How many of you know that success leaves behind clues that can be modeled to help you shape your desired future? Tony Robbins realized this and said, “Success leaves clues. Go figure out what someone who was successful did, and model it”. Kate Campbell followed this advice and modeled behaviours of people who had what she wanted and carefully acted to make her dreams a reality, and now she is paying it forward.
You may wonder, how could somebody go from being stuck and stagnant in her career to realizing her international career dreams in less than a decade?
I will tell you how. Nine years ago, Kate was stuck in her career, feeling unrecognized and being passed over for promotions. But when she focused on owning, planning and loving her career trajectory, her career accelerated. Her big lesson was that performance and hard work alone was only going to get her so far in her career. The many strategies she employed is the very basis of the skills and tools she thoroughly explained in her book MAKE YOUR SPLASH: Secrets to Taking Charge, Standing Out and Accelerating your Career.
MAKE YOUR SPLASH
MAKE YOUR SPLASH is a game-changing book that helps young prospects advance and accelerate their career by positioning themselves to become the best choice for an internal promotion or new opportunity. In this eye-opening book MAKE YOUR SPLASH, Campbell illustrates how to own, plan and love your career by giving readers practical strategies that can be put into action immediately to move one step closer to their goals and dreams.
Wonderful right? To think that a young girl who was considered to have a stagnant and average career would one day grow to have the international career she always dreamt of, reminds us of the power of ruthless priority setting and focus on what matters
Today, Campbell is paying it forward through her career and leadership coaching business SPLASH STRATEGY, a purpose-driven company geared towards helping high-potential professionals to strategically advance and accelerate their careers through practical career advancement and leadership training and coaching. SPLASH STRATEGY effectively equips high potential individuals with the knowledge and skills to advance and accelerate their career progression so they can optimize their overall fulfillment while offering higher value to their companies and the customers they serve. Amazing right?
People often ask Kate if she could offer some insights into what it takes to advance and accelerate their careers. Her answer was quite simple; own, plan, and love your career.
OWN
Take responsibility for what’s in your control. You may have career aspirations to achieve, but are you taking responsibility for building the foundation necessary to achieve your aspirations? Although many organizations have formal career development programs, you cannot solely rely on your company to make plans and take initiative for your career advancement. It is 100% up to you to make your goals known to those who matter and do what’s in your control to make it happen. The result of this will put you on the right track of career progression. So, own your potential and take responsibility for what is in your control.
PLAN
Create a career roadmap and be adaptable to change as you execute. We all have the ability to achieve good if not great things in our careers. Taking the time to plan is one of the most important and worthwhile things you can do for your professional career to avoid getting thrown off-course and settling for something you don’t want. Few people actually take the time to proactively design their career future. Instead, they let their career play out by passive default and one-day wake up to realize they are not where they want to be. Managing your career is your responsibility.
Regardless of what stage of your career you are in, it’s important to reflect on where you want to go, understand what you need to do to get yourself there, and measure and celebrate your progress throughout the journey. By being intentional, planning and adapting to change as you execute, you set yourself up for success, which brings you one step closer to actualizing your highest potential.
LOVE
Be satisfied and love yourself and the journey. Have you ever worked hard to achieve a goal that didn’t leave you feeling as satisfied or fulfilled as you thought it would? The effort seems pointless, right? In order to reach our full potential and achieve optimal career success, we must love ourselves, find enjoyment in the journey and have a balanced fulfillment in all facets of life such as your career, relationships, community, learning and so on. As ambitious and high-potential professionals, we can be guilty of placing more focus on one area of our lives over another (i.e. career over health or family) and as a result, we find our world crashing down when our primary area of focus takes a nosedive.
So, as we have seen, Kate Campbell is an inspiration to the everyday woman who has hopes, dreams and ambitions to reach new heights in their career. She is undoubtedly a special person that all must learn from, and just as she believes, the more competent you are, the more responsibility you have to look beyond your performance in order to reach your career goals and dreams.
Order Make your Splash or Contact Kate Campbell today at www.splashstrategy.com
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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