Ayanna Dutton-Diaz and Delaila Catalino didn’t have a polished plan when they launched Non-Corporate Girls — just grit, a Google Doc, and the sense that there had to be a better way.
They met backstage at Fashion Week more than a decade ago, when Dutton-Diaz was working in fashion, and Catalino in beauty. Someone made an inappropriate remark. “[Delaila] and I looked at each other — you know, when you make eyes with someone across the room — we got it,” Dutton-Diaz said. “We were the only people of color. We looked at each other like, ‘That wasn’t funny.’ That moment bonded us.”
Their bond deepened. They became accountability partners, supporting each other through toxic jobs and career pivots.
In 2017, at a networking event during NYC Fashion Week, the two Brooklynites joked they were “the non-corporate girls.” It struck a chord.
The next day, they hopped on Gchat, brainstorming ideas and planning their next steps. They booked a room in a co-working space, grabbed their phones, and recorded the first episode of what would become the “Non-Corporate Girls” podcast. It began as a venting session, but when someone suggested it could be a business, it clicked.
In 2017, they began producing regular episodes. They leaned into their shared experience: women of color in industries where they often felt unseen. Despite having MBAs, they were learning how to run a business on the fly — through Google searches, late nights, and trial and error. With no mentors or roadmap, they taught themselves podcast production, branding, and marketing.
“There was so much we didn’t know,” Dutton-Diaz said. “Every day was failing and getting back up.”
As their confidence grew, so did their vision. “Being a small business owner means doing it scared, doing it broke, doing it when you don’t know,” Catalino said. “It’s so humbling.”
Catalino says she always wanted to be an entrepreneur. What changed was her mindset: “My reasoning at first was there’s no opportunities that I want that are being given to me, so let me create them,” she said. “I was in fight-or-flight mode. Now that I have a better footing financially, I know it’s a passion of mine, and it’s something that I want to contribute back to the world.”
In 2018, she and her co-founder made it official with an LLC. But balancing it with corporate jobs was brutal. They recorded weekly episodes while managing everything from editing to marketing. It wasn’t sustainable. Then they pivoted to fewer episodes, adding broader goals such as consulting, community-building, and career resources for others seeking non-traditional paths.
In 2021, the pandemic pushed them toward yet another pivot. They rebranded, revamped their site, launched a resource hub, and debuted the “Art of” educational series. They began consulting for brands embracing flexible work. Early on, money was tight. Brand deals and sponsorships were hard to land, but they didn’t stop.
Today, “Non-Corporate Girls” is a podcast, a consultancy, an educational platform, and a tight-knit community. Their success comes from listening, staying real, and failing forward, they say. Catalino offered her elevator pitch: Connect with the “Non-Corporate Girls,” access over 100 episodes on finance, networking, and entrepreneurship. You don’t have to do it alone.
“Most people are scared to start,” Dutton-Diaz said. “But just start. It won’t be perfect — it never is.”
Listen to their podcast.
Book a consultation or contact them.
Follow them on Instagram at @noncorporategirls.
