Meet Kelly | Lipstick & Ink®, LLC

Hey there, I’m Kelly!

WRITER & CAREER COACH

My name is Kelly and I’m the gal behind Lipstick & Ink®. I’m based in the beautiful city of Chicago and have been an Illinois girl all of my life. I received my degree in Advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and started my professional career at a Chicago ad agency. These days, I work as a Senior Employee Engagement Manager in the tech industry. I also am a writer and career coach who aims to help high-achieving women become more confident and accelerate their careers.

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. 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.

It wasn’t until a blustery Saturday in January 2018 that my passion for writing was reignited. It was a day that forced me to look in the mirror and face a part of myself that I had suppressed for nearly a decade. The part of me who loved to write, who had so much to share, who wanted to impact others with her words. I wanted to awaken that part of myself that had been dormant for so long.

Starting a career blog called to me. It was a chance for me to write about my experiences as a corporate professional, like how I got sucked into periods of burnout, how I discovered my voice and learned to advocate for myself, and how I waited six months to land a job at my dream company. It was also an opportunity for me to share the career advice, resources, and resume tips people naturally already came to me for. I wanted women especially to realize the potential within themselves and to know they had the power to make an impact in their careers and in life.

It was blending my passion for writing and my knack of career development knowledge that ended up becoming the dual magic behind my blog, Lipstick & Ink®, which launched in February 2018. Since then, L&I® has introduced events, resources, as well as consulting and coaching services. I also officially began writing my first book – a dream I’ve had since I was the age of five.