Shannon Lee Simmons is a CFP (Certified Financial Planner), CIM (Chartered Investment Manager, media personality, and founder of the New School of Finance. As the Author of Worry-Free Money , Shannon is considered a trailblazer in the Canadian financial planning industry. Today, we discuss the financial aspect of being a PR freelancer and/or agency owner. Tune in to hear her great insights! Topics: The New School of Finance How to financially plan for running your own business Opportunities for ...
Aug 15, 2018•41 min
In this episode, we’ll be chatting with Megan Driscoll, CEO of Evolve MKD in New York City. Megan (who founded Evolve MKD) was named one of PR Week’s 40 Under 40 and has received over ten industry award-wins, including Female Entrepreneur of the Year – the agency is known for having a passionate staff and positive work environment. Tune in to hear our discussion about creating this positive environment and how Megan intends to perpetuate this atmosphere. Topics: What sets Evolve MKD apart Why in...
Jul 10, 2018•25 min
Leslie has been on maternity leave for a year. Now, she is back working full time and has some knowledge to share with other working mothers. Tune in to hear Leslie’s insights into managing a business while on maternity leave. Topics: Setting boundaries for yourself Recognizing that something has to give Remaining flexible Adjusting plans as necessary The importance of delegation This podcast is courtesy of Pitch Graphic Design , a Toronto based firm, whose goal is to provide quality graphic des...
Jun 19, 2018•5 min
On this episode of Pitching PR, I get the opportunity to speak with Crosby Noricks, the founder and director of PR Couture. We discuss ways in which PR professionals can boost their reputation. Specifically, we talk about branding and raising your profile by applying to PR awards. Growing up, Crosby loved fashion and wanted to find a way to incorporate that into her career. She found that PR was the best way to pursue her interests and particularly enjoyed creating business strategies. Her succe...
Apr 05, 2017•46 min
On Today’s episode, I discuss the effects of a cluttered life with Ivanka Siolkowsky. We dive into the emotional and professional aspects of clutter and how to turn things around. Ivanka Siolkowsky was once an extremely organized teacher who turned her passion into a professional organizing business. Her enthusiasm was driven by reading Marie Kondo’s book and instituting the KonMarie method on her life. She now helps others cut down on clutter and organize their lives. Topics: Marie Kondo and he...
Mar 01, 2017•31 min
On today’s podcast, I had the opportunity to speak with Nicole Murphy, an email marketing guru and fellow podcaster. We discuss the unknown benefits and misconceptions about email marketing, how to use email marketing to grow your agency and how to come back from email typos and mistakes. Nicole has an extensive background in ecommerce and online marketing and now specializes in email marketing at Freshbooks and in her own marketing consultancy, Learn to Love Email. Having spent so much time wor...
Feb 15, 2017•40 min
Today, I sit down with Ariel Rule, the blogger and owner of freelancefreedomfighter.com , in order to discuss business-related anxiety. Anxiety is a hefty topic and can greatly impact your agency or freelance business, so we go over the possible triggers and potential solutions in a fairly light-hearted and straightforward manner. Besides being the blogger and owner of Freelancefreedomfighter.com , Ariel is also a creative entrepreneur and content marketing expert. She got her start in web desig...
Feb 01, 2017•36 min
Today, I speak with Kim Dawson, who, among many things, is a business strategist and founder of K. Dawson Company. We discuss the ways in which hiring and investing in your PR agency and business can create growth, not just be a reaction to growth. Kim received her degree in Accounting and pursued a career as a CPA, before realizing her passion for health and wellness. Upon getting her Master’s in Nutrition, Kim practiced as a nutritionist. Shortly thereafter, she opened K. Dawson Company, a bus...
Jan 18, 2017•33 min
On today’s podcast, I have the opportunity to speak with Riana Topan, who is a communications fellow at the Aga Khan Foundation in Uganda. We discuss the benefits of setting career goals at the start of a new year and how to turn these goals into action. Riana graduated with an arts degree, which she later spun into a career in communications. She uses her expertise as someone who successfully changed her career path to offer great insight into how to set short and long-term career goals. Topics...
Jan 03, 2017•16 min
Today’s podcast is the first in a two-part series about the key learnings from professionals who have started their own agencies. I sit down with three of the five small business owners and get into what they’ve learned, the importance of these discoveries, and how others can implement these ideas. Aly Tsourounis, the first interviewee, started Hank PR over a year ago and specializes in consumer PR. She has also worked in PR for nine years. I also speak with Erin Richard of Hype PR, which she ca...
Dec 14, 2016•45 min
Today’s podcast is about navigating maternity leave and your PR career and is cohosted by Jordana Wolch from Environics Communications in Toronto. It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a team to launch a PR campaign – so motherhood has a lot in common with PR. But adjusting to your new role as a mother and your role as a PR professional can be a challenge – I’ve heard toddlers are the most demanding clients! So we asked 15 PR Professionals who have had one or multiple maternity leaves...
Nov 23, 2016•33 min
On today’s episode, I sit down with Emotional Wellness Coach, Barbara Erochina, about creating a compassionate workplace. The issue of compassion has risen to the forefront as new research suggests that compassionate workplaces increase employee satisfaction and loyalty. We discuss ways to be a compassionate leader and how to create an office environment where compassion encourages high performance and innovation. Barbara combines psychiatric studies with life-coaching techniques to help people ...
Nov 09, 2016•50 min
On today’s episode, my guest Lorna Freeman and I discuss the strategic role music can play in public affairs. Lorna is an Account Director at Environics Communications in Toronto, working in branding strategy and has incorporated music in her campaigns for years. Music and song has been used strategically in US presidential elections since the campaign of John Adams in 1800. Using music effectively can be a great PR tactic, but using it incorrectly can backfire and even cause legal issues. Join ...
Oct 26, 2016•30 min
The format for today’s mini sode is a little different than usual; I have decided to forgo inviting a guest and instead will briefly discuss the 2016 US Presidential Election from a graphic design perspective. It should be noted that this episode contains some explicit content (we are dealing with Trump here) so consider this warning and listen at your own caution! Today, I get into the current presidential election from the perspective of graphic design; namely, I discuss campaign logos and the...
Oct 12, 2016•9 min
On today’s podcast, I have the opportunity to speak with blogger and social media consultant, Lizzie Benson. Together, we discuss feeling burnt out from work; why it happens, how to prevent it and how to come back after a burn out. Lizzie is an active blogger and owner of OctoberJune.com and blogs extensively. She is also a freelance social media consultant and understands what it is to be burnt out. As such, she has developed techniques to help avoid the stress and frustration of burnout. Liste...
Sep 28, 2016•19 min
Today, I welcome back Kamara Toffolo to discuss the cringe-inducing issue of rejection. Rejection is something we all face in both our personal and professional lives. During our conversation, Kamara finds a positive way to spin rejection and how it can be beneficial to creating better work. As a career coach, Kamara knows the right steps to getting what you want out of your job. Every day, she helps her clients dare to not only work differently, but pursue what they love. With all her experienc...
Aug 31, 2016•11 min
Today’s episode is a special one for me, as I get to speak with my former boss from P&G Canada, Melissa Karis. The two of us discuss one-to-one meetings and how important they are to creating positive office culture and advancing projects. Melissa is the Director of Beauty Communications and leads the development and execution of PR programs for P&G’s health and beauty brands. In her time at P&G Melissa has participated in over TWO THOUSAND 1:1 meetings and knows from experience how ...
Aug 17, 2016•18 min
In this episode of the Pitching PR Podcast, we chat about the five key questions you should be asking all your prospective clients – even before you agree to the first meeting! My guest today is Rhonda Page, a veteran business developer who now coaches agencies and freelancers on building and growing their business. Through her experience Rhonda understands the frustration and stress that comes with wasting your time on prospective clients who don’t pan and how to spot those that will turn into ...
Aug 03, 2016•29 min
In this episode of the Pitching PR Podcast, we speak with Creative Director Daniel Francavilla and Sales Strategist Ali Hanif of Now Creative Group. The three of us discuss how to use content marketing to promote your PR business, define an Agency’s target audience and how to stay top-of-mind with potential clients. Now Creative Group was started three years ago by Daniel; he wanted to create a one-stop creative agency that helped businesses and entrepreneurs establish their brands and grow. Ali...
Jul 20, 2016•32 min
In this episode of the Pitching PR Podcast, we discuss a topic close to my heart: starting your own Public Relations business. My guest, Lisa Pasquin, and I discuss the challenges of starting our businesses and what we have learned from those experiences. Lisa Pasquin and I met at Harbinger Communications, and since then she as worked at several large PR firms and founded Craft Public Relations. In this podcast, we share our experiences of starting our businesses and insights that are helpful to...
Jul 07, 2016•27 min
In this episode of the Pitching PR Podcast, we discuss a very hot topic for PR professionals: writing micro-content. Micro-content is concise writing that needs to be immediately clear and inviting to the reader. We write micro-content every day, including headlines, tweets or subject lines. Our guest, Dawn Morrison, is a copywriter and owner of Toomanywords.ca . Though her background is in traditional marketing and PR, Dawn is now an expert at writing and editing effective micro-content. As the...
Jun 22, 2016•18 min
On today’s episode, I speak with Alex Howard, the event coordinator for The Richmond. The Richmond is an art gallery and event space, where they host over one hundred events per year. The two of us discuss the different ways you can make your event stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s creating decals or “instagrammable vignettes”, Alex has seen and come up with a number of great ideas at the many events hosted at The Richmond. During this episode you will get a chance to hear about her experie...
May 31, 2016•14 min
On today’s show, we speak with special guest Kamara Toffolo about how to get promoted. Specifically, we discuss the most important aspects of the big ask and what you can do to prepare yourself for a successful meeting with your boss. As a career coach, Kamara knows the right steps to getting what you want out of your job. Asking for a promotion can be a delicate issue and her advice will help you avoid any pitfalls one might encounter. She has further experience as a resume writer and writer fo...
May 31, 2016•13 min
Welcome to Pitchin PR, I'm your host Lesley Luce, founder of Pitch Graphic Design. My goal here is to cut through the jargon and noise that is sometimes present in the PR industry and get to the heart of the matter so I can help you take your PR career to the next level. Each episode I'll bring on an expert in the Public Relations space who will share their experiences in social media, public relations, and other news industries. I hope these insights will allow you get the most out of your PR a...
May 31, 2016•3 min
