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Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns on Building Culture in a Fully Remote Agency · Expertly Said

• Kristen Sweeney: My guest today is Kristin Olchen Bruns. Kristin has over 25 years of experience in the medical communications industry, leading with innovation and vision. In 2025, Kristin was appointed US president of Ashfield Medical Communications, where she leads the organization's US business, guiding strategy, growth, and operational excellence across the network. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: you Kristen Sweeney: Prior to joining Ashfield, Kristin held a series of senior leadership roles within global medical communications organizations where she oversaw large multidisciplinary teams and led organizational transformations. She's passionate about building organizations where teams feel seen, valued, and inspired, and where clients view the agency as a true extension of their own. Kristin, welcome to the show. ⁓ Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: you Thank you, Kristen. It's great to be here. Thanks for having me. I'm excited for the conversation today. Kristen Sweeney: Likewise, and always great to be with a fellow Kristen, of course. ⁓ We'd love to start with our kind standard question about your origin story. So we've heard a little bit about your current role at Ashfield, but I'd love to know how you got into communications in the first place. Was that something you always wanted to do? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Thank you. Definitely not. goal as a young, I would say teenager, leading up to the time going to college, I had intended to study law. ⁓ And the summer before my senior year of college, I was afforded kind of just by chance, an opportunity to work in the marketing department as an intern at a technology company. And it was my first. real exposure to the business world, to marketing because I was studying literature in college for comprehension and writing skills ⁓ to prepare for law school. ⁓ But that ⁓ intern experience pretty much changed the trajectory of my life. knew that I wanted to do something more aligned to marketing, ⁓ working with teams of people. And so I went back to college and finished my senior year and then picked up and moved to New Jersey without a job and landed a role through attending a job fair at a medical publisher. And I worked there for a short period of time, one year, and ⁓ was recruited into medical communications from there on an entry level role as a project coordinator, I think was my title at the time. So that's really how I got into medical communications. I genuinely fell into the career that I'm so passionate about and have been working at for over 25 years now. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, wow, that's amazing. It really, you know, usually my follow-up is, and how did you get into the medical side? But it seems like that was kind of part and parcel from really the earliest days of your career. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yeah. Yeah, it really was. I just fell into it. Kristen Sweeney: So let me ask a different question then. What is it about medical communication specifically that ⁓ has led you to build your career in this space? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: I'll answer that in two parts. think in the early days of my career, I was really energized ⁓ and inspired by the people around me. And I mean mostly my colleagues at the time. ⁓ It's a high energy environment working in an agency. This was the early 2000s. ⁓ And people are just incredibly bright and so committed and passionate to the work and then also had the opportunity to work with clients who are building strategies to bring medicine closer to patients. ⁓ And that was also a great experience as a young person to see what it looks like on the pharma or biotech side. So it was really, I think in the early formative parts of my career about the people that I was working with day to day. But as my career progressed, actually started to really connect the impact of the work to patients ⁓ and how many of the medicines that I've been a part of in the most minuscule way have this massive impact to treat somebody's disease, ⁓ their cancer. I've worked a lot in the oncology space. ⁓ And then later in life, that became very personal for me. And it just reiterates, not from me directly, my husband, but it reiterates how important the work is that we do and how it's important to make sure that our messages to HCPs or patients or whoever our end ⁓ stakeholder is, is that it's, you know, that we get it right. ⁓ And so, yeah, that's a two-part answer for me. It's definitely evolved over time, but both still remain true today. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: ⁓ And that's what gets me out of bed every day is the people that I work with and the reason that we're doing the work Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, I love that. ⁓ I'm curious if there's a particular moment that comes to mind when you felt that impact really resonate, maybe directly tied to your work, maybe not of, what I'm doing. It's just that I'm a part of something that's really, really helping people. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: think there's been so many of those moments over the years, having worked on various products myself ⁓ before really going into more leadership and management. ⁓ So I've had lots of those experiences. Actually, there was one experience in particular I was working in Alzheimer's disease, which was not a space I had worked in previously. I'd spent a good part of my career in oncology ⁓ and was working with a very Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: ⁓ highly regarded world expert ⁓ and we were at ⁓ a satellite symposium and he shared with me that he was actually the physician for the real Rain Man, you the movie and, you know, shared a little bit about that with me and I, of course, had seen the movie many, many times ⁓ and then to realize, you know, that this gentleman that I had been working so closely with for several months at that point Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: ⁓ was directly connected to this kind of enigma that we've seen on the big screen. And ⁓ so that was a major connection point for me. Kind of a strange story, but it was a very inspiring moment. Yeah. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Yeah, that's really cool. I think all of us who, no matter how directly or indirectly we kind of touch life sciences, ⁓ I get to hear a lot of stories like that from folks. I spent a lot of my time interviewing executives and experts ⁓ to help shape some of their communications. Yeah, absolutely. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yeah. There was another, if I can just share, was another experience that's just coming to mind as we're talking about it. I was working on an awareness campaign for ⁓ kidney transplant. And the awareness campaign was specifically targeted to young African Americans. And we did kind of a bit of a road show, if you will, where we went to several HBCU. colleges and universities and ⁓ it was a collaboration with a pharmaceutical company and the American Red Cross. ⁓ And it was to understand their beliefs about donating blood and also signing up to become an organ donor. And part of the process was educational for them. For us, it was collecting their beliefs. And then we partnered ⁓ with Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: ⁓ somebody who had played in the NBA who had a mother who was the recipient of a live kidney donor, ⁓ you know, and did a video. And there was this massive, you know, campaign that we had worked on, but going and interacting with the students and trying to understand some of the beliefs that they had, ⁓ which were, you know, really far off from what was scientifically sound was a really eye-opening experience to how important that education and communication is and you know I like to believe that it was a very impactful program for all of them. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, yeah, definitely. And also really kind of putting your money where your mouth is when it's like listening and learning. And I mean, when you said a road show, I definitely thought that was going to be a campaign, right? And when you were like to understand what they thought, like, wow, there's real budget and resources behind that. And so I'm sure that made an impact too. I want to, you've got a. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yeah. Yes. Yeah, great. Kristen Sweeney: Strong, think, your full background is in agency, right? Yes, OK. So ⁓ the one year that kicked it all off. Yeah. You talk about wanting to be part of organizations to help clients view agencies as an extension of the team. I'd love to hear what that really means for you. I think that is a Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yes, I've spent, except for that one year at the publisher, I've been at the agency, yes, on the agency's. Kristen Sweeney: often aspired to and commonly heard phrase. But as someone who's been deeply embedded in agency life, I would love to hear how does an agency really accomplish that more beyond kind of lip service? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: I think it's really about a relationship and trust with your client partners and oftentimes that's not just one person. In the early days of my career, it was really just one person who would then kind of have all the communications with their stakeholders internally and be working, but that model has really evolved. So it's being really intentional in forming ⁓ the relationships Kristen Sweeney: Yep. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: not just with your immediate client, but with the team around ⁓ ⁓ a trusted partner ⁓ ⁓ open communication, honest Asking questions, I think, is a really important thing, especially at the beginning of a relationship. But questions that are smart and intentional, not questions that you should be able to answer on your own by doing a little bit of research. Kristen Sweeney: ⁓ yes! Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: You know, so have to find the right balance of not becoming a nuisance, you know, and ⁓ I if you can achieve those things and the chemistry is really important as well, you know, I think it's not something that is often or really talked about, but I do ⁓ think in experience where have ⁓ been on really teams is where the chemistry is really great within the team ⁓ and then also the client. ⁓ and the client team. And that trust in kind of going the extra mile really goes a long way for the relationship and doing what you say you're going to do. And if you're not able to do it, proactively communicating the barriers or the reasons why. ⁓ So I think that those are some of the key things that I certainly put at the forefront of my approach to. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: building new relationships and what I encourage my teams to do as well. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, I love that. I agree relationships are, it took me a while in my career to understand the importance of the relationships I was building. I think just my personality, I kind of for a long time thought just like it's about the work. It's about the work I produce it. It's about how good that is. And, you know, it kind of gets graded, right? Like, and that's kind of the make or break and realizing over time that it's about all the steps along the way. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yeah. Kristen Sweeney: how those decisions get made together and whether, you know, ⁓ because the truth is you can't get everything perfectly right all the time. And so the relationship is what determines how it goes when things go wrong. And whether that's like we're in it together, working to fix it, or whether it's kind of like my agency screwed up and now I'm kind of. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Right. Yes. Kristen Sweeney: reframing my opinion of them. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: I'm a big believer that when you do something wrong, you need to acknowledge it, apologize for it, and identify how you're going to correct it, and do your best to ensure it won't happen again. ⁓ But I think, you know, hopefully we don't have too many of those situations, ⁓ but when you do, I think it's important to own them and own them quickly. ⁓ Otherwise, you know. Kristen Sweeney: You've just outlined the exact policy we have documented in an SOP called When Things Go Wrong. It is that exact process. That's because we're both named Kristen. Yes. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: There you have it. Yep, it's a principle not just for work, but for life in general. So I think it's good one. Maybe I'll put it in the family SOP. Trying to teach my 11-year-old those philosophies. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. We were talking a little bit before we recorded, and we were talking about working with experts, obviously in medical communications. having a lot. are creating for experts. You're working with experts. And although you may not be as involved in the day to day in your current role, what's the approach you've kind of found effective over the years? And what do you find is still maybe challenging about those collaborations? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yeah, that's a great question. think one of the privileges in working in the industry that we work in is that oftentimes the experts outside of our client relationships that we have, the HCP experts, these are world renowned researchers and physicians, and there's a lot of demand on their time, and many of them also have clinical obligations, and they're actively treating patients. So I think. you know, the strategies that we tend to really align to is proactively communicating expectations and understanding if they have barriers, you know, due to their scheduling or, you know, their professional ⁓ needs or even personal needs in some situations and making sure that that open line of communication is there. ⁓ Understanding preferences in terms of communication is important. Not everybody wants to know that they need to review something via email because they're too busy and they have 500 emails that are waiting to be read. ⁓ know, kind of understanding individual nuances, you know, that proactive communication about setting expectations around timelines, proactively communicating if something changes, you know, sending reminders, I think is an important. to how we engage with our experts. And then, you know, I think just remembering these experts are also human beings. They forget things, they make mistakes, ⁓ make major revelations sometimes. ⁓ the end of the day, they are the expert. We have to respect their even if we want to frame something differently, ⁓ we to follow their guidance. But they're human. They're human beings. remember when I was ⁓ earlier in my career, I used to feel quite intimidated when I would be on site with HCPs. And I had to do a lot of communication with them at that time and a lot of walking them one area to another. And finally, I said, ⁓ Dr. McMahon is dad, just like my dad is. And I started ⁓ to really build Kristen Sweeney: Mm-hmm. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: connections to them. I just started asking them things other than about their work. You know, these are for experts that I was, you know, consistently engaging with in particular. So, you know, just treating them like they're a human being and provide them with the things that you would want to be provided with to be successful and to have an impact in whatever it is that they've committed to. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Yeah, I agree wholeheartedly. think whatever for you, the way you've described is great. They are human beings. think how, to me, what that does, and I think this is important, is it makes you more... peer or same level, I think it's actually challenging to get what you need if you've got someone on sort of such a high pedestal and you're this supplicant like, please give me your time, please, you know. ⁓ I know that's how it feels sometimes realistically, but at least once you are in front of them to have that, we are both experts, we are both here to get what we need. What I find is when I'm able to do that, and I think in some ways my performing background and... Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yes, for sure. Kristen Sweeney: you know, having shared a stage with Broadway actors and at the same time, like they might be sort of the lowest status person on stage. And so you've kind of all just got to focus on what the work needs. It allows me to feel confident asking questions when I need to and confirming my understanding and not being sort of. scared or needing to be in a performative space the whole time. And at the end of the day, you're both there to serve the communication goal. ⁓ And that is the attitude I find an approach that is going to get that done more effectively. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yeah. Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I mean, unfortunately, you do run into people sometimes they're not as receptive, ⁓ you know, to that and you just have to learn to manage that, get what you need to get from that person and not take it personal, I think is, you know, the important part, which I think can be particularly challenging for people who are in the earlier parts of their career, you know, to understand that it isn't personal. ⁓ Kristen Sweeney: Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Sure, sure. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: if somebody doesn't want to engage beyond what they need to tell you. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Can you tell us a little bit more about your transition to leadership? And we're just hearing people as this super strong through line, like why you made the decision to transition into a leadership role, ⁓ which obviously by its nature takes you a little more away from the day-to-day work. ⁓ what's really important to you in leading teams? You've got a lot, a lot of experience in this area. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Sure. ⁓ I think it's important to acknowledge that I knew from day one of my professional career that I was going to want to be in a leadership role eventually. You know, that I would have to put the work in to get there. But ⁓ leading groups of people has always been something I loved doing even as a kid. ⁓ So it's just kind of very much embedded in who I am as a person. So. Kristen Sweeney: ⁓ good for you. Yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: I knew that I was going to have to put in the work and I worked really, really hard to learn as much as I could, ⁓ you know, to build a network of people ⁓ and to make sure that I was surrounded by people who I trusted and inspired me. And as a result of those things, you know, and working hard, I was afforded leadership opportunities very early on in my career, probably. you know, within the first, I think, six to seven years of my career, I became responsible for a department. So I worked for a small agency, you so was not working in a big organization. So, you know, I don't do a lot of things in a small organization, but for me, that was one of the best things that happened during my career was being part of a very, very small boutique agency. because everybody rolled up their sleeves, we were all in it together. But my management team saw how hard I worked and they afforded me that opportunity. And then that small company was bought by a large holding company where I became exposed to a lot of people and made a lot of contacts. And I managed that network and stayed in touch with people ⁓ over periods of time. And it just kind of... I just kept applying those same principles, and then I did eventually move to another company ⁓ that was larger in nature but independently held and applied the same principles, just kept working really hard, worked on forming relationships, did what I said I was gonna do, took accountability if I made a mistake ⁓ or got something wrong, took accountability for that, and over time... ⁓ I was approached by them and that was really my first opportunity to lead an agency. ⁓ And ⁓ funny enough, after a little bit of time, I'm back to that very same agency group now, different name, but it's in the same network that I work with now. And again, like a lot of that comes back to just continuing to work hard, but maintaining ⁓ the network of people ⁓ that you meet throughout your career journey. It's important. Kristen Sweeney: Wow. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love that. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: And I think that sometimes people don't put enough effort in maintaining relationships with people. ⁓ And that is something that I work really hard on. Kristen Sweeney: And something we're going to talk about specifically in our one big idea section in just a second here. ⁓ Before we get there, I wanted to ask you, know that transparency is something that is ⁓ quite important to you and something that you think a lot about as a leader. Can you talk a little bit about why you value transparency and how you navigate that as ⁓ someone leading a team where you've got access to a lot of sensitive financial and otherwise information about the business and ⁓ how much transparency is the right amount of transparency, I guess. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yes, ⁓ know, transparency is important to me, certainly. And that has always been important to me in my career. So I was even in very junior roles raising my hand in town halls and asking questions that I know other people were thinking about because we were talking about it, but nobody was asking about. ⁓ And I think. I have learned that while transparency is important to me, it's it's as important to the people that are working. Kristen Sweeney: Mm-hmm. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: around me in my group. And it's important to have transparency for trust. And you know, lot of when you're working, when you're leading a larger organization, you are not afforded the opportunity to spend a lot of one on one time with individuals to build relationships. Many people that are working in my agency have very limited interaction with me, maybe one to two times a month. So when I am with them, I need to make sure that I'm providing them with the information they need to know that they are working an agency ⁓ we have ⁓ ⁓ interest at heart, ⁓ I'm sharing how performing financially, where focusing, what are the priorities for the agency so that they understand why decisions are being made ⁓ the way that they ⁓ you know. ⁓ So, and also making sure that there's a constant feedback loop. So I may not be interacting with them one-on-one, but I do make efforts. If somebody shares with me that there's some concern about A, B, and C, I will often send an email to address it, to put those concerns to rest or address the concerns if they're actually valid concerns. ⁓ I frequently tell people I really... very much believe in an open door policy. In my case, I have a virtual open door, but if anyone in my organization reaches out to me, ⁓ I will always prioritize meeting with them one on one, and making sure that I'm timely in communicating with them. And I think that you need that level of transparency for your employees, again, to bring it back to that trust. And if they trust their leaders, Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: they're going to bring their best to work almost every day. mean, nobody's perfect and we all have off days. Some days you just not, you can't bring your best to work. ⁓ But most days I feel that the people on my teams do bring their very best to work and they're really passionate and great at what they do. And it's my responsibility to make sure that I continue to feed that engine and help them to feel empowered. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Sure. Yes. Yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: you know, to grow and have an impact in their role. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, I love that. And I love that the connection of that to trust because I think there are times as leaders where we have to, we do have to maybe like make withdrawals from that trust bank, you know what I mean? Or ask for things that are hard or make decisions that are difficult. And think what you're talking about is building the goodwill and making continuous deposits into that trust bank. So you've got, you've got some. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yes. Yeah. Kristen Sweeney: can do what's needed when sometimes there are things that may challenge or push or, you know, ⁓ not be what our teams would wholeheartedly endorse, at least at first, but they can give a little grace. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yes, I think that you raise a really important point because I think a lot of people in general feel that leadership is a really glamorous job. in fact, ⁓ it's leadership is about making hard decisions that are often, not often, but sometimes are not going to be popular ⁓ or people may not fully understand. there's only a certain level of transparency you can provide around the decision. ⁓ And of course, like any human being, I find that the hardest part of leadership. And so I have to be really intentional about channeling those emotions and how I manage ⁓ those things so that I'm showing up trying to bring my best every day, even if I'm struggling with some of the hard decisions that... Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: that have to be made because you know it will impact somebody in a negative way or whatever it might be. ⁓ So that's something we don't often talk about in leadership, but for me the emotional burden can sometimes feel really, really heavy because I form a connection of some sort. And I think some people might feel that it's a little bit cheesy, but that's just the way I am. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I'm really invested in Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Right, right. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: wanting people to really love their job and enjoy their job. And I feel very responsible for that. ⁓ And how I manage the environment that they're in through transparency, for example, is one way that I can help contribute to a really good experience for them. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Yeah, and I think it's probably true that the part where it feels hard and sticky and difficult is how you know you're still human and, you know, at the same time it's just kind of part of the, it's just part and parcel of it and it's like, okay, if this were too easy for me then maybe that would be more distressing actually. ⁓ Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Mm-hmm. Yeah. ⁓ yeah. Yes, I would completely agree with that. That's a red flag. Yeah, time for a break. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, yeah. So we've talked about leadership, and I think this is a great segue ⁓ into our one big idea. This is where we dig a little bit deeper into one particular area or topic. And we're going to talk about remote work, which you and I kind of talked about this. ⁓ Both of us have a long history with working remotely. I work fully remotely. think your agency is fully remote. And of Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yes. Yes, fully remote. Kristen Sweeney: course, since the pandemic, although at least weekly, someone can't do something on Zoom still, including me. But we are all acquainted with what it means to interact virtually. But I think this is a timely conversation because what we talked about is really how you build and maintain a culture remotely. ⁓ And I think that's something that organizations really are still very much grappling with. And we see that in the increase in return to office policies even several years after COVID is kind of the having trouble uniting their team. So I know you've been quite intentional about this. Can you share a little bit about maybe challenges along the way, what works for you now? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yeah. Sure. I think the biggest challenge in remote environments is that, and especially where you're working in team-based environment, which is the model that my agency works in. So I have 160 people, but they're working across 20 or 30 different teams. And they're only really working and interacting with the same people every day on Zoom, which is very different. from being in an office experience with 160 people and you're still interacting with the same five or six people, but you're sitting next to different individuals, you're talking to people in the break room. So we don't have any of those types of connectivity. So the connectivity across the organization is important and finding the right balance and what excites people or drives people to engage. So there's a couple of different ways that we focus on that. We have a culture committee in our organization that basically organizes socials for people that are optional. And not everybody feels the need to connect with people outside of their team. And that's why some people love the remote environment, because they don't necessarily have a desire to be engaging with 150 people. But we do, we have. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, sure. Mm-hmm. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: We have that as one of the mechanisms. ⁓ We do a monthly all agency meeting where we come together and we talk about obviously the overall state of the agency, but different things that are happening around the agency with various teams. We talk about some of the technologies that our company is investing in and what that means. We do general HR overviews. One of the things that my agency does is we talk about our own patient ⁓ stories. ⁓ Many of us are impacted by lots of diseases in our lives and in our families. So we have people who share those stories in some of our agency meetings. ⁓ So that monthly touch point is important. Our line managers have biweekly one-on-ones. ⁓ with their direct reports. So just making sure that there's a constant stream of communications and touch points has been really important. And one of the things that we're looking to explore this week is, not this week, I'm sorry, this year, it's on my mind because we've been talking about it this week, ⁓ is bringing people together that live in general areas around the country. So we have a cohort of... ⁓ Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: you know, six or eight people who live in the Chicago area. have, you know, about 10 people that live by Raleigh, North Carolina. So we're going to, you know, set up some mechanisms for those people to be able to get together, ⁓ you know, and form those connections as well. So just trying to bring, you know, that human element back to the work environment, I think is something that I have always prioritized working ⁓ in the remote environment. Kristen Sweeney: Mm-hmm. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: and I make sure that I try to be present at all of those things. ⁓ And honestly, it feeds me as a leader. I want to know the people that are working ⁓ in my team. Just this week we were, the past two weeks have been working on a big RFP submission and I've got to spend some time with people that I haven't really been able to engage with yet. And I'm so excited to have them as part of my team having spent this time with them over the last. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: weeks. you know, for me as well, it's a really valuable investment. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, I love that. And I love the kind of bringing it back to real life, you know, in person where it makes sense and having those opportunities. Because I think that's the thing that is most lost is the hallway chatter, right? ⁓ And it can be challenging to create the right environment for that to feel like it's spontaneous because we do have to like hop on, you know, like it's not just a part of. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yeah. Kristen Sweeney: how you go through the day. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: I do think it's important to acknowledge that some of the work that you can do in person requires a lot more attention and time working remotely. ⁓ Particularly when we're working on big strategic type of work, ⁓ it's most effective really to be in a boardroom together. ⁓ Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: we don't have that ability. you know, figuring out how to use different technology tools, the cadence of what those sessions need to look like, creating the space for that without interruption at home is quite different than creating space in an office without interruption. ⁓ So, you know, I think it does require a certain level of discipline by the individuals, which Kristen Sweeney: Mm-hmm. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: can sometimes be hard for people and myself included. Kristen Sweeney: Yes. Yes. It's very interesting. I've kind of encountered, I would say I've been remote about 15 years, really long time, like definitely before it was cool. And... ⁓ encountered sort of ranges within myself, but I in general in general I'm not someone who's like I spent more time doing laundry today than working I am someone who Throws in the load of laundry and then six hours later has to rewash it because I got caught up in work But I definitely do notice When something is hard the brain hurting work. It's a lot easier in my home Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yeah, I know. Yeah. Kristen Sweeney: to just get up and wander, like suddenly be distracted versus if I was in an environment where this is what we're doing right now. So I think that's definitely an area where I have to kind of bring back that discipline, yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yes. Right. it is important to have the discipline but also to remind yourself to get up and move and take a stretch, take a walk around the block or whatever. Whereas when you're in the office, you are moving around a little bit more. Your walk to the bathroom is a little bit longer, for example. Your walk to the lunchroom is longer. ⁓ You're not parking and walking. So there are just some things that I think you need to be. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, yes. Not longer. Yeah. Yep. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: conscious, you know, super aware of for me personally, like I have a very specific routine in the morning. I never go to work in pajamas or anything like that. I think there's a lot of misconceptions ⁓ about that. And I know that the people on my team don't because I see them ⁓ on camera and I, ⁓ I was going to let me just add, I think an on camera policy is really important to remote working environment. ⁓ And Kristen Sweeney: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: course I think you need to have some flexibility and grace for people. ⁓ But I do think ⁓ in the agencies, I've worked in three different groups ⁓ in a remote environment as a leader. And when we have an on-camera policy, people are more engaged. So I do think that that's a very important part of a remote work environment. Kristen Sweeney: 100%. We're a much smaller team than yours, but we're the same. The default and almost all the time is definitely cameras on and then if camera's off, it might be because you're doing something for five minutes or maybe occasionally if you're sick, but at that point, maybe don't come to the meeting. ⁓ And I think one of the things that strikes me about some of the camera off policies, I've got some good friends who have that and I'm always like. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Right? Yeah. Kristen Sweeney: If you can be camera off and doing other work, did you really need to be on that meeting in the first place? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: That's an excellent point. ⁓ I think I will have to steal that for ⁓ any reminders that that come up. I tend to see cameras off in large meetings, not so much in the small meetings, but I really want to know that people are engaged in listening, you know, to the discussions. So I really encourage that that camera on approach. So. Yeah. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Yes, exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, appreciate the insights on this. ⁓ I want to move us to the last word. This is our lightning round segment. ⁓ So five quick questions. Every guest gets the same five. Are you ready, Kristen? Question one, what's your favorite word to say out loud? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Okay. I'm ready. one that's not appropriate for this podcast. Kristen Sweeney: Excellent, I love it. ⁓ Question two, what's a word you know from reading but you're afraid to say out loud because you're not quite sure how to pronounce it? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: I know how to pronounce it. just always struggle to say the word rural. ⁓ And I have since I'm a kid. So if I see that word, I can't believe I've actually just said it on the podcast. I panic a little bit. I just really struggle to say with it since I'm a kid. ⁓ It's not a direct answer to your question. But yeah, or anything scientific, like highly scientific. ⁓ Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. yeah it gets a little slurry for me too. yeah yeah love it. ⁓ good thing your job doesn't really, you know, re- Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Well, I'm not a scientist and I'm very open about that. I work with lot of scientists who I will then say, how do I pronounce this and can you tell me what it means and help me understand it? So I'm lucky to have those resources. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Yeah, excellent. What's one phrase or saying you wish could be retired for good? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Let's circle back. Kristen Sweeney: Let's not. Is it the phrase or is it the idea? Are you like, let's make a decision now? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: over that one. ⁓ I, it's, it's the phrase because I think people default to it when they don't know how to respond. So that's why, yeah, I don't know how to address that right now. So yeah, I'll kick the can down the road. So let's circle back. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah, just kind of kicking the can, yeah. If you had to say that instead, might be, you know, a little more. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Yeah, I prefer somebody to say, I don't know the answer to that. Can I come back to you? That's how I, I wonder if I mean, I probably say let's circle back and don't even realize it, to be honest, I don't know. Maybe, yeah, maybe some of the viewers of this podcast, ⁓ if they know me can let us know if I say let's circle back or not. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Morning. Yeah, more transparent. Yeah, I don't know the answer. ⁓ Great. What's a communication practice or principle that's non-negotiable for you? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: there's several, but probably honesty is a non-negotiable for me. And we talked a lot about that during the podcast today. If you're not honest, that's a deal breaker for me. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: then I would expect people to have the same expectation of me. Kristen Sweeney: And what's the last? Yeah. What's the last thing you read, or watched that really stuck with you? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: I watch a lot of True Crime and I listen to a lot of True Crime podcasts. So I've been listening to many of the seasons of serial right now. and the last thing that I read, gosh, I'm a reader, but I guess it's been a while. I think I'd have to look at my audible. I should have prepared for that one. I don't remember. Kristen Sweeney: Okay, great. Yeah, that's all right. All good. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: But I am listening to serial and all of the episodes in, or I'm sorry, the seasons in serial and really enjoying that. When I'm not working, when I'm in the car or maybe doing some chores around the house, I'm mostly listening to a book or podcast and right now I'm on a big podcast kick. So yes. Kristen Sweeney: Yeah. Yeah. Nice, nice. Excellent. Kristen, thank you so much for joining us today. If our listeners want to learn more about you, where can they go to find you? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: They can find me on LinkedIn. ⁓ My last name I will spell because it's a difficult one is O-E-L-T-J-E-N hyphen B-R-U-N-S. Yes, I definitely have. Kristen Sweeney: You've done that before. Wonderful. Well, thank you so much. Really appreciate this conversation. Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns: Thanks, Kristen. I really enjoyed being here. Thanks so much.