Chloe Craig is the Chief Marketing Officer at Femtek, a leading provider of innovative solutions for women’s health and cycle literacy.
Let’s start with your background! Can you share with us your career journey and what you’re currently up to?
Sure! Straight out of school, I had a grand plan of doing a commerce degree with aspirations of making an impact in the business world. I hated maths and numbers, didn’t enjoy commerce at all and flunked the first year of uni. But during that first year, I found my passion in creativity. With that epiphany, I swapped my commerce degree for an arts degree and fell in love with marketing.
Over the span of a decade (plus some) I’ve worn many hats navigating the marketing landscape, had a few brief pauses to have my two boys (8 and 1) and have returned from maternity leave this year.
Present day, I’m the Chief Marketing Officer at Femtek, where we’re rewriting the narrative around women’s health and spearheading disruption in the wearable tech sector. Definitely my most rewarding role yet.
We’d love to know what a typical day is like for you. Could you describe a recent workday?
There are no typical days for me! Every day starts with a 6:15am coffee and getting the kids organised for the day. My husband and I have nailed the whole work, kids, and life balancing act so some days I might do a drop-off or pick-up.
Being a start-up, we’re all very hands-on with everything we do. No day is the same and I love that. I could start my day creating social media content and finish my day by working on our marketing strategy for our next release of Basal Body Rings.
For a recent workday, Femtek is part of the Techstars program so recently Our CEO Olivia and I spent the day together working with program mentors, working on our strategic partnerships plan and creating ways we can foster a new era of cycle-literate women. It’s always great when the two of us can catch up 1:1.
Can you define work-life balance for yourself and share with us your approach in maintaining it?
Work-life balance for me is realising I can’t be everywhere at the same time and doing everything at once. I’ve let go of the rigid work life where I would fall into a routine of being on my laptop all the time and not making time for myself or my family.
Covid threw me a curve ball trying to work full time, home school my son and remain sane – I would freak out at every meeting because I was trying to keep up the illusion that I had my shit together when just off-screen there was a dumpster fire waiting to explode.
At Femtek, we’ve created a culture where we can be present with life when we need to be. To have that flexibility is much more important than being unproductive and unhappy.
Recently I’ve taken my son surfing mid-morning and come back home to smash out my work into the evening.
I’m a lot more mindful now knowing that I have a baby who needs me and I can set boundaries. So on the days when I’m blending being a mum and working I do what works for me – Sometimes that’s having a meeting where he’s sitting on my lap watching, or playing in the background. I’m thankful he’s an amazing sleeper so those days are an absolute breeze.
Change is constant, and it’s essential for growth. Have you made any lifestyle changes in the past year to improve your work-life balance?
I’ve made sure that I’m present when I’m needed!
I’ve also been more conscious to get my body moving, whether that be early morning, during lunch or in the evening. I’m a better person when I’ve worked out.
I try to change my scenery once a week so you’ll often find me with my laptop at a local cafe working and I also reserve my Friday’s to be creative. That’s something I can’t force early on in the week.
When I’m not working, we spend more time together as a family. We live by the beach so we spend a lot of time outdoors.
We’re always on the lookout for new resources! Can you recommend any books, podcasts, or newsletters that have helped you in your journey towards balance?
I don’t get a lot of downtime but…
I try to live by the 1% rule where you get 1% better each day.
I’m a sneaker collector so this one was a great read for me but I love the risks, setbacks and achievements of a brand that has left its mark on the world.
I always work with music on in the background so here are my go-to music playlists for working…
Chillin’ on a dirt road (Spotify)
Easy listening when working. You’ll catch me singing Tennessee Whiskey at the top of my lungs.
Lofi Beats (Spotify)
Chill beats that help me with concentration.
Left Brain, Right Beat (YouTube Music)
Dance beats that get me in the zone.
Before we wrap up, do you have any final words of wisdom or insights on work, life, or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
I think there’s no right or wrong on how everyone tackles work-life balance – it’s all about what works for you. Show up with an open heart and open mind because one person’s balance may be another’s chaos.
