My name is Kelly and I’m the gal behind Lipstick & Ink®. I’m based in the suburbs of Chicago where I live with my husband, Adam, and son, James. I received my degree in Advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and started my professional career at a Chicago ad agency. Today, I am a career coach, personal branding strategist, and speaker who aims to help high-achieving women gain clarity and build confidence to stand out, uplevel their careers, and find fulfillment in their work.

I’m fueled by black coffee, sunshine, candles, fresh flowers, a bold lip, and a really good ink pen. I’m a collector of handwritten notes and cards. I am honest to my core and always stand up for what I believe in. Being in nature gives me life. I seek out new places to travel and new restaurants to try. A quality blazer and pair of jeans is my uniform. Anything that glitters catches my eye and I believe gold is never out of style. 

HOW LIPSTICK & INK® CAME TO BE

Writing has always been something I love to do. I like to joke from the time I was able to pick up a pen, I’ve considered myself a writer. Growing up, writing came naturally to me and it was something I found great joy in. Unfortunately, as I entered college and my 20s, I discovered that not everyone was on board with me pursuing my passion. I was judged for sitting home and writing on nights my friends went out. I was ridiculed each time I published my writing for being “too emo.” I was defeated when my creative writing professor implied that I wasn’t a strong writer. I let other people negatively influence me and succumbed to doing things I thought I should be doing to the point where I stopped writing. I spent the next six years focused on growing my career and climbing the corporate ladder, quickly forgetting about my writing.