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Caitie Owona

EXPERT ON:

◉ Goal Setting & Achievement
◉ Motivation & Mindset
◉ Work-Life Balance & Focus

EXPERIENCE:

◉ 10 years in Big Tech recruiting with Fortune 50 companies and high-growth startups

◉ Experience hiring for executive leadership and high-impact roles across tech

◉ Mentor and advocate for underrepresented professionals breaking into tech

About Caitie Owona

Career Coach, Speaker, and Tech Industry Leader

Inspiring the Next Generation to Build Empowered and Successful Careers

Caitie is a nationally recognized career coach, keynote speaker, and former Division I student-athlete with over a decade of experience in Big Tech recruiting. She is the founder of Career Ignite by Caitie, where she helps ambitious women, student-athletes, and young professionals land high-paying jobs, pivot careers with clarity, and lead with confidence in the modern workforce.

With a recruiting career spanning Fortune 50 companies, unicorn startups, and high-growth tech firms, Caitie brings unmatched insight into what employers really want at every level from entry to executive. She’s hired hundreds of professionals into leadership roles, coached clients into six-figure careers, and built a business that empowers women to pursue career success without sacrificing lifestyle, health, or identity.

Caitie’s own story, from earning $35K with no connections to negotiating a $250K+ compensation package at a global tech company, is proof of what’s possible when clarity meets courage. As a former Division I softball player at Towson University, she overcame injuries, burnout, and pressure to perform. These experiences built the mental toughness and leadership foundation she now passes on to others.

Today, Caitie is a sought-after speaker for organizations, universities, and conferences seeking real-world, relatable, and empowering career talks. She has delivered keynotes for respected platforms including the Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference with General Motors, the HERdacity HER Career Reboot Conference, and CodePath.org, where she mentors the next generation of diverse tech talent.

Signature Speaking Topics

1. Finding Your Dream Career: Aligning Passion with Profession
Ideal for: College students, student-athletes, and recent grads
This talk helps students find clarity and take action toward careers that align with their values, skills, and dreams.

2. Breaking Barriers: Empowering Women to Lead in Their Careers
Ideal for: Women’s leadership events, DEI programs, ERGs
Strategies for building confidence, negotiating salaries, and rising in male-dominated industries.

3. Career Playbook for Student-Athletes: Translating Athletic Skills to Professional Success
Ideal for: Student-athletes and athletic departments
Turn teamwork, discipline, and competitive drive into workplace assets.

4. Salary Negotiation: How to Secure the Compensation You Deserve
Ideal for: Graduating students, women in tech, early-career professionals
Proven tactics to advocate for higher pay, better offers, and career confidence.

5. Work-Life Design: Building a Career Around a Fulfilling Life
Ideal for: Women, first-generation professionals, high-achievers
Build a career path that honors ambition, wellbeing, and lifestyle without burnout.

Career Highlights

  • 10 years in Big Tech recruiting with Fortune 50 companies and high-growth startups
  • Experience hiring for executive leadership and high-impact roles across tech
  • Former Division I student-athlete (softball, Towson University)
  • Speaker at WiDS Conference (with General Motors), HERdacity, and CodePath
  • Founder of Career Ignite, coaching clients to $100K+ salary increases and major career pivots
  • Mentor and advocate for underrepresented professionals breaking into tech

Why Event Planners Book Caitie

  • She is relatable, dynamic, and deeply credible, especially with Gen Z, women, and underrepresented groups
  • She delivers actionable strategies, not just inspiration
  • Her personal story, corporate experience, and coaching success create instant trust and engagement
  • She speaks directly to the challenges and goals of today’s high-potential talent

Caitie’s presentations are ideal for audiences navigating growth, transition, and ambition, whether it’s a college student finding her voice, a student-athlete building her first resume, or a corporate leader ready to rewrite her story.

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