Strands of Genius: Kira Jackson + Wellness Influencers Got Real Asia Edition 2023
featuring: an interview with our guest editor and a research report
Welcome to the Bonus edition of Strands of Genius! On Fridays, we’ll be publishing interviews from our guest editors, and sharing a research report. Thanks for being along for the ride. Oh and by the way, you look great today :)
:: STEAL THIS THINKING | RESEARCH REPORT ::
Wellness is critically important to people today – and this is especially true for Gen Z and Millennials who recognise the importance of wellbeing and prioritise it to better manage their health. Whether it is our physical, emotional or psychological wellbeing, many of us have come to appreciate the fundamental relevance of wellness in every aspect of our lives. It is relevant even in our careers, especially when it comes to our brand relationships; and in doing so anticipate less health intervention by emphasizing more on health prevention.
:: DIVE IN | THE INTERVIEW ::
KIRA JACKSON, INVESTOR, HEAD OF PARTNERSHIP AT RX3 GROWTH PARTNERS
>> Kira Jackson guest curated Strands on June 15th, 2023. Read it here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what keeps you busy. How did you end up doing what you’re doing today?
The constant theme throughout my life - both professionally and personally - has been curiosity. It's what sparked my interest in startups and tempered any risk aversion, it's what drives me to say 'yes' more than I say no, and it's what allowed me to start a second life, if you will, working in private equity after nearly a decade in marketing. My interests lie in consumer behavior, the creator economy, and partnerships, and by some stroke of luck, I get to operate across all three with my current role as the Head of Partnerships for RX3 Growth Partners, a growth equity firm co-founded by Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets. The easiest way to describe my day-to-day is that I oversee the firm's value add strategy.
What excites you most about what you do?
Helping drive a company's growth is when I feel the most fulfilled - lucky me that I get to do that literally every day! It's my job to think creatively around what levers could be pulled to spur growth, and then to oversee the connections, partnerships, alignments, and/or platforms that allow execution. Whether that's a partnership with a celebrity or a like-minded, non-competing company, or building inroads to TikTok or Meta, or even re-platforming, what excites me the most is taking an idea from ideation through execution to making it a reality.
What beliefs define your approach to work? How would you define your leadership style?
That if you elect to show up as your best self and do your best work every single day, you will wake up in ten years amazed at what you've accomplished. I'm big on deferred gratification and giving myself the daily win of 'I killed it today,' versus holding out for the big validating moments. My leadership style is pretty hands off - in my mind, my job as a manager is to give my team the tools, freedom and confidence to find and own their strengths. In doing so, I get to learn from them too! I feel like every team member brings a unique set of experience and perspective, and instead of hyper-controlling their process or even output, giving them the space and flexibility to use their own superpowers to identify, work on, and accomplish tasks usually leads to the best results.
What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and why?
Easily the sale of Power Digital to Court Square. It was my first formal, banked process and I acted like a sponge and soaked every pitch, piece of jargon, document, and conversation up like a sponge. It took months and by the time the news hit, it felt like crossing the finish line after a marathon. Not only because it had been successful, but because I learned SO much from everyone involved - my boss at the time, teammates who helped run other pieces of the process, our banker, the strategics and sponsors with whom we met... it was such an eye opening experience and changed my career trajectory entirely.
We are big believers in diversity -- Not only because we believe in equality, but because we also think it’s better for business. The Black Lives Matter movement has shaped industry conversations around both global injustice, and also lack of representation in our industry. How do you frame these kinds of conversations, both internally and with clients? Is there an emphasis on action, or are the conversations really more about communication?
To me, it's all about diversity of thought. When you think about the flow of capital, for instance, it typically moves in the direction of what those with capital understand and find value in. If all allocators look and think the same, the companies who secure investments from those allocators will likely also look similar. Diversity needs to start at the top and in positions of power - only then can it become a fixture throughout the full system.
Switching gears a bit, how do you find time to balance personal interests with your career? Do you believe work/life balance is possible? Anything you’ve implemented that you recommend that others try?
In my opinion, the right career will incorporate and/or align with your personal interests; and because I believe this, I am not a huge fan of the way work/life balance is typically presented, more so synergy. For instance, when I sign off for the evening and go for a walk with my husband and dog, I don't stop thinking about or brainstorming around my work - rather I use my personal time to further my personal development and interests, which happen to align with my professional interests. That said, I do do my best to draw boundaries around how accessible I am late at night and early in the morning; because I'm 'working' constantly - looking at cool companies, building relationships, consuming brands and products I find interesting, engaging in pop culture and social media to better understand creator and talent dynamics, etc. - I am conscious of setting aside time where I can be fully engrossed in those activities, and not checking my email every two seconds. Incidentally, doing so makes me much better at my 9-5.
What’s your media diet? Where do you find inspiration?
What isn't in my media diet?! I suppose the saying rings true here - I'll try anything once. I'm a big Substack fan, love a good podcast (Glossy is great, as his TSC Him & Her, or NYT's The Daily, etc.), and scroll TikTok and Twitter endlessly. I have a pretty wide funnel when it comes to content, because I like to see varying points of view and perspectives, but I won't lie, sometimes it becomes overwhelming and I need to take a day or two to read a good old fashioned novel ha!
What’s the best piece of advice/knowledge you’ve stolen, and who/where’d you steal it from?
Credit for this one goes to my therapist - let go of the 'shoulds.' Life is full of 'shoulds' - you should go to that event, you should answer that text, you should do the laundry, etc., but at the end of the day, they are 'cans' and you determine if and when you act. The other piece of advice is also from her - another person's emergency is not yours. I'll just leave that one there ◡̈
You can keep in touch with Kira on LinkedIn and Twitter.
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie & ashley | your friends over at geniussteals.co
@faris is always tweeting
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@ashley also writes for deaf, tattooed & employed