Pivot With Purpose Season 4 Episode 7 Full Transcript

[00:00:00] Announcer: Pivot With Purpose, a podcast that highlights the unique stories of professionals that pivoted their careers to align with their work lives and personal lives more purposefully and with more joy.

[00:00:23] Announcer: Pivot what purpose is hosted by Megan Hall, a globally accredited career and business coach and creator of the Megan Hole Method. 

[00:00:32] Meghan Houle: Welcome back to the Pivot with Purpose podcast. I'm your host, Megan Ho, and in this episode we talk to Kelly Dunn, senior manager of US Merchandising for Basketball Fashion, and kids at Reebok usa.

[00:00:44] Meghan Houle: Thank 

[00:00:45] Announcer: you for listening to Pivot With Purpose with host Megan, who you can find out more information about each guest, including full transcripts at Pivot with purpose podcast.com. And if you'd like to share your own pivot with purpose, click on the share button and add your story to the conversation.

[00:01:04] Announcer: Finally, be sure. And share your comments wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. Your support amplifies our voice. And now this week's episode, 

[00:01:18] Meghan Houle: Kelly went to Northeastern University in Boston and graduated in 2015 with a degree in marketing at Northeastern. She played varsity field hockey and got to experience trips to the C A A finals in suite 16.

[00:01:33] Meghan Houle: Kelly started working for Reebok in 2014 as an intern in footwear product marketing, and moved full-time after graduation to product marketing apparel team. For the past seven years, she has worked on various apparel categories, genders and ranges, such as training, commercial collaborations, and most recently, women's product manager for the classics lifestyle and Cardi B.

[00:01:59] Meghan Houle: Kelly Dunn, welcome to the Pivot With Purpose Podcast. How are you doing today, my 

[00:02:04] Kelly Dunn: friends? Thank you so much. I'm doing amazing. I'm so excited to be here. 

[00:02:08] Meghan Houle: Yes, and I believe you just came on vacation. So I give you props for throwing yourself back into work, back into a podcast conversation, jumping right back into the swing of things.

[00:02:17] Meghan Houle: So are you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated? 

[00:02:20] Kelly Dunn: Oh my gosh, what a little sun will do for you in the middle of January, let me tell you, definitely feel refreshed back. It's really hit next year. Really hard. Well, thank 

[00:02:30] Meghan Houle: you for taking the time. I'm very much looking forward to our conversation knowing that you've been a tenured and have had this incredible career in retail with well-known fitness brand, and lots of pivots to get into.

[00:02:45] Meghan Houle: I'm really looking forward to diving into your story. So are you ready? Ready to jump in and tell us all 

[00:02:50] Kelly Dunn: about you? Of course. So ready? 

[00:02:52] Meghan Houle: So to kick off, what are you up to these days? I always love sharing where our guests are at, even though I do an introduction. Sing a little bit of where you are right now, and then we can jump into the pivot.

[00:03:02] Meghan Houle: So share with us your current role title. What are you leading? Where are you working? Yeah, so right 

[00:03:08] Kelly Dunn: now as of I think early summer, I move departments. Right now I'm the senior manager of US merchandising for Reebok. We're out of Boston, so I sit at the headquarters in the Seaport, and right now I'm covering fashion collabs, basketball and footwear.

[00:03:24] Kelly Dunn: So exciting things are changing. I'm not sure if you've heard, but Reebok was just bought. We were sold by Adidas and bought by a new company this year. So there's a lot of fun things coming on in the future. Ooh, 

[00:03:37] Meghan Houle: exciting. Can't wait to dive into that. Well, tell us as we get to know more about you. Early on in your career, how did you get into the merchandising side of the business?

[00:03:46] Meghan Houle: Did you always have a passion for product? Is that where you started? Tell us some early highlights. Yeah, 

[00:03:51] Kelly Dunn: exactly. Growing up, I was always surrounded by sports. Super heavily involved all the way through college. Where I played field hockey and then that's really where Reebok came into play. I knew I wanted to do something.

[00:04:03] Kelly Dunn: I was passionate about product specifically, so that's where I really decided to find a company in the sportswear industry that I felt like would align with my passions, my beliefs, and just kind of how my morals of how I grew up with sports and teamwork. So, I started in product marketing. I worked there for probably about seven-ish years, specifically on building products, footwear apparel.

[00:04:25] Kelly Dunn: And then most recently, where my pivot came in is where I completely jumped departments from more of a product creation standpoint into more merchandising, specifically working with accounts like a Journeys Tillies Pack Sun, which I've always loved merchandising, but product is at the forefront of, you know who I am.

[00:04:44] Kelly Dunn: So it goes in really nicely together. My new pivot. I 

[00:04:48] Meghan Houle: can't wait to dive into that further and yes, getting to know you a bit before we get to some big pivot moments. I heard and read that you were a bit of an athlete. I would not call myself an athlete, however, I did play sports in high school. Do you think playing on a sports team helped to shape you?

[00:05:05] Meghan Houle: As a career professional and why? What life lessons did you take away from being on a team? I honestly think it's so important. If I had kids, I'd absolutely force them to place forward 

[00:05:14] Kelly Dunn: response. What did you take away? How did it shape you? Totally. I think that, Teamwork, first and foremost, how you work with people, how you communicate with people.

[00:05:23] Kelly Dunn: It's different and everyone plays a different role, whether that's in your career or just on a sports team. So definitely team sports helped shape who I am, my morals, how I work with other people, or how I lead a team. Mm-hmm. in my career at Reebok for sure. And I just think. It's funny cuz I always thought like, what's life after fi hockey?

[00:05:42] Kelly Dunn: I went all the way from middle school to high school, to college, just, it was my job, it was all day, every day and I took it very seriously. And being able to translate that into a career and kind of think of it as a sport and a team and your bosses, the coach, and it made it more manageable, especially the shift between high school, college to then like a real professional career.

[00:06:02] Kelly Dunn: Yeah. Did you get 

[00:06:03] Meghan Houle: into Reebok right after college? What was that first 

[00:06:06] Kelly Dunn: job? Yeah. For you? So actually, um, if you're familiar, Northeastern does have a co-op program. Mm-hmm. , it's a five year school. You do four years of schooling, and then you do two six month internships. So they have a big partnerships with a lot of, you know, everything from nursing, you know, hospitals to, you know, Reebok, Wayfair type of c.

[00:06:24] Kelly Dunn: So you apply just like a regular job, then you get selected and you do an internship. So I did my second internship, I think it was in 2012 on footwear as a product marketer. So, you know, I knew I wanted to do marketing, but I had no idea, you know, what the creation of garments or, you know, Footwear even consisted of.

[00:06:42] Kelly Dunn: So that allowed me to get my foot in the door, that internship. And from there, um, right after I got hired full-time, I just, you know, kept on through the summer and just kind of, you know, networking is huge. You know, keeping in touch with people that you worked with so that when I was ready and I could fully commit to a full-time job, it was an easy entry.

[00:07:03] Meghan Houle: Yeah. I love that about Northeastern. I feel like there are a few other schools that do that. I think internships are so smart. Oh, it's really having real work experience. I mean, sure. When we, when we're growing up, we kinda have these like side jobs. Mm-hmm. , some do, some of us don't. You know, cuz you're in sports or like super focused on school, totally fine.

[00:07:23] Meghan Houle: But to know what it's. At a young age, work around professionals starting to get that lingo down and just like feeling comfortable in the setting. It's so nice to feel like you can emerge yourself in there versus like being thrown into like the lions dead . Oh yeah. Of your first day. You know that massive imposter syndrome homes.

[00:07:42] Meghan Houle: You're like, what am I even doing? And then plus I feel like after. College to get into whatever, quote unquote, like real jump. It takes a second to be like, how do I navigate even myself from my, my a different schedule that you have in college and now maybe you are working an eight to five, nine to five and showing up in a different way.

[00:08:01] Meghan Houle: So, 

[00:08:02] Kelly Dunn: I love that. Yeah. And I think it kind of gave me those two jobs before my actual, like, you know, they're on my resume. They were experience based six months, but it allows you, you know, to, to test the waters and to try something. The first one I did was just at a basketball company. It was in operations and you know, , you read a job description and then you go do the job and you're like, you know, is this me?

[00:08:21] Kelly Dunn: Can I see myself doing this for the rest of my life? And it allows you some space to grow, get comfortable, and then, you know, kind of check of like, Ooh, is this the path I wanna go down? And then you have another opportunity. Mm-hmm. . So, you know, I was really lucky the, the first one I was like, mm, I like it, but is this what I can do for the next, you know, 30, 40 years?

[00:08:39] Kelly Dunn: And then I was able to transition to Reebok and that's just when I knew, um, the company, the people, and then, you know what they stand for. All just made sense. That's 

[00:08:48] Meghan Houle: so great to hear. And you do you feel it in your gut. And I was just talking to someone the other day about being young, professional and not having it figured out.

[00:08:55] Meghan Houle: And we put so much stress on ourselves in our future, and I'm like, just try all the jobs. It's okay at 22, 25. You don't have to have it all figured out. But I know some of us are so hard on ourselves and it's just like, give yourself time to learn. And I think with that clarity comes that path where you find your passions, you're like, okay, this is kind of what I'm meant to do.

[00:09:14] Meghan Houle: And you jump in totally. . I love that. Yeah. Was there a pivotal moment in your career that really changed your trajectory? 

[00:09:22] Kelly Dunn: Yeah. I would say, not necessarily something happened at work, but I would say in my life mm-hmm. , while I was, you know, especially like the first two years trying to, you know, like you said, imposter syndrome, trying to, figuring it out, trying to get comfortable with, you know, this adult life that you're living post-college.

[00:09:40] Kelly Dunn: But unfortunately in 2017, my mom passed away from pancreatic cancer. It was. Super fast. It was super unexpected and I think that outside of work kind of changed my whole perspective and my reevaluating on like, you know, We have one life to live. You're not guaranteed the next day. And like, you gotta do what you love and you gotta do what, what's important to you.

[00:10:01] Kelly Dunn: And you spend so much time at work away from, you know, your family members, your friends that like, in order to devote and to be happy, you know, there you really have to, you know, understand like what works for you, how you want to move forward. So I think that was a time, you know, I was two years into Reebok, I was still like a coordinator.

[00:10:21] Kelly Dunn: I was like the lowest entry level possible. You know, doing coordinator task. I wasn't managing anything. I was working on commercial core entry product, and that's where I really took a step back and after it happened, just being like, you know, what am I doing? What do I wanna do for my whole life? Because, you know, I can't be miserable because of my personal life forever.

[00:10:40] Kelly Dunn: I can't live like this. So yeah, that's when I, you know, and then eventually Covid hit and I just head down and was like, you know, I. Reebok, I love sports, but what's gonna make me feel fulfilled at the end of the day? So that was the clicking point. Instead of like going with the flow and just being happy, I got into the company of like, how can I make a change and how can I, you know, find happiness, you know, in my nine to five and in my career and, and really make it something that changes people's lives, whether it's product or, you know, allowing people have voices through campaigns or things like that.

[00:11:14] Kelly Dunn: Yeah. Well 

[00:11:15] Meghan Houle: that's so powerful and thank you for sharing that. I'm so sorry to hear at what, you are still a very young age. Mm-hmm. Like to lose a parent, it's super tough for sure at any age, but to take something and then to see maybe a positive way forward to it. Mm-hmm. and, and not get stuck in some tough moments, but really saying, okay, like I.

[00:11:36] Meghan Houle: Wake up every day and make every moment of my life count, which is so important, so good for you. And I feel like at times also too, we are all, we're are so hung up on our letting our careers define us. And a lot of people I work with struggle with this a lot too, where. We need to know how to stand up on our own two feet and share what makes us special.

[00:11:57] Meghan Houle: Humans outside of work. Yeah. Asking ourselves like, who am I when I'm not at work? How am I showing up? So many people struggle to define themselves outside of a work role. So what struggles did you have early on in your career that you had to overcome to move on your life? Maybe beyond, well I know you 

just 

[00:12:12] Kelly Dunn: mentioned a big one, but

[00:12:14] Kelly Dunn: Um, I would say, and I think that too, like I've always been like a team player. I'm always been more, you know, of a yes girl. , you know, I'm always down for the team. I'm always, you know, solution oriented, which is amazing. But I think in my early career it was, you know, I would do everything and anything.

[00:12:29] Kelly Dunn: Like I wanted to work at Reebok. I didn't care if I was the janitor, you know, like I would find a way and get my way up. And I think, you know, for the first two years I was very, um, I kind of just went with the flow, did what anyone wanted me to, and I didn't feel like I had much of a voice. And I think that's when it turned, when I was like, listen, I'm here to make an impact and, you know, I feel confident in myself and what I've been learning that this is the right way, and that's when I really started almost putting my foot down and saying, listen, I'm willing to do, you know, challenging projects, but able to kind of carve my own path and not let others like kind of step on over me to tell me what I should be doing or where I should be going.

[00:13:09] Kelly Dunn: Mm-hmm. Yeah. 

[00:13:11] Meghan Houle: And then in terms of outside of work, are you still heavily involved in fitness and all the things? Do you feel like you're kind of still in alignment? Yeah. Far You can have a separation, I would 

[00:13:21] Kelly Dunn: say. Not still doing all those things. Yeah. Extent that I was in college. Yeah. Which is, it's so interesting.

[00:13:25] Kelly Dunn: Yeah. I mean, fitness journeys are, you know, everyone has a different one and everybody, it's really hard to stay consistent over your whole life. Like, you know, after sports I took a different approach where I wasn't. I was going to like boxing classes and I was doing Pilates, so I was able to tap into other things and I, I was able to figure out how to make fitness fun.

[00:13:44] Kelly Dunn: Like I think my whole life it was always, you know, when you're playing sports and you have to run, it's a punishment, you know? Right. They use it as, you know, it's not always positive, but outside of that, when you kind of take this competitiveness and the actual sport out of it, it's like, you know, how do I go to the gym every day and, you know, wanna workout and wanna feel better, and I.

[00:14:02] Kelly Dunn: Reeling it in and reeling it back. Just allowing myself to kind of do what I wanted, to take some group classes and not focus on the calories or the miles or, you know, the time really allowed to reset my mind and open it into a whole nother level of fitness. That's definitely more sustainable than, yeah, it was in my early.

[00:14:23] Kelly Dunn: Being in 

[00:14:24] Meghan Houle: training mode. Yeah. Yep. And God bless our early years , but yeah, definitely not the same way our body works. Totally. You know, 20 

[00:14:31] Kelly Dunn: plus years, I look back, I'm like, oh my, I, when I started right after college, hey, I went right into CrossFit and like, that was amazing. I loved it. Oh God. But like, I was still on that level of go, go, go.

[00:14:42] Kelly Dunn: And now back in, you know, I'm yoga and Pilates and I love it. I love it each, each way. It's unique, so it's great. 

[00:14:51] Meghan Houle: Definitely. Was there a moment in your career that you messed up and had to really learn a hard lesson because of that? I always love to. That's such a good self-awareness Question. Questions I asked in an interview, a lot of like, what happened?

[00:15:03] Meghan Houle: How did you handle it? But I think it's important too, to know it's not always smooth sail enough. Yeah. When we're not perfect, none of us are. But anything that sit with you, a lesson that you've learned or something you've learned the hard way you can give advice to someone else, maybe listening. I 

[00:15:17] Kelly Dunn: think it's more like, you know, always go with your gut, like, it's never too late to change.

[00:15:22] Kelly Dunn: And I think I sat on the pivot, like I sat on curious saying, Hmm, maybe I should try something else. Or maybe I'd be good at X, Y, Z and expand my horizons. And I, for a few years, even though I knew eventually I would do it, I, I held back because I was comfortable and it's all I knew. And you know, it's daunting thinking.

[00:15:43] Kelly Dunn: Starting over, and not just in a different company, but within a different team in a different department. And you start a lot of self-doubt of, and then like, oh, could I do this job? I don't know. You know, but, you know, I, I would always think back to when I first started at Reebok and then, and looking where I came, like I didn't think I'd be able to do all of the things that I've achieved and done and the people I've met and worked on the collaborations.

[00:16:07] Kelly Dunn: But, you know, you just never know. You always have to shoot for the stars and, and never, never hold back. I love 

[00:16:14] Meghan Houle: that. Well, such good advice. So we're gonna dig into some big pivots. So I'm gonna, in the spirit of this podcast, asking you a yes or no question. I'm gonna put you on the spot. We call it our teaser, and then we're going to a quick break.

[00:16:25] Meghan Houle: So are you ready? Ready. Okay. So yes or no, do you remember the exact moment you wanted to take a different path in your current company? A hundred 

[00:16:35] Kelly Dunn: percent. 

[00:16:38] Meghan Houle: Okay. And with that, we will be going to a quick break and we will pick this up when we get.

[00:16:58] Announcer: All 

[00:16:58] Meghan Houle: right, Kelly, before the break, you said a hundred percent Yes. So what did that moment look like? And then tell us about the keys to that successful internal. 

[00:17:08] Kelly Dunn: Share your story. Yeah, so I think the internal moment was a time where I felt like I was straying from my morals, my beliefs, and how I felt like, you know, I wanna run my career and you know, be an employee at Reebok and or a part of the team.

[00:17:25] Kelly Dunn: And you know, there was just a lot of internal. Craziness with the sale and people changing and people leaving with covid and everything. And I really started to realize that, you know, I was so happy for so long. I probably went, you know, eight years without, you know, even thinking twice about, you know, trying something new or changing jobs.

[00:17:44] Kelly Dunn: And I hit this part where I was kind of like, , just that, you know, I'm, I'm not getting as the funness anymore. Like, it's not as fun, it's not as rewarding. It felt like a job, which it is a job, but, you know, for so long I was, I was so happy and I loved what I did. It didn't feel like a job. And that's when I knew that I was like, mm-hmm , something's gotta change because, you know, I don't wanna do that like this forever.

[00:18:07] Kelly Dunn: And it's, it's, there's something else out there for me. 

[00:18:11] Meghan Houle: So that's when you took that big switch from. Marketing, right? Yeah. So merchandising, yes. So how did you do it internally? Because I think it would be so interesting for our listeners to hear. I think many people like you are sitting in companies where maybe they don't think that there's anything more, as we were just talking about, you're kind of stuck maybe in a box.

[00:18:32] Meghan Houle: Mm-hmm. , because it's just where you are and what you're good at. But if you're not using your. If you're not speaking up, if maybe your boss doesn't know you wanna try something different, no one, no. No one's gonna know what you wanna do unless you saw them, right? No one can read mines well, maybe some people might be with him , but respectfully.

[00:18:48] Meghan Houle: But you know, so what maybe three things did you do? Or was there anything that really stood out to, to raise your hand and say, Hey, I wanna try something different. And how did you success? Pivot between those departments. Like tell us a 

[00:19:00] Kelly Dunn: little bit. Yeah. Yeah. So I think, you know, internally is great because, you know, there's so many other depart, especially working at a corporate company like Reebok.

[00:19:07] Kelly Dunn: There's a lot of other, you know, departments and jobs that you just don't even know exist unless you know, You either work with them or you come across or you kind of network. So think for me and at Reebok, you know, you have the gym so you can meet people outside of your department or the people that you're having meetings with every day.

[00:19:22] Kelly Dunn: So I'm definitely a big into networking and you know, I love making experience or having relationships outside of work with my coworkers. Cause I just think it grounds you and it's better for the team beyond just work like you said. So, yep. That was where I started with my feelers of kind of, you know, I had.

[00:19:38] Kelly Dunn: Different people, friends that, you know, worked outside of what I was doing and you know, just talking to them, you know, whether it's meeting with them over a coffee chat or if it's over the phone. Just kind of learning about their experiences, what their day-to-day looks like. You know, what they like about their job.

[00:19:54] Kelly Dunn: Mm-hmm. , what they don't like about their job. And from there I was able to start picking up little things of each different department that I thought I would maybe be interested in. And that's how I ended up towards merchandising. There was a lot of similarities. For example, you know, Creating product book, working with accounts was what I was doing in the past or with partners, you know, Cardi B, things like that, where on the flip side of merchandising, you're still doing that.

[00:20:16] Kelly Dunn: You're working directly with the accounts. So there was some similarities where I felt like my strong suits were, but really just being able to network and just kind of, you know, talking, talking to people and you know, seeing their personal experie. 

[00:20:31] Meghan Houle: I love that. And finding mentors. Yeah, like within your own building, what products have you led within Reebok over your tenure?

[00:20:38] Meghan Houle: What have been your favorite? Oh my gosh. Like tell us some of the juicy things that you've 

[00:20:42] Kelly Dunn: done. So fun. I mean, for me also at the age that I was at too, I felt like I was also the consumer as well to majority. I mean, I had the best time when I worked on training apparel. Just being able to, you know, create functional leggings.

[00:20:56] Kelly Dunn: Stuff that helps you with your workouts and being someone who was, you know, working out every day and kind of solving those problems. Also, women's apparel is amazing. There's so many different silhouettes and fabrics and colors. It's just mm-hmm. , it's so fun. And then I think most recently my favorites have been when I switched over the classics lifestyle.

[00:21:15] Kelly Dunn: I mean, c O V. Caused athleisure to be, you know, you can wear leggings any, anywhere. You can wear leggings out, you know, forefront 

[00:21:22] Meghan Houle: anywhere, sweatpants. It's just not all fat. 

[00:21:24] Kelly Dunn: It's a uniform, you know, fancy sweatpants. 

[00:21:26] Meghan Houle: Yes, 

[00:21:27] Kelly Dunn: yes. So I loved that just because I then found myself in Loungewear all the time. And you know, it didn't have to be just sweat sets that you're wearing to and from a sport it's.

[00:21:36] Kelly Dunn: You know, I wear it all the time. I dress it up, dress it down, type of thing. And then the collaboration was definitely Cardi b i I was a fan before we even signed her. I think we signed her in 2018. So I was just waiting for when someone was gonna get an apparel brief from Cardi. And of course, I think me knowing that I was a fan before and followed her on, you know, love and hip hop and everything, it came across my desk and it was just, I mean, let me tell you, I have gray hairs from it, but it was so exciting.

[00:22:06] Kelly Dunn: It was thrilling. It was during Covid, so it was very difficult to, you know, have a third party to communicate, to touch fabrics and stuff like that. But we made it work and I will tell everyone she's, she's exactly like she is on Instagram. The most authentic partner, celebrity that I've ever had an interaction with, which I appreciate.

[00:22:24] Kelly Dunn: She's totally a hundred percent real. Everything you see on Instagram is exactly what you're getting from her, so that was awesome. That's 

[00:22:31] Meghan Houle: so awesome to hear. And her product is amazing. I was laughing. I mean, I received a few pieces. Yes, thank you. Loved them. And I'm like, wait, am I hot enough to Yes.

[00:22:38] Meghan Houle: You're wear this like that? Like, wait, is that ship sales? Yeah, but no, it, the fits are so amazing. And I'm like, dang. And you feel so good. And they got, you know, you have all these cute cutouts and sports bras and I don't know if, if you're like this, but I feel like when you have a cute outfit, whether you're going to the gym or like a group, Fitness.

[00:22:59] Meghan Houle: It's like you kind of like show up with like a different Yes. Pep in your stuff. Yes. Right. And that's, so that's a, you gotta invest in the 

[00:23:06] Kelly Dunn: good things, everybody. Of course. And that's the thing is like there's so with her, she's so unique and you know, she doesn't work out 24 7 or anything like that. So it was almost like a space between workout, like you could work out in it, but it was also this like lifestyle, like you could go out in it as well.

[00:23:21] Kelly Dunn: Yeah. And she just, her fits her, you know, she wants everyone to feel, you know, figure hugging. Everything to be like sucked in, but still comfortable. And like you said, like when you're wearing something, whether it's a color or a mood or just something you love, it gives you a whole nother, you know, boost of confidence and it kind of comes right out on you.

[00:23:39] Kelly Dunn: Like, you gotta look good ladies, say what? Look good, play good. Or look good, feel good, play good, I think. Mm-hmm. , you know, same story here. Yeah. 

[00:23:48] Meghan Houle: Oh no. And, and I'm living and breathing it, and I love like the lifestyle to like, kind of like street wear. Mm-hmm. and the sneakers, I mean, it's like a full line of soit.

[00:23:57] Meghan Houle: Mm-hmm. . So are the, the collections still available where people can come chop? Or is that like a capsule? Yeah, so 

[00:24:02] Kelly Dunn: we did, we did like a bell, probably five or six collections from 20. Mm-hmm. 2020 21 all the way through 22. So, Most recently have one up, I think it dropped in November. We have her last collection, so it should have, you know, you've got tracksuits, super unique tracksuits to her.

[00:24:22] Kelly Dunn: You have Bodysuits, there's some mesh jumpsuits out there, leggings with cutouts, like you said, sports bra bike shorts. So if you haven't taken a look, reebok.com and it's a pretty big collection. She's got this amazing purple head to toe color, some beiges in there. And then of course your go-to black, so footwear as well.

[00:24:41] Kelly Dunn: It's all so 

[00:24:41] Meghan Houle: beautiful, so that's very exciting. Any other memorable career moments for you? Yeah, 

[00:24:48] Kelly Dunn: I feel like, well I think most recently it is kind of going off of, you know, Cardi, but I did get to meet her, mm-hmm. in July, probably about two years ago when we were finalizing our last collection in person and.

[00:24:59] Kelly Dunn: You know where the meeting's being videotaped and recorded and it's like an hour and a half. There was a lot going on and you know, fast forward to when the drop happened about two months ago. I'm just kind of scrolling through Instagram and I'm clicking on her and I hear my voice and I'm like, But I'm on her like it's her story and I'm like, oh my gosh, what is that?

[00:25:17] Kelly Dunn: And then, yeah, somehow in the cut of the behind the scenes like teaser that was for the collection is my voice pointing and talking about, you know, the fabrics and the fits and the rushing. So that was just exciting for me. Cause I think everything on product creation and is always done behind the scenes.

[00:25:33] Kelly Dunn: And then, you know, it gets passed onto marketing. But to see. Just that little clip of me and you know, that was my old job as something that, you know, I'll remember forever. I'll have it forever and I'll probably play it for my kids someday. So, yeah. You like, look, 

[00:25:48] Meghan Houle: mom made it. Yeah. Or like, mom was cool.

[00:25:52] Kelly Dunn: Yeah. My sister texts me, she's like, oh my God. Like I'm, I hear your voice. And I was like, yeah, I am. I'm like, I have no idea. But here we. Yeah, like, that's me. I love that. So that was 

[00:26:03] Meghan Houle: exciting. So freaking cool. Yes. You're, you're just like stacking it up. All your performance over the years , so Love it. You, you better have a big old folder, career coach over here.

[00:26:12] Meghan Houle: I dunno 

[00:26:12] Kelly Dunn: if I could top that. That was like, right. You know, top 10 for me. That's at the top. Yeah. Maybe number one. But , we'll see. Yes. 

[00:26:20] Meghan Houle: That's awesome. Awesome. Well, is there anyone that someone has said to you that's really stuck with you throughout your career or life? Maybe some good advice. What's really.

[00:26:29] Meghan Houle: Stuck with 

[00:26:30] Kelly Dunn: you. Yeah, I think something like once, you know you can love what you do, but once you feel like you're not growing or you're not learning and you kind of feel stagnant, that's when you really have to look at yourself and, and see, you know, what else you can do. Cuz I think for me, there was a time where I hit that, you know, I could do everything with my eyes closed.

[00:26:48] Kelly Dunn: You know, I was just, I was very stagnant and I just didn't feel like I was learning or challenging myself. And that's where it became more tedious, where the second you're not learning or you're not getting. You know, growth from the job that you know you're doing, it's, it's time to move on, so, 

[00:27:05] Meghan Houle: right. Yeah.

[00:27:06] Meghan Houle: Well, and that's your journey from intern to getting into the company, starting within marketing, and then. Spending what you've said almost like seven years, right? In that role. Yeah. And then starting to like raise your voice and and network with some of your other partners and cross-functional partners to now being in merchandising.

[00:27:23] Meghan Houle: So yeah, we should always be learn learning and always feel challenged. And you're right, like I think a part where you're feeling stuck and maybe there's no growth or. You kind of are in this like negative toxic environment. Mm-hmm. where your mental health is starting to really decline. Mm-hmm. , you know, it, it's time to try something else.

[00:27:41] Meghan Houle: And it seems like you've had great success navigating internally, but you know, for some listening in, that's not always the case. And it seems like you guys have a really great group over with Reebok. And I know there's been a lots of changes, but maybe for somebody like in a corporate environment or even a startup that.

[00:27:57] Meghan Houle: Toxic or negative, or dealing with difficult people. Mm-hmm. , what advice would you give to them? I'm sure not everyone's perfect all the time in terms of dealing with coworkers, but how have you navigated difficult people? Have you navigated unfavorable working environments or has it been smooth sailing like 

[00:28:14] Kelly Dunn: you?

[00:28:14] Kelly Dunn: Yeah, I mean, you know, yeah. I won't say it's been smooth sailing for the last seven years. Yeah. I'm sure there, you know, there's been bumps in the road. I. For me, the best thing that I've done is, you know, trying to have a relationship with someone beyond, you know, your working relationship. I think if you can, you know, you don't have to be best friends with them, but if you can understand them and speak to them about their personal life and things that are happening outside, it just gets you on a better level to have hard conversations or difficult conversations with each other.

[00:28:43] Kelly Dunn: If you both know where you guys stand, as you know, respect and as humans, and you know, everyone's. For the most part should be going for the same task. So yeah, I think getting that and, and Reebok it, you know, it's a bunch of different, you know, ages, backgrounds, so mm-hmm. , being able to pull people in from my team have all, have different expertise and just allow everyone to kind of have a seat at the table might think also helped and make them feel like they can speak and have a seat and they're comfortable.

[00:29:10] Kelly Dunn: I think has definitely been something. That I feel like I have the most success with working with others and collaborating with others cuz everyone's so different. Um, 

[00:29:19] Meghan Houle: yeah. No, absolutely. Well, it's such, it's such great advice and I think communication in anything is so crucial and it's key. It's key. For someone to not feel attacked, I always say nothing should ever come as surprise.

[00:29:35] Meghan Houle: Mm-hmm. . So if someone's getting either performance review or there's major issues, if there's something that needs to be addressed, you need to do it on the spot and be able to say, okay, this isn't working out. Or when you try this differently, because I then think like the commitment to and change is there immediately versus.

[00:29:52] Meghan Houle: Someone who, you know, may mess up and then like four weeks later you're like, Hey, remember that time when you didn't do that right? And they're like, no, , you know, words of advice are so great, but yet have communication, open communication. Understand where people are coming from on both sides. And it's great that you've been, you know, through the highs and lows of any company.

[00:30:14] Meghan Houle: In, in good positions, and it seems like it is a great positive work environment. You seem so positive and wonderful to work with. I mean, after this podcast, I, you'll probably be getting like resumes sending left and right, like, Kelly, are you hired? I'm, so, we'll see how that goes, but what are you excited about looking into the 

[00:30:29] Kelly Dunn: future?

[00:30:29] Kelly Dunn: Wow, what's next? Honestly, I feel like the, it's the unknown and, and I think that's what's exciting for me now. Mm-hmm. , like, I think I hit, I hit a level over there where I, I knew what I was expecting in my old job. I, I knew what was next and. I like that. I don't know what's next, especially in the, the things I work in now.

[00:30:48] Kelly Dunn: So footwear, I was definitely more of an apparel expert. Now I'm working in footwear. You know, I do everything from basketball to kids. So, you know, the future for Reebok is very bright. We have, you know, now that we're not working under Adidas anymore, we're gonna get back into sport. And that for me is, you know, we've been doing a lot of retro, which means like Iverson and things that we did in the eighties and the nineties before.

[00:31:09] Kelly Dunn: Adidas. That's so good. Yeah. Yeah. So we have all of that, but, but us actually diving back into sport and like actual athletics is gonna be, I'm super excited about that. So totally unknown, but I know we're hitting it heavy in the next few years, so I'm sure that's gonna take me on a whirlwind of new opportunities, new accounts, and just new visibility.

[00:31:30] Kelly Dunn: I think with Reebok, it's a brand that's always been around, but we kind of went under the radar a little bit. Yeah, Nike, Adidas kind of climbing the last 20 years, so it's exciting for me to kind of be a, you know, more at the bottom and kind of break through these like, you know, big guns up top. Yeah. 

[00:31:48] Meghan Houle: Well, I have to tell you, I feel like my first.

[00:31:51] Meghan Houle: Like fancy. I made it pair of sneakers with food. 

[00:31:55] Kelly Dunn: Like, this is like eighties, 

[00:31:57] Meghan Houle: like early. I would say me in like kindergarten or first, second grade. I just remember being middle school and there was like one very fancy girl in my middle school that had like the whitest, like Reebok high tops, and I, I feel like their background, I was gonna say one with like freestyle that Velcro.

[00:32:10] Meghan Houle: Yes. Yes. And I remember I got like the light pink pair and I, I thought it was like the president of United States. I'm like, nobody, you can touch me with these snakes. 

[00:32:18] Kelly Dunn: We're gonna have to get you a nostalgic pair of those. Can, 

[00:32:22] Meghan Houle: can we just bring those bags to my, I can. We'll post on Insta. Yes. This comes out.

[00:32:26] Meghan Houle: I'll be like, here's my new snakes. But I love that. I love it. Like bringing back to the roots of the brand. Totally. Where I feel like a lot of companies have embraced their history and heritage and I know sometimes it's tough when you. Maybe it sucked into a conglomerate or being under a big umbrella.

[00:32:42] Meghan Houle: The narrative changed a little bit because you know, it is what it is and the people leading, but that's super cool to hear. You sound super jazzed and enthused, so I can't wait to see all the things coming and I know we'll be staying in close contact and yeah. Any advice for our listeners out there that are really looking to maybe pivot careers or pivot with purpose right now?

[00:33:02] Meghan Houle: What advice would you give to somebody before I let 

[00:33:04] Kelly Dunn: you go? Yeah, I mean, I would just say, you know, anything's possible. Never give up. And I think the more, not research, but. Reaching out to people, whether it's through LinkedIn or you know, a friend of a friend, like, you know, there's plenty of people in the industry that would be more than happy, myself included, to, you know, um, give you a little more insight on something that you're maybe willing to take a risk on, or an opportunity or a department that you just don't know much about.

[00:33:26] Kelly Dunn: So, I would say never be afraid to network and reach out. It can only do good things for you or get you in touch with, you know, other people. Or maybe just learning more about the company or the role in general to see if that's really what you wanna do. But it's never too late. Well, thank you for 

[00:33:41] Meghan Houle: sharing.

[00:33:41] Meghan Houle: And I saw a post on Insta where they were highlighting all these incredible designers and people where a lot of these designers that we feel like have been around forever really didn't get started till the late thirties, early forties. Oh yeah. So anything's possible. You can pivot at any time. Try all the jobs.

[00:34:00] Meghan Houle: Talk to your internal company if there's something you wanna do. I mean, there's so many nuggets here. So thank you Kelly, for all this incredible advice and for sharing your story. And before I really let you go, I'd love to ask these little fun personal questions. What's something that we, someone may not know about you, A hidden talent advice like 

[00:34:17] Kelly Dunn: spread some like secret 

[00:34:20] Meghan Houle: of Kelly.

[00:34:21] Meghan Houle: What's something that. You don't tell a lot of 

[00:34:23] Kelly Dunn: people often? I'm trying. Well, so I have a twin sister, which people, most people know, some people don't. And I think when they see us, they get awesome. If they see us separately and it's like my work friends or something, they won't have a clue. But when we were growing up, we all, like, we used to switch classes, we used to do each Would you trick all, oh my God, all the time.

[00:34:42] Kelly Dunn: Yes. Classes, homework. We just divide and conquered. In college, we went to different colleges that didn't, that didn't work out well . But we definitely, you know, if someone calls me Marissa and I know they don't know, I just pretend I'm like, hi, how are you? You know, that's just cuz it's, you know, it's one of those conversations where it's like, if you don't know they have a twin, you don't know, you know, and sometimes it's pass passing and it's, instead of stopping them and say, oh no, I'm not who you think I am, I just, I just go with it.

[00:35:09] Kelly Dunn: It's gotten me in trouble a few times. You know, it's still been worth it. 

[00:35:15] Meghan Houle: We'll save that for a different time. Yes. , how can our listeners find you, Kelly, engage with you? Yes. Like what's the best way to reach out? Like also follow all the things that you're doing, like 

[00:35:25] Kelly Dunn: work-wise? For sure. So I'd say definitely had me on LinkedIn.

[00:35:28] Kelly Dunn: Kelly Dunn, k e l o y d u n n. Um, Add me on there. I'd be happy to, you know, network to chat, give you any insights if you're interested in Reebok, kind of who to contact, any HR contacts. And then on Instagram, I'm probably, that's probably the second social media, I'm more, you know, on which would be Kelly Dunn 19, so k e l l y d u n n 19.

[00:35:52] Kelly Dunn: Awesome. Well, that's so 

[00:35:54] Meghan Houle: generous and I will definitely link all of that. So like I said, you make it a nice little influx and LinkedIn connections and very generous for you to offer time or a network contact. I know there's a lot of people that listen locally in Boston, but really all around the globe.

[00:36:09] Meghan Houle: So for anyone, please link up with Kelly. Kelly, you are such a Bower house and an incredible professional and inspirational leader. Thank you for taking the time to share all your amazing pivots and successes, and I'm so excited to see what the future holds for you and the many ways you know, we can keep supporting each other in our various ventures.

[00:36:29] Meghan Houle: So get into Kelly's LinkedIn, follow her and our Reebok adventures, and I am sure I'll be seeing you real soon, my friends keep shining. Amazing. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you. My pleasure. Thank you for tuning into another episode of PIB With Purpose. If you'd love this episode, please be sure to share it with your network.

[00:36:51] Meghan Houle: Leave us a review in a five star rating if you are enjoying these pivot conversations and wanna keep the personal development going as an executive recruiter and master career in Clarity Coach, join my community and be the first to have access to all of my content to set you up for success in whatever stage you are in career-wise, and get some inspiration.

[00:37:13] Meghan Houle: Be the first to know about local and virtual events I'll be hosting as well, so maybe you can join me in person. Head over to www.meganho.com/community, or click the link in the show notes to get on the 

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[00:37:28] Announcer: Pivot With Purpose with Host Megan Houle is a fashion console production, and part of the FC Podcast Network.

[00:37:35] Announcer: It is produced and directed by Phil AKA Corin, and a special thank you to Spencer Powell. For our theme music, learn More at Pivot with purpose podcast.com And be sure to follow us on Instagram at Pivot Purpose Podcast.