Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathy Trinh.
Hi Cathy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in rural Vietnam, in a small village where we lived with no running water and no electricity. Survival shaped everything — how we cooked, how we studied, how we dreamed. My childhood was filled with love, but also responsibility. I learned early what resilience meant, what sacrifice looked like, and how strong the human spirit can be.
When I immigrated to the United States in 2002 with only $300 in my pocket, I carried both fear and an unshakeable determination to build a different future. I worked multiple jobs, navigated a new language and culture, and often felt alone — but I never lost the belief that I could rise.
I began my career in the financial industry while putting myself through school, eventually earning my Executive MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington. For a moment, I felt like my American dream was finally taking shape. But during the 2008 financial crisis, I was laid off — with $100,000 in student loam. Overnight, everything I built collapsed. That season humbled me. It stripped away titles and forced me to rediscover who I was without them.
Instead of breaking me, it became the turning point of my life.
I rebuilt my career with more alignment and purpose. Education and service became my foundation. I became a college professor at Tarrant County College and advisor of the Tarrant Small Business Development Center, and eventually received the Chancellor’s Excellence Award (SBDC). I became a three-time national award–winning business advisor recognized by America’s SBDC. I expanded into consulting, TAB facilitation, business coaching, and leadership development — especially supporting immigrant and multicultural entrepreneurs who remind me of my own journey.
My professional life opened doors I never imagined: hosting a biweekly radio show on Radio Saigon Dallas 1160 AM, appearing on SBTN Dallas and VietFace TV, and serving as a trainer and judge for the Fort Worth Business Plan Competition. These platforms allowed me to give back to the community that raised me.
But my story is also deeply personal. I have been married for two decades, and together my husband and I are raising two multicultural boys, now 11 and 14. They are my greatest teachers and the reason I fight for balance, health, and emotional peace. Along the way, I rebuilt my physical and emotional wellness — falling in love with hot yoga, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, gourmet cooking, and food tours around the world. I’ve traveled to over 30 countries, and through biohacking, fasting, and lifestyle discipline, my biological age is now 15 years younger than my chronological age.
Every chapter of my life has been about rising — not quickly, not perfectly, but intentionally. I lead with vision, values, emotional intelligence, and purpose. My mission is to help others, especially from immigrant and underrepresented communities, build lives they’re proud of without losing their identity, their family, or their health.
I started in a home without running water or electricity. Today, I teach, coach, lead, and uplift others so they don’t have to walk their journey alone. That is the deepest privilege of my life.
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?
Smooth? No. My road has been anything but smooth — and honestly, I’m grateful for that, because every struggle became a lesson I now teach.
I grew up in rural Vietnam with no running water or electricity, where survival shaped everything. Coming to America didn’t erase hardship — it simply changed its form. I arrived with $300, limited English, and the pressure to succeed for my entire family. I worked multiple jobs, navigated cultural barriers, and carried the constant fear of not being enough.
Early in my career, I entered the financial industry and pushed myself hard. I earned my Executive MBA from UTA — an extraordinary leap for a girl who once studied under candlelight. But the success was unstable. The 2008 financial crisis hit, and I lost my job while carrying nearly $100,000 in debt. That moment was devastating. I had built an identity around achievement, and suddenly it was gone. I questioned everything — my worth, my path, my purpose.
But that breakdown became the foundation of my rebirth.
I rebuilt my life with more alignment: moving into education, coaching, entrepreneurship, and eventually becoming a professor, advisor, consultant, and media host. I found deep purpose in supporting immigrant and multicultural entrepreneurs, people who mirror parts of my own story.
Motherhood brought its own complexities. I’ve been married for two decades, raising two multicultural boys — now 11 and 14 — while balancing a demanding career. The guilt, the exhaustion, the identity shifts… these were real, especially as an immigrant woman who felt the weight of every role.
And then there was my health. Years of stress caught up to me. I faced chronic fatigue, hormonal imbalance, and prediabetes. That diagnosis scared me — but it also awakened me. I completely rebuilt my lifestyle through fasting, movement, supplements, biohacking, and discipline. I reversed my prediabetes. I restored my energy. And today, my biological age is 15 years younger than my chronological age.
So no — it has not been a smooth road.
But every struggle has been purposeful.
Every setback has been a teacher.
Every challenge has expanded my capacity to lead with empathy, clarity, and truth.
My road has been uneven, messy, painful, and beautiful.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My professional identity can be summarized in two words: education and entrepreneurship. Those two worlds define who I am, what I do, and the impact I’m most proud of.
My first identity is education.
I have been a college professor at Tarrant County College for 17 years, teaching business, management, and entrepreneurship. My students come from every background — first-generation, working parents, immigrants, and young adults figuring out their path. Many of them see their own story in mine: a girl from rural Vietnam with no running water or electricity who dared to believe education could change her life.
What I’m most proud of is that my classroom has become a place of transformation for thousands of students over nearly two decades. When they read my story or hear me speak about rebuilding my life after the 2008 financial crisis, it inspires them to stay the course, finish their degree, and believe that their beginnings do not define their future. Their reviews reflect that impact, and I am deeply grateful for it.
(You can read their feedback here: https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1408315)
As a business professor who also owns a business, I bring real-world experience, real financial insights, and real connections into the classroom. I’m not teaching theory — I’ve lived every chapter of the entrepreneurial journey myself.
My second identity is entrepreneurship.
I am the founder and CEO of Trinh Consulting Group, a business consulting firm that helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and multicultural leaders grow with clarity and confidence.
https://trinhconsulting.com/
What sets my consulting apart is the depth and diversity of my experience. I bring a full toolkit from my past careers as a:
• commercial lender
• financial advisor
• tax professional
• real estate agent
• mortgage lender
• SBA advisor
That means I don’t just coach — I solve the problems that keep business owners up at night. I build clarity when they feel stuck, analyze what’s really happening beneath the surface, and help them strategize with confidence. I connect them to the right financial resources so they can make smart decisions instead of costly mistakes. With over $27 million secured for entrepreneurs and years of advising more than 350 companies, I built Trinh Consulting on a foundation of real results, integrity, and service — because business owners don’t need more theory. They need solutions, support, and someone who understands the weight they carry.
People often discover my work through my Google reviews or my LinkedIn profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathytrinh2015/
They speak to the depth of care, intelligence, and cultural understanding that I bring to my clients.
What truly sets me apart is the way I blend both worlds — education and entrepreneurship — into one mission.
I teach with the heart of an immigrant mother and the mind of a strategist.
I coach with the discipline of a banker and the compassion of a professor.
I lead with lived wisdom, emotional intelligence, and a deep understanding of the challenges people face when starting with little or nothing.
I am most proud of the lives I’ve touched:
the students who graduate because they feel seen,
the business owners who scale because they finally have direction,
the immigrants who feel empowered because my story proves what is possible.
At the end of the day, my work is simple and sacred:
I help people rise — in their education, their business, and their belief in themselves.
And now, when I teach or coach, I don’t speak from theory — I speak from a life lived through scarcity, reinvention, motherhood, health transformation, and the courage to rise again and again.
I wouldn’t trade any of it. It made me the woman, mother, professor, and leader I am today.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
There are so many resources that have shaped me, but a few have stayed with me through every season of my life — from rebuilding after the 2008 crisis to becoming financially independent to growing as a professor, entrepreneur, and mother.
Books that changed my direction:
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This book has been one of the most important books of my life. I actually read it as a little girl in Vietnam, long before I ever imagined coming to America. When I eventually immigrated to the U.S. with only $300 and very limited English, that book became my guide. It taught me emotional intelligence before I even knew the term existed. It helped me understand people, build relationships, communicate with compassion, and navigate a completely new country and culture. Those principles shaped how I lead, how I teach, and how I show up for my students and clients today.
• The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
This book shifted my entire mindset about wealth. It helped me understand that true financial independence is built quietly — through discipline, simplicity, and alignment. It shaped how I coach entrepreneurs and how I built my own financial freedom by age 40.
Podcasts that inspire my strategic mind:
• ChooseFI
This podcast reinforced my philosophy of intentional living — optimizing health, wealth, time, and energy. It helped me sharpen my approach to financial independence and living with alignment.
• How I Built This with Guy Raz
Hearing founders share their raw, honest journeys reminds me that entrepreneurship is never linear. It’s messy. It’s beautiful. And it’s always about resilience — a message I carry into every classroom and coaching conversation.
And of course, my own content:
• My YouTube channel – Cathy Trinh
https://www.youtube.com/@CathyTrinh-n6e
This is where I share practical guidance on entrepreneurship, leadership, and the immigrant journey. It’s a space where I get to teach, serve, and give back on a larger scale.
All these resources support the way I live and lead: with vision, values, alignment, resilience, and a deep commitment to helping others rise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://trinhconsulting.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathytrinh2017/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Professor-Cathy-Trinh-MBA/61580070947993/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathytrinh2015/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CathyTrinh-n6e
- Other: https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1408315
Image Credits
All of the pictures are mine.
