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- Louisa Adams: Building a Career on Creativity and Flexibility
Louisa Adams: Building a Career on Creativity and Flexibility
“Being comfortable with weirdness and flexibility is essential. Embrace it—your career will thank you.”
Mercer Smith
June 19, 2025
Welcome to Escalations, a series where I’ll be sharing stories of some amazing careers that started in Customer Support. While many of these will be compiled into a book, I will also be regularly sharing stories here, too. If you like this content, please consider subscribing or sharing.
Introduction: The Starting Point
Louisa Adams started her career pursuing acting and dance, balancing multiple retail and freelance roles while chasing her dreams in Los Angeles. Her first formal customer experience role was as a stylist at Stitch Fix, a job she initially took simply to pay the bills. What Louisa didn't anticipate was how much this role would shape her future career.
“Stitch Fix taught me autonomy early on. I had complete flexibility, but also full accountability for my results. That self-discipline became foundational.”
The Growth Path
Louisa evolved from a part-time stylist into a leadership role, managing a large team and navigating her first experience in the tech startup world. Overcoming imposter syndrome, industry shifts, and even company closures, she embraced each transition as an opportunity to learn.
After Stitch Fix, Louisa pivoted to teaching theater, then quickly returned to startups, first with Kidbox and later as a founding team member at Ness, where she built customer experience operations from scratch. Each shift required adaptability, a willingness to learn new industries rapidly, and deep reliance on transferable skills like creativity, autonomy, and communication.
“Every new role was intimidating at first, but focusing on the transferable skills I already had always made the difference.”
Implementing This in Your Own Career:
Lean on transferable skills: communication, creativity, adaptability.
Always stay curious and willing to ask questions.
Embrace autonomy and self-accountability early.
Breaking Through: Lessons & Key Decisions
1. Cultivate Creative Problem-Solving
Louisa leveraged her theater and directing background to navigate ambiguous situations in her professional life, especially when building out entirely new departments. Her experience in storyboarding, scripting, and orchestrating creative projects directly translated into effective operational planning. For example, at Ness, she successfully designed complex customer experience processes from scratch by visualizing outcomes creatively, then mapping clear, actionable steps.
“Directing short films taught me how to create something meaningful from nothing—that’s exactly what startups require you to do. You storyboard, plan meticulously, and then execute. It’s the same skill set, just applied differently.”
How You Can Apply It:
Use visualization tools (storyboarding, mind maps) to structure complex tasks.
Regularly practice reframing challenges as creative opportunities.
Prioritize clarity in your vision, then plan backward to achieve goals.
2. Ask Good Questions
Early in her career transitions, Louisa felt pressure to appear knowledgeable immediately. However, she realized that asking insightful questions didn’t indicate a lack of understanding, but rather demonstrated curiosity, confidence, and openness to learning. By consistently asking thoughtful questions, she quickly gained credibility, deepened her understanding, and positioned herself as a valuable team member who actively contributes to company growth.
“Asking questions isn’t a weakness—it’s a strength. People respect you more when you’re authentically curious, because it shows you genuinely care about getting things right.”
How You Can Apply It:
Make question-asking a conscious practice, especially when joining new teams.
Frame questions constructively to encourage deeper conversations.
Acknowledge your gaps openly—teams appreciate humility and authenticity.
3. Build Relationships First
Louisa found that successful cross-functional projects always began with strong interpersonal connections. Instead of approaching colleagues only when she needed something, she proactively developed personal relationships by expressing genuine interest and empathy. For instance, at Mercury and Ness, this approach accelerated buy-in on projects, enabling smoother collaboration across teams, which directly contributed to her rapid advancement and recognition.
“Building personal relationships first isn’t just about being friendly—it creates trust and psychological safety. When people trust you, everything you collaborate on becomes exponentially easier.”
How You Can Apply It:
Initiate casual conversations or short meetings with colleagues regularly.
Aim to understand team members' working styles and preferences early.
Prioritize relationships over transactions to build long-term trust.
4. Learn to Manage Imposter Syndrome
One of Louisa’s greatest internal challenges has been overcoming imposter syndrome, particularly during high-pressure moments like creating regulatory processes for fintech startups. She adopted deliberate self-talk, reminding herself of past successes to challenge feelings of inadequacy. Over time, she transformed self-doubt into confidence, recognizing it as a signal of growth rather than incompetence.
“Every time imposter syndrome surfaces, I actively remind myself of harder tasks I've completed successfully. It reframes my mindset and allows me to tackle new challenges with confidence.”
How You Can Apply It:
Keep a record or "brag sheet" of your past successes and achievements.
Normalize imposter syndrome as a sign you’re stretching and learning.
Proactively seek constructive feedback to ground yourself in reality rather than fears.
5. Take Initiative and Volunteer for Opportunities
Louisa consistently volunteered for responsibilities outside her immediate role, which positioned her as indispensable to her teams. For instance, noticing significant gaps in customer feedback loops at Ness, she stepped up to build a Voice of Customer program from scratch. This initiative showcased her strategic thinking and leadership potential, leading directly to greater opportunities for advancement.
“No one ever asked me to build those programs—I saw the gap and decided to address it proactively. Taking initiative not only solved critical business problems but also propelled my career forward significantly.”
How You Can Apply It:
Look for unmet needs in your team or organization and propose solutions.
Clearly communicate your interest in leading projects or initiatives.
Don’t wait to be asked—actively volunteer to lead when you see opportunities.
Actionable Takeaways
Identify transferable skills early. Reflect on and articulate your existing skills clearly; they'll carry you through industry changes.
Embrace autonomy. Develop self-accountability early; it builds trust and prepares you for leadership.
Build authentic connections. Prioritize genuine relationships; they're foundational for cross-team collaboration.
Proactively manage imposter syndrome. Regularly remind yourself of past successes to build confidence in new challenges.
Speak clearly about your career goals. Don’t leave room for ambiguity; be direct with your manager about your aspirations.
Where They Are Now & Final Words of Advice
Today, Louisa Adams leads onboarding operations as a Senior Manager at Mercury, where she recently built the department’s first change management program and established an employee resource group to support people with eclectic career backgrounds. Reflecting on her journey, she emphasizes the importance of staying open to opportunities and embracing your unique experiences.
“Your unique background is exactly what makes you valuable. Don’t hide it—use it proudly to propel yourself forward.”
Do you have a story to tell or insights to share? Consider having a conversation with me so I can share something like this about you!