"I Was Just Trying to Build Something Real": Jordyn Palos on Founding Persona PR at 25, Navigating 16 Years in Entertainment PR, and What Sustainability Actually Looks Like

Jordyn Palos launched Persona PR in 2010 from her Los Angeles apartment at 25 - no investors, no financial safety net, and significant consumer debt. What she had was four years of agency experience, a handful of clients who believed in her, and a clear priority: make the transition completely

"I Started with Every Hat and Trusted the Process": Michelle Blue on Founding Next YE Development, Reaching 10,000 Students Across NYC, and Building a Business Rooted in Purpose, Possibility, and Prosperity

Michelle Blue is a TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, and trained psychoanalytical coach with over 12years of experience transforming how individuals approach work and life. As the Founder of Next YE Development, an education consultancy focused on future-ready entrepreneurial andcareer development programs, she equips early talent and educators with the mindset, skills,

"I Knew How Hard I Worked, and I Wanted to Pour That Into Something of My Own": Ashley White on Leaving Atlantic Records, Founding AWPR, and Why Caring Is the Most Underrated Skill in Music PR

Ashley White spent 15 years at Atlantic Records - 11 in New York City and four working remotely from Austin, Texas, where she had moved to give her kids a different way of life. That remote chapter, which predated COVID by years, taught her something important: she could do this

"I Built Everything From Scratch, With Zero Connections": Mara Cracaleanu on Founding Melancholia Pictures at 24, Breaking Into International Film, and Why You Don't Need Permission to Build Globally

Mara Cracaleanu founded her first company while still at university - in her room, in a country where she knew no one. By 24, she had built two companies from the ground up and was developing internationally oriented film and television projects with collaborators across London, Milan, New York, and

20 Founders On a Mission: Meet the Women Building What Matters

This is the first in our ongoing Women's History Month series spotlighting women founders building businesses that matter. Each week throughout March, we're featuring a new group of mission-driven founders from across industries and continents. These are their stories. Some founders are chasing market share. Others

Ottinger Employment Lawyers

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"Publicity Amplifies Clarity - It Doesn't Create It": Yetunde Shorters on Identity Latency, When Founders Are Ready for Visibility, and Building Authentic Authority vs. Performing Expertise

Yetunde Shorters was born in Chicago, raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and graduated college at 20. She built her career as an international publicist working with Grammy, Tony, and MTV Award-winning artists - securing over 1,500 media features reaching 40 million people in outlets including Good Morning America, Essence, Forbes,

"Referrals Are the Byproduct of Doing Excellent Work": Jen Rogers and Lori Jung on Co-Founding Hudson West, Getting Clients on The Today Show and The New York Times, and Building a Bicoastal Agency on Reputation Alone

Jen Rogers and Lori Jung co-founded Hudson West in 2012 - not in a boardroom, but at their daughters' swim lessons. Both had just relocated from New York City to Scottsdale, Arizona, and once they realized they were in the same industry, the idea came quickly. What followed was

"Creators Are Becoming Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs Must Become Creators": Ashley Rudd on Co-Founding MODA PR Over Caesar Salad and Fries, Getting Media-Ready, and Why PR Is Really About Managing Human Beings

Ashley Rudd co-founded MODA PR in 2020 over what she calls "the ultimate girl dinner" - Caesar salad, fries, and a Diet Coke. The catalyst? Reading Kelly Cutrone's "If You Have to Cry, Go Outside," which gave her the push to leave her corporate

"At Heart, I Will Always Be a Journalist": Nealy Gihan, APR on 25 Years From Newsrooms to Corporate to On Point Transportation PR, and Why Career Paths Are Rarely Linear

Nealy Gihan, APR, is a seasoned communicator with 25 years of experience spanning print journalism, corporate communications, nonprofit work, and government communications. But as she puts it: "At heart, I will always be a journalist." That drive to tell good, impactful stories has propelled her through every phase

"Reporters Are Working in Service of Their Audience, Not You": Lacy Talton on Co-Founding Evergreen & Oak, When Founders Actually Need PR, and Pricing Your Services Without Undervaluing Your Work

Lacy Talton is Partner and Co-Founder of Evergreen & Oak, a global PR and marketing agency headquartered in North Carolina's Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill). The agency specializes in B2B tech, including adtech, healthtech, and martech, and has secured coverage for clients in major publications like

"At 6:15 am Music Lessons with Teenagers In Pajama Pants, I Learned What Leadership Really Is": Margaret Watts Romney on 20+ Years From Professional Cellist to TEDx Coach, and Why Speakership Is Leadership

Margaret Watts Romney's first students of the day walked into her studio at 6:15am for cello lessons - teenagers in pajama pants, barely able to function. Despite their shared battle with circadian rhythms, they had a job to do. The parents were paying her to somehow get