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Welcome to Lipstick & Ink®, your home for everything career and wellness inspired. I’m Kelly, a Chicago-based marketing tech professional, writer, career coach, speaker, and events host.

Whether we’re working together on your career aspirations, refreshing your professional documents, or keeping your mental health in check, I encourage you to own your power and make your mark – one lipstick stain at a time.

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We live in a world of 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩

We live in a world of 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. It’s only natural that we want to see instant success when it comes to our career. In order to achieve our desired results, many times we lean toward playing the short game, taking the shortcut and taking action on things that feel easier, quicker. We‘d rather not do anything that feels time-intensive or challenging.

There’s a problem with this. While playing the short game gives us that immediate dopamine hit, over time, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬.

A better approach to our careers is playing the consistent, 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲, aiming to make progress each day and not rushing the process. My work with my coaching clients centers around this concept. Playing the long game means focusing on long-term outcomes, while taking small, intentional steps to stay ahead of the curve and achieve what you want. It means avoiding instant gratification and focusing on building a foundation that will better serve you in the future. It may initially feel like you’ll never catch up or get ahead, but soon enough you'll see playing the long game is the key to career success 💋

[Interested in learning more? Hit the link in my bio > 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘨 to read the full blog post!]

You may have noticed that all things L&I have been

You may have noticed that all things L&I have been a bit quiet lately. I’m excited to share that after 5 months of looking, 550+ miles driven to and from the suburbs from the city, & 2 offers lost, 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲!

We didn’t anticipate buying a house this soon but COVID changed that, like many things. It was time and we are very grateful. Still, I’m feeling 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 about leaving Chicago, a city I’ve called home for 10 years. A city where I met Adam and established our relationship and got married, grew my career, started L&I, created memories with my closest friends, and discovered myself and what I want out of life.

Nostalgia is clever that way, making changes like going off to college, starting a new job, having a child, and of course, moving to a new city/home, feel so bittersweet. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵. When change is imminent, it's nearly impossible not to reminisce about what has been, before you move forward to what’s next. And that’s where I’m at, feeling all the feels in anticipation of the changes to come. *cue Bittersweet Symphony* 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙨𝙮𝙢𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚. (IYKYK)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲, but that doesn't mean we ever get used to it. Change is hard, even when it's leading to positive outcomes. How do we move forward, with nostalgia holding us to the past and fear of the unknown in our future? Here's my thoughts:
➺ Practice gratitude for the change and seeing the positives and opportunities that will come with it.
➺ Set reasonable expectations to not be disappointed or overwhelmed.
➺ Keep stress at bay, finding time for yourself and ways to calm the anxiety.
➺ Show self-compassion, being mindful not to overextend yourself during the complexities of change.
➺ Acknowledge change is inevitable - there will always be growing pains, but it will only make you stronger and appreciate who/what you have in your life even more 💋

“𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮

“𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻.” This came up in many of my coaching sessions the last few weeks, as I pointed out that showing our humanness is what connects us to others. But the reality is that common thread of humanness is often overlooked when it comes to work.

We adopt work personas, because we feel we need to have more “professional” behavior which can ultimately lead to surface level interactions. There’s a problem with this. Communicating in a staged formality not only does ourselves a disservice as we’re not being authentic to who we are, but it also prevents us from actually knowing and understanding who we’re interacting with. This means we’re missing the opportunity to build real and genuine career relationships.

We shouldn’t forget that the person sitting across from us or on the other end of the phone or computer is human too. (Note that this also applies when you’re job seeking and networking with others.) What if we made an effort to see and treat everyone as the human they are (and not just a job title)?

Here’s some ways you can get started:
♡ Stop overthinking your convos based on who you’re speaking to. Release the pressure and say what feels natural and authentic to you. You never know what connections you can make by doing this.
♡ Go beyond small talk. Be curious and ask questions. Get to know the people you’re working/interacting with. (People love to talk about themselves.) Find commonalities that you can connect with them on.
♡ Actively listen. Instead of thinking what you’re going to say next, make a conscious effort to really hear what the other person is saying.
♡ Be open and share parts of yourself that extend beyond your work persona. Show up as yourself and own your humanity. This will give others permission to do so too.

Give these a try and watch your professional relationships transform 💋

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. 🤫 I

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. 🤫 If you want to get noticed, land a new job or promotion, and find fulfillment in your career — 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙯𝙤𝙣𝙚.

It’s very easy to get comfortable on the job, especially if you’ve been in the same role or at the same company for a while. You master your day to day, nothing scares you anymore, you’re seen as an expert, and it feels pretty dang good. It can feel like a great place to be, but the reality is that 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘶𝘯. That’s why if you’re looking to get ahead in your next move, you need to 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.

Here are 5 things that you may find discomfort in that can actually help accelerate your career:
↳ Self-Promote - Release that ickiness feelings that accompany self-promotion. It's not bragging if it's based on facts! Never assume your work is going to speak for itself. Speak up and share your wins!
↳ Speak Up - Don't forget the power of your voice. By raising your hand, asking questions, sharing your opinion, providing ideas, you put yourself in a position to stand out and gain increased visibility.
↳ Network & Build Career Relationships - Always see networking as an opportunity! You never know who you're going to meet when you put yourself out there. Once you begin your outreach, your network can grow exponentially and better yet, grow your career.
↳ Go the Extra Mile - Keep your curiosity alive and always be eager to learn. The second you begin to feel complacent, look for ways you can stretch your skills and strengths. Putting in the extra effort to do so can open the doors of possibility.
↳ Embrace Change - Don't be afraid to move on. If you're no longer being challenged or you're in a toxic situation, know you are limiting yourself by staying put. Instead, seek out other roles or companies where you can continue to grow both personally and professionally.

🥂 Cheers to taking risks, putting yourself out there, and embracing the uncomfortable 💋

*ɢ ɪ ᴠ ᴇ ᴀ ᴡ ᴀ ʏ* CLOSED. 🍀 Are yo

Happy #InternationalWomensDay to all you beautiful

Happy #InternationalWomensDay to all you beautiful souls! Women of all colors, religions, upbringings, career paths, and skillsets inspire me each and every day.

I cheer for the women who choose courage over comfort, face their fears and are vulnerable, and prove to themselves that they can do anything they set their mind to. I applaud the women who embrace failure, change, and adversity and use it as fuel to keep going. I celebrate the women who trailblaze and forge their path, owning their power and making their mark.

Today, I toast to those remarkable women. I toast to 𝒚𝒐𝒖 💋

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