Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Wallace.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Katie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Around 2015, I was becoming increasingly frustrated with my job. It was a good job. It had perks, benefits, health insurance, but it was soul sucking. I knew I had more to contribute and it was an ineffective use of my time. I was in school to finish a Biology degree and I remember staring at this poster in one of the labs. It said something like, ‘these are all of the jobs that you can have with a Bio degree’ and none of them resonated. It was so disappointing. I think park ranger was the ONLY one that stuck out. I had always been interested in the environment and sustainability, but I didn’t know I could build a career out of it. I would go to school, go to work, and then go home and study about renewable energy, zero waste, social and environmental issues.
Fast forward to 2016 and I went on a trip to The Philippines to visit my family. That experience profoundly altered the course of my life. I was surrounded by the kindest, hardworking, most giving humans who had so little, but offered everything they had. In talking with them about what they wanted from life, they all wanted the same thing. Good jobs to take care of their families. Before this trip, I thought I had a worldly view. This showed me the inequalities and injustices in a whole new, harsher light, one that I couldn’t ignore. It bothered me when people would ask, “aren’t you grateful for the life you have?” These people weren’t a lesson in gratitude for me, they were my call to action. On the plane ride home, I started plotting and decided that I wasn’t going to sit on the side lines anymore. I realized that business was the most powerful tool to effect the change and impact I was looking to make. I started researching and finding where my passions, skills, and what the world needed could intersect. I found that in sustainability and social impact.
When I arrived home, I immediately put in my two weeks’ notice and dove carelessly and headfirst into the shallow end of entrepreneurship. I spent 9 years with the company I ended up leaving, so it wasn’t on a whim. Fast forward to August 2017, a failed venture, and the introduction of LinkedIn video. LinkedIn video completely changed the game for me. I threw out a video shortly after it first launch and things kind of blew up. I went from having 400 followers to almost 20k, in a few short months. We were having real conversations, connecting beyond our jobs, and getting down to how we wanted to contribute to the world. It was wild. I started hosting the “un-networking” events of network events shortly after and as a direct result of those events I met all 4 of my business partners for 3 separate ventures. Not to mention, countless other opportunities and connections that have come from that platform. It’s funny when people ask how I got into sustainability and social impact. I couldn’t find the job that I wanted to match the impact that I wanted to have, so I built a company around my own vision.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If anyone says that they have had a smooth road, they’re lying. Especially in entrepreneurship, but even more so as a social entrepreneur. The past 2 & 1/2 years have been the most challenging of my life (and I have been through A LOT-but that’s another story). I would say even say the past 6 months have demanded more of me than I thought possible. It’s like each day I wake up a totally different and evolved human from the previous days challenges.
My number one struggle has been finding the mythical balance between family life and my companies. There is no ‘clocking out’ for either of those and they both demand the best version of myself. Thankfully, I have the most loving, supportive, and hilarious partner and 6 year old daughter. Our communication is on point these days as a result. I would have never made it as far as I have if they didn’t have my back when I come home after taking a beating from the world.
Another struggle for me has been my relationship with money. That sounds strange for me to say out loud because it is such a taboo topic. For the majority of my entrepreneurial career, I was living in this state of scarcity. Even though projects were steadily coming in and bills were paid (they still are). I had a steady stream of cortisol, stress and panic attacks-convincing myself that this revenue stream would soon dry up. This is something that I am actively working on changing my relationship with-there has already been a significant shift, but there is still work to be done. A friend recommended an amazing book to me, you’re a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero, and that helped me tremendously to shift my perspective.
Beyond that, a newer struggle has been learning which projects and opportunities to say no to. That is always such a scary thing for people pleasers. A mentor always used to tell me, “No is a full sentence and you should use it as such”. A few months ago I made a list out of frustration called the, “What The F**k I Want, Ultimately” list. I got brutally honest with myself and wrote the 6 things that I value and want most in life. When projects come my way, I look at the list and ask myself if it will move me closer or further away from those things. If it doesn’t align, then I say No.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Hux Sustainables & Consulting – what should we know?
Hux Sustainables & Consulting helps companies to lessen their environmental impact and do social good at the same time. We are comprised of creators, impactors, change-makers, and all around sustainability weirdos. We are a cross functional team integrating sustainability into every aspect of the company and helping them to establish themselves as a green brand.
We specialize in three main areas:
-Getting companies started down the sustainable road. When they don’t know where to begin, they come to us. We define their objectives, get aligned, and build out their framework.
-We help companies tell their sustainability story. We cultivate their communication strategy aimed at engaging their audience and launch multi-channel campaigns to effectively tell their story.
-We also take on combing through day to day operations, supply chain, and such. Looking to increase efficiencies, produce reports, and create policies around what matters most to the company in their efforts.
We all have a deep desire to build towards a more sustainable world and we aren’t waiting around to make it happen. We take the time to get to know the real people, behind the job titles and businesses. Everyone that we work with is making the world a better place in their own way. For my team, it’s never about the money. Our work is about making an impact and about making the world better place. Beyond this company, I c0-founded 2 other companies that take on social and environmental issues at the root.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My life was extremely dark before the age of 19. I was fortunate to come out on the other side of it and in order to move on, I had to dig deep into who I was and how I related to the world around me. Once you’ve successfully toed the line between life and death, there’s nothing better than pulling someone else a little closer to life. That’s what I try to do every day.
These are the rules I have laid out for myself:
Live intentionally with a growth mindset.
Take extreme ownership.
Never stop questioning the way things are.
Never take yourself too seriously.
The TOxFOR (2×4) rule. No one does anything TO you, they do things FOR themselves.
It doesn’t matter how much money you accumulate, your societal stature, how many people you help-you are never any better or worse than anyone else. We are all just navigating the human experience. Bearing these things in mind keeps me grounded and keeps every day fun…for the most part.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.huxsustainables.com | www.katiewallacehux.com
- Phone: 901-319-3739
- Email: katie@huxsustainables.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/katiewallacehux
- Other: www.linkedin.com/in/katiewallacehux
Image Credit:
Eclectic Views Photography
Bryan Rodriguez
Cozi Co Photo
Nikoline Nik
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