Female Leaders Who Showed Me What’s Possible
After college, when I started my career at PPI Beauty (formerly known as Paris Presents), I unknowingly joined an exceptional place. With my love for fashion and beauty, working for a company that had bath and beauty brands — everything from manicure tools to cosmetic brushes, I had a feeling this would be cool. I had no idea how life-changing it would be. Shortly after joining, I got to know Stacey and Jenny — the daughters of the PPI President and founders of EcoTools. Passionate about the environment, they had recently convinced their dad to give them a shot at launching an earth-friendly brand — a novel concept in 2007. I was able to be on the three-person brand team for this new brand and company positioning as a leader in the green beauty space. The leader of my group was another fantastic Stacey. She had joined us after being with Kimberly-Clark working on the Kleenex brand and Sara Lee foods. She had negotiated a reduced schedule of 3 days per week so she could also have time with her young sons. After securing placement for just six SKUs at Walgreens and working with Skirt PR to launch the brand to the press in a unique way, we felt fantastic about the success but had no idea how big it would grow. I was thrilled to see the ins and outs of working with a PR company, the owner of which is another woman I admire, Adrienne, who I have shared about previously. Adrienne is a powerhouse who started her company in her apartment in her twenties and now works with global brands and is the mama to three children. I’m so proud to say that the work our team accomplished resulted in the rapid growth of EcoTools, revolutionized the company, and led us to launch Real Techniques among other strong brands.
In addition to the invaluable brand management, marketing, and business acumen I learned, I saw how my team made up of mostly women managed to have successful and fulfilling careers while also having a family. This experience is something I reflect on a lot now. Seeing them coming in “later,” “leaving early,” or booking to the conference rooms to pump for their infants — there was no way to understand what they may have been going through until I was finally in their position. It is so interesting to see this from the perspective I have now as a mama working toward career goals. As we have heard, sometimes it seems that women are supposed to work as if they don’t have children and parent as if they don’t work. This is such an issue. We need to normalize the tricky balancing act of being a parent and working in corporate America today.
When I had Audrey, I was Director of Marketing at Fromm — a beauty company focused on hair tools & accessories for both the professional industry and consumer market. My CMO, Sara, significantly impacted how I think about my value. I saw how she would try to leave work in good time some days and work super late other days, balancing bedtime routines with her husband or nanny, outsourcing home duties, and spending quality time with her sons when she was with them. When Jim and I finally decided to have a baby and were blessed with Audrey, I remembered all of the examples I had of strong mothers in my professional life. It was such a wake-up call and it felt it was time to evaluate my identity.
Now I feel like I am in a good rhythm, but not every day is smooth. Sometimes, childcare arrangements fall through, we have a rough night, or who knows what else. Last week, I was thrown a curveball and ended up needing to bring Audrey to my office with me for a while. While not ideal and a little awkward, I have been thinking about how we need not make it uncomfortable. When people come to work, and we as colleagues and leaders completely ignore their personal lives, it really can hurt an organization’s culture. Everyone is different, and everyone has their challenges, no matter how big or small. By bringing Audrey to work with me last week, my team was able to see how I am managing my life as a whole and I showed by example that sometimes things don’t go as planned. As a leader in my company, I hope to show other team members how I am a real person just like them. It also was an excellent opportunity for Audrey to see again where Mommy goes while she’s at school, how I enjoy working, and my responsibility.
It is such an honor to walk in the steps of the women I have worked with and had as leaders and mentors over the years. I’m so lucky to still have these women in my life. After the sale of PPI and EcoTools, Jenny and Stacey launched an inspiring company called Everand, working with refugee women to create unique pillows and home decor. Stacey R is now VP of Marketing for Specialty Haircare at Church & Dwight (Batiste brand among others). Adrienne is still the owner of Skirt PR but has shifted her schedule as she now has three children. Sara, my CMO from Fromm, went on to launch Carter + Jane, a fantastic skincare company.
I love to see all of the incredible things these inspiring women are doing and where they are going in their careers and family lives. What mentors or leaders have you had that led the way for you — showing you how you can have both a successful career and a well-rounded life outside of work? I would love to hear!
Talk more soon!
XO, Kate
Originally published at https://www.katemohan.com on September 23, 2021.
