Beth Kent

What does success mean to you?

To me, success means achieving personal fulfillment and growth in various aspects of life, whether it’s career accomplishments, meaningful relationships, or making a positive impact on others and the world around me. I hope most people remember me as someone who made them feel better about themselves. I believe it is important to use our gifts to contribute at our highest levels to ultimately leave things better.

In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?

My default is to remind myself of past challenges I’ve overcome and the strength I possess. I seek support from my inner circle of loved ones, colleagues, and coaches who help me gain perspective and knowledge to navigate. I often practice what one coach called “extreme self-care” (which isn’t so extreme, but it can feel like an indulgence to spend time and resources). Activities like camping in my mini “glamper” (just a girly version of a camper) or spending time with my precious Cavalier King Charles, Cassie Lee, or my horses, Bentley and Copper, ground me. Meditation and swimming always help me regain confidence and perspective and it quiets my mind to uncover the insight and courage to move towards the next right thing.

What does the world need more of? Less of?

What the world needs more of is love. There are many derivations and forms of love, such as compassion, understanding, and empathy, but they all come down to the same core essence of love. What the world needs less of is fear. Fear manifests as division, prejudice, discrimination, violence, and conflict, but at their core, they are all just manifestations of people’s fear or greedy individuals capitalizing on others’ fears.

Where were you in life when you decided to start your business?

When I decided to start my own business, I came to the conclusion that, no matter how effective I was as a leader and a change agent, I would never be able to fully shape an organization to reflect my own personal values. For decades, I used a lot of energy carving out teams and organizations that were ‘sheltered’ from larger corporate cultures that I did not feel fully aligned with. It is exhausting to be a change agent in an environment that doesn’t want to change, holding back a flood of negativity like a dam. It takes a lot of energy. Now I get to focus all that energy on creating a company that can make a positive impact on everyone who works for us or with us.

Do you have a go-to resource you recommend to women in a similar field as you?

I was introduced to the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) by my sister, Michelle Meyer (a Boss Babe herself). I was fortunate enough to attend the WBENC national conference the first month after I founded my company. I am still overwhelmed by the inspiration, connections, and resources available. I finally found a place where I can connect with guides and mentors who align with my aspirations. I highly recommend women business owners to check them out.

What’s something you’re proud of in your career?

Over the many years I have served as a leader, I am proud to say that several team members have described me as the best manager they’ve ever been led by, and I consistently received 100% positive responses on anonymous team surveys about my effectiveness as a leader. This helped me gain confidence in my intuition about leading individuals and teams and setting organizational vision and direction. For more than two decades, I have been providing vision, quality management systems, systems engineering fundamentals, and software expertise to some of the most advanced engineering organizations in the world, helping teams scale, mature, continuously improve, and thrive. I intend to keep doing that — and more.

Beth Kent is the founder of Cascade Change Consultants, a software and system engineering consulting firm that guides aerospace & defense, and medical device engineering teams to create processes that produce the highest quality products while meeting strict regulatory standards.

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