We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristina Peck. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristina below.

Hi Kristina, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

I am a college dropout. I was an “alright” high school student. I never really studied or took it too seriously, but still managed to make Honor Roll. I applied to some colleges, and got into most of them, but quickly realized that I couldn’t afford much more than a community college. Going to college was the only way I knew. No one ever told me about another path, so I thought I was doing what I was “supposed” to do. I took our $10,000 in loans and majored in Mechanical Engineering at MVCC in Utica, NY. And I hated it. I hated the major. It wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but after you graduate from high school, everyone rushes you into college like your life depends on it, so I did the first thing my Dad suggested which was Engineering. When I applied myself, I was really, really good at it. I took classes like Solidworks, CAD, Statics (not to be confused with Statistics ), and Organic Chemistry, but this engineering program was the second hardest major you could enroll in-second to their Engineering Science program. I was taking 18 credit hours plus working. It sucked. It sucked even more because I didn’t enjoy what I was doing. Eventually, I stopped studying, stopped showing up to class, and starting flunking everything. My 3.9 GPA plummeted to a 2.5 GPA before dropping out. No one could’ve prepared me for the amount of work college was let alone making the right decision on what to major in. Our world is so focused on people having a college degree that you feel useless if you don’t have one. And that’s exactly how I felt for the next 10+ years of my life. I watched all my friends complete college, and I graduated from a Vocational Nursing School and was given a 4×6 tiny Nursing Certificate and none of the courses I took were college-accredited. I felt like I was left out of some sort of club or something. I felt like a loser or a failure. Like they reached some sort of different level of success than I had. I completely negated all of the hard work I did because I didn’t have a college degree. About 3 years after dropping out of college, I passed my NCLEX and started working as an LPN. Again, a career I thought I would love. My GPA wasn’t strong enough to be admitted into an RN program so I settled for an LPN program. 5 years in, I left. I left to start my own Marketing Agency with no degree, no experience, just passion, and drive. the system is broken beyond repair because we focus so much on the importance of a college education when sometimes some kids just don’t need one. I would have been better off spending that money on starting my own business rather than spending on college and getting nothing in return. We need to start teaching kids about trade jobs, and entrepreneurship and not JUST about college. There are other ways to be successful outside of having a college degree. Opening my own Agency without a degree was not easy. I had to work 10x harder than I would’ve if I had a degree or a fancy MBA, but it can be done. Having a degree is great, but not necessarily needed to be successful. Hard work and networking can get you into doors a college degree never could.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Kristina Peck, but most people know me as KP. I left my nursing career at the height of COVID to spend more time with my son and to find my true passion. I started freelancing as a Social Media Manager in the summer of 2020, and my love for Digital Marketing blossomed from there. By 2021, I had started my own Marketing Agency and now employ 12 powerhouse women, have helped hundreds of brands, received 7 awards, and have been featured on over 400 news outlets.

My agency, KP Kollective, provides a full range of marketing and branding services for B2B and B2C organizations. We love helping brands elevate their profitability through targeted brand narratives. We’re a dynamic and innovative marketing and branding powerhouse dedicated to unleashing your business’s full potential. Let us manage your creative and strategic requirements, enabling you to excel in your business endeavors while maintaining your distinctive energy and zeal.

We understand that your business is unique, and that’s why we offer comprehensive solutions to manage your creative and strategic needs. We empower you to excel in your endeavors while preserving your distinctive energy and zeal.

What sets us apart is our fusion of strategy, design, and content. Our team of adept professionals shares a common purpose: to guide you toward a prosperous and radiant future. While our visual prowess is undeniable, our true essence lies in architecting potent strategies that drive concrete achievements.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn is that you aren’t good enough. Imposter Syndrom is a very real thing. When success starts to come your way, you start to feel guilty or feel like you don’t deserve the things that are coming to you. Embrace your success. You deserve all the good things that come your way because you worked HARD to make those things happen!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

My best advice is to treat your team like you would treat your friends and family while keeping in mind that no one will love your business as much as you do. At our agency, we have monthly self-care weeks where our staff does no work. I take over everyone’s accounts and our staff is allowed to reset and unwind. I truly cannot function without them and need them to always be at their best. This self-care week is designed to allow them to spend time doing the things they love! This doesn’t include their unlimited PTO, no work on holiday’s, bonuses, etc. I treat them how I wish I was treated when I was an employee. Your team doesn’t work for you…they work with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kpkollective.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kpkollective/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kpkollective
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinapeck?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Image Credits
The PEAK Creative Co.