When You Follow Your Dreams, You Don't Lose | Carolina Suárez

What does it actually cost to walk away from a career everyone tells you not to leave?What does it take to build trust across an entire continent — when the thing you're building doesn't exist yet?And how do you hold onto hope when the geopolitical context keeps shifting beneath you?Carolina Suárez Visbal is the CEO of Latimpacto — the leading impact investing network in Latin America, connecting foundations, impact investors, academia, and families working toward the same goal across the region. Twenty years ago, she was a corporate lawyer with a successful career ahead of her. She chose a differentpath.In this conversation from Lima, she shares what it took to make that decision, what she learned building a regional network from scratch, why the best leaders get closer toreality, and why she believes the most important thing we've learned in impact investing is that we cannot work alone.🎙️ In this episode: Why she left corporate law — and what she saw that changed everything What it actually takes to build trust across an ecosystem Why the best leaders get closer to reality What gives her hope in uncertain timesWhat she would say to anyone wanting to leave a conventional career to build something that matters⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Trailer01:09 Introduction — Carolina Suárez and Latimpacto02:00 Why she left corporate law — and chose a different path06:16 "When you follow your dreams, you don't lose"11:53 Building Latimpacto — creating a movement from the start17:56 Why building a network is harder than building a project23:15 Trust — the foundation of every ecosystem24:51 What gives her hope for Latin America?26:48 "We cannot work alone"28:07 How she stays grounded — and lives in the present29:08 Why she brought her network to the Amazon36:41 How success has changed over time45:05 Advice for the next generation of leaders46:53 Staying patient when change takes time49:32 The legacy she hopes to leave behind50:07 Thinking about leaving your career? Start here.🔗 Follow Carolina on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mar%C3%ADa-carolina-suarez-visbal/ 🌎 Learn more about Latimpacto:https://latimpacto.org/ 📅 Join Impact Minds 2026:https://impactmindsconference.com/📺 Watch more episodes: Catch The Upswing is a podcast for people building meaningful things in a rapidly changing world.Honest conversations with leaders, founders, investors, and changemakers about what it actually takes to keep going, lead well, and stay hopeful about the future.New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don't miss one.🔗 Follow & connect: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing