About
Catherine Paiz—born Dolores Catherine Johnston Paiz on August 24, 1990, in Montreal, Canada—is a model-turned-actress and digital creator who helped turn The ACE Family YouTube channel into one of the platform’s most watched family vlogs. Her warm on-camera style and candid conversations about motherhood drew an audience that once topped 18 million subscribers. In 2024 she publicly separated from husband and channel co-founder Austin McBroom, and in May 2025 she released a tell-all memoir, “Dolores – My Journey Home,” detailing life behind the curated videos and her path toward personal healing. The book’s revelations, which include years of infidelity and her own interest in plant-medicine spirituality, triggered a public back-and-forth with McBroom and reignited debate about the cost of family vlogging.
Away from YouTube, Paiz keeps an 7-million-strong Instagram following engaged with wellness tips, parenting snapshots, and updates on her post-vlog ventures. Her current estimated net worth is about $2 million, a mix of brand deals, book sales, and past channel revenue.
Before Fame
Raised primarily in Miami by her mother, who ran a hair salon, Catherine juggled several sports—soccer, hockey, and volleyball—throughout school and credits athletics for her competitive streak. After high school she briefly attended Saint Louis University, spent a season in China working odd jobs, then settled in Los Angeles to chase modeling opportunities.
Her first modeling gig arrived at sixteen with Victoria’s Secret; more swimwear and print campaigns followed, including a 2013 line for Azzelia Swimwear. Hustling to pay rent, she scooped ice cream, worked retail, and served as VIP manager at Miami’s Arkadia nightclub before landing small acting roles in Lilin’s Brood (2016), Monday Nights at Seven (2016), and You Can’t Have It (2017). These early credits taught her set etiquette and camera presence that later powered her success on YouTube.
Trivia
- She is fluent in English, French, and Spanish thanks to a bilingual childhood in Quebec and Florida.
- Catherine once lived on steamed rice and $1 dumplings while backpacking across China—a story she still tells to encourage aspiring creators to “start where you are.”
- Although known for glam style, she prefers barefoot beach walks and claims ocean swimming is her “reset button.”
- She practices breath-work and has hosted small ayahuasca retreats, a detail McBroom recently criticized online.
- A left-hand wrist tattoo reads “Strength” in her father’s handwriting.
- Her Instagram engagement rate regularly beats industry averages, something she attributes to answering follower DMs “almost every night after the kids are asleep.”
- She still owns the first camera used for The ACE Family’s debut vlog, calling it her “humble-beginnings reminder.”
Family Life
Catherine’s roots are multicultural: her father is Panamanian, her mother French-Canadian. She has two younger brothers—Ryan, a visual artist frequently seen in her early vlogs, and Joshua—and a much younger sister, Valentina. Family remains central to her identity; the siblings reunite in Montreal every holiday to honor their grandmother, whose home-cooked sancocho is legendary among fans.
She shares three children with Austin McBroom: Elle Lively (born 2016), Alaïa Marie (2018), and Steel (2020). After announcing an amicable divorce in January 2024, the pair emphasized co-parenting and have alternated weekly custody while continuing separate content careers. In late 2024 Paiz introduced followers to a new partner—identified only as “my love” on Instagram—saying the relationship blossomed out of mutual devotion to mindful parenting. Her memoir underscores that the kids remain her “north star” through every transition.
Associated With
Austin McBroom is inevitably intertwined with Catherine’s story; together they built The ACE Family, staged viral basketball charity events, and weathered legal controversies tied to unsold pay-per-view fights. Their current dynamic is cordial yet tense, with McBroom disputing parts of her book on Snapchat while Paiz stands by every page.
Outside the marriage, Catherine’s circle includes high-profile friends. Kylie Jenner hosted Alaïa’s 2018 gender-reveal and once sent Stormi-signed flowers after Steel’s birth, sparking countless crossover fan theories. Earlier, Paiz briefly dated actor Michael B. Jordan in 2014—a rumor revived when they exchanged a polite wave at an NBA game years later. These connections highlight how her life has consistently intersected with Hollywood and influencer culture while she forges her own lane.
