The Finance Professional Who Discovered She Was an Artist All Along: How Evelyn Garrido went from ESG analyst to emerging creative entrepreneur without leaving anything behind

You know that feeling when you meet someone and within five minutes you realize they're operating on an entirely different level? That's Evelyn Garrido.

On paper, she's already impressive: Bachelor of Business with Honours in Engineering. Diploma in Investment and Financial Markets from Universidad de Chile. Masters in Financial Analysis, Investments and Securities from La Trobe University. Current ESG professional. Solo parent managing it all.

But here's what the resume doesn't tell you: Behind every financial model, every ESG assessment, every report and presentation, there was an artist waiting to emerge.

This is the story of what happens when you finally give yourself permission to be all of who you are.

The Foundation  

Let's talk about what it takes to build the kind of career Eva has built.

She didn't just study finance, she mastered it across two continents. Chile to Australia. Different systems, different markets, different cultures. That takes more than intelligence. It takes adaptability, resilience, and an unshakeable determination to succeed.

Working in ESG, Environmental, Social, and Governance isn't just about crunching numbers. It's about understanding complex systems, anticipating risks, and helping organizations make decisions that impact communities and the planet. It requires analytical brilliance and deep empathy in equal measure.

Add to this the reality of being a solo parent managing the logistics, the emotional labor, the constant balancing act of career and family and you start to understand the caliber of person we're talking about

But here's what makes Eva's story so powerful: She wasn't satisfied with just being excellent at what she already knew. She wanted more.

The Turning Point

Eva came to the Academy of Entrepreneur with clear, practical goals: learn entrepreneurship skills that could enhance her career and life. Understand the Australian startup ecosystem. Explore new opportunities.

What she found was something she didn't even know she was looking for: permission.

Not permission from anyone else, Eva doesn't need that. Permission from herself. To be creative. To be artistic. To let the part of herself that had been quietly waiting finally step into the light.

And when she did? The results were extraordinary.

"Fine and exquisite"

doesn't begin to describe Eva's artwork. It's the kind of talent that makes you stop and wonder how it stayed hidden for so long.

She launched an Instagram account to share her creative work. Not as a "hobby" or a "side project," but as a genuine expression of who she is. The response?

People saw immediately what we saw: enormous, undeniable talent.

The Entrepreneurial Revelation

Here's where the story gets really interesting.

Eva came to the Academy of Entrepreneur to learn about entrepreneurship in the traditional sense, starting businesses, identifying opportunities, building ventures. But what she discovered was far more profound:

Creativity is entrepreneurship.

Think about it:

• Artists create value where none existed before

• Entrepreneurs identify opportunities others miss

• Both require courage to share your vision with the world

The skills Eva developed at the Academy of Entrepreneurs, understanding markets, building confidence, networking in the startup community, and thinking strategically about opportunities weren't separate from her artistic journey. They were essential to it.

She started attending startup and entrepreneur events in Australia. Not just to network but to understand how to position herself in this new landscape. How to think about her creativity not as an escape from her professional life, but as an expansion of it.

Eva didn't leave finance to become an artist. She integrated both parts of herself into something entirely new: a creative professional with the business acumen to actually build something lasting.

The Leadership Nobody Talks About

We need to pause here and talk about something crucial: Eva's impact on everyone around her.

In a cohort full of ambitious, driven students, Eva stood out not because she was louder or more aggressive in pursuing her goals, but because of how she showed up for others.

She is consistently the first person to:

• Offer help to struggling students

• Share insights from her experience

• Provide thoughtful feedback

• Create space for others to succeed
  

That's leadership. Not the performative kind that announces itself. The real kind that quietly makes every room better.

As a solo parent, she could have been forgiven for focusing solely on her own journey. Instead, she chose to lift others while climbing her own mountain. That's not just admirable, it's extraordinary.

What "Having It All" Actually Looks Like

Let's be honest about what Eva is managing:

• Professional Excellence:  Thriving in a demanding ESG career that requires constant learning and adaptation
  

• Exceptional Parenting: Raising a child solo while pursuing ambitious professional and creative goals
  

• Creative Blossoming: Developing and sharing significant artistic talent that's just beginning to find its audience
  

• Community Leadership: Actively supporting and mentoring fellow students through their own journeys
  

• Continuous Learning: Completing AE, attending events, staying curious and open to growth
  

This isn't "having it all." This is being it all. Every dimension of herself, fully expressed and integrated.

The Academy of Entrepreneurs Transformation

So what actually changed during Eva's time at AE?

On the surface: She gained confidence navigating the Australian job market and startup ecosystem. She built practical entrepreneurship skills. She expanded her network.

But the deeper transformation? That's where the real story lives.

Eva discovered that she didn't have to choose. Between finance and art. Between practical and creative. Between the person she'd built her career as and the artist she was becoming.

She learned to see her analytical mind and her creative spirit not as competing forces, but as complementary superpowers. The financial literacy that helps her understand markets? That's exactly what she needs to build a sustainable creative practice. The creativity that fuels her art? That's what makes her approach to ESG more innovative and human-centered.

"The most powerful thing AE gave Eva wasn't a business framework or a network, it was the confidence to stop compartmentalizing herself."

She attended startup events and realized she belonged there. Not as an outsider looking to transition careers, but as someone with a unique perspective that only comes from living at the intersection of multiple worlds.

She shared her art and discovered an audience that saw what she'd been hiding from herself: extraordinary talent that deserves to be seen.

She balanced parenting, career, creativity, and learning and proved that "balance" doesn't mean equal time for everything. It means giving each part of your life what it needs, when it needs it, without guilt or apology.

What Eva's Story Teaches Us

Eva's journey isn't just inspiring, it's instructive. Here's what we can learn from her:

1. Your "Side" Isn't Your Side, It's Part of Your Whole Story

   We love to compartmentalize. Work Eva. Creative Eva. Mom Eva. But the truth is, there's just Eva someone whose financial expertise informs her art, whose creativity makes her better at her job, whose parenting teaches her about leadership.
   

2. Skills Transfer in Unexpected Ways

   The analytical rigor of finance? That's what helps Eva think strategically about her creative practice. The vulnerability required for art? That's what makes her more empathetic in her ESG work. Nothing is wasted. Everything connects.
   

3. You Can Learn and Grow at Any Stage

   Eva didn't come to the Academy of Entrepreneurs as a blank slate. She came with advanced degrees, professional experience, and significant life responsibilities. She could have decided she'd already learned everything she needed to know. Instead, she stayed curious. That curiosity opened doors she didn't even know existed.
   

4. Leadership Is About Lifting Others

   In every environment, there are people who succeed by making space for themselves, and people who succeed by creating space for everyone. Eva is the latter. Her success doesn't diminish others, it inspires them.
   

5. "Exceptional" Means All of You

   We throw around the word "exceptional" too casually. But when we say Eva is an exceptional mother, professional, creative, and leader, we mean she shows up fully in every role. Not perfectly, fully. With presence, intention, and heart.

What's Next For Eva?  

Eva's story is just beginning to unfold publicly, but privately, it's been building for years. Every skill learned, every challenge overcome, every moment she chose to keep growing all of it was preparation for this moment.

Her art is finding its audience. Her confidence in the startup ecosystem is growing. Her understanding of how to integrate all the parts of herself into a cohesive, powerful whole is deepening.

But here's what's most exciting: Eva is proof that you don't have to burn down your old life to build something new. You can bring everything you've learned, everything you've built, everything you are and use it all to create something even better.

The finance professional is still here. The ESG expert is still here. The solo parent is still here. But now, the artist is here too. And they're all working together.

The question isn't what Eva will do next. The question is: What can't she do?