Meet Trailblazer Cammeo Murray

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cammeo Murray.

Cammeo, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in Houston and will always call it home, but when I was younger I constantly felt the urge to move, explore and travel places I’d never been. So, after graduating from UT with a degree in communications, I moved to NYC where many of my friends had moved and my now husband. I started my career working at a digital ad agency where I learned so much about the inner workings of what makes a brand and how much goes into marketing a product. NYC is also just an amazing place to grow and explore your creativity so I started taking up photography and wardrobe styling on the side. I would style fellow co-workers and new moms who wanted to look professional but still stylish no matter what their age or life stage. That’s when I fell in love with fashion, and a few years later, my husband and I married and moved to Los Angeles where I continued my career in digital marketing. I eventually made the shift to working on the publishing side at Los Angeles magazine and was hired on as the Senior Manager of Digital Marketing for their digital property LAmag.com. I loved it because it exposed me to the editorial side of the business as well and I had always been an avid writer. A year in, I decided to launch my blog Cammeo HEAD TO TOE which was a guide to living a life of style where I wrote primarily about fashion, beauty, shopping/styling and events around LA.

After a year of consistently blogging and creating content, I knew it was something that was a true passion of mine. After I became a mom, I started wanting to write more about my experience as a first-time mom and the struggles that came with it. I also wanted to figure out a way to turn my love for styling into a real business that I could market – which is when Cammeo HEAD TO TOE Styling was born. I offer virtual styling sessions, as well as personal shopping excursions, and wardrobe/closet organization. In the past few years, after moving back home to Houston, my blog has created some amazing opportunities and I’ve had the chance to partner with countless brands which has brought me full circle. Nowadays, I’m juggling freelance digital marketing jobs from home, writing and creating content for my blog/social media channels, and raising my 5-year-old son and 21-month-old daughter. Some days, I feel like I’m doing maybe three out of the four right, but then, I’m reminded it’s not a test in how perfect we can make life be – we just live and love fully with no regrets.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I wish I could say that life has been all smooth sailing and that when you pursue your dreams nothing can hold you back. I think when you’re younger you’re either made to believe this or just by pure circumstance – you’ve never experienced failure or loss. Up until college, this was how my life went – my parents did an amazing job providing for me and making sure I was exposed to so many things as well as traveling abroad that I think really helped shape my outlook on life. But then, tragedy hit when my dad was diagnosed with stomach cancer on my 21st birthday. He battled cancer for two years and was able to see me graduate from college before he passed. The only good thing that came from it, was that I stopped taking anything in life for granted. If I saw an opportunity – I took it. He taught me to regret things you did, not things you didn’t do, and it’s become a motto I live by. So, my best advice to young women who are starting out and trying to find their true passion – is to not ever let fear hold you back. Fear has a crazy way of tricking you into thinking you’re not good enough. Trust me, there will be plenty of people out there along the way that will tell you “you can’t do this,” but if you know in your heart that it’s just their fear talking – you will always succeed. But you should also know that success doesn’t just mean a perfect and easy road. There will be bumps, bridges, and forks in the road but as long as you work hard and treat people with respect – you’ll do well.

We’d love to hear more about Cammeo HEAD TO TOE.
My work is split into three areas – digital marketing, blogging, and styling. Most of which I can do from home which has been amazing since becoming a mom. I’m able to utilize my digital ad agency experience now working in a remote freelance role which gives me the flexibility I need to also work on my blog and styling services. When I first started working with brands on the agency side, I never imagined that one day they would be reaching out to partner with me as a digital influencer. My most proud moment came a couple of years ago when I landed my first paid blog opportunity with a major brand, and it set off a ripple effect that has grown to over hundreds of collaborations with brands across my blog and social channels.I think what sets me apart as an influencer is my 15+ years of experience working with brands from both sides of the business, which has helped me know how to communicate their message and convey it in an authentic way to my loyal audience of moms. I truly have a love for helping others and connecting with people, and I always try to remain true to that whether it’s through my writing, styling, or marketing.

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
When it comes to finding a mentor or networking – I’ve always found that genuinely showing an interest in not only learning from them, but finding a way to help them as well has always bode well for me. For instance, when I started out in styling I was pretty clueless. I knew I had a passion and talent for it, but I knew that if I wanted to be successful I would need to learn what it really takes to make it as a paid stylist. So I networked at events and met a stylist who then put me in touch with her friend who was also a stylist in LA who happened to be from Houston – go figure! Needless to say, we hit it off and I still learn so much from watching them rock their businesses. But it’s important not to forget those who helped you, and I always make a point to share what they’re doing with my community – because at the end of the day it’s all about community.

I learned firsthand what “community over competition” means from the amazing blogging community here in Houston. I’ve met so many talented and awesome women through blogging, who are the most supportive mentors I’ve ever known. I’ve met most of them through social media and we love to share our knowledge on what we’ve learned along the way or challenges we’ve faced, and it’s honestly the only way I would be where I’m at today.

Like so many things in life that we love to do, they start out as a hobby. If you want to turn that hobby, that passion, into a business then you have to treat it like one and the best way I know how is to build that community and nurture it daily.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://cammeoheadtotoe.com
• Phone: 832-754-1026
• Email: CammeoH2T@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cammeomurray/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cammeoheadtotoe/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/cammeomurray
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFjQLpD_PzN3I2Z7qdV2ELA

Image Credit:
Marlo Carroll Photography

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