Creating a Culture of Courage: Kim Colucci Of Mixbook On How to Create a Culture Where People Feel Safe to be Authentic & Why That Helps the Bottom Line
An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
Embrace Vulnerability-Based Trust: Authenticity thrives when leaders show it’s okay to be imperfect. At Mixbook, we prioritize vulnerability, not just through words but through actions. Our leadership team openly shares challenges, invites feedback, and readily admits mistakes. This creates space for everyone to bring their full selves to work, knowing they won’t be judged for being human.
In today’s fast-paced world, authenticity in the workplace and in our personal lives has become more crucial than ever. Yet, fostering an environment where individuals feel secure enough to express their true selves remains a challenge. The importance of authenticity cannot be overstated — it is the foundation of trust, innovation, and strong relationships. However, creating such a culture requires intention, understanding, and actionable strategies. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Kim Colucci.
Kim Colucci is the Culture & Growth Director at Mixbook, channeling her unwavering passion for understanding people into fostering a collaborative and innovative workplace culture. With a background in classical piano and a certificate in HR management, Kim is dedicated to nurturing hidden potential in others, inspired by a transformative experience early in her career where a manager invested in her growth.
Driven by the quest to define the “new normal” in the future of work, Kim is determined not to passively observe but actively shape the evolving landscape. She believes in empowering individuals and teams to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing market. When she’s not leading the charge at Mixbook, you can often find Kim in Las Vegas, indulging in a Diet Pepsi or savoring vanilla soft-serve with rainbow sprinkles.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Absolutely! My path has been a symphony of twists and unexpected harmonies, kind of like a jazz improv. As a classically trained pianist, my dream of concert halls was interrupted by a life-altering challenge with my hands. That unforeseen obstacle led me to the bustling world of retail, where I discovered a hidden passion — the vast potential within people.
From leading viral bakeries to building teams of affineurs and championing the #futureofwork, I’ve been driven by this desire to help people recognize their unique strengths and enable them to thrive. My role at Mixbook allows me to do exactly that — intentionally evolve a culture where people excel not just in their work but as unique individuals who feel safe to bring their whole selves to work.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Without a doubt, the most interesting thing that happened to me was the mentorship I received early in my career. After that life-altering challenge paused all aspirations as a pianist, I found myself adrift in the retail world. My heart wasn’t in it, and my shyness made customer interactions a huge obstacle.
Thankfully, I had an extraordinary manager. She saw potential in me that I didn’t see in myself. She patiently guided me, reframing my vulnerability into a strength for authentic connection, simplifying the overwhelming product choices with strategic questions, and celebrating even the smallest victories to build my confidence.
Her mentorship didn’t just make me successful in the role; it changed my entire outlook. That experience ignited a desire to be that catalyst for others, to unlock the hidden potential I now see in everyone. It’s a mission that drives my work every single day.
You are a successful individual. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Resilience: As a musician facing an unexpected health setback, I learned the art of pivoting and finding new ways to channel my creativity — a trait I rely on constantly as I navigate the ever-shifting business landscape and identify innovative solutions.
- Empathy: My early manager exemplified the power of truly understanding a person’s needs and motivations. This fuels my work in team development, fostering an environment where empathy guides not only conflict resolution but also how we celebrate each other’s wins.
- Tenacious Curiosity: When I commit to something, whether mastering a Beethoven piece or understanding a new business model, I dive in wholeheartedly. Tenacity pushes me through hurdles, and curiosity keeps me open to exploring new strategies for creating and evolving culture.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Can you share a pivotal moment in your career or personal life when being authentic made a significant impact on your success or well-being?
Joining Mixbook marked a defining moment. For the first time, I found myself not just in a new industry and on a new coast, but in a company where workplace culture was more than posters on a wall. This fundamentally changed how I approached my work. Suddenly, I wasn’t just in an HR role but truly shaping the culture — strategically thinking about how to build an environment where authenticity wasn’t just tolerated but genuinely celebrated.
Yet, the real “aha!” moment came when I realized the profound impact this safe space for authenticity had on me. If creating this kind of culture transforms people in the workplace, imagine what it could do for the greater good of individuals; of society? This realization sparked something in me — a relentless drive to intentionally build spaces and experiences where people can thrive as their fullest, most authentic selves. Mixbook has ignited a fire that’s reshaped my whole outlook, reminding me daily that authenticity, at its core, unlocks a truly well-lived life.
What strategies have you found most effective in fostering an environment where employees or team members feel safe to express their true selves, including their ideas, concerns, and aspirations?
At Mixbook, we believe that trust is the foundation for building healthy teams and an environment that fosters authenticity. The beliefs of leaders like Patrick Lencioni and Simon Sinek, guide our approach to culture-building. Here are some key strategies we’ve implemented:
- Cultivating Trust: We prioritize leading with vulnerability-based trust. Creating a safe space for Mixbookers to share ideas, conflict, and be authentic is critical for fostering a high-performing team where vulnerability feels welcome, not risky.
- Fostering Connection: Authenticity thrives on human connection. Weekly all-hands meetings with randomized breakout rooms dissolve hierarchies and encourage cross-team interactions. These intimate, ever-changing connections empower team members to share personal stories and build authentic relationships.
- THRIVE Framework: Our proprietary weekly THRIVE survey is a powerful pulse check on our cultural health. We rotate questions across Trust, Human Connection, Recognition, Individual Growth, Vitality, and Engagement. This weekly practice offers employees a safe haven for candid feedback about those crucial elements. It also provides us with real-time insights into what’s working and where we need to focus, ensuring everyone feels empowered to contribute to shaping our culture
How do you navigate the challenges that come with encouraging authenticity in a diverse workplace, where different backgrounds and perspectives may sometimes lead to conflict?
Seeking to understand is my guiding principle. A powerful resource has been Erin Meyer’s book, “The Culture Map.” It beautifully illuminates the nuances within and across cultures beyond the workplace and deepens our understanding of each other.
Inspired by this work, I’ve created a “Culture Map” specifically for Mixbook. It highlights our team’s diverse home bases (predominantly the USA, Moldova, and the Philippines) and maps where we sit on aspects like high vs. low-context communication and egalitarian vs. hierarchical leadership. It’s been an invaluable tool for understanding, aligning, and connecting our team members. By proactively seeking to understand our differences, we build bridges and create an environment where everyone’s authentic self is not only welcomed but celebrated.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways to Create a Culture Where People Feel Safe to be Authentic?”
- Embrace Vulnerability-Based Trust: Authenticity thrives when leaders show it’s okay to be imperfect. At Mixbook, we prioritize vulnerability, not just through words but through actions. Our leadership team openly shares challenges, invites feedback, and readily admits mistakes. This creates space for everyone to bring their full selves to work, knowing they won’t be judged for being human.
- Culture as Strategy, Not Slogan: To truly foster an authentic environment, culture must become a living, breathing part of the business. At Mixbook, we went beyond the buzzwords and transformed traditional HR into the visionary roles of “People Operations” and “Culture & Growth.” This reflects our belief that culture is foundational to company success, guiding innovation, employee fulfillment, and overall growth.
- Build Intentional Connection in a Remote-First World: In a distributed work environment, it’s easy to lose the human touch. Last year, our “Come Together” retreat brought nearly 100 Mixbookers from around the world together, fostering deep bonds of trust and shared goals. We’ve since carried this spirit forward in our weekly all-hands meetings, featuring randomized breakout rooms to create safe spaces for genuine connection beyond the usual work talk.
- Align Rewards with Your Values: Authenticity flourishes where everyone feels valued and has a stake in shared success. We revamped our bonus structure to reflect this. Instead of bonuses for a few leaders, all Mixbookers now participate in an annual bonus plan directly tied to the company’s goals. This shift breaks down internal silos, fosters a sense of collective ownership, and encourages collaboration for the greater good.
- Open Communication Channels: We believe in the power of ongoing dialogue to maintain a healthy culture. Our weekly, company-wide ‘THRIVE’ survey is a powerful tool. Rotating questions across areas like trust, human connection, and recognition provides employees with a safe space to share honest feedback and insights. It also gives us real-time data across the organization to identify where we excel and where we need to focus, ensuring everyone feels heard and involved in shaping our future.
In your opinion, how does authenticity within an organization influence its relationship with customers, clients, or the broader community?
When your internal culture is built on respect and understanding, it spills over to how you engage with the world. When the devastating Napa and Sonoma fires in 2018 left some of our customers with irreplaceable memories lost in destroyed photo books, we offered replacements — we genuinely shared their grief. This act, born out of our team’s deep empathy, resonated far beyond those directly impacted. It underscored our authentic commitment to be more than just a product; we are partners in cherishing life’s precious moments.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Option 1: If I could start a movement for the greatest good, I’d ignite a global revolution of fun in the workplace. Hear me out: this isn’t about childish antics or shirking responsibility. It’s about injecting that magic ingredient — joy — back into our work lives, creating cultures where laughter, creativity, and a sense of play are actively celebrated.
Fun builds trust — the kind of trust that makes teams brave enough to take risks and break away from the status quo. Fun unlocks our most innovative ideas, those that truly move the needle for our businesses and our communities. And, fun breeds genuine loyalty. When people enjoy their work and feel connected to their teams, they stick around, invest in the company’s success, and become ambassadors for the culture.
In an increasingly serious and often stressful world, I believe fun is the antidote we desperately need. A workplace revolution rooted in joy can have ripple effects far beyond productivity.
How can our readers further follow you online?
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimcolucci/
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is an entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. She is best known as the founder of Enseo which she and her team grew into one of the largest out-of-home media and connected networks in the world, serving more than 100,000,000 people annually. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion resulted in amazing partnerships and customer relationships. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Dish Networks to bring innovative solutions to the hospitality industry. Enseo has also held an exclusive contract to provide movies to the entire U.S. armed forces for almost 15 years. Vanessa and her team’s relentless innovation resulted in120+ U.S. Patents. Her favorite product is the MadeSafe solution for hotel workers as well as students and children in their K-12 classrooms. Accolades include: #15 on FAST 100, 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned 2018–2020, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies 2018–2020, not to mention the Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year. Vanessa now spends her time enjoying her children, sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles and speaking engagements. entrepreneurs-to-be with her articles including her LinkedIN newsletter Unplugged. In her spare time she writes music with her husband Paul as the band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, and trains dogs.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack.
Creating a Culture of Courage: Kim Colucci Of Mixbook On How to Create a Culture Where People Feel… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.