Meet Kayla Beckmann Barnhart | Owner, CEO Small Fox Media

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kayla Beckmann Barnhart and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kayla, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Work life balance is something I’ve valued since the beginning of my career. From the beginning I knew I wanted to leverage the skills I had and connections I had made to create a career that I felt in control of. Even early in my career I couldn’t wrap my head around being forced to sit at a desk from 9am-5pm and just be busy for the sake of being busy. It seemed arbitrary, wasteful, and not conducive to creativity. Additionally, being a woman, I knew I wanted a family one day and wanted a career that allowed for time flexibility so I could be an involved parent.

Well, jokes on me because come to find out being an entrepreneur is much more than 9-5. I found myself working 60-80 hours a week because there were no boundaries and the drive and the hustle propelled me. The hustle became my primary personality trait. And I was proud of that. But then in 2019 became pregnant and the hustle literally took a toll on my body. I was managing clients, a team, working on the biggest strategy of my career, traveling, and preparing my team for a maternity leave. My blood pressure was so high throughout the pregnancy that I became high risk and ended up being induced two-weeks early. And believe it or not, not even that was a wake up call for me. I was in active labor with a laptop on my belly sending off final files to clients.

But if there’s anything that will shift your perspective it’s having a newborn and then shortly after entering into a pandemic. I was juggling becoming a mom, trying to figure out breastfeeding, struggling with postpartum anxiety, working from home, managing client work and business, and dealing with the unknowns of COVID19. It was and is actually impossible.

People always ask how I “do it all” but the hard truth is that I don’t. If I’m excelling in one aspect of my life, I’m failing in another.

Read that again.

It’s taken me two-and-half-years to come to peace with that, but the fact of the matter is that my priorities have just changed. And work life balance is not only the main priority but also necessary for survival. And that starts with creating boundaries – with work, with yourself, with people in your life. I set my “non-negotiables” for the week. I have to get this thing done with work, I have to take a work out class, I have to not take calls after this time so I can be present when I’m with my daughter, I have to do this workout class because, health. And anything outside of those non-negotiables is considered on an as needed basis, and if they don’t happen, I let it go. You have to give yourself permission to set boundaries, to stay firm in those boundaries, and then to let less-important things go.

In the world we live in I truly don’t know if a true work life balance can ever be achieved, as much as I think we’d all like it it be (but that’s a discussion for another time). However – I also think you have more control than you think. But it takes work. Get clear on your priorities and get comfortable with making and holding boundaries. Then just completely get rid of the idea of “doing it all”. That’s trash.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a social media agency owner and with that comes specialization in strategy, content creation, and more. I work with brands in the adventure/outdoors space and there’s one golden rule I always follow – start with storytelling.

I believe that brands should be living, breathing things, and every brand has a unique story to tell. I work to cultivate those stories through building the brand’s community and bringing in brand customers, fans, and followers into the mix. What better way to feature a product than showing real people doing real things while using it? Consumers are so savvy nowadays and know when they’re being advertised to, especially on social media. It’s my job to create an authentic experience on social and I think that’s what I’m really great at.

In addition to that, alongside my clients, we look at who is not currently a part of the conversation and why not. The outdoors has an accessibility and equability problem and we work to bring awareness to that and bring in voices and faces that have not been a part of the conversation for way too long. I’m proud of the work we’ve done here and though I could report on plenty of metrics of how we’ve accomplished this on our social channels, those metrics are not what it’s about. It’s about creating a space for all. On social. In the outdoors. In the world. And that takes consistent work. So all of that being said – there’s still so much work to be done!

I’m proud of a lot, but the thing I’m most proud of is the online communities I’ve helped my clients create. There’s so much negativity on social media nowadays, but I feel like within my client’s brand communities we’ve created really magical spaces. That ROI is hard to measure, but I believe the most valuable.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The best thing about Denver, in my opinion, is that it has activities that are both nature and city-focused all within a 30-minute radius. When friends come in town we’re definitely doing a few things – a hike or a float in Golden or Boulder, catching a show at Red Rocks or at a neighborhood venue like Bluebird, heading to Highlands to shop at Dona Forte, Miller Lane Mercantile, Lady Jones, and other shops around Tennyson and Dairy Block. Maybe swing by MEEK Vintage on Blake or 6th. Then grabbing some food and drinks around town – maybe at Death & Co, Cart Driver, Dio Mio, Ghost Donkey, Run For The Roses. Maybe do a fun afternoon cruising some RiNO breweries.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shout out to my husband, Guy Barnhart for supporting me in every single thing I do and for always believing in me. Shout out to my daughter, Jude for showing me what truly matters in life.
Shout out to my small group of women entrepreneur baddies who help me navigate life and career – my sister, Kelsey Pontius, Maureen Bush, Chelsea, DuDeVoire, Autumn Berrang, Melissa Bauknight.
Shout out to my good friend and mom sister, Lauren Polstra for being my family away from family and always being there for myself and my family.
Shout out to my therapist, Jessica, the real MVP.

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Website: smallfoxmedia.com

Instagram: @kaylabeckmannbarnhart