Fast forward five years and she\u2019s now DreamHost\u2019s Learning and Development Specialist, and the whole thing still makes her laugh. \u201cWhen I tell people, they\u2019re like \u2018Really? You went to work for the enemy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Natalie-Pedraza-and-husband-Diego-Lombana-1-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nShe Had No Tech Background. She Applied Anyway. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nPedraza\u2019s now-husband, Diego Lombana<\/a>, had already made the jump to DreamHost. When the two reconnected years later, he wouldn\u2019t stop telling her how different the place was. Eventually he made the case that mattered most: she was working herself into the ground at her old job for half the pay. She\u2019d hit a wall, so she went for it: \u201cI said, what the f***? I applied and I was hired.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nShe started as a Tech Support Consultant with no technical background. \u201cI did have to struggle. That\u2019s the reality,\u201d she says. But within six months, her manager was already asking where she wanted to grow, and ten months later she\u2019d moved to the People team, where she\u2019s been building things ever since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Woman Behind Half of ClickUp (and a Manager Training Overhaul)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nPedraza\u2019s fingertips are on a lot of things at DreamHost that most people never trace back to her. She helped tie an internal employee training program called \u201cGrowth Path\u201d to the company\u2019s competency framework for the first time, sped up how invoices get processed, built the ClickUp project management board her team runs on today, and records the Spanish-language versions of customer education videos for products like Remixer<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHer biggest project is DreamHost\u2019s manager training program. In 2025, she and a couple of teammates took a program that used to take nearly a year to get through and rebuilt it to run in six or seven weeks. \u201cWe still cover everything,\u201d she says. \u201cWe just do it in a short amount of time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTwo Days of Chats, Then One Question<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nPedraza instantly knew the moment DreamHost was different from any other company she worked for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the first few months, she covered live chats with customers for two straight days during a rough stretch, taking six or seven at once because she wanted to prove herself. Then, by day three, the strain had her in physical pain. Her manager sat her down, and instead of the \u201cwe\u2019re all overloaded\u201d pep talk she braced for, he asked one question: had she told anyone she was struggling?
She hadn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was the first time I felt that I was being taken care of,\u201d she says. That\u2019s the feeling she wants every new DreamHoster to experience today. \u201cIt\u2019s safe to make mistakes here,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s safe to say, \u2018Hey, I messed up. It\u2019s safe to not be OK.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re a family,\u201d she goes on to say. \u201cNot always the easy kind. Sometimes you don\u2019t like your siblings, but you understand you\u2019re in it together, so you work towards it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDiamond Painting, Reality TV, and an Audiobook Running the Whole Time <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOutside of work, Pedraza is a walking contradiction in the best way. She\u2019s a certified barista who\u2019ll still drink whatever coffee\u2019s in front of her, and a tattoo collector who cries through every single session. She\u2019s also a former English teacher who spent 15 years in classrooms before landing in coaching and, eventually, tech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pedraza says she\u2019s a self-described planner who can sit still for hours at a stretch, diamond painting with an audiobook going in the background (currently working through the A Court of Thorns and Roses series). Reality TV is her guilty pleasure, and she\u2019s not sorry about it. \u201cThe more drama, the more I like them,\u201d she says of her Real Housewives<\/em> habit. <\/p>\n\n\n\nShe and Lombana moved from Colombia to Southern California in 2025, with five pets in tow (one dog and four cats) then added two more once they got here: a dog and a gecko, and have been slowly working their way through the area ever since: Palm Springs, Griffith Park, and the beach. Their two dogs, Rupert and Reba, come along for most of it. \u201cWe just like to explore California together,\u201d she says. \u201cWe like to go out with the doggies and just see new things.\u201d Disneyland is a regular stop too, usually with a friend and his wife and usually to walk the park rather than ride anything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She started as a Tech Support Consultant with no technical background. \u201cI did have to struggle. That\u2019s the reality,\u201d she says. But within six months, her manager was already asking where she wanted to grow, and ten months later she\u2019d moved to the People team, where she\u2019s been building things ever since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Woman Behind Half of ClickUp (and a Manager Training Overhaul)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nPedraza\u2019s fingertips are on a lot of things at DreamHost that most people never trace back to her. She helped tie an internal employee training program called \u201cGrowth Path\u201d to the company\u2019s competency framework for the first time, sped up how invoices get processed, built the ClickUp project management board her team runs on today, and records the Spanish-language versions of customer education videos for products like Remixer<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHer biggest project is DreamHost\u2019s manager training program. In 2025, she and a couple of teammates took a program that used to take nearly a year to get through and rebuilt it to run in six or seven weeks. \u201cWe still cover everything,\u201d she says. \u201cWe just do it in a short amount of time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTwo Days of Chats, Then One Question<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nPedraza instantly knew the moment DreamHost was different from any other company she worked for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the first few months, she covered live chats with customers for two straight days during a rough stretch, taking six or seven at once because she wanted to prove herself. Then, by day three, the strain had her in physical pain. Her manager sat her down, and instead of the \u201cwe\u2019re all overloaded\u201d pep talk she braced for, he asked one question: had she told anyone she was struggling?
She hadn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was the first time I felt that I was being taken care of,\u201d she says. That\u2019s the feeling she wants every new DreamHoster to experience today. \u201cIt\u2019s safe to make mistakes here,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s safe to say, \u2018Hey, I messed up. It\u2019s safe to not be OK.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re a family,\u201d she goes on to say. \u201cNot always the easy kind. Sometimes you don\u2019t like your siblings, but you understand you\u2019re in it together, so you work towards it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDiamond Painting, Reality TV, and an Audiobook Running the Whole Time <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOutside of work, Pedraza is a walking contradiction in the best way. She\u2019s a certified barista who\u2019ll still drink whatever coffee\u2019s in front of her, and a tattoo collector who cries through every single session. She\u2019s also a former English teacher who spent 15 years in classrooms before landing in coaching and, eventually, tech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pedraza says she\u2019s a self-described planner who can sit still for hours at a stretch, diamond painting with an audiobook going in the background (currently working through the A Court of Thorns and Roses series). Reality TV is her guilty pleasure, and she\u2019s not sorry about it. \u201cThe more drama, the more I like them,\u201d she says of her Real Housewives<\/em> habit. <\/p>\n\n\n\nShe and Lombana moved from Colombia to Southern California in 2025, with five pets in tow (one dog and four cats) then added two more once they got here: a dog and a gecko, and have been slowly working their way through the area ever since: Palm Springs, Griffith Park, and the beach. Their two dogs, Rupert and Reba, come along for most of it. \u201cWe just like to explore California together,\u201d she says. \u201cWe like to go out with the doggies and just see new things.\u201d Disneyland is a regular stop too, usually with a friend and his wife and usually to walk the park rather than ride anything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her biggest project is DreamHost\u2019s manager training program. In 2025, she and a couple of teammates took a program that used to take nearly a year to get through and rebuilt it to run in six or seven weeks. \u201cWe still cover everything,\u201d she says. \u201cWe just do it in a short amount of time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pedraza instantly knew the moment DreamHost was different from any other company she worked for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the first few months, she covered live chats with customers for two straight days during a rough stretch, taking six or seven at once because she wanted to prove herself. Then, by day three, the strain had her in physical pain. Her manager sat her down, and instead of the \u201cwe\u2019re all overloaded\u201d pep talk she braced for, he asked one question: had she told anyone she was struggling? \u201cIt was the first time I felt that I was being taken care of,\u201d she says. That\u2019s the feeling she wants every new DreamHoster to experience today. \u201cIt\u2019s safe to make mistakes here,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s safe to say, \u2018Hey, I messed up. It\u2019s safe to not be OK.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re a family,\u201d she goes on to say. \u201cNot always the easy kind. Sometimes you don\u2019t like your siblings, but you understand you\u2019re in it together, so you work towards it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside of work, Pedraza is a walking contradiction in the best way. She\u2019s a certified barista who\u2019ll still drink whatever coffee\u2019s in front of her, and a tattoo collector who cries through every single session. She\u2019s also a former English teacher who spent 15 years in classrooms before landing in coaching and, eventually, tech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pedraza says she\u2019s a self-described planner who can sit still for hours at a stretch, diamond painting with an audiobook going in the background (currently working through the A Court of Thorns and Roses series). Reality TV is her guilty pleasure, and she\u2019s not sorry about it. \u201cThe more drama, the more I like them,\u201d she says of her Real Housewives<\/em> habit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She and Lombana moved from Colombia to Southern California in 2025, with five pets in tow (one dog and four cats) then added two more once they got here: a dog and a gecko, and have been slowly working their way through the area ever since: Palm Springs, Griffith Park, and the beach. Their two dogs, Rupert and Reba, come along for most of it. \u201cWe just like to explore California together,\u201d she says. \u201cWe like to go out with the doggies and just see new things.\u201d Disneyland is a regular stop too, usually with a friend and his wife and usually to walk the park rather than ride anything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Natalie-Pedraza-and-Diego-Lombana-Goofys-Kitchen-Disney-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTwo Days of Chats, Then One Question<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
She hadn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Natalie-Pedraza-and-6-pets-1024x819.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDiamond Painting, Reality TV, and an Audiobook Running the Whole Time <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Natalie-Pedraza-Diamond-Painting-1024x724.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n