In Conversation with Heidi Watson
Tell us about your background:
I am a Chief Creative Officer and omni-channel retail leader - with deep retail experience from the selling floor to the C-Suite - at Fortune 50 to start-ups (Target, Nordstrom, Macy's, Evereve).
An established tastemaker and vibrant storyteller with a sharp instinct for style and culture, I ground my work in an unwavering commitment to customer centricity. I am a hands-on, strategic leader who delivers growth through marketing, merchandising, and design, shaping distinctive brand identities and translating cultural signals and customer insights into compelling stories, products, and experiences that create emotional connection and inspire action. Known for building and reinventing businesses with an entrepreneurial spirit, I bring an ability to see both the larger creative opportunity and the meticulous details required to execute.
Expertise
• Master Storyteller – Concept to editing, the things that matter, and how they connect.
• Tastemaker and Curator – Trend forecasting, styling, creative direction, and visual identity.
• Team Builder and Collaborator – Identifier of talent with consistent retention and commitment to growth.
• Omni-channel Strategy – Translate brand vision into revenue and brand equity supporting work for an entire organization across marketing, design, and product development.
• Executive Brand Personification and Narrative Leadership – Serve as the strategic face and cultural voice of the brand, blending creative direction with on-camera presence to drive organic market authority, audience acquisition, and enterprise trust.
What do you wish you’d known when you started out?
To get quiet every once in a while and make sure you are listening to your instincts. I am far from perfect on this one - still very much a work in progress - but the right answers are inside of us. We just need to make room for them to come to the surface.
Best career advice you've ever received?
I have shared this advice more times than I can count. In my earliest years working in stores, a Divisional VP said to me, "No one will ever care more about your business than you. Let your work show that." I've led with that statement my whole career - if it was my check to write, would I make this investment? If my name was attached to this work for the world to see, would I be proud? If someone on my team left for another role, would they reference me as the best leader they had ever had? My care has been my strength.
What leadership qualities are important to you?
Trust. I can't work without it. Humility. We are all learning, every day, from one another. Accountability. Own it - both successes and mistakes. Both will happen - and standing up when they do is a true measure of leadership.
What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?
Learning how to be a self advocate. I am midwest born and raised, and from a very early age, we are told to not be the tallest poppy. That is a misaligned teaching. You can call attention to your work and still be humble. You can speak your truth and still be respectful. You can be ambitious and still be approachable.
How do you define success in your career, and how has that definition evolved over time?
Titles are no longer a box I am looking to check (I think this is a reflection of the creative job market - titles vary so widely) but the substance of the role has become increasingly more important to me. I have always loved managing a team - and feel deeply successful when team members flourish. I care passionately about creative execution - and when I see strong work out in the world that I had a hand in leading - I feel successful. When business is thriving, and I know that decisions I have made contributed to this win - that is success. I value being a part of a senior team that works together to solve problems with intention and passion.
How has networking contributed to your professional growth and success?
Growth is always a work in progress - right? For a large portion of my career, I have used networking to seek out mentors. Finding alternate points of view has been invaluable as I have navigated my path - especially because you may not always get the answer you were looking for. There is insight to be gained and lessons to be learned from your network.
What are your top networking tips for building strong connections in your industry?
Stay in touch. Carve out 15 - 30 minutes every week to send congratulations, share an article, shoot over a text, ask a question. It's a muscle that needs to be worked regularly - and it's not always easy.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidimahlerwatson/
Instagram: @jennylynncoates
