah, I love that. Little by little. And our final question — the one our founder Anjelica Cazares loves asking: do you consider yourself a leader? Why or why not?
Cynthia Platero: I do consider myself a leader. When I see an issue, a problem, something that’s broken — if it’s important enough, I find a solution. And not just for me, not so people can see what I did. It’s: how can we make this better for everyone?
One thing I’m incredibly proud of: at my corporate job, I founded a mentorship program for our Latino ERG. I created an application for ERG members and went out and sought mentors for them. Because a lot of people are scared to ask someone they don’t know to mentor them. That was me. I was too scared to ask. And fortunately my leader stepped in. So I took that experience and said: how can I get the people who want to be mentored in touch with really amazing leaders in the organization, and take out the scary part?
Our first year, we matched about twenty ERG members — Latinos — with director-level and senior manager-level leaders. And it grew from there. Last time I looked, we had matched a hundred people with mentors. The whole thing: the application process, making sure we had enough mentors, matching people based on what they said they wanted to grow in to mentors who said I can help with these areas. Nobody asked me to do that. No one asked me. And so when you’re constantly thinking about solutions and making things work for everyone — yeah, I consider that leadership. And it’s not about a title.
Andrea Diaz: No. And I love that. Before we go — where can our listeners find you?
Cynthia Platero: CynthiaPlatero.com. You can also find me on LinkedIn — Cynthia Platero. And on Instagram, I drop daily coaching nuggets and ask the same type of questions I would in a coaching session. My handle is @coaching.creatives. Give me a follow, interact, engage — I’d love to walk you through what a process could look like. And honestly, I just love connecting with people. You don’t even have to have a question.
Andrea Diaz: Thank you so much for this conversation, Cynthia. Such a good time. And I know our listeners are going to love it.
Cynthia Platero: Thank you so much for having me. I’m so honored to be here.
