Dream Catalyst Labs is a career and education coaching company with a mission to empower and inspire individuals and organizations. Ilsa May and Megan Watt founded the company in 2014 to provide clients with the resources needed to succeed and become more engaged.
“The idea came to us when family and friends started asking for help finding jobs, reviewing resumes and preparing for upcoming interviews,” Watt said. “We both have two years of training in career advising and teaching, and we wanted a way to formally offer our services to people needing career help.”
May wanted to get into career coaching after her job started to shift from career advising to college admissions, and she started missing the career side of her work. Meanwhile, Watt had been speaking and holding training events since 2010 and wanted to expand her offerings and add additional services.
Watt and May feel there are three things that really set Dream Catalyst Labs apart from other corporate motivational and team building organizations. First, the approach they take to coaching and training is a strength-based. The Gallup Organization has done research that shows that when strengths are understood and applied, individuals are more engaged, higher performing, and less likely to leave the organization.
Secondly, they utilize developmental and educational methods to give clients self-sustaining results, meaning they want their clients to be able to have long-term success after implementing what they have learned. Lastly, Watt and May feel their life experiences have given them the skills needed to help others succeed.
Dream Catalyst Labs has two different types of clients. The first are mostly young professionals and those in career transitions. They seek services such as LinkedIn profile optimization, interview coaching and career and internship search resources.
The second type of clients consists of individuals and groups looking to cultivate strengths, build team engagement and increase performance through different training sessions. The four core programs they offer are strengths and strengths-finder programs, leadership programs, career development programs and consulting. These programs are offered in keynote, breakout, workshop or virtual sessions.
“We want to provide only the help and services you need–no more, no less,” Watt said. “Each client we serve receives customized advice based off of their individual goals.”
In the future, Watt and May would like to expand their team to reach a broader range of clients. They hope to expand their live events, create online courses and offer a wider variety of products. They also would like to partner with more startups to help recruit and retain top talent by developing strengths-based organizations with a commitment to excellence.
