Christy Belz welcomes Renee Ferrufino — president, CEO, and first Latina to lead the Women’s Foundation of Colorado — for a conversation about humble beginnings, corporate walls, and the leadership role she kept turning down because she didn’t feel ready. From Sterling, Colorado to the helm of one of the state’s most powerful foundations, Renee’s story is honest, grounded, and fiercely values-driven. This is a conversation about what it really takes to say yes to yourself — and what happens when you finally do.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts!

Key Takeaways 

  • First in the Family: Renee grew up in Sterling, Colorado — the first of 70-plus cousins to go to college — figuring it out largely alone, with a thousand-page scholarship book and no roadmap.
  • Pushed Out for Being a Mother: Four months into a hard-earned promotion, Renee got pregnant — and her president made clear that women in her position had wives who stayed home. Being forced out opened the door to everything that followed.
  • The CEO Role She Almost Said No To: Renee turned down CEO offers for years, waiting to feel ready. Her reframe: women wait for 100%, men jump in at 60% — and you can’t become a CEO without actually becoming one.
  • Values Under Pressure: She started January 6th, 2025. Twenty days in, the federal DEI rollbacks began. Her response: stay rooted, because the community’s risk is far greater than the foundation’s.
  • The Danger of Self-Exclusion: As a mixed-race, non-bilingual Latina, Renee quietly distanced herself from the Latin community before they could reject her. Belonging, she learned, starts with the story you tell yourself.

Connect with Renee Ferrufino: 

Website: https://www.wfco.org 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-ferrufino-340415a 

Connect with Christy Belz: 

Website: https://christybelz.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christybelzcoach/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristyBelzCoach/ 

UPROOT Course: https://christybelz.com/uproot/