Women’s History Month Spotlight: Kimberle Lau

Kimberle Lau is the founder of Bake Me Healthy, a purpose-driven subscription box that teaches you to bake healthy, stylish treats. After spending her career in beauty marketing with a focus on clean skincare, she takes that passion for natural ingredients and channels it into her clean baking recipes.

We sat down with Kimberle in celebration of Titanium’s Women’s History Month Interview Series, The Sky Is the Limit: Breaking Glass Ceilings. This series was created to recognize all the incredible women who are leaving their impact on the world in unconventional and inspiring ways. 

Can you tell us a little bit about your career journey and how you got to where you are today? 

I started my career in management consulting at Deloitte and then decided to go back to business school so I could work in a field I felt more passionate about - beauty. I worked at Elizabeth Arden, L’Oreal, Philosophy, Laura Mercier and ended up at Shea Moisture. I was really inspired by the world of skincare and using natural ingredients to enhance beauty. I took that passion and channeled it into my long-time hobby, which is baking. I’ve been baking for 20+ years.

Like many women, when I became a mom I started to worry about nutrition for both me and my kids. So I started baking with a healthier twist: using more plant-based ingredients and less artificial sugars and dyes. This was about 10 years ago, and I was slowly realizing there was a whitespace in the market for healthy baked goods. All the bakeries and children’s birthday parties I went to were filled with mounds of icing and food coloring as far as the eye could see, and I knew there was a better way. Early last year I finally decided to take the plunge and leave the corporate world of beauty. I launched a healthy, purpose-driven baking subscription box. My focus shifted to bringing the beauty and fun to plant-based baking, and teaching people that ‘healthy baking’ isn’t an oxymoron. 

How did you decide to leave the corporate world and really focus on your passion project? 

To be quite honest, I was burnt out. I had three jobs: I was working in Corporate America, I’m a mom and I was baking on the side. And unfortunately, the world of beauty isn’t as glamorous as it seems. I was working until eight or nine every night, taking care of my kids and finding time to bake at night. But as most people know, there are no shortcuts to baking if you want to get it right. 

Then the pandemic hit, and I reevaluated everything. I knew my purpose wasn’t to work in beauty my whole life, and I wanted to be more thoughtful, intentional and purpose driven. So, I took a leap of faith. Every day I question if I made the right decision. 

What would you say is your biggest key to success in your industry? 

I would recommend this to anyone, regardless of industry—find good mentors. Being a solopreneur, you’re on your own and need guidance. I’m constantly asking questions and leading with a curious mind. No one really knows what they’re doing, so it’s so valuable to find someone on a similar path who can share their advice with you. Starting a business isn’t easy, so I relied heavily on mentors to help me through it, and I hope I can share my advice with other people one day. I took so many missteps along the way, but I find solace in knowing I can prevent others from repeating the same mistakes.  

It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting your career at 21 or if you’re 55. You can gain insight and perspective from anyone, at any age, at any point in your career. Find someone you can bounce ideas off of because you’ll grow from that. 

If you could look back on both your marketing and entrepreneurial career, what advice would you give yourself? 

I would tell my younger self to speak up. As an Asian woman, my tendency is to keep my head down, be quiet, work hard and get everything done. It’s been a struggle for me throughout my career to fight for what I know is right for me. I’ve had a seat at the table, but I didn’t always have the confidence to know my voice mattered as much as the person sitting next to me. I would tell myself my voice is important, my opinion matters, and my education is just as valid as anyone else’s. No one will be a bigger cheerleader for you than yourself. 

What obstacles have you had to overcome as a woman throughout your career?

Both beauty and food are female dominated industries, but there are still men at the top. When I was working at Philosophy, we were acquired by Coty, which is a very male dominated company. I quickly saw that trickle down, and the male voice started to feel like it had more value than the female voice. I felt like I couldn't speak up or give my opinion because it didn’t hold the same weight. Feeling so stifled was difficult for me, and I had to forge my own path out of it. 

How did you get to a place where you finally found your voice? 

It’s taken a while. Having great bosses that really believed in me and gave me confidence was vital. At Shea Moisture, I had the most amazing bosses who really believed in me, and that’s how I was able to grow. It’s just like kids; when they have a teacher who really believes in them you’ll see them excel. It’s the same principle for employees. When you have a boss who really believes in you, you’ll excel. Having someone in the room advocating for me really made a huge difference. I realized I wanted to make a difference, and the only way to do that was to speak up. 

How can we do a better job of paying it forward for other women? 

Any company, big or small, needs to make sure it has a mentorship program. I speak to anyone I can to get insight, and I also try to share my experience with people who need it. The best thing we can do is have programs in place to make sure we’re uplifting women. I just became certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), and that organization has so many incredible resources for women to turn to. Yesterday I participated in a speed dating mentorship program WBENC sponsored. Programs like that are so important because they create opportunities for women by women, and that can really take you to the next level. 

Do you have any final words of encouragement? 

You have a voice, and don’t be afraid to use it. Your seat at the table is only valuable if you speak up. Find mentors who believe in you because they’ll take you places you never even dreamed you could go. Finally, talk to anyone and everyone. Don’t underestimate the importance of relationships and using your network.