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Interviews / Marketing & Advertising

Balancing the Grind with Claudia Crosby, National Marketing & Communications Manager at Jo Malone London & La Mer

Claudia Crosby is the National Marketing & Communications Manager at British fragrance and lifestyle brands, Jo Malone London and La Mer.

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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

I studied a Bachelor of Business Majoring in Marketing and Event Management. I always had a passion for luxury brands and a marketing coordinator role came up at YSL Beaute and my beauty career began from there.

I’ve been in marketing & communications for 15 years and have had the privilege of working across many beautiful brands at L’Oreal Luxury and Estee Lauder Companies.

My current role is the National & Marketing Communications Manager for Jo Malone London and La Mer which means I am responsible for building the local marketing and communication strategy for these brands.

2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

I try to exercise 2-3 times a week which means on those days waking up at 6am, on the other days I wake when my kids get up which might allow me an extra 30mins sleep.

I start my day with a green smoothie made by my husband which acts as my breakfast and I try to fast until lunch, but mostly that means a mid-morning snack. I like to start my work day by 7.45am as I find I’m most productive first thing in the morning and it allows me to finish the day earlier.

A usual workday begins with me writing down my priorities and setting key objectives for the day. My main priority is collaborating with my incredible team on creating and delivering our local marketing strategy.

My day could entail working with our retail partners, regional and global teams and our marketing agencies to deliver on campaigns. If I’m working from home my day finishes at 5pm to support our evening routine with the kids, however if I’m working from the office I try to leave by 4.30pm to beat the rush hour traffic.

3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?

I returned to work post my second son being born in February 2020 and Estee Lauder Companies were incredibly supportive in meeting my flexible working requirements.

They were already allowing employees to work one day from home and have a core hour policy, which means core hours are between 10-4 and you can either start your day early to finish early or vice versa.

With this, they also agreed to me returning to work Monday through Thursday with Thursday’s working from home which meant I would be able to spend Fridays with my two boys who are 2 and 4 years old.

COVID hit and fast tracked even greater flexibility in the workplace, post lockdown we were working in a model of one week in the office and one from home and since the 1st January 2021 we have moved to a model of 2 days in the office and the remaining days working from home.

This creates a great balance of working from home and days in the office days which we treat as collaboration days. The flexibility has been incredible and makes a huge difference particularly for me with a young family and two working parents.

I am fortunate my husband also has flexibility in his work life, which means for the days we work from home we don’t have the daily stress of being stuck in traffic, rushing to daycare pickups and rushing into the evening routine which can be challenging.

The change in flexibility has given us more time back as a family; I love that we are all home to eat dinner as a family most nights which is something we weren’t achieving pre-COVID.

5) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

Work-life balance is incredibly important to me. It allows me to do all the things I love, have a job that I really enjoy whilst also prioritising and being present for my family.

I think it’s very difficult to achieve that perfect balance and the reality means that I lean into where I’m most needed. Some weeks work takes the priority and some weeks I’m able to achieve greater balance between work and family, it is always evolving.

Work-life balance is about creating clear boundaries of when it’s time to switch off. For me I will always prioritise being home for dinner and having that quality time with my kids before their bedtime, and then if needed I will continue to work post the kids bedtime to achieve my work goals.

5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?

Pre COVID I used to travel internationally and domestically for work and also personally. Not travelling has allowed more space in my life to discover and appreciate the small things, such as the beauty of local parks and bike rides with my family.

It has made me feel grateful for everything I have which inspired me to start a gratitude journal. I finish each day writing down 3 things I am grateful for which I have found has created a positive change in my life.

6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend

I love to listen to podcasts, which forms part of my ‘me time’ routine driving to work. I like podcasts such as: Feel Better Live More by Dr Chatterjee, The Tony Robbins Podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, How I Built This with Guy Raz and The Goop Podcast.

7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?

I can’t be without my La Mer Skincare. Is it terrible to say I can’t live without my iPhone, however it allows me to stay connected to all my family and friends. In terms of apps I use Overcast for my podcasts and listen to music via Spotify.

8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?

I love Arianna Huffington’s story, what she has created and her mission with Thrive

9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

Focus on what you can control in your life and be kind to yourself. Be mindful of what makes you happy, who brings you joy and energy and do more of that to create a more meaningful and fulfilled life.

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About Author

Hey there! I'm Hao, the Editor-in-Chief at Balance the Grind. We’re on a mission to showcase healthy work-life balance through interesting stories from people all over the world, in different careers and lifestyles.