Key Takeaways
Follow your curiosity. Interests that seem unrelated today may become the foundation of your professional brand tomorrow. Give yourself permission to explore without knowing exactly where something will lead.
Your education doesn't have to define your job title. Kelsey's interior design background became a valuable asset in sales, demonstrating how skills and knowledge can transfer across different roles within an industry.
Turn your values into action. Kelsey's passion for sustainability influenced her education, career choices and volunteer work. Her involvement with Re_Purposeful demonstrates how personal interests can grow into meaningful community impact.
Relationships create opportunities. Instructors, mentors and professional connections helped Kelsey discover new possibilities throughout her career. Be intentional about building relationships, and let people know what you're working toward.
Persistence opens doors. Not every opportunity comes with an open job posting. Kelsey's determination to join Cambria shows the value of staying visible, making connections and demonstrating what you can contribute.
Show up and get involved. Professional organizations offer more than networking. They create opportunities to learn, lead, collaborate and contribute to something bigger than your day-to-day job.
Follow Your Curiosity
Curiosity has been a constant throughout Kelsey’s life and career. As a child, she was interested in seemingly unrelated things—from hockey and coloring to watching her dad remodel their family home. At four years old, she asked for a tape measure and markers, an early clue that creativity and construction would both become part of her story.
In high school, Kelsey began taking design classes at Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC), giving her a head start when she enrolled in the Interior Design program after graduation. At first, she imagined the profession as glamorous and fun. But exposure to the real world of design helped her recognize that she was less interested in being a practicing designer and more energized by the people, products and relationships surrounding the profession. Sales was a natural fit.
A class tour led by instructor Suzanne Koch introduced Kelsey to the Green Design Center, where an internship grew into a seven-year chapter of her career. The experience exposed her early on to sustainable design—something that initially sparked her curiosity and eventually became a personal passion and defining thread in her career.
Curious to understand the business side of the industry and deepen her knowledge of sustainability, she continued her education, earning a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in sustainability in 2011. Working in a small business gave Kelsey room to explore and grow. She took on new responsibilities, developed a buyers group and learned from her first professional mentor, her boss. What began as one instructor opening a door became an important lesson in the power of mentorship, exposure and following your curiosity.
Show Up and Make an Impact
Professional involvement expanded her world further. Through organizations such as ASID and USGBC, Kelsey built relationships with people who became mentors and advocates. But her involvement went far beyond networking.
For over four years, she worked alongside fellow ASID volunteers on Re_Purposeful, an initiative that collected and diverted more than 150,000 pounds of materials from landfills! The experience demonstrated how collective action could turn a shared commitment to sustainability into meaningful, measurable impact. It also reinforced the value of showing up, taking initiative and contributing to something bigger than herself.
Those relationships continued to shape her career. Rob Zimmerman, whom she met through USGBC, recognized the connection between her experience and an opportunity at Kohler. A role with WasteLAB brought together kitchen and bath, sustainability and business, allowing Kelsey to grow within a larger organization while continuing to pursue work aligned with her values.
When Plans Change, Stay Persistent
Then the pandemic interrupted her trajectory. Despite seeing opportunities for growth ahead, Kelsey lost her position during a reorganization. What initially felt like a setback eventually created space for a major life transition. In the spring of 2021, within three weeks, she got married, moved to Minnesota and started a new job.
This time, Kelsey approached her search with much greater clarity. Sustainability had become part of her professional brand, and she knew the types of companies she wanted to work for. She identified three: Forbo, Interface and Cambria. When opportunities weren't immediately available, she remained persistent, building relationships and staying visible until she landed the right position at Cambria in Minneapolis.
Nearly five years later, Kelsey continues to grow at Cambria, now serving as Regional Director of Senior Living and Healthcare. Her role draws on all the pieces of her career: design education, business knowledge, sustainability expertise, sales experience and relationship building. Her goal, as she describes it, is to get “one step closer to being able to help people make healthy decisions.”
Build Relationships, Build Your Brand
Her commitment to connection has continued outside of work as well. After moving to Minnesota, she became involved with IIDA and CREW and is now nominated to serve as IIDA Chapter President—an opportunity she considers one of the greatest honors of her professional involvement.
Looking back, Kelsey's career wasn't shaped by a single decision or a perfectly mapped-out plan. It evolved through curiosity, mentorship, professional involvement and a willingness to pursue opportunities, even when they weren't immediately available.
The interests that once seemed unrelated have become the strengths of her professional brand. Design, sustainability, sales, leadership and relationships didn't compete for space in her career—they built upon one another.
Ask yourself:
What interests keep showing up in your life?
What opportunities might you discover by following your curiosity?
And who might help you get there?
For more career advice, read A Conversation with Kelsey Barrett, where she shares her take on finding success and following your curiosity.