Cynthia Chan | Managing Director at Catalyse & Founder of The Rewrite: Helping High Achievers Reclaim Agency through Psychotherapy-Informed Leadership and Systemic Culture Change.
In the high-stakes world of global executive leadership, success stories are often told through the lens of relentless upward mobility. But for Cynthia Chan, the true narrative isn’t found solely in the titles she has held—Head and Chief Representative of a leading international design firm by 29, or the first Asian woman on the leadership team of the world’s largest project management firm. Instead, it is found in the “rewriting” of the self that occurs when high achievers reach a point where old scripts no longer serve them.
Cynthia’s journey is a masterclass in agency. It is a story that proves we are not merely the products of our circumstances, but the authors of our responses to them. Today, as the Managing Director of Catalyse and the founder of The Rewrite, she operates at the potent intersection of organizational strategy and psychotherapy-informed leadership, helping high achievers navigate the complex terrain of identity evolution.
The Evolution of Intention
Cynthia’s early life in the United States was defined by the quiet observation of a “double outsider.” As one of only two Chinese students in her school, she developed a heightened ability to read unspoken expectations and shifting environments—a skill that would later become a cornerstone of her inclusive leadership style.
While she embraced a rigorous work ethic from a young age, her perspective eventually evolved beyond simple endurance. She learned that while we rarely control our circumstances, we always shape our response. This early sense of responsibility taught her to lead without formal authority, discovering that credibility is built through the consistency of one’s actions and the courage to stay composed when the pressure is highest.
Beyond the Performance Trap
Cynthia entered the professional world by stepping directly into the deep end: working on projects for the U.S. Air Force. In a rigid, male-dominated environment, she quickly learned that “competence travels faster than confidence.” This role solidified her belief in the power of follow-through—the habit of closing loops and taking absolute ownership from start to finish.
Her career trajectory from that point was meteoric. She didn’t just inhabit roles; she transformed them. At Jones Lang LaSalle, she expanded a single division into four, and at M Moser Associates, she led global accounts that won the AIA’s highest Honor Award for excellence. Yet, during these years of shaping physical workplaces, Cynthia observed a recurring pattern: many people were capable and outwardly successful, yet quietly constrained by internal narratives that had hardened into identity.
She realized that more effort didn’t resolve this friction; in many cases, it reinforced it. True transformation required a deeper understanding of how meaning, safety, and self-concept are shaped over time.
From Designing Spaces to Shaping Culture
After three decades of transforming physical workplaces, Cynthia shifted her focus to the internal structures of leadership. She maintains that creating a RISE (Respectful, Inclusive, Safe, and Empathic) workplace culture is not optional; it is foundational.
Through her psychotherapy-informed coaching practice, The Rewrite, Cynthia works one-on-one with senior leaders at profound inflection points—particularly when success has outpaced self-authorship. Her approach allows her to work beneath behavior and performance, reaching the level where identity is formed and agency can genuinely be reclaimed. As Cynthia observes, the focus is less on helping people push through, and more on helping them recognize when perseverance has become self-erasure.
At Catalyse, she leads Singapore’s only consultancy dedicated to workplace harassment and systemic culture change. Her work focuses on the intersection of organizational development and human dignity, proving that a safe workplace is the primary requirement for any thriving enterprise.
Self-Authorship and Legacy
Cynthia’s work continues to evolve through The Rewrite app, a reflective tool designed to complement her one-on-one practice. Grounded in a narrative lens, the app serves as a private, evocative space for individuals to notice patterns and gain broader context around recurring life themes, supporting agency rather than dependency.
Cynthia’s message to the leaders she coaches is that leadership is not about arriving at a fixed identity; it is about staying in relationship with who you are becoming. Her life remains a testament to the power of conscious choice and the courage to ask, “Is this story still mine?” As she tells the next generation of changemakers, the future is not defined by anything but you; it is about taking the pen and claiming authorship in how you lead and live.
Editorial Note
Cynthia Chan’s journey reminds us that leadership is not a destination, but a continuous process of alignment. Her work challenges us to look beyond the “performance trap” of constant endurance and instead seek a deeper understanding of our own internal narratives.
