Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen Aceves-iniguez

Hi Carmen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I am a certified Leadership Coach, Consultant, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Interestingly, I didn’t set out to become any of these things.

My journey has been a mix of perseverance, serendipitous moments, experimentation, following my intuition, and trusting that the Universe, my ancestors, and spirit guides are guiding me along the way.

I graduated from UCLA with a degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Spanish Literature, though my college path wasn’t straightforward—it took six years and three different schools to get there.

Leaving Loyola Marymount University after my freshman year was the first big test of my intuition. I made the decision to leave on the very first day of classes. It was a visceral reaction. As I stepped out of my dorm and surveyed the campus, my stomach sank. I felt the weight of culture shock—coming from a low-income, diverse community of color, this environment was the exact opposite.

Choosing to leave felt like a huge gamble. I had worked so hard to get into a four-year private university. Transferring to a community college, with only a slim hope of later making it to UCLA, was a risk with no guarantees. What would people say? What would my parents think? I was the first woman on both sides of my family to make it this far.

My mother didn’t fully understand, but she supported me. My father, on the other hand, shared his disappointment through an analogy: “Eres como los cangrejos,” meaning, like crabs, I was walking backward.

Even with that disapproval, I knew in my gut what I had to do. Five years later, I walked across the stage at UCLA with my parents cheering me on.

My first job after graduation was as a union organizer, following a paid summer internship through the UCLA Labor Center. This role brought me to the Bay Area, where I’ve lived ever since.

While working for the union in San Jose, I crossed paths with a small non-profit that rented office space from us. Through a twist of fate, I later landed my second job there and stayed for seven years, reconnecting with my community organizing roots.

It was one of those serendipitous moments: A colleague from my union had a housemate who worked at the non-profit. As it turned out, the Executive Director of that non-profit was someone I had met years earlier—he was a college student when I was a high school community organizer.

The new job also solved a practical issue—my long commute from Oakland to San Jose. Taking the role of a youth organizer in Oakland not only shortened my commute, but it also opened new doors, eventually leading me to become both a coach and a therapist.

During my time as a youth organizer, I was introduced to leadership coaching and became a certified coach. For the past 16 years, I’ve coached primarily women of color working in social justice spaces.

While immersed in the social justice world, I became increasingly interested in how wellness and mental health intersected with organizing work. I witnessed the old adage—“hurt people hurt people”—play out even in spaces meant to bring healing and justice to communities.

This passion eventually led me back to graduate school to study counseling psychology.
Today, I work as a Leadership and Wellness Coach, Consultant, and Licensed Therapist in private practice. My journey hasn’t followed a straight, linear path—it’s been anything but an A-to-Z roadmap.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

The journey has been anything but smooth. As a first-generation college graduate, I faced the challenge of navigating the college process without support from my family. What was supposed to be a four-year college journey stretched into six years and three different schools. Graduate school didn’t happen until ten years later.

I also endured a long struggle with panic attacks brought on by working in a high-stress environment. Early in my career, I ignored my intuition when it told me it was time to leave my first job. With student loans, a new car note, rent, and other expenses piling up, I convinced myself I had no choice but to stay. I rationalized it, feeling embarrassed that I couldn’t “handle” the toxic work environment. But staying against my better judgment took a toll on my health. I developed full-blown panic attacks. Even seeing the exit sign for work on the freeway would trigger them—heart racing, cold hands and feet, tunnel vision, and hyperventilating.

Though it took me years to fully heal, I’m grateful for the hard lesson: to trust my gut, my heart, and my intuition over my mind.

There were happy detours too. As I considered returning to grad school, I explored journalism through an 18-month apprenticeship at KPFA, a listener-funded public radio station. I loved the experience, and while it confirmed that journalism wasn’t my path, it enriched my life in ways I hadn’t expected.

The delays, detours, and distractions have added color to my life and given me stories to tell. Between earning my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I took on many roles: union organizer, youth organizer, director of a statewide education alliance, certified coach, and radio apprentice.
I didn’t originally plan to become a coach or therapist. Instead, I followed my intuition and my passions. Working in social justice eventually guided me toward becoming a coach and therapist who centers the experiences, healing, and leadership of women, BIPOC, and queer and trans people.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

With over three decades of experience working for social justice—as an organizer, facilitator, and convener of diverse communities of color—my coaching practice offers a unique lens on the intersections of oppression (gender, race, class, sexuality, immigration) and how oppression (internalized, interpersonal, and institutional) affects mental health. My work combines strategy, wellness, and leadership.

I partner with individuals and leadership teams across non-profits, philanthropy, and beyond. I also facilitate trainings and retreats.

At the heart of my practice is healing—centering the connection to self, heart, and community.
I’m known for cutting through the noise with both precision and compassion, creating space for all aspects of my clients—the tough and the tender, the fearful and the spiritual. I bring my full self—every identity, gift, and bit of wisdom—to my work, and I invite my clients to do the same, creating a space where they can fully show up.

What I’m most proud of is that my business has grown through word-of-mouth, referrals, and deep trust. I value building long-lasting relationships, which is reflected in the number of returning and referring clients. It’s a deep honor to support incredible leaders, and I feel both humbled and grateful for the trust they place in me.

I often say my business is like a little gem shop—if you know, you know. It’s not a flashy, high-profile operation; rather, it’s a place of discovery for those seeking something meaningful and rare. Clients often find me through trusted referrals, drawn in by a reputation built on integrity, depth, and a commitment to genuine transformation. Like a hidden gem shop, my work isn’t for everyone—it’s for those who value authenticity, who are ready to dig deep and be vulnerable, and who appreciate a safe space to explore, heal, and grow. If you step into this work, you’ll know you’re in a place where each piece, each conversation, and each insight is crafted with care, intention, and a focus on true, lasting impact.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?

Look for the things that light you up, not the things you think you’re “supposed” to do. Don’t be so afraid of disappointing others. Your parents, friends, and loved ones may not always understand your path, but they mean well—they just want you to be safe. But safe is not the same as truly living. Experiment, play, and explore. Make mistakes, and learn from them quickly.

Learn to trust yourself deeply. Unshakeable self-trust doesn’t mean you won’t make mistakes—you will. But when you do, you’ll know how to pick yourself up, tend to your wounds, heal, and try again, armed with the lessons you’ve gathered along the way.

Develop a relationship with your gut—the primal wisdom of your body. Live more from your body, from the neck down.

Cultivate your intuition—your higher self’s guidance—by spending time listening to and honoring the desires of your heart and soul.

Know when to leave – a job, relationship, environment – because it’s toxic, you’ve outgrown it or it is no longer resonant.

Finally, connect with your guides—your ancestors or spirit guides. Ask them for their support, guidance, and protection as you move forward on your journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @_colibricoaching
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/carmen-iñiguez-cpc