Camille Geeter is a CRM & Lifecycle Marketing freelancer specializing in Email & SMS, with a strong focus on Klaviyo and Shopify merchandising.
Her path into email wasn’t planned — it emerged from adjacent roles, self-teaching, and stepping up when a business needed ownership. This interview shares a grounded, honest look at what it means to grow into email through real responsibility, unexpected change, and the decision to lean into freelancing when stability disappeared.
I “accidentally” fell into an email marketing role. The company I was working for needed someone to own B2B Shopify & Klaviyo, and I offered since it was adjacent to the ecommerce sales role I’d been doing. I had barely any training and was mostly self-taught. The channel saw substantial growth and 2 years later, I was asked to take over B2C emails as well. I then moved to another company and had a similar role using the same platforms. In 2025, I along with half of the company was laid off due to tariffs. After a few months of job searching with zero luck, I decided to lean into freelancing. I’m currently freelancing as an email marketing strategist for an agency who exclusively uses Klaviyo as their ESP. Most everything I’ve learned has been self taught, but at times it’s difficult because “you don’t know what you don’t know.” There are days when I feel confident and days when I seriously question my choice to focus solely on email & SMS strategy. Some days I’m sure I intentionally chose this path, other days I feel as if I stumbled blindly into it. I love many aspects of this job - connection, storytelling, psychology, design - but I do wish there was an easier way to gain experience with other ESPs (especially as a new freelancer). Couldn’t be more excited to see what comes from this project.
Networking platforms, podcasts, and newsletters from other email professionals have been some of my best teaching tools that encourage me to dig deeper (especially into aspects I’ve never considered). Working for multiple clients at once has also shaped my work. It’s been the quickest, most frustrating and yet most rewarding way to learn, but the stakes are often extremely high. I love to experiment and test, but it can be difficult to convince clients / stakeholders it’s worth it, as they usually want immediate answers / results / revenue growth.
Getting laid off earlier this year has been the most challenging, then making the decision to pivot from wanting full-time stability to trying my hand at freelance. I am someone who deeply craves both stability and independence, which has proven to be very tricky to navigate. Marketing myself is the next step, which is terrifying.
I bring the grit, “make lemonade out of lemons” perspective. I’d love to hear from people who accidentally landed in this field and decided that it was the career they wanted to continue pursue. I want to hear about the mess, the mistakes, the moments that forced them to grow and learn (fast), and how they deal with impostor syndrome.
The journey can be unclear at times, but keep going. Keep learning, keep connecting with others in this industry. Get gritty in how you look for information. Those of us with less traditional journeys are often the most resourceful, flexible, tenacious, creative people. P.S. impostor syndrome will happen, but I’ve come to realize that’s just a normal, frequent aspect of adulthood.
Camille’s story reflects a reality many in email quietly recognize: learning by doing, questioning the path, and moving forward anyway.
From navigating a layoff to balancing the pull between stability and independence, her experience highlights the grit, adaptability, and resourcefulness that often define less traditional careers. It’s a reminder that uncertainty, impostor syndrome, and messy learning curves aren’t signs of failure — they’re part of building something real.
------------------------Add Your Voice!
This interview is part of The Email Freelancer Pathways Project, a series documenting the many different paths into email.
Through a short survey, I’m collecting experiences from email professionals to make these career journeys visible — and to help advocate for better access to the tools people are expected to master.
If you work in email in any capacity, your experience matters.
📩 Connect with me on LinkedIn or send a message.
With Love from Vancouver
Annett
Founder, EmailBoutique.io
