“I grew up outside of Chicago, so I’m kind of a Midwestern girl at heart—and I’m still in the Midwest, living in Des Moines,” said Serena, who is now U.S. commercial director at Mibelle Biochemistry. “I went to Drake University in Des Moines. I actually started college while pregnant with my son, Ross. He lived with my parents and my three siblings back in my hometown in Illinois, which meant he had the unique benefit of growing up surrounded by his extended family—grandparents, aunts and uncles—while I was away at school.”
Serena said that although she lived in a dorm and experienced a relatively typical college life, her breaks and weekends were anything but typical. She flew home every other weekend to spend time with her son. When Ross was four, he attended her college graduation. Shortly after, he packed up his toys and came to live with her full time.
Serena’s parents not only helped raise her son, but as business owners, also helped shape her strong work ethic.
“When you own your own business, you’re working 24/7,” she said. “That was instilled in us early on—you work hard, and you treat your job like it’s your own business. Even though I’ve always worked for other companies, I carry that mindset with me. It’s about doing quality work and taking pride in finishing a job well."
Serena spent several years in pharmaceutical sales before deciding to “jump ship” and enter the nutraceuticals space with Kemin. She admitted she did not fully know what she was stepping into at the time, but found an early mentor who quickly became a close friend.
“Now, I’d say we collaborate and are friends in the industry—and personally as well," she said. “Heather Richardson, I think a lot of people see us together and think, ‘partners in crime’.”
Although they’ve since moved on to different companies and have different specialities, the partnership remains strong.
“We offer different things to our customers, so we collaborate a lot,” Serena said. “We actually do joint meetings, which I think is really unique, but we want to see each other succeed. I think a lot of it is women supporting women, but it’s also even in this industry. There’s not really a sense of competition. I think it’s everybody working together. We get a lot of referrals where we’re helping each other, whether it’s ingredients or formulators. It’s just the spirit of the nutritional industry.”
To hear more about how Serena balanced her career ambitions, family life and self-care—and how it all contributes to a fulfilling life—watch the full interview.
