Conversations with the Inspiring Krista Hayes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Krista Hayes.

Krista, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My journey is filled with twists and turns, late nights, hard work, fantastic mentors, and lots of laughter!

After undergrad, I did some non-profit work for Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland then transitioned into the world of retail with Sephora, where I spent an amazing 6 and a half years. I held various roles in creative departments, focusing most of the time on interactive media, and at one point I even stepped out of the creative area of the business to lead the Dallas/Austin territory as a District Manager. My experience at Sephora taught me three things that I take with me every single day: to be fearless, to celebrate all beauty, and to leverage my unique gifts.

Throughout my career, I have always had a passion for connecting with people. There is so much that can be learned from listening, really listening, to someone’s story. There is something beautiful about hearing their experiences, understanding their needs, and being a part of the next steps, the strategy, or even the solution.

It’s this drive for connection, along with a burning passion for creative work, that led me to where I am today. And, because it’s hard to be what you can’t see, I am also thankful I had strong female leaders and mentors along the way who guided me, pushed me, and celebrated me… Nicole Kimmel, Laura Gutierrez, Maggie Hoffa, and Margie Aguilar.

Fast forward to the present day. After working in corporate America for almost a decade and contributing wholeheartedly to someone else’s vision and mission, it felt like it was time to create something of my own. I had a dream of building a business that loves and serves our clients, our team, and our community in a way that makes a lasting impression. But, building a business isn’t easy. It takes time and money; two things I didn’t have an excess of. Through pure magic from the universe, I met the people who had a similar vision. Together, we launched Luminary 2 in August.

Has it been a smooth road?
Remember those twists and turns I mentioned? They were definitely there. It wasn’t always easy, but looking back I think a smooth road would have been boring.

There was a point in my career where I learned my job might be eliminated. My leader found me a role on a different team, doing a completely different job that frankly I was unqualified for. Daily, I felt like my skills were being stretched beyond what I was capable of. I was riddled with negative self-talk and self-doubt. In addition, I missed the creative work in my previous job and wished desperately I could go back to it. About 6 months into this new role, a true shift happened when I started to put these two ideas into practice: “have an attitude of gratitude” and “thoughts become things”.

This meant I needed to first, be kind to myself and talk to myself like I would talk to a friend. Next, I needed to be genuinely grateful to be employed and to have a job that stretched me out of my comfort zone. And finally, I needed to choose my thoughts wisely. Through gratitude for today and visualizing what I wanted to happen tomorrow, I learned I could put myself in alignment with the job I wanted to have and the life I wanted to live.

Through just a shift in perspective and a lot of hard work, that new role became a defining moment in my career where I grew into strengths I didn’t even know I had and developed the leadership abilities that now bring my team and I success.

When you go through those twists, turns, ups, and downs… because you will, everyone does… remember to practice positive self-talk, gratitude for today, and visualize what your future will look like tomorrow. You’ve got this!

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Luminary 2 story. Tell us more about the business.
I am the proud Co-Founder of a Dallas-based creative and marketing agency, called Luminary 2. My business partner, Nick Askew, is truly the yin to my yang in business. I am filled with gratitude that I get to build a company with such a dynamic, genuine, and talented individual!

Luminary 2 is made up of bold creatives and innovative strategists. Using a unique approach that blends art and science, we deliver custom marketing strategies that lead to powerful and profitable brands! Our areas of focus include design, brand development, digital marketing, and videography.

There are a lot of agencies out there, but we want to be more than an agency… we want to be our client’s modern marketing partner. We pride ourselves on how we interact with our clients, placing them at the center of our universe and treating them like a friend from day one. When we commit to them, we over deliver with unique, innovative, and powerful results. We know marketing, especially digital marketing, can be scary and confusing. We break it down and remind our clients to have FUN with it!

In addition to committing to our clients’ growth, we are committed to developing young creatives and giving back to worthy causes in our community.

We strive to be strategy-shapers, idea-makers, bar-raisers, and world changers.

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
First, be authentically, relentlessly, and unapologetically… yourself. At work and at play. You will naturally attract the experiences and people who are meant for you. Simultaneously, you will repel the experiences and people who are not for meant for you. Never, ever shrink smaller or change to fit someone else’s ideas of what you should be. You are a unique, powerful force walking this earth for a reason. Act like it!

Second, figure out what you love to do and get really, really good at it. When you feel your happiest, what are you doing? When things feel right, what are you doing? When you lose track of time, what are you doing? Make a note of it, and then practice your craft. Nights, weekends, before your actual job or after. Offer to do it for free to get experience. Then, learn to monetize it, so you can spend your life doing it. You have gifts that only you can share with the world, and the world needs those gifts now more than ever.

Contact Info:

• Address: 7800 N. Stemmons Fwy Suite #1100
  Dallas, TX 75247
• Website: www.luminary2.com
• Phone: 833-282-5404
• Email: krista@luminary2.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theluminary2/ & https://www.instagram.com/kristaraehayes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theluminary2/

Image Credit:
Dani Maibum of Maytree Photography

Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.