Camille Preston is a leadership development expert dedicated to helping individuals understand their inner mastery and become the best versions of themselves. With a deep commitment to resilience and strategic thinking, Camille works with leaders across industries, providing clear, actionable, research-based insights that foster personal and professional growth. Passionate about mentorship and transformative leadership, she believes in the power of generosity, adaptability, and strategic clarity in navigating the evolving business landscape.
If your business could have a mascot, what would it be and why?
Armadillo… everyone is tough on the exterior—tender on the inside. It represents the idea that leadership isn’t just about being fierce; it’s about having a core of strength wrapped in approachability, resilience, and unexpected power. It also challenges the assumption that fast wins.
What strategies do you employ to maintain a healthy work-life balance while running your own business?
It’s different for everyone—know what matters, try different ways to get close to that.
- Have clear outcomes.
- Learn from—but let go of—other people’s success strategies; they won’t necessarily be yours.
- Right time, for the right project, for the right season—knowing this will change.
- Exercise habits are very important, along with seasonal living in New England.
- Just because I have a lot of ideas doesn’t mean now is the time to act on all of them.
- Focus less on balance (nearly impossible) and more on work-life integration. Shift the timespan you are “balancing” from daily to monthly.
I have a few mantras that keep me sane:
- “Make it Bad, Make it Better”—the key is to start.
- “Clear on the Outcome, Flexible on the Approach.”
Knowing what matters—clear outcomes and flexing schedules to match biological rhythms and demands. For me, that means getting up early to have quiet in the morning. This is time and space for deeper thinking and strategic partnerships that energize me.
When faced with unexpected detours on your business path, how do you pivot with grace and resilience, showing fellow women entrepreneurs the way forward?
Reframe the unexpected from detours into opportunities. Life unfolds in ways we can’t always control—opening and trusting the serendipity.
Absolutely know what matters, have hopes, and dream big. Then keep a clear center or sense of ballast and a sense of curiosity about what’s being presented—it allows us to grow.
When we get thrown off course, it’s often because we’re rigidly attached to a specific outcome. Instead, ask, “What’s right about this? How is this an opportunity?” That mindset helps me move forward with resilience.
How do you measure the success of your business beyond financial metrics, such as customer satisfaction or community engagement?
I will confess to craving ROI data as a measurement of success. However, I have learned it’s about the impact we have on people’s lives.
We set out to help people become better leaders, but they leave as better people. One of the biggest measures of success is seeing how someone transforms—not just in their leadership role but in who they are and how they operate in the world.
Can you share a memorable moment where you witnessed significant growth or transformation in your business, illustrating the impact of your services/products?
One moment that stands out is 2022 when we hit a huge financial target and realized it was time to rebuild—our infrastructure, our team, and how we operated. We needed to ensure that our values and our desire to have a positive impact remained at the heart of the business.
As a leader, you must walk the talk, and in certain industries, the expectations are even higher. That was a pivotal moment of transformation for us.
What role do you believe mentorship plays in the success of small businesses, and how have mentors influenced your own entrepreneurial journey?
I see mentorship as bidirectional. One of the most meaningful relationships I have is with my mentor—we’ve built a dynamic of reciprocity where I give as much as I can while also learning from her.
Too often, people think of mentorship as, “What can I get from this person?” Instead, I believe in approaching it with generosity: “What can I share? How can I help?” That shift opens up so many possibilities. We should stand on the shoulders of giants, learn from others, and embrace a spirit of generosity in mentoring.
What’s your work all about, and how does it make a difference in the world?
My work is about helping people become better leaders, but really, it’s about unlocking their inner capacity—awakening their inner mastery—so they can be fuller, more real versions of themselves.
We got into leadership development working with police chiefs who, like many other leaders, rose through the ranks and suddenly found themselves at the top, sometimes feeling imposter syndrome.
What we do is provide clear, actionable, research-based content that helps them build a stable foundation for who they are and what they need to become the best version of themselves.
Please share your social links.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillepreston/
