Kendra Stearns Drozd on the Career Advantage of Understanding People

From brand marketing to recruiting and community leadership, one idea shaped every chapter of her journey. Most people think careers are built around industries. Kendra Stearns Drozd thinks they are built around people.

Looking back at her professional journey – from advertising and consumer marketing to executive recruiting and community leadership – she sees a common thread running through every role she has held.

It was never really about selling products, filling jobs, or managing projects.

It was about understanding human behavior.

"I've always been curious about people," Kendra says. "What motivates them, what they care about, and what helps them move forward. That curiosity has shaped almost everything I've done."

Over the years, that mindset helped her navigate several career transitions while creating meaningful impact in both business and community settings.

Why Kendra Stearns Drozd chose growth over comfort

Growing up in Glencoe, Illinois, Kendra learned early that progress usually comes from pushing yourself.

At nine years old, she chose tennis over swimming and committed herself fully to improving her game. She trained year-round, attended competitive camps, and eventually became captain of the New Trier High School varsity tennis team before continuing her athletic career at Williams College.

The experience taught her an important lesson.

"Tennis showed me that improvement doesn't happen overnight," she says. "You get better by practicing, making mistakes, and showing up again the next day."

That willingness to embrace challenges would later influence her career decisions.

At Williams, she studied English while also exploring psychology and art history. She volunteered, studied abroad in London, and traveled throughout Europe.

What interested her most was not simply seeing new places.

It was understanding different people and perspectives.

"I loved learning how differently people lived and thought," she says. "It made the world feel much bigger."

Lessons from a chaotic career in advertising

After graduation, Kendra entered Chicago's advertising industry.

Like many young professionals, she expected to spend her days discussing creative ideas and marketing strategies.

Instead, she quickly learned that execution matters just as much as creativity.

One of her most memorable assignments involved helping coordinate a KFC product launch across Chicago. The campaign included multiple costumed Colonel Sanders characters making appearances throughout the city.

"The funny part was managing all the Colonels," she says. "There were always unexpected situations. You learned very quickly that great ideas only work when somebody handles the details."

The experience gave her an early appreciation for operational leadership.

Creative concepts generate attention.

Execution delivers results.

That lesson stayed with her throughout her career.

How consumer research changed her perspective

Several years into advertising, Kendra wanted to understand business from a different angle.

That decision led her to Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

She describes her MBA experience as transformative.

"I loved the collaborative environment," she says. "Everyone was willing to learn from each other."

After graduation, she joined Kraft Foods as an Associate Brand Manager.

There, she worked on products including Kraft Singles and FreshPrep, a meal kit designed for busy families. She also was promoted to Senior Associate Brand Manager.

One project especially changed how she viewed business.

Instead of relying solely on reports and market data, Kendra participated in ethnographic research, observing families in their homes during after-school and dinner routines.

"We weren't just looking at numbers," she says. "We were watching real people navigate real life."

The experience reinforced a belief she still carries today: the best ideas often come from paying attention.

Long before customer-centricity became a popular business phrase, Kendra was learning that meaningful innovation begins with empathy.

Why recruiting became a natural next step

As her life evolved, Kendra discovered that the part of business she enjoyed most was working directly with people.

That realization led her to Bloom, Gross & Associates, a boutique executive recruiting firm focused on consumer packaged goods and marketing professionals.

On paper, the move looked like a major career shift.

To Kendra, it felt surprisingly natural.

"Marketing helped me understand consumers," she says. "Recruiting helped me understand people even more deeply."

She enjoyed interviewing candidates, learning about their goals, and helping organizations identify strong talent.

The work combined strategy with relationship-building, two areas she found especially rewarding.

It also offered greater flexibility as she and her husband, Tim, built their family.

A different kind of leadership

After the birth of her third child, Kendra eventually stepped away from full-time corporate work.

But she never stopped leading.

Following years of personal challenges, including multiple miscarriages and fertility treatments, she felt called to support others facing difficult circumstances.

In 2012, she became a commissioned Stephen Minister.

The role involves providing confidential emotional and spiritual support to people experiencing grief, illness, divorce, loss, and major life transitions.

While very different from advertising or recruiting, Kendra sees surprising similarities.

"Whether you're helping a customer, interviewing a candidate, or supporting someone through a crisis, the first step is listening," she says.

That perspective may be the most important lesson from her career.

In a world that often celebrates big personalities and bold predictions, Kendra's success has come from paying attention.

She built a career by asking questions, staying curious, and taking people seriously.

And in every chapter, from marketing campaigns to recruiting conversations to community service, that simple approach helped turn ideas into meaningful impact.