Sarah Boutin

I think it's probably a combination of having really strong female leaders and really strong female professionals who are my friends. You can't be what you can't see, so being surrounded for many years by strong women who are also successful, they're kind, they have family, they have their stuff together, has helped me really be able to envision this and also take from it. I've been able to learn from the people around me - what are they good at, how is that important to me, and how can I turn that skill into something that makes sense for me in my career. So I think really surrounding yourself with the type of people you want to emulate has been key to my success.

I think one of the best career advice I ever received was actually from a former boss. It was actually two pieces of advice. One was just to trust yourself and have confidence in your decisions. The other was when things get overwhelming or you're confronted with something you've never done before and the initial urge is to panic, it's more to take a breath, take a beat, sit with the issue for a minute, and then break it down into actionable, digestible little pieces of how you can tackle the issue. So I think it's just the pausing and breathing through it, and then making little strides towards it can help things that are new or daunting feel much less overwhelming. Then you can build the skills so that the next time they come up, you've already gone through it and you know what to do.

A big piece of advice would be to really get to know the people you work with, get to know the people you meet in your industry, and foster those relationships. It doesn't mean you have to have coffee with every single person in your company every month for the rest of your life, but your network is so important to helping you grow, both within your company and when you decide to make a move outside. Especially in the days now of a lot of people working remote, having those real connections and then maintaining them, keeping in touch, posting on people's LinkedIn - it doesn't have to be very high touch, but I think really investing in your network, not in going out and cold calling random people, but just the people that you meet along your career, really taking the time to get to know them and keep in touch with them, because they will be really important keys to your success.

There's definitely a lot going on in the world right now. Something we're all navigating together is AI, especially as creatives. So that's something I'm really focused on with my team - how can we leverage AI, stay on top of emerging technologies, and use it as a tool and a thought partner, but not outsource our creative output and use it as a crutch. There's a lot of different feelings about this shift - there's excitement, there's fear, there's apprehension, there's overwhelm. I think that's challenging the fields of writing and communications, marketing, beauty, consumer goods - it's really touching almost every industry. The other challenge specific to beauty is that it's a very crowded landscape right now. There are lots and lots of emerging beauty brands and skincare brands. So it's a consistent challenge of how to break through the noise. People get served so much content all the time - you're getting 3 seconds on your TikToks, you're getting all these emails, sponsored posts, banners, and there's just endless brands and endless content out there, and it can be a lot for a consumer. So how to make your brand and your product cut through the noise is definitely a challenge that we're facing and addressing every day.

I think a big value is trust. I think it's very important that my team trusts me and I trust them. Same with cross-functional leaders - building trust, following through on what you say you're gonna do, showing up authentically, really being true to yourself, and forming those relationships that can withstand when times are rocky and really thrive when times are good. That takes really showing up consistently and in ways that are aligned with yourself, and also working to build relationships. Relationships are built on trust. So I think that's very important both in the workplace and outside of it. Outside of work, I think it is really important to focus your attention on what matters. Whether it's setting boundaries or compartmentalizing - I have two kids, and when I'm at work, I'm really, really focused on work, and when I'm at home, I'm 100% focused on my kids. So I think it's really that being able to flex and not letting work bleed all over your personal life and vice versa. I think that makes me stronger in the workplace and stronger when I'm outside, that I can really turn it off, focus my attention on the task at hand, and so I guess the value would be being present.