We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kat Scarlett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kat, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose in a slightly unconventional way. I found my purpose in not only what lit me up but also in what was making me so angry and sad that I could no longer look away. My purpose is doing everything in my power to fight climate change by being a part of the solution, preserving nature, and inspiring other women to get involved as well. I’ve always been a nature and an animal lover but it wasn’t until I saw the painful effects of climate change up close and personal that it became my purpose in life.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Kat and I’m a beauty founder, environmental activist, and the voice behind the Glo Eco blog and podcast. A common theme throughout all of my work is to educate, inspire, and empower modern women with busy lives (like me!) to be eco change makers in their daily life. Climate change can be big and scary but I truly believe inspiring women to become activists in their daily lives will play a big part in the solution. I’ve also learned in my work that most women care deeply about this issue but don’t know what they can do about it. That’s why with my new podcast, Glo Eco, I’m tackling complex climate & environmental issues and the solutions in a way that all of us can understand.
My journey as both an activist and a brand founder started when I was living in Australia during the worst bushfires the country had ever been through. I’m talking millions of acres burned in a matter of weeks. Seeing that destruction up close and personal is something I’ll never forget. That and seeing how badly the Great Barrier Reef was disappearing before our eyes was enough to spur me into action. At that time I got involved in activism with Greenpeace and started learning how to live a low waste lifestyle. As a lifelong skincare lover that was one of the first routines I looked at to go low waste because I was always excited to try new brands and products. I was shocked to find that so many brands I loved were doing nothing but greenwashing when it came to their sustainability promises. On the other hand the actually sustainable products I found were quite frankly subpar products that did nothing for my skin but cause acne. The more I learned about true sustainability and how to make high quality skincare, the more I knew this was an area I could make a difference in and that’s when I decided to create Glotanicals.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think the mosts important skills in my own entrepreneurial journey have been the ability to move from the “idea” phase to the execution phase, resilience and having a long term mindset. Most people have ideas but very few can actually execute them and I’ll admit in the beginning I was way too slow on bringing certain ideas to life. This is a skill I’ve improved on over time by getting better at cutting out the distractions that don’t matter and limiting my focusing on just 1 or 2 projects at a time so I can actually execute on them. In any business you also have to have resilience and a long term mindset and I think the two go hand in hand. In our world today we’re conditioned for instant gratification but there’s no such thing as an overnight success in business, at least not one that lasts. To build a real company that can stand the test of time you have to have the resilience to keep going through the ups and downs. You also have to be willing to continuously learn, test, and refine everything from your business strategy to your product.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Experiencing overwhelm is honestly one of my biggest issues in life. I’m just the type of person who enjoys doing a lot of different things and want to experience everything in life, not to mention having two purpose driven businesses to run! However over the years I’ve worked really hard to get to a place where I don’t feel overwhelmed on a daily basis. Cultivating a habit of focus and being ruthless with the amount of distraction I allow in my day to day is huge for combatting overwhelm. For instance, I keep my phone on do not disturb for most of the day when I am working and I don’t scroll throughout the day. You might think it’s relaxing to scroll when you’re taking a break but it’s actually overstimulating you and causing even more overwhelm! Another great tip for staying focused to reduce overwhelm is to ask yourself these 2 questions before you start a new task. First – what am I doing right now? Second – Why am I doing this? It sounds simple but is so powerful when you’re switching between tasks. For example if I’m moving from answering emails to an afternoon walk around the block I’ll take those few seconds to ask myself – what am I doing right now? Going on a walk. Why? So I can take a break in my day to recharge, reset, and move my body to keep my energy up. That simple moment of awareness is key for me to be able to actually focus on what I’m doing so I’m not in two places at once stressing about emails on my walk.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.katscarlett.com/
- Brand Website: https://www.glotanicals.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiswhereitsat/
- Other: Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/glo-eco-with-kat/id1683345719
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Emily Kim Photography
