Catherine Elizabeth Collier
Cathy Collier, Book Author and Teacher Created Materials contributor, is an accomplished educator, author, and professional development provider with 31 years of dedicated service in public education, specializing in K–2 literacy instruction. Throughout her career, she has been deeply committed to helping young learners build strong reading and writing foundations while also empowering teachers with practical, research-based instructional strategies. She has dedicated her professional life to education and writing, believing that early literacy success is essential for long-term academic confidence. Cathy served on the Board of Directors for the International Literacy Association from 2015 to 2018, where she had the incredible opportunity to interview Shaquille O’Neal on stage at the ILA International Conference in St. Louis. She also served as President of the Virginia State Literacy Association in 2014 and participated on the Governor’s Teachers Panel, representing her region and advocating for educational excellence in Virginia. After retiring from public school education in 2021, Cathy transitioned into full-time authorship and professional consulting while continuing to provide teacher training through Teacher Created Materials, as well as, the Bureau of Education and Research. She is the author of The Road to Independent Reading and Writing (2021), a comprehensive K–2 literacy instructional manual designed to help teachers develop independent readers and writers. In addition to her published works, she creates educational resources for Teachers Pay Teachers and has maintained an educational blog since 2014, sharing literacy strategies and classroom ideas with educators worldwide. Her professional speaking and consulting work focuses on supporting teachers in building effective early literacy environments that promote student independence and confidence. Most recently, Cathy published Braver Than I Knew in January 2025, a faith-based 52-week journal for women navigating divorce and life transitions in the second half of life. This journal includes personal reflections, Bible verses, contemporary Christian songs, coloring pages, gratitude exercises, reflection questions, and prayers designed to help women move from surviving to thriving. Through her writing, speaking, and professional development work, Cathy strives to remind others that they are not alone during seasons of change and growth. Her mission continues to center on education, faith, empowerment, and helping both teachers and women find strength, resilience, and purpose in new beginnings.
• Reading Specialist
• Old Dominion University - BECEd
• ODU Dardon Fellow, 2015
• International Literacy Association
• Governor's Teachers Panel
What do you attribute your success to?
I have always known I was going to be a teacher. From the time I got my first Raggety Ann chalkboard, I was ready to teach. I love learning and love sharing with others ways to help their students succeed. I strive to be the best person I can be and someone my children look up to, when life took an expected turn in 2024. Suddenly, I was facing divorce and a new reality, I wanted to show my children I could go through this phase with grace and faith. Looking for a "divorce in mid-life journal" proved difficult, so I decided to write my own. I want women to know they can survive, grow and thrive through all situations.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Years ago, someone told me to start a blog and just start writing what I'm thinking. They said if you do it weekly, in a matter of a few weeks, you'll have that many chapters. It was just about getting used to blogging and publishing it and putting it out there in the world. That advice really helped me get started with writing and building my platform, which eventually led to my books.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell anybody that wants to publish to just start doing it. Publish on a blog, or publish with Amazon KDP, or just surround yourself with guest blog opportunities. There are a lot of blogs out there that want guest bloggers to come out and write a blog for their platform, and just kind of get your name out there. It's not easy, it's a hard thing, but it's also putting yourself out there if that's what you want. The biggest challenge is the imposter syndrome that you have to overcome. It's asking yourself, do I actually know what I'm talking about enough to help other people? You have to own that you know it. Even filling out forms and putting yourself out there is scary, but you just have to do it.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Publishing has changed dramatically since I first started in 2015. Back then, you had to go through a publishing house, and it was really hard to get noticed. Now there are so many different ways to publish because there are hybrid publishers, where you do some of the work and they do some of the work. You pay them for what you want them to do for you in publishing, and they provide you the platform. You don't have to wait for them to come to you. It's also great having platforms like Amazon KDP where you can write your own book and publish it yourself. Self-publishing with a print-on-demand book, gets you on Amazon and into the biggest marketplace in the world. The problem with that is there are quite possibly 50,000 other people who have published a book on Amazon in your genre, so you have to figure out how to market and how to get seen on that platform. Believe in yourself. Research and find ways to make yourself (and your book) known and don't give up.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Self-worth is the most important value to me. You don't have to stay where you're not fed. You don't have to stay where you're not respected. My faith has become incredibly important to me. Although I had been raised in the church, my faith had been pushed to side for a number of years. I have come into my faith more in the last year since the start of the divorce process than I had the previous 58 years. My faith has helped me heal in ways I couldn't imagine. I also believe it's important to acknowledge your feelings and speak the truth, even when it's hard. For so long, I tried to prove to everybody my marriage was just fine, and I faked it because I thought if I could fix it. I thought, "I never have to tell anybody there's something wrong, if I can fix it quietly." But I learned I was sacrificing who I was and lower my value as a woman in the process. It's okay to be brave enough to leave, so that you can start the healing. We hide way too much in our society today, and being able to be honest about what you're going through, even when it's embarrassing or hard, is essential.