Meet Kerri Soukup

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerri Soukup.

Hi Kerri, thank you so much for joining us today.  There are so many topics we could discuss, but perhaps one of the most relevant is empathy because it’s at the core of great leadership and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your empathy?
My Kansas roots are a big part of who I am. I feel that having a less traditional path has played a role in remaining authentic as a creative leader. Since moving from rural Kansas to Chicago after college, I often feel grateful for the range of perspective this gives me.

I remember working since I could ride my bike into town for my first babysitting gig. Then, while studying graphic design in college, I juggled school deadlines with waitressing the breakfast shift (weekend alarms set to 4:30 am), which helped me pay my way through school. I always attributed my ability to juggle a lot of things to those experiences, but I’ve come to realize that empathy might be the greater lesson.

After that, coming up in the advertising industry, working all nighters happened at least once a week and hailing a cab to head home at 3 am on eerily quiet city streets was the norm. Entering advertising when I did also shaped my perspective about how I wanted to show up as a leader, although that wasn’t immediate. Having the lived experience in that world ultimately helped me make a conscious choice to break some of those generational patterns and ways of doing things that had always seemingly come with the territory.

Perhaps one of the most indelible marks on my journey with empathy started when I was a senior in high school, but I wasn’t consciously aware of it yet. This is the year my dad died by suicide. There was a lot of trauma in his life and his death. That was 1992 and the stigma and shame around suicide made grieving and healing confusing. Studying graphic design in college, about 5 years later, I processed a lot of my feelings through a project I created – a book I called Sentiment. The main character is “e,” and the other letters create the emotions that I allowed myself to confront, begin to process and feel, when I attempted to put myself in e’s shoes. “e” has gone on to represent empathy for me. It became an important part of allowing myself to grieve, to forgive and to heal. There was power in acknowledging the feelings that I had, but I also realized the immense power of sharing my story with others in my class.

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?
In 2019, I decided to start sharing my story as a suicide loss survivor and that is when Sentiment Project started creating space for grief. I converted the pages of the book to a series of Instagram posts. Removing the stigma and talking about this more was starting to pull at me, so I also took the book off the shelf to share it more often. Each time I do it, I am reminded of the power of sharing our stories, so we know that we are not alone. Since then, from State Street in Chicago to ABC Sunday morning news to virtual talks, I have shared more about the impact that healing has had on me. No two loss experiences are the same, and yet there are parallels and shared themes that connect us.

That step of sharing my story of suicide loss back in college led to a conversation series from Sentiment Project. In 2020, it began with six people who had each lost someone, coming together to create a trusting space where people could use creativity to process their emotions too, then share their stories with the group. That is how the “create, share, heal” framework came to be. It is used in our Sunday Conversations program with suicide loss survivors, as well as workshops and the Stigma Sessions virtual program for other types of loss.

I am deeply grateful that project came into my life when it did.

I can now also connect my healing journey to my wholeness, leadership growth and ability to show up. I recognize the parallels of many significant milestones in my path as an Executive Creative Director.  From culture programs to mentorship to building community and nurturing brands and teams, I see the role that empathy has had in it all. This has become a part of my story.

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?
Own your whole story—the successes and the struggles. That’s the first thing I would say. These things can drag us into victimization, but if we own it all, it can forge the way for both resilience and softness. This acceptance is so important. All of it made me who I am. Then get clear on what this means for you and how this shapes your values. Stay true to who you are and your authenticity will always shine through.

Let yourself dream. Bigger. I had to work mindfully to move from a constrictive mindset to more expansive one. It’s something I am still conscious of. Being aware of my own self talk has been a big part of changing that narrative and mindset. Believe in your gifts and your uniqueness.

Third, I have to bring it back to empathy. Through curiosity and kindness, you can continuously cultivate this. It will allow for deeper relationships, more perspectives and better solutions—no matter what your calling is. There is so much fulfillment in lifting others up and creating spaces where others feel seen and heard.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Taking the space to create space.

I’d been feeling a pull for a few years. A friend recently shared that “there are two paths in life. You can step forward into growth or backwards into safety.” These words resonate deeply with me. When it was time to think about what came next after 25 years working as a creative in an advertising career that a graphic design degree and other parts of my upbringing had seemingly prepared me well for, it felt funny to say that I was taking a pause to catch my breath, reflect, reset, and even dream. But it also felt so right.

It wasn’t in my character to sit still and refrain from jumping five steps ahead to solutions and next steps. But that was exactly what I knew I should do. That my skillset had grown and evolved and that I wanted to reflect on ways to use those gifts, especially where they intersected with my passions and purpose. I felt that with a calm nervous system, I would have more clarity. It was important to make room for what was next.

I am now expanding the impact of Sentiment Project with even more clarity and intention and feeling those benefits for whatever environment I show up in next, as a creative leader.

I believe there is a lot of power in pausing. This can come from the small, intentional breaks in our day-to-day or longer ones. By allowing myself to really, really be present in it all, feel it all, without attachment to outcomes, I realize that this, too, is a space where healing is needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sentimentproject.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrisoukup
• Other: https://www.kerrisoukup.com