Project Management, Leadership, and Self Development.

I’m Carla.

I am a project manager with over a decade of experience leading projects in the engineering and infrastructure space, projects that range from “small” construction projects to mega infrastructure programs. I was recognized as one of Engineering News Record’s Top Professionals of 2023. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Structural Engineering and a Masters in Engineering and Project Management. I am also a licensed engineer.

It all sounds so fancy but in all honesty, the path here was anything but linear. I am a first-generation Latina, and while I’m incredibly proud of that, it also came with a lot of life obstacles to overcome from a disadvantaged background. Those challenges showed up in my career in a way I didn’t expect.

In order to make my desired career in leadership a reality, I had to do a lot of internal work. No one in the professional corporate world likes to talk about this stuff because it feels “too personal”. But aligning who you are at work and who you are in real life and finding that balance, is exactly what will unlock the success you are looking for in your career.

Yes, of course, I had to build competence the technical project management knowledge. But when I did… nothing really changed.

The real breakthrough came the year I focused on my internal work and that’s the year that I was offered a leadership role that more than doubled my already 6-figure salary within 12 months.

About three years ago, I started a youtube channel to share all my technical project management skills with anyone struggling to figuring out the corporate world like I did. But over time, it turned into something bigger: a space where I teach not just project management knowledge, but also the leadership “soft” skills and mindset shifts that make the real difference.

Over the past year or so I’ve been increasingly approached by project managers across the world - from South Carolina and South Africa - asking me to coach them. At first, they wanted help either transitioning into project management or feeling more confident in the role. But I quickly realized that the project management skills were the easiest thing to teach them and what they were truly looking for was deeper than “please teach me how to put together a project management plan”, it was more “please teach me how to lead even though I feel insecure. please teach me how to feel comfortable in front of a project team”. It became very apparent that we all had those same personal obstacles to overcome even though they manifested differently for everyone.

That’s why my mission is to teach project management but not just from a purely technical stand point, but through the lens of personal.

If you’re someone who wants to transform from an insecure contributor to a confident project leader or already in a leadership role but want to feel more grounded plus capable, you can find more information here.

Con Amor,

Carla

For any business, PR, and collaborations:

contactme@carlaaguilarrivera.com