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From Broadcast Journalist to DEIB Leader: Catherine Van’s Job Search Success Story

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On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Catherine Van shares how she transitioned from her childhood dream of being a broadcast journalist to becoming a DEIB leader at the Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon’s largest private charitable funder. When the nonstop news cycle took a toll, she pivoted into nonprofit and corporate communications, bringing her commitment to storytelling and social justice.

Years later, after returning from maternity leave at another organization, Catherine faced an unexpected layoff. By leaning on her network and reframing her skills, she found her way into equity work. Catherine talks about the psychological toll of rejection, the power of reframing your skills for a new context, and why the job search is never a solo sport. 

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Transcript

Find Your Dream Job, Episode 91:

From Broadcast Journalist to DEIB Leader, with Catherine Van

Airdate: May 4, 2026

Mac Prichard:

This is Find Your Dream Job, the podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want, and make a difference in life.

I’m your host, Mac Prichard. I’m also the founder of Mac’s List. It’s a job board in the Pacific Northwest that helps you find a fulfilling career.

One of the best ways to get good at job hunting is to talk to people who do it well.

That’s why once a month, I interview a Mac’s List reader who found a job they love.

Our guest today is Catherine Van. She leads equity initiatives at the Oregon Community Foundation.

It’s the largest private funder and charitable foundation in the state of Oregon.

Catherine Van has had an unconventional career. She’s worked in the media, the nonprofit world, and now in philanthropy.

In a story you can find on the Mac’s List website, Catherine says her unusual professional journey has become her greatest career strength.

Why do you love your job, Catherine?

Catherine Van:

Hey Mac, what I love most about my job is the human element of it. And it really is about the relationships. I get to listen to people, learn from communities, and uplift their stories.

You know, in a time where everything feels just so polarizing, I think building connections and relationships across differences is just so important.

And just really understanding where people are coming from, you know, there’s a lot of hurt out there right now, and you realize that people just want to be heard and they want to feel like they belong and have a seat at the table.

So I really see an opportunity to move people closer to having that shared sense of belonging, and I can support my organization in making deeper impacts in my communities and communities right in our backyards, which really makes this work feel personal and meaningful.

Mac Prichard:

How did you find out about the job you have now at the Oregon Community Foundation?

Catherine Van:

Yeah, so I actually got recruited. A recruiter reached out to me through one of the career sites. As you mentioned, I’ve had quite an unconventional path and not like your linear path to getting into equity work. And they liked the skills that I had to bring forward, and they reached out to me, and those conversations really opened doors.

Mac Prichard:

How did you realize this was the right job for you, Catherine?

Catherine Van:

I was really looking for jobs that were people-centered. Like I mentioned, my favorite part of the job is really talking to people and really building those relationships. This is something that AI could never replace.

It’s really understanding people’s stories, uplifting them so people can hear different perspectives, no matter how you view things or what your politics are, understanding stories and seeing where people are coming from. And there was a huge pull in making an impact in my community during a community foundation.

Mac Prichard:

As you did this job search, what was the biggest challenge you faced?

Catherine Van:

Gosh, well, I can probably say I’ve applied to maybe hundreds of roles throughout my lifetime. And just earlier in my career, I didn’t really have a, you know, like a method to my madness. So honestly, most of them have been met with either silence or rejection.

And the hardest part isn’t just getting the no. It’s the psychological toll it has on you. Whether you get that canned message that says, ” We appreciate your experiences, but we’re moving forward with other candidates,” or that dreaded phone call after your final round of interviews, and they just tell you, “It was really close, but we’re gonna move forward with someone else.”

It’s hard for that to not shake your confidence and really question your value. Like, why wasn’t I good enough? And that’s a story that you’re telling yourself that’s just not true. I used to tie so much of my identity to my work.

And so any form of rejection just felt like personal failure. And it took me a really long time to realize that these were just business decisions. They’re not verdicts on my worth. And maybe it was just bad timing.

You know, at the risk of sounding trite, I really believe that rejection is redirection, and maybe that was really protecting me from something. Those quote-unquote missed opportunities were protecting me from a role that was stagnant, or a culture that is actually really hard to navigate, or a role that was going to face layoffs a few months down the line.

And I’ve actually seen that happen to a few roles that didn’t work out for me. So I’m just so thankful. I’m just sitting thinking, like, thank goodness that those didn’t work out.

So it took me a while to not take rejection personally. And I know that’s hard to hear in the moment, but it really has nothing to do with your value or what you bring to the table.

Mac Prichard:

It’s a common experience. You’re not going to hear yes for every job you apply for. So it’s something I think every job seeker struggles with. And when you started looking for work this time, the journey that led you to this position, you just returned from maternity leave.

And you wrote about this in your story for us on the Mac’s List website. And when you came back from maternity leave, you faced a layoff. What was the first step you took after being laid off?

Catherine Van:

I really just have to take care of myself, you know. If you ever had a child or went on maternity or paternity leave, you have so many emotions. There’s so much stress going on in your life. You’re just overwhelmed. And you’re also really vulnerable and in such a fragile state.

So coming back and realizing that you don’t have a job, and this is your livelihood. It really is jarring. So I really had to take care of my mental health and just reground myself and figure out, okay, what’s my next step?

So I just really had to slow things down to make sure that I was ready. You know, they always say put your mask on yourself before anyone else. So, take care of yourself and make sure you’re okay before you proceed.

Mac Prichard:

How did you stay focused during that period as you were taking care of yourself?

Catherine Van:

I keep coming back to this, but it’s all about the relationships. A key for me in realizing that the job search isn’t just a solo sport. It’s really a team effort, and that’s based on the relationships you have.

Almost every major pivot I’ve made, going all the way back to high school and my first job, they came through a referral. So whether it was a friend, a former colleague, or a recruiter reaching out to you, those conversations really just opened doors for me and led me to a different path.

When I transitioned out of my career in news, I really had to stop what they say is spraying and praying and really just being intentional about what I was looking for. I had to step back and look at my journalism background and try to find out what my superpower was, which I found out was just taking really complex ideas and turning them into really digestible, approachable information.

So once I figured out how to frame that for the corporate world, the job search just kind of clicked. I had to stop asking, “Who’s going to hire a reporter?” and turned it into, ” Who wouldn’t want a storyteller who can simplify, simplify complex ideas?” So it’s really about reframing your skills.

I just found that really helpful. I also used a lot of leveraged AI tools. I think those are great for organizing your thoughts, articulating what you’re trying to say, but don’t rely on them to write your full story. You have a unique voice. Bring that to the table and set yourself apart.

Mac Prichard:

You mentioned the importance of referrals and reaching out to your network, not only throughout your career. What kind of outreach works best when you’re getting ready to connect with your network? How do you recommend people do that?

Catherine Van:

All sorts of ways. I think I’ve done everything from making cold messages on LinkedIn to going to in-person networking events, tapping into my personal network, my friends. Somebody knows somebody who can lead you to a different path or can open a door for you.

I think it’s really about just knowing who’s in your network. And if you have a job that you’re really eyeing or if there’s a career you really want to get into, I think just reaching out to them, finding their email, just introducing yourself, and saying, can I pick your brain or can I get coffee with you and just talk about not only how you got there, but like the reality of the work.

I think as adults, many of us don’t have the luxury of doing internships where you would find all that information, right? So you really have to ask those tough questions. What is the culture like when things get a little crunchy, a little stressful?

What types of skills do you really need to do in your day-to-day that are not listed in the job description? Just making an effort. You can’t be passive in this job market. You have to reach out to people.

Mac Prichard:

In your story for us, you mentioned that having an unconventional career has helped you a great deal. You’ve worked in journalism and the nonprofit world and now in philanthropy. What convinced you, as you reflect back on your career, Catherine, that having an unconventional path is actually an advantage?

Catherine Van:

It’s unique to you. It’s my experience that no one else has. I have a particular skill set that I’ve learned from every single job I’ve had, from that very first job in high school to where I am right now. I’ve learned something through every job I’ve had, every rejection I’ve had. It’s really just understanding what your dream job is and what your non-negotiables are.

I mentioned that I was a reporter, and since I was a kid, just being a news reporter was everything I wanted. So when I finally decided to step away from the newsroom, it really did feel like such a shift in my identity.

So I realized I couldn’t just find any job. I had to figure out what my why was, what my new why was. So it helped that I just sat down. I made a list. A list of dream attributes for my job and a list of deal breakers, and I knew I really wanted to make an impact in my community, and to find a place with real growth opportunities, and a place I can tell stories.

That’s something I was really firm about, but I was also sure I didn’t want to do the 24/7 grind anymore. Work-life balance was a non-negotiable for me. You know we spent a majority of our waking hours working and being with our colleagues.

So finding a culture where you like the people as much as the mission is also really important. So, figuring that out through every step of my career really makes me unique and stand out.

Mac Prichard:

You’ve mentioned storytelling a number of times and started your career as a journalist, of course. What’s made storytelling such a strong thread across each of your career moves?

Catherine Van:

Every person has a story.

Every person wants to be heard. Some people just don’t have a chance to share those stories. And I’ve been very intentional about afflicting those stories.

You know, I got into the news because I wanted to uplift marginalized voices and tell their stories and help people understand where their neighbors are and where they’re coming from. I think, especially at a time like this, understanding where people are coming from is really important.

You may not agree. I’m not trying to change your mind, but understanding how they got to their viewpoint can help you move forward. And I think that’ll never go away. That’s something AI will never take. Building those relationships requires people to be a little vulnerable, and sharing your story is a way to do that.

You’ve heard people like talking about themselves, but they also like talking about the impacts they’ve made on their communities, the impacts they’ve made on their families, their careers, and their friends.

It’s so wonderful to hear all the wonderful things that people are doing. So I’ve been very intentional about finding places that tell stories and listen to stories.

Mac Prichard:

Finally, Catherine, what’s your number one job hunting tip?

Catherine Van:

Number one job hunting tip. Well, first, I just want to say that if you’re in the middle of a job hunt or if you’ve been there for a while, I see you. I’ve been there. Your rejection is real. The layoffs feel real.

And this is a market that just feels so different and daunting, and you feel like there’s so much competition. So you really have to set yourself apart. Companies aren’t just looking to see if you’re a good match on paper, right? They’re looking to see if you’re a problem solver. So instead of showing this is how I’m going to fit the job description, you have to show them how you’re going to make an impact.

I don’t know if you watched the Oscars this past weekend, but Michael B. Jordan, in his acceptance speech said, “Thank you for betting on me. Keep betting on me.” You know, why should organizations bet on you?

What specific problem can you solve for them? And if you can answer that, this will set you apart from the rest. I’ve mentioned that you have a unique story. You have that unique set of skills. You have experiences that are only unique to you.

So bring that forward. Bring that to the table. You don’t just need to fit in. You just have to show them that you can actually make a difference.

Mac Prichard:

Thank you for sharing your story, Catherine.

To learn more about Catherine Van’s job search, visit macslist.org/stories.

And check out the Mac’s List website for dozens of other success stories.

On the second Friday of every month, we add a new interview with a Mac’s List reader who has found a dream job. Go to macslist.org/stories.

In the meantime, thank you for listening to today’s bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job.

You can support our show and help others find it by leaving a review and rating on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or a suggestion? Email me at mac@macslist.org, or connect with me on LinkedIn.

To make sure you never miss an episode, sign up for our free weekly newsletter at macslist.org/podcasts.

This show is produced by Mac’s List.

Susan Thornton-Hough schedules our guests and writes our newsletter. Lisa Kislingbury Anderson manages our social media and creates our transcripts.

Our sound engineer and editor is Megan Hattie Stahl. Our music is by Freddy Trujillo.

This is Mac Prichard. See you next week.