Ep 099 – Kelly Campbell – The New TLC (Trauma, Leadership, and Consciousness)
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Featuring: Kelly Campbell
In episode 099 of Agency Bytes, I got to have our first-ever repeat guest: Kelly Campbell. Kelly is a trauma-informed leadership coach, author of Heal to Lead, and creator of The New TLC: Trauma, Leadership, and Consciousness on Substack. They aren’t just talking about leadership—they’re redefining what it means to be a leader in today’s world, starting from the inside out.
This conversation goes deep. We’re talking about the unspoken struggles that agency owners face—the hidden emotional baggage, the past experiences that shape how we lead, and why doing the inner work isn’t just self-care, but a leadership imperative.
Kelly shares how their own journey led to a radical shift in understanding leadership—not as a performance, but as an extension of our healing. We unpack why self-awareness is the foundation of trust, how compassion (not control) is the key to stronger teams, and why integrating past trauma is essential for leading with clarity and confidence.
We also get into:
• Why so many leaders struggle with reactivity, trust, and burnout—and how to break the cycle.
• The real difference between empathy and compassion (and why one is more effective in leadership).
• The danger of people-pleasing in leadership—when “being supportive” crosses into self-sacrifice.
• How agency leaders can create cultures of psychological safety, especially in uncertain times.
• Kelly’s bold decision to step away from LinkedIn for a year—and why they’re doubling down on deeper, more meaningful conversations on The New TLC.
• The agency landscape in 2025—why some agencies are thriving while others are struggling, and what owners need to focus on to stay ahead.
If you’ve ever felt like leadership was more exhausting than it should be—if you’ve questioned why certain situations trigger you, or if you want to create a more human, connected, and resilient agency culture—this episode will challenge you in all the right ways.
Kelly’s insights are game-changing, their wisdom is undeniable, and this conversation is one you don’t want to miss.
Key Bytes
• Publishing a book is a unique and challenging journey.
• The feedback from my book has led many to seek therapy.
• Vulnerability in leadership fosters trust and connection.
• Creating supportive environments is crucial for employee well-being.
• Compassionate leadership can reduce attrition and enhance collaboration.
• Personal experiences shape our leadership styles and effectiveness.
• Building community is essential for personal and professional growth.
• Experimenting with social media can lead to clearer boundaries.
• Daily practices can significantly impact overall well-being.
• Self-awareness is key to effective leadership.Chapters
00:00 The Journey of Healing Leadership
06:30 The Creative Process of Writing a Book
12:00 Personal Growth Through Vulnerability
19:22 Navigating Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
23:44 Creating Supportive Work Environments
29:11 The Future of Leadership in a Changing World
33:12 Building Community and Personal Practices
39:53 Experimenting with Social Media and Boundaries
Kelly L. Campbell (they/them) is a Trauma-Informed Leadership Coach to emerging and established leaders who want to live, lead, and love with confidence and freedom. They are the author of HEAL TO LEAD: Revolutionizing Leadership through Trauma Healing. As a Sacred Trauma Healing practitioner, they work one-on-one with those who have experienced trauma in childhood or adulthood. Kelly has written for Entrepreneur, Fast Company and Forbes, and currently writes on Substack about “The New TLC: Trauma, Leadership, and Consciousness.” Their vision is for more than half of humanity to heal its childhood trauma so that we may reimagine and rebuild the world together.
Contact Kelly on their website, LinkedIn, or Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to their Substack here.
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[00:00:00] Steve: Welcome to Agency Bytes, a podcast for agency owners hosted by agency veteran and coach, Steve Guberman. Agency Bytes is a podcast focused on delivering actionable agency information from agency experts in about 25 minutes. Why 25 minutes? Because who has the attention span for much more these days? And you can squeeze in a listen between meetings with time for a bathroom break or coffee refill before your next meeting.
[00:00:29] Steve: Welcome to Agency Bytes, a podcast dedicated to helping creative entrepreneurs thrive. I'm Steve Gooberman from Agency Outside, where I coach agency owners to build the business of their dreams. Today, I am thrilled to welcome back Kelly Campbell, the first, first repeat guest on Agency Bytes. Kelly is a trauma informed leadership coach and the author of Heel to Lead.
[00:00:48] Steve: revolutionizing leadership through trauma healing. They're a sacred trauma healing practitioner, writer for outlets like Entrepreneur and Forbes, and their sub stack explores the new TLC, trauma, leadership, and [00:01:00] consciousness. Kelly's vision is for more than half of humanity to heal its childhood trauma so that we may reimagine and rebuild the world together.
[00:01:08] Steve: And there is no better time for a mission like that. So Kelly, it is so good to see you again, uh, on zoom or, you know, in the digital and not in the physical realm today. So Thanks for joining me again, you know, in the digital and not in the physical realm today. So thanks for joining me again.
[00:01:24] Kelly: Yeah. Thanks for having me on.
[00:01:26] Kelly: Uh, congratulations on 99 episodes.
[00:01:29] Steve: Thank you.
[00:01:30] Kelly: What was the, um, the episode? The first episode that I was on was what number 11 for you?
[00:01:35] Steve: Number 11, December of 2022. I was very much still figuring it out as I am today. So, yeah.
[00:01:41] Kelly: Yeah, well, it's great to see you. Obviously, I would rather be seeing you in person.
[00:01:46] Kelly: Um, but no, this is great.
[00:01:47] Steve: Yeah, I would love just a lovingly warm embrace. We'll have to make that happen in person soon. Um, so much has transpired for you in the past couple of years a lot, you know, for the world in general, but [00:02:00] I get one on one time with you here. So I can only focus on what you're up to and some of the changes that you made in your life.
[00:02:05] Steve: personally and professionally and accomplishments. It's been always an honor to just kind of follow what you're up to and be a part of what you're up to. Um, bring us kind of up to speed on some of the. Milestones and things that you've achieved,
[00:02:18] Kelly: I mean, December 2022. So we're talking like, literally only 2 years ago.
[00:02:24] Kelly: Um, but it really has felt like an entire lifetime in the 2425 months. Um. I guess it was the end of April of last year when Heal to Lead came out and, you know, that in and of itself has been, uh, quite the journey. I think, uh, as I said, before we hit record, it's kind of old hat now, but even though it's only been out for whatever, uh, 8 months or something.
[00:02:51] Kelly: Um, but what a process, uh, really such a cathartic process and the, the feedback that I've gotten from people who have [00:03:00] read the book. And I know that you're 1 of them is. That people started seeing themselves differently after reading this book. Um, I think their ability to see themselves in the words that I wrote in the stories that I shared about myself personally, um, from my upbringing and, you know, I feel like my life has been sort of a conglomerate of.
[00:03:23] Kelly: Um, what a lot of people have experienced, whether that's being a child of divorce or having, um, someone in the family with mental illness or having experienced some kind of abuse when you're younger, these are sort of very common, unfortunately, you know, common experiences that we've all had. And what I wanted to highlight in this book is that I came to the realization that those.
[00:03:48] Kelly: Those pieces, those, um, parts of who we are that, that sort of make up the fabric of who we are, that really impacts how we lead other people. And so [00:04:00] until we figure out how to lead ourselves and heal some of those things, and when I say heal, I really mean integrate because we can't change the past, but when we can integrate those things in a really healthy way.
[00:04:12] Kelly: We can lead people more effectively. So, um, yeah.
[00:04:19] Steve: Define it. So it's, and I know you and I've spoken about this and I've read about like integrating that as opposed to you can't change the past and what healing really means and from a leadership standpoint, whether CEO, corporate banking. Whatever health care or an agency, how does that help them lead differently or show up differently?
[00:04:41] Steve: Like, talk about what integrate really means as a leader.
[00:04:44] Kelly: Well, I mean, 1st of all, you have to have developed some kind of self awareness, right? If you are being very reactive, we'll just use a really easy example. If you're being very reactive to people in your organization, [00:05:00] um, as opposed to being thoughtful and responsive.
[00:05:04] Kelly: You're not going to engender trust. You're not going to have a culture where people feel really comfortable to come to you with their ideas, their concerns, you know? Um, and so I think the more that you understand what activates you, some people use the word triggers,
um,
[00:05:21] Kelly: I use activate, but I think the more that you understand what is activating to you and where that comes from and why you show up the way that you show up, you have the ability to work on that and to change that if you want to.
[00:05:36] Kelly: I think part of doing. Self development and healing work also means that you're going to naturally be a little bit more vulnerable and more comfortable with that vulnerability. Nothing engenders trust more than a vulnerable leader.
Yeah,
[00:05:51] Kelly: so, you know, I think it's all of these things and then I know that you've, you've talked on the show before about, you know, compassion and compassionate leadership and that's [00:06:00] part of this.
[00:06:00] Kelly: Also, when I talk about in here, the. The 4 fundamentals to high conscious leadership, leading with compassion is really critical because a little bit different than empathy. Like, empathy is like, I feel with you compassion the way that I understand it is I feel with you and I'm willing to support you within.
[00:06:19] Kelly: My own boundaries or capacity to do so and so it's that action orientation that feels really important. Um, a lot of people confuse and conflate. Empathy and compassion is like, just being nice or just being kind, but it's not. It's not, it's really feeling with someone. And, you know, I think as you said earlier, like now more than ever, this is so critical because there are a lot of people feeling a lot of big, big emotions and feelings, um, in their personal lives, but also as it relates to their, you know, vocations, their roles within an organization.[00:07:00]
[00:07:00] Kelly: Um, it's impossible for us to separate who we are at home. Who we are when no one else is around and who we are when we're at our, the organizations that we work at, even if we're working from home, we're all the, it's all the same thing. And so the more compassionate that you can be as the leader, you know, you're just, you're going to essentially create more leaders.
[00:07:24] Kelly: You're going to create, um, as I said, more trust. But it's really going to be about loyalty, less attrition in your, in your company culture, um, more collaboration among the people that you are leading because they're going to feel a little bit more unified. They're going to feel a little bit more seen, heard, understood.
[00:07:48] Kelly: They're going to feel like they matter. And so it, I would like to say it doesn't take a special leader to do that. Um, I think it's possible for all of us to become that kind of leader. And a [00:08:00] lot of it, in my opinion, has to do with how we deal with our own history, our own past trauma.
[00:08:06] Steve: I think it takes an intentional leader to show up like that.
[00:08:11] Steve: Model that for the, for their team or, you know, their coworkers or whatever, is there like, I don't know, there's probably a silly question, but is there too far beyond, you know, the stoicism, I guess, of leadership and, um, emotions don't belong in the workplace and, you know, things like that versus the other side of it, where as the boss or the owner or your manager, I'm here to support you.
[00:08:39] Steve: Is there too far that that can sway that, you know, kind of, I don't, I, you know, I don't even know how to explain what I'm asking, but
[00:08:47] Kelly: I think I know what you're asking and, and the way that I would respond to that is it's not, it's not that it can sway too far. It's that you can be [00:09:00] leaning on tendencies of people pleasing and that's where you can get into trouble.
Yeah.
[00:09:07] Kelly: Right. So, and again, pleasing sort of exists on this spectrum between people pleasing and people controlling. You kind of talk about stoicism and things like that. Um, the people who say, like, emotions don't belong in the workplace. That's you're essentially saying, well, humans don't belong in the workplace.
[00:09:27] Kelly: That's right. So, um, I think that. Again, the are the trauma that we experience when we're younger can absolutely be the foundation of determining whether or not we are on where we are on that spectrum of people pleasing and people controlling. And by the way, we can slide across that spectrum. At any moment of any day, it's not that you're locked into 1 thing.
[00:09:54] Kelly: That's why it's a spectrum.
Yeah,
[00:09:56] Kelly: I remember leading my agency and [00:10:00] feeling very much like I needed to control certain things and in the same day, I could be very much worried that an employee might leave and therefore I probably. Allowed, you know, too much of an extension for them for something that they were asking and there I was leaning into more people pleasing.
[00:10:19] Kelly: Um, and so it's really about getting clear on your boundaries. Being really transparent. Um, I think kind is considerate,
right?
[00:10:28] Kelly: So, or clear, I should say clear is considerate. So the clearer that you are about what you're willing to accept and not accept and how, you know, clearly you communicate that is super important.
[00:10:41] Kelly: And then holding to it. And I think inside of those kind of guardrails, it's a lot easier for people to treat other people very well.
[00:10:51] Steve: Yeah. And, you know, when we started to segue into this, we said now more than ever. And so it is, this will come out the week of February [00:11:00] 17th, 2025, uh, last year during 2024, the industry as a whole was kind of on edge.
[00:11:07] Steve: There was, you know, um, concern about an election year and then, uh, that, how that impacts, uh, Client spending and agency growth or agencies, you know, um, stability even. And so more than half the agencies that I know had really rough years last year, had to let people go. I know a handful that had to shut down and then another, you know, the other half that had stable years or growth years.
[00:11:30] Steve: And so coming into, we've got a new administration that half the country didn't want. And, and for, I think, very, um, strong reasons. It wasn't like a. Maybe yes, maybe no, it was a, this is not at all what I want in my life. And so as you know, employers and employees feeling uneasy about the changes that are happening in this country, like what you're talking about, how leaders can show up and be supportive, compassionately for [00:12:00] their employees as they're figuring out, how do I respond to the changes in the world that are pretty much kind of out of my hands at this point, right?
[00:12:09] Kelly: Yeah, I mean, the changes in the world are out of their hands, but how they operate inside of the walls of their company, or the walls anymore of their companies.
[00:12:20] Steve: Yep.
[00:12:21] Kelly: Um, that's very much in their control.
[00:12:23] Steve: Absolutely.
[00:12:24] Kelly: You know, and. You know, having agency of, you know, of your agency.
Yeah.
[00:12:31] Kelly: I think that's really important because no matter what's going on outside.
[00:12:36] Kelly: I mean, I'm assuming that most of the people listening to this don't have 500, 5000 person agencies, right? So, yeah, you have so much more control and you're not actually relegated to whatever. You know, regulations and things, um, uh, you know, are there for different size businesses. [00:13:00] So you get to do and lead and operate and care for your people in the ways that you see fit and.
[00:13:11] Kelly: You know, I saw this, I mean, it's different, you know, when last year, when we saw so much of this, like, anti kind of movement stuff, there were a lot of universities that had to remove those things because otherwise they would lose their funding or we're not in that same place. You know, from a small business standpoint, so just because, you know, um, I don't want to get political here, but just because there are certain things that might be coming down the pike that might change the way that we have to view certain things.
[00:13:43] Kelly: Uh, or I, I shouldn't say it like that just because there are certain things that might legally change, um. In the Zeitgeist, like, we don't have to subscribe to those things. And I think that's where we [00:14:00] can really lean in to show our employees how much we do support them and how much of a supportive growth environment we can create inside of our companies.
[00:14:08] Steve: Um, what are some of the activities that you can kind of see unfolding at some of these small businesses, agencies, um, that would, that would help owners leaders be more supportive of their team through these tougher times?
[00:14:26] Kelly: Well, I mean, from my perspective, it's going to always be about leaning into really supporting the employees because the employees are.
[00:14:35] Kelly: What your their output is what you're selling, right? It's a service based business. So leaning into whatever they need, whether that be more transparent conversations, whether that be. You know, making sure that the benefits that you offer include therapy and other kind of modalities, um, maybe, you know, incentivizing things that [00:15:00] are, you know, in the realm of making sure that people take care of themselves really well.
[00:15:06] Kelly: normalizing the, the mental health day, the mental wellness day. I think that there's a lot that again, back to when COVID happened and the murder of George Floyd and all of these kinds of things that were pretty, um, that really rocked us as a nation. I think this, this. Incoming president is, is going to rock a lot of people because people are scared and regardless of who you voted for, you can't deny that, you know, there's fear in the collective.
[00:15:39] Kelly: So, I think acknowledging that and making sure that you are supportive of your employees and listen, if you're not supportive of your employees, 1st of all, I don't think you'd be listening to this particular show. But if you're not, then they will leave. Like, that's not, um. That's not projection. Like that's just what [00:16:00] will happen because people are, they're not going to stay where they're not welcome.
[00:16:07] Steve: Thanks again for tuning in to agency bites. If you know someone with expert knowledge on a topic that agency owners would love to hear about, go to agency outside. com forward slash podcast dash guest and nominate them.
[00:16:24] Steve: where they're not supported, where they're not seen. They're, they're our greatest investment.
[00:16:28] Steve: You know, if I'm going to spend
50
[00:16:29] Steve: to 70 percent of my all, you know, all time revenue on these people that are going to deliver the, hopefully the best quality work so that we continue to get more work and I'm not going to take care of them, you know, whatever. It's like, I don't want to compare to animals, but having a race horse that you're like, not going to feed the best quality horse food or whatever.
[00:16:50] Steve: Like, yeah. Why wouldn't you take good care of your people? Build the loyalty. And, um, even if it's not a business, they're humans and they have hearts and souls and [00:17:00] they need to be nurtured. And so, you know, whether you treat them like something that's generating revenue for you or human, either way, you know, it's important to do so.
[00:17:09] Steve: And, um, I got to spend some time with a client two weeks ago, helping them build kind of a resource guide for their employees of the future. Different services like you're talking about and just making it available. They have an internal wiki that they use as kind of their resource page for you know on notion how to how to run the agency, but also here's how do you take care of yourself too and Flex hours and things like that like you mentioned so there's a lot of creative ways to show up and Be supportive in, you know, I also have clients and spoken agency owners.
[00:17:41] Steve: They're like, that's not my, not my place, but I'll give them the opportunity to take extra time or whatever. And so I guess that goes to kind of what I was trying to think of before is like, at what point is it, is there a line where it's like, I'm, I don't, as the owners show up that way, but they, [00:18:00] the employees have the ability to do what they need to do to take care of themselves.
[00:18:05] Steve: So, um, Yeah, I think that I think there's an opportunity for owners to do something different to, um, take a risk to be courageous. Um, you know, I think you and I agree that it's important to encourage that and push those people kind of towards that ledge, if not off of it to do what they can to take care of their people.
[00:18:31] Steve: So what, what are your other thoughts on how, um, I guess agencies are changing or shifting for the better again, maybe it's around what's going on, um, with the government, but just changes in 2025 for how agencies are doing things differently or embracing change.
[00:18:50] Kelly: Yeah, I, I mean, I, I can't see that yet. I don't know exactly because everything feels.
[00:18:59] Kelly: [00:19:00] Like, there's so much variability, you know, and we don't know where this is coming out in mid February. Right. But right now we're recording this a couple of days after the inauguration. So I, we don't know.
Yeah.
[00:19:13] Kelly: Um, I think that there's a lot that remains to be seen again. I would say, like. Agency owners that really believe in doing the right thing by their people.
[00:19:26] Kelly: They understand the value that those people are bringing to the organization and doubling down on doing whatever they can to support them. That feels like the, the only way forward, but that's just my perspective, right? Um, I have seen larger, much, much larger agencies. Some of the CEOs of those that I work with, um, getting gobbled up, you know, there's going to be, I think, think about it.
[00:19:56] Kelly: We have billionaires running the country. So, [00:20:00] there's going to be maybe a little bit more normalization of monopolies, but that's at the larger level, which might create some opportunity for some of the smaller businesses, the small. Um, so that might be a positive thing, but again, I don't know that.
Yeah.
[00:20:19] Kelly: And I think that, you know, there are a lot of organizations, which would be the client organizations that because there's so much, um, disorder, let's call it happening right now. Right? There's a lot of chaos. There's a lot of unknowns, a lot of variability. There might be. More risk takers who seize that opportunity to create things that are a little bit more bold are a little bit more kind of in your face a little bit more progressive because a that's how they feel they can, you know, sort [00:21:00] of, uh, Oh, I don't want to use the word activism, but that's how they feel that they can sort of stand up for what they believe in and what their values are.
[00:21:08] Kelly: So we might see, Okay. Um, some more interesting projects, more progressive projects coming from clients. I could see a world in which that would be the case. Um, and then also you'll see the opposite because there will be a lot of clients who do pull back. They don't want to be as progressive. They're worried about backlash from, um, demographics that they serve or something like that.
[00:21:32] Kelly: So I think there's going to be just like there is in our country division. I think we're going to see more division from, from clients in terms of budgets and risk taking.
[00:21:42] Steve: That's interesting, um, there was a huge discussion in uh, an agency facebook group that I was in about Large AORs going to, um, large AORs that are service specific like digital AORs, things like that, to smaller, more nimble agencies and taking them away from the holding [00:22:00] companies.
[00:22:00] Steve: Because these smaller companies are willing to take more of a chance, be a little more Riskier in what the platform is that they get to, uh, leverage for their clients, whereas the larger agencies are politically tied, but not like tied to a party, but like tied to the concern of if we, you know, step outside the confines of what's safe.
[00:22:23] Steve: We're taking too big of a risk. So smaller agencies I'm seeing get more of a chance at, you know, at bats with larger, you know, AORs, larger contracts. Um, I think Tropicana was one of them. Uh, there's a couple others that AdAge had written about. So I laud that, like I'm all for it, like give them a chance, let them shine.
[00:22:43] Steve: Yeah.
Yeah.
[00:22:44] Steve: Um, what about so industry aside, what's big on the vision board for you this year?
[00:22:51] Kelly: This year, I am getting into, um, retreat facilitation, so running retreats for, [00:23:00] um, leaders who are interested in doing their own healing work. Maybe, um, they've been interested in that, but they don't really have a community or a place where they can do that.
[00:23:10] Kelly: Other than maybe they're going to therapy or something like that. So, um, he, I calling them like healing, healing, leadership retreats. Um, so I'll be doing a few of those this year. And, you know, a couple of speaking engagements, um, for different nonprofits and, um, corporate teams and just, you know, coaching and doing my own one on one work with, uh, individual clients.
[00:23:35] Kelly: So, you know, I like to diversify the portfolio, as they say, and, um, and. That's, that's pretty much it. There might be a new house on the horizon, but TBD exciting, um, you know, interest rates are a little crazy right now, so
[00:23:53] Steve: yeah. Pump the brakes. This is what we're doing. We'll see.
[00:23:55] Kelly: Yeah, we'll see. But other than that, I'm just feeling good in [00:24:00] my body and, um, building c.
[00:24:04] Kelly: That is my number one thing this year, whether that's through retreats or in my personal life or however I can do that. Um, I think building community is part of resistance, um, and. Being joyful and playful, which has been historically difficult for me because I'm, you know, I can be pretty serious and, and really kind of focused.
[00:24:31] Kelly: But I think the reminder that building community and being enjoy are 2 things that are very accessible to us at any given moment. And it's really a choice, whether we step into that or not. So that's what I'm focused on this year.
[00:24:45] Steve: I love that. Um, I think seeing you as an as a facilitator is just a natural, you know, kind of element of what you do and who you are and like how you show up for people.
[00:24:55] Steve: So that makes perfect sense. I can see that. Yeah. What do you do like [00:25:00] through your day to day activities to kind of help keep you feeling safe and grounded and. Showing up for people is exhaustive. So how do you regenerate yourself?
[00:25:11] Kelly: Yeah, I love that question. Um, so I have a really beautiful daily practice, um, in the morning, um, which kind of involves a lot of spirituality and meditation journaling.
[00:25:23] Kelly: It's like a full hour to hour and a half every morning. And for me, that's just time that's not negotiable. You know, I, I, that changes how I can show up. For the rest of my entire day and how I can show up for people. Um, so it's really kind of nourishing internally. And I know people might say like, I don't have an extra hour, hour and a half.
[00:25:46] Kelly: That sounds crazy. Um, but for me, it's like scheduling a meeting that I will not miss and, uh, feels really important. And then gym, I can go back to the gym next. Sunday, I [00:26:00] think is my back to the gym day. Um, cause I'm just recovering. So, uh, you know, I'm really excited about that and. You know, I think for me, given all the, the recent changes with social media, for me, it's going to be really taking a huge step back actually from social media.
[00:26:20] Kelly: I haven't had a Facebook account in years because why, um, but a lot less time on Instagram. And I actually made a decision to get off of LinkedIn for 1 year as a child. Yeah, so this is my LinkedIn free year. I'm going to see how it feels and if I would like to go back to it at the end of this year or not.
[00:26:42] Kelly: Um, but it just feels like I want to create more space and, uh, yeah,
[00:26:48] Steve: that's interesting. Um, I also have a morning routine and it's not an hour, an hour and a half, but it's, you know, on, on, uh, on an ideal day, it's 20 minutes to a half an [00:27:00] hour. And I get friends that are like, Oh, how do you, how do you do that?
[00:27:03] Steve: And I said, well, it started with five minutes, you know? And so to those that say, I don't have an hour, an hour and a half. You've got 20 minutes that you're sitting on social media, when your toilet trip could have been 4 minutes, it's 20 minutes. So like, we find the time when it's important to us, and when we say yes to other things, we have to say no to certain things.
[00:27:19] Steve: And so, it's about priority, so I'm fully right there with you as well. It's non negotiable, like even when we were in Vermont last weekend, it's like, I get up before everybody, and I have my alone time, and I read some things, and I do some meditating, and I start my day properly, and you know, I don't To me, it's just it's vital.
[00:27:36] Steve: So yeah, I get that as well. Um, and I think there's no wrong way to build a routine like that. It's just a matter of start somewhere, you know,
[00:27:44] Kelly: yeah, I didn't have a routine that I. Was consistent with last year and of any year in my life. I really needed it last year. And so I noticed the difference. And so now that, you know, this year is feeling really [00:28:00] good for the most part, um, that, you know, building in that routine and being really committed to that.
[00:28:05] Kelly: I think commitment is a huge thing when nobody really talks about that. Um, but that discipline and, and I don't. Think of it as, Oh, I have to get up and do this. It's like, I get to be in this body. I get to be alive, so I'm going to get up and then I get to do this routine, which feels nourishing and like, dare I say, luxurious, you know?
[00:28:31] Kelly: And that might mean that I get up earlier than some people. Um, or maybe I start my work day a little bit later than some people, but either way, it's, it's gotta be prioritized.
[00:28:41] Steve: Yeah, I am of the get to mindset for Almost everything, you know, um, uh, and I don't know if it was after losing Maya or whatever it was, but there was a shift for me where it was like, you know, I have friends or parents like, oh, I got to drive my kid.
[00:28:54] Steve: I'm like, you get to drive your like, you get to do all these things that think about who doesn't get to do those [00:29:00] things. And anything that like is in my life, it's there for a reason. And so it's, it's an opportunity. It's a gift and I get to be a part of whatever it is, you know, labeled positive, labeled negative, whatever, like, yeah, it's such a gift.
[00:29:12] Steve: Um, yeah. I'm also like thinking about, wow, not being on LinkedIn for a year to me, that's not the space that creates anxiety or drama. Like, that's just a business place. And so I'm curious report back in a year. Like, does that impact business for you? How does, you know, how does that just kind of change the,
[00:29:32] Kelly: yeah, I'm definitely a person who likes to push edges.
[00:29:37] Kelly: And so, um, when everyone was sort of thinking about like a four day work week, I was experimenting with a three day work week. Right. And now I'm at two and a half. Um, but for me, it's like, yeah, it is the Facebooks and the tick talk and, um, Instagram that might be causing, you know, a lot of dysregulation in people.
[00:29:59] Kelly: [00:30:00] But I wanted to go in a slightly different direction and question. We're told that we have to be on LinkedIn for business and I'm not sure that that's true. So this is my experiment.
[00:30:16] Steve: I love it. Yeah, I think it's a beautiful risk. And if it's one less thing that you need to commit your time to or indulge in or participate in.
[00:30:25] Steve: Conversations or chatter, then why not?
[00:30:27] Kelly: Yeah, well, I love writing and I like I really love the short form writing, you know, sub stack. I spend, um, a pretty good amount of time. I've wanted to spend a lot more time in 2024 and so when I looked at my whole. Sort of schedule and just daily practice of what I was putting my energy into, you know, 5 minutes here, 10 minutes here on different social platforms.
[00:30:53] Kelly: It adds up. And so I thought, okay, well. Going back to I need, I want to be clear and clean and like, [00:31:00] really boundaried. What if I just completely removed 1 platform? I didn't think I could do that with Instagram because of, you know, there are connection points that I have, unfortunately, on that platform that I'm not willing to.
[00:31:13] Kelly: Remove myself from not to say that I don't have a lot of connection points on LinkedIn, but if I was going to be able to literally step back completely 100 percent from one platform, it felt like LinkedIn was the one I could do that from. And I wanted to replace that with, um, writing for sub stack.
Yeah.
[00:31:35] Kelly: And that's a place for me where I, it's an additional revenue stream, right? So I have paid subscribers. And so whatever I made last year. My goal was to triple that this year, so the only way to triple that is to create more really good content. If my head is clear and I'm not spending time on LinkedIn, well, then Substack is going to get all of my [00:32:00] energy from this.
[00:32:01] Steve: Yeah. Lean into it. Absolutely. Yeah. So, uh, I don't want to hold you hostage for too long. Let's, uh, segue that into where can people find you on Substack and support your triple X, triple X revenue.
[00:32:14] Kelly: So on Substack, it's kellylcampbell. substack. com. Or you can just search for the new TLC. And then my website is just klcampbell.
[00:32:24] Kelly: com.
[00:32:25] Steve: And that'll be in the show notes also. Before we wrap up, a couple of random questions for you. Um, I had a new set from previously, but the first is, what is something that you have leaned into as a hobby, um, that you just can't get enough of these days?
[00:32:42] Kelly: Hmm. I have gamified Increasing my protein to 180 grams a day and I'm obsessed.
[00:32:55] Steve: Okay, great. It's
[00:32:57] Kelly: all in support of my return back to [00:33:00] the gym. And so I'm pretty excited about it.
[00:33:02] Steve: I'm excited for you. What's a tool that you recently integrated into your life that you look back and think, How did I live without this widget or whatever the thing is?
[00:33:13] Kelly: I don't want to say, like, I don't want to use the, the AI tool answer, although it's probably true. Um, what is a tool that I use? I don't use a lot of tools. I got to say, um, all right, I'll give the real my real answer, which is I am a little bit of an astrology geek. Cool. So I really like, um, there's 3. apps that I look at, um, for about, I don't know, three minutes a day, uh, in the mornings after my daily routine.
[00:33:49] Kelly: So the Chani app, Chani Nicholas, the Pattern, and CoStar, which are three astrology apps. Very interesting how they all, they're two, three totally [00:34:00] different things. And they all seem to, uh, be giving very similar information, which for me feels like confirmation.
[00:34:06] Steve: Very cool. And then finally, what is a piece of advice that you would give younger version of Kelly?
[00:34:13] Kelly: Oof. Oh, you're, you're gonna leave this as like, the mic drop. Inner child healing moment. Okay. Um, my piece of advice would be,
[00:34:31] Kelly: it doesn't matter what anyone else says or does or thinks or perceives about you. Not only do you matter, but you impact a lot of people.
[00:34:46] Steve: So true. Kelly, I am super grateful for your time, for your wisdom, for everything you get to share with us. Thank you so, so much for everything. Can't wait to see you and hug you in person soon.
[00:34:57] Kelly: That sounds amazing. Thanks. Thanks for having [00:35:00] me.
[00:35:00] Steve: Thank you.
[00:35:02] Steve: Thanks again for tuning in to Agency Bytes. If you know someone with expert knowledge on a topic that agency owners would love to hear about, go to agencyoutside. com forward slash podcast dash guest and nominate them.