We’ve likely already met somewhere online for you to have found this page, but Hi again!
I’m Kristen. I’m a multi-passionate entrepreneur with multiple facets to my identity.
I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister, daughter/sister-in-law, friend, colleague, strategist, copywriter, and more! (and currently with young kids you can add chef, chauffeur, laundromat, and housekeeper to that list as well).
I am privileged on many accounts. I live in Canada. I am an able-bodied, heterosexual middle-class white woman. I identify as she/her.
And
I live with anxiety and depression (hidden and silenced health issues in our society).
I believe ...
We are all part of a bigger community, a global community. And what we say, what we do matters. The effects reach far and wide.
And we get to choose how we want to act, and what we say, how we show up in our lives and online.
The values that inform my business practices …
Family First ….
Above all else, family comes first. At the end of the day, if all else were to fall away your health and your family are what matter most.
I build my business around this model and always support my clients in finding a way to make sure their family/friends/life circumstances remain front and center of their lives and their business doesn’t take over and become their entire life.
Freedom
Be yourself in a world where we’re so regulated (by ourselves, by our family and friends, and strangers on the Internet).
Honesty/Integrity
Many people say that they value honesty and integrity, but what does that look like? To me it means:
- Tell the truth, even when it’s hard.
- Don’t do things behind other people’s backs.
- Be up front during all exchanges with others (face to face, email, social media, etc.)
- Not using fake scarcity or urgency in marketing
- Not shaming my clients into working with me
- Not selling my clients a package they don't need
- Pressure free sales calls
And more
Serving Others
People come first and are the driving force for any and all transactions.
Never to sell to someone who it would be a detriment to them (ie literally take food off their table or their last dollar in their bank account or cause them to have to take out another credit card or business loan). No pressure sales - there’s a fine line between helping them step into their next level and pushing them into something they’re not ready for. If they’re not ready they won't get the most out of our work together.
Compassion & Empathy
Always be kind and compassionate to anyone you interact with. You never know what someone else is experiencing that day [mental health is hidden deep!] As someone who struggles with depression and anxiety this is VERY important to me.
Respect
Be willing to listen to others' suggestions openly from the perspective that there may be something to learn or take away from the situation. Avoid being the person who “already knows this”.
Treat others as equals (rather than creating a hierarchical environment). Respect other's time (responding to communication in a timely manner, being on time for calls, keeping calls to the allotted time, no communication on weekends, having and respecting boundaries)
Inclusivity
Black lives matter. Trans lives matter. Our similarities give us strength, but our differences make us even stronger.
Regardless of your story, where you started, where you are now, and where you see yourself in 10 years, I prioritize supporting one another, developing a community, and giving support generously.
I strive to acknowledge my privilege and enforce strong principles of diversity and inclusion in every area of my business, from the people that I work with, to the messages that I put out, to my company direction and commitment to social justice.
Here are a few of the ways I try to do this in my own life and business:
- I treat everyone who works with me as a member of my support team. I cannot do what I do on my own. No one ever works for me, they all work alongside me and are encouraged to voice their concerns and ideas.
- I invest in my community, which means I hire people I’ve worked with before, whose values I know and believe in.
- I support causes I believe in, where I can see the efforts of trying to break the barriers of systemic oppression.
- I offer payment plans without additional markup. The pay in full option is the same as the payment plan option. I do this because I want to provide a form of financial accessibility.
- I offer free content regularly for those who are not yet financially ready to work with me.
- My sales calls are 100% pressure-free. I will never ask you for your credit card information on the call. I respect the need to process and make a decision you feel 1000% comfortable with before investing your money.
- I give credit to those who I’ve learned from along the way (including at the bottom of this page).
- I am open to feedback and ask that you call-me-in when there is an area I need to learn more (a term I learned from one of my mentors: Sage Polaris)
- I don’t engage in online controversies (or calls to “cancel” someone) as I feel these are designed to shame people, rather than an effective means to educate them. There are more appropriate ways to handle these situations.
- I am conscious of where I speak and vet the hosts before I agree (note: I have not always done this and in the past have appeared on podcasts where the speakers were predominantly white, I have learned from this and grown and altered my visibility practices in response.)
I am not perfect!
Nor do I claim to be. I am human and I make mistakes and I grow and learn from them (as we all can).
Trust me as an Enneagram 1w2 I do not take this statement lightly as I continue to strive for the elusive perfection. I have been doing a lot of work to forgive myself for my imperfections and recognize that I will make mistakes and that is ok as long as I am willing to listen, learn, receive, apologize and take action to grow.
If you notice an area I can learn and grow in, please reach out to me via email (hello@kristenwestcott.com) to start the conversation.
Want your copy to reflect more of your core values?
This page was inspired by Kelly Diels. I am currently enrolled in her Copywriting for Culture Makers Certification Program