PRessing On: Real Life in Public Relations

Listen in to the audible audio book for Chapter 14, "Looks like we made it" from the book, A Practical Guide to Starting Your Own PR Firm. Listen to this chapter narrated by Liselle DeGrave, from DeGrave Communications, as she shares insights to what success truly looks like!  For more information on the book, A Practical Guide to Starting Your Own PR Firm, or to purchase a copy visit ⁠PressingOnPodcast.com/prbook⁠..

Curious how, A Practical Guide to Starting Your Own PR Firm: No nonsense, simple ways to get started today was written? Have you dreamed about writing your own book? In this episode, we delve into the step-by-step process of writing and publishing your own book across three platforms: kindle, paperback, and audible. Whether you're an aspiring author or a seasoned writer looking to expand your reach, this guide offers practical insights and tips to help you navigate the publishing world. To learn more or purchase a copy of A Practical Guide to Starting Your Own Public visit PressingOnPodcast.com RMGComm.com DeGravePR.com

Make an intentional effort to kick off June with a summertime state of mind. Whether you work in an office or have more of a flexible work schedule, don't get caught in a rut of your usual routine. Join Rachel and Liselle as they share tips for maximizing a Summertime State of Mind.

As public relations practitioners recognizing the value and how-to of public opinion research, understanding the data, and identifying the majority opinions, not just the loudest in the room is the key to strategic success. Adam Probolsky from Probolsky Research is a public opinion researcher with thirty years of experience with local government, nonprofit, corporate, association, and campaign clients. He shares his insights on what every communicator needs to know before a campaign even begins! GUEST: Adam Probolsky, President of Probolsky Research Adam has acted as pollster and strategic advisor on hundreds of successful crisis communications and public affairs projects, local, county and statewide initiatives and candidate campaigns as well as citizen outreach and education efforts. Additionally, Adam has been a key advisor to the firm’s clients on matters of public policy, legislation and business strategy. Adam was both a planning and finance commissioner for the City of Irvine where he oversaw and approved billions of dollars in private development and public infrastructure projects. As a past chairman of the Irvine Valley College Foundation, he has overseen the fundraising and the award of hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to students and funding for college police. He was also a member of the Orange County Waste & Recycling Commission where he oversaw landfills, recycling programs, waste hauling companies and power generating facilities. As a member of the Orange County Transportation Authority’s Environmental Mitigation and Oversight Committee, he oversaw the expenditure of over $175 million dollars in public transportation funds. He previously served as a board member and development committee chairman for Jewish Family Service of Orange County, a non-profit organization that serves families in need, and volunteered for nearly eight years with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department as a spokesperson. Adam formerly served as a member of the Policy Committee on Energy and the Environment of the United States Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Probolsky’s research and commentary has been published in numerous media outlets including The New York Times, Riverside Press Enterprise, The Chicago Sun Times, the Orange County Register and Politico and the San Francisco Chronicle. Adam earned his master’s degree in data analytics and visualization from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore Maryland, a historic urban college founded in 1826. FIND ADAM ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Insta: @probolskyresearch Facebook: facebook.com/ProbolskyRsrch LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamprobolsky linkedin.com/company/probolsky-research-llc WEBSITE: probolskyresearch.com

Side note as promised: To learn more about mountain lion P22: savelacougars.org/a-eulogy-for-p-22-a-mountain-lion-who-changed-the-world/ Tackling Branding in a Cost-effective Way Branding or rebranding an organization may seem overwhelming and cost-prohibitive, but the truth is it doesn’t have to be. Working with countless clients, including nonprofits and public-sector agencies, we have discovered that surprisingly many clients do not have formal brand guides or vectorized logos and are simply “winging it.” Due to lack of internal resources or even management support, branding can oftentimes be a low priority. The good news is, we have some tips to tackle branding in a cost-effective way. Learn more: PRessingOnPodcast.com Insta: @pressingoninpr @DeGravePR @RMG.Communications Visit us: degravepr.com rmgcomm.com

TUNING INTO YOUR COMMUNITY: HOW TO START A GOVERNMENT PODCAST AND REASONS WHY YOUR CITY, COUNTY, WATER DISTRICT OR OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY NEEDS A PODCAST Podcasts are more popular than ever, attracting more than 100 million monthly listeners. Is your local government agency tapping into the power of the pod to share important information about projects, programs, initiatives and community partnerships? Creating a podcast for your agency may sound like a huge lift that requires a lot of time and resources, but it doesn’t have to be. Not only have we created our own nationally recognized, award-winning PRessing On in Public Relations podcast, but also we have helped our public-sector clients create video and audio podcasts. From branding to recording and distributing to promoting, we’ve done it all, and we’re happy to share insider tips with you on how to get your agency’s podcast off the ground. Learn more: PRessingOnPodcast.com Insta: @pressingoninpr @DeGravePR @RMG.Communications Visit us: degravepr.com rmgcomm.com

Last year was a success for the podcast; the PRessing On in Public Relations podcast is now award-winning! Navigating a career during 2020 could have been a challenge, but hosts Rachel McGuire and Liselle DeGrave share insights on lessons learned. Business continued to move forward. Adapting, staying relevant and a maintaining a positive attitude kept a momentum that led into 2021 with gusto. Refining processes, rebranding, polishing personal branding, maintaining personal connections and letting go to make space for fresh beginnings are take aways from Season 2: Episode 1.

Globally, 80% of discarded textiles/clothing are doomed for the landfill or incineration. Only 20% are actually reused or recycled. We all enjoy having nice things, it’s fun to buy the newest shiny object – or handbag, but is it part of a sustainable work wardrobe? Do you really need it? Join us as we share tips and tricks for creating and maintaining a sustainable work wardrobe.

People engage with brands – not forms. Gathering research to develop public relations and outreach campaigns ensures an effective campaign. As people’s attention spans shorten in the era of swiping left, learn how to make surveys and public input gathering fun and meaningful through interactive elements that will engage your audience. Matthew Salisbury is the Founder and CEO of ntropy, a market research and customer experience platform used by government and businesses to collect, analyze and act on feedback. Prior to founding ntropy, Matthew held leadership positions at Hewlett Packard Enterprise in the UK, Australia and the USA as well as Hitachi, where he served in various roles focused on building and enabling smart solutions for cities and downtown areas. GUEST: Matt Salisbury SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES: ntropy LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/ntropydatainc Matt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/m-salisbury/ WEBSITE: ntropydata.com

As a public relations professional, you may have given some thought to maintaining your full-time communications job as well as launching a passion project. Hear how Robin successfully balanced her PR day job while writing and publishing a book. GUEST: Robin Rockey, APR, Communications Manager for the City of San Marcos and author of 100 Things to Do In Orange County Before you Die As an award-winning communications leader, Robin brings more than 16 years of diverse experience in public information, journalism, internal communications, and digital media management to her role as the City of San Marcos’ communication manager. In 2019, Robin also published her first book: 100 Things to Do In Orange County Before You Die, which has been featured on KTLA and KDOC as well as several publications throughout the California. She caught the So Cal travel-writing bug while on staff at California travel-and-lifestyle bible Westways magazine where she ran the popular Go Southern California Instagram and Twitter accounts. Additionally, she has freelanced for publications including Sunset and TravelAge West. Robin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Northern Illinois University, Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), and certificates in public information, advanced social media strategy and digital marketing. She represents the California Association of Public Information Officials on the Universal Accreditation Board, which oversees the APR credential, and has previously served on the Board of Directors at the Public Relations Society of America’s Orange County chapter. FIND ROBIN ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Insta: @orangecounty_100 Facebook: @robinarockey Linkedin: @robinarockey WEBSITE: RobinRockey.com

Podcasters, Rachel and Liselle, share true and somewhat embarrassing stories of their personal experiences as interns many moons ago. Their lessons-learned are mentoring moments for others starting their careers. In celebration of National Mentoring Month, the PRessing On podcast celebrates the learning curve that takes place for everyone starting their career. This podcast episode was featured on Good Morning San Diego. www.PRessingOnPodcast.com Insta: @PRessingOnInPR RMG Communications www.RMGComm.com DeGrave Communications wwww.DeGravePR.com

Thinking about starting your own business, but don't know where to begin? Rachel and Liselle share about how they started on their own business journeys in public relations. In Part 2: these two dynamos share some additional simple steps to get you started! PRessingOnPocast.com insta: @PRessingOnInPR RMGComm.com DeGravePR.com

Thinking about starting your own business, but don't know where to begin? Rachel and Liselle share about how they started on their own business journeys in public relations. In Part 1: these two dynamos share simple steps to get you started! PRessingOnPocast.com insta: @PRessingOnInPR RMGComm.com DeGravePR.com

How to collaborate with the competition. On our first episode of PRessing On: Real Life in Public Relations, we discuss our career paths that led us to become entrepreneurs as well as how we work with the collab-etition. Our Journeys We’ve known each other for nearly 10 years after we met working in public-sector communications for a government agency in Southern California. Being just three months apart in age and holding very similar values and work ethics, we hit it off immediately. Liselle’s journey to owning her own business started more than 15 years ago when she started DeGrave Communications, Inc as a side hustle. Since then, she also worked for an international public relations firm and for two government agencies. In 2015, she decided to pursue her business full-time and now has a thriving award-winning public relations agency focusing on government clients. Conversely, Rachel has always worked in government from even before she graduated from college. She really enjoyed working in government but always knew that there was something more that she was supposed to do and in 2018, she decided to hang her own shingle and start RMG Communications. Not even a year later, her business continues to grow and flourish. Collaborating with the Competition Otherwise known as collaborating with the competition, this concept offers the opportunity to work with others doing similar work as you to help grow and scale your business. Top Tips 1. Proceed with Caution: Be Selective on Who You Partner With Are the values and work approach of the person or business you have been approached by in line with you work ethics and values? If not, it is ok to say no. 2. Set the Ground Rules Up Front Nothing ruins a business relationship or friendship faster than business/money issues. Make sure you have a contract up front and decide how to handle finances. Also, decide what projects you want to collaborate on up front. You will need to decide which agency/person will be the project lead. Not every project is going to be a fit for this work model. 3. Maintain Open Communication Communication with the team you are working with and your clients is key. Let your clients know who they will be working with and what role that person will be taking on so nothing falls through the cracks. 4. Have Fun Don’t forget to have fun. Business should excite you – not leave you feeling drained and uninspired. Be sure to authentically share your journey on social media. And remember: Teamwork makes the dream work! You can accomplish more together than on your own. Follow us: PRessingOnPodcast.com insta @pressingoninpr Visit us: degravepr.com rmgcomm.com

Join us for a PRessing On in Public Relations conversation with Lindsay Hughes, founder of Tapped In Public Relations, where she helps water utilities and public agencies build trust and communicate their value to the communities they serve. With over 15 years of experience in strategic communications, Lindsay has led PR efforts across nonprofit, tech, and municipal sectors—most recently spending a decade at North Penn Water Authority, where she built the communications function from the ground up. She's managed crisis communications, launched social media channels, led earned media campaigns, and prepared executives for high-stakes public appearances. Her work has earned recognition from the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association, including two Community Outreach Awards in 2024. Through Tapped In PR, Lindsay combines traditional PR expertise with modern tools—including AI—to help utilities move beyond reactive messaging. She's also the co-host of the Authorities On Air podcast, where she educates the public about municipal authorities in Pennsylvania.Tune in for real stories, practical advice, and a dose of PR inspiration. Like, share, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! ----------------------------------------------------------------- To track down Lindsay visit: www.linkedin.com/in/lindsayhughestipr www.tappedinpr.com   For more information on the PRessing On podcast visit PRressingOnPodcast.com or instagram.com/pressingoninpr/ RMGComm.com DeGravePR.com

Join us for a PRessing On in Public Relations conversation with Mike Harris, COO and Partner at UPRoar PR by Moburst, where he helps brands turn bold ideas into breakthrough moments. With over 15 years of experience leading communications and growth strategy, Mike has guided clients ranging from high-growth startups to global consumer brands through everything from product launches to crisis moments. Before UPRoar merged with Moburst, Mike served as President of UPRoar PR, where he built one of the most respected independent PR firms in the U.S.—known for helping emerging companies earn national attention. Today, he blends that entrepreneurial experience with Moburst’s full-service digital capabilities, driving campaigns that connect creative storytelling with measurable impact. Passionate about authentic storytelling and strategic growth, he’s a trusted voice on the future of public relations in an age of AI, digital disruption, and constant change. Tune in for real stories, practical advice, and a dose of PR inspiration. Like, share, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! ----------------------------------------------------------------- To track down Mike visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-a828931/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/uproar-by-moburst/posts/?feedView=all  https://uproarpr.com/ https://www.moburst.com/ For more information on the PRessing On podcast visit PRressingOnPodcast.com or instagram.com/pressingoninpr/ RMGComm.com DeGravePR.com  

Join us for a PRessing On in Public Relations conversation with author Christina Byrne, Director of Industry Relations and Strategic Engagement at HNTB. As HNTB’s Director of Industry Relations and Strategic Engagement, Christina Byrne serves as a trusted connector between leadership, client teams, and the communities the firm serves. She leads strategic communications and engagement efforts that strengthen client relationships, elevate HNTB’s visibility, and support business development goals across Southern California. With more than 25 years of experience in public outreach, local government, and project delivery, Christina is recognized for her ability to translate complex infrastructure initiatives into clear, meaningful public dialogue. Her leadership has shaped communications strategies for many of Orange County’s most transformative transportation projects, including the I-405 Improvement Design-Build, SR-22 Design-Build, West County Connectors, and the OC Streetcar. A passionate advocate for mentorship and women in leadership, Christina was named the 2020 CAPIO Paul B. Clark recipient and the 2023 WTS-OC Woman of the Year for her dedication to developing future leaders in the transportation industry.  Tune in for real stories, practical advice, and a dose of PR inspiration. Like, share, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! ----------------------------------------------------------------- To track down Christina visit: instagram.com/CByrne2004 christinalbyrne.com Shop her book on Amazon HERE   For more information on the PRessing On podcast visit PRressingOnPodcast.com or instagram.com/pressingoninpr/ RMGComm.com DeGravePR.com    

Join us for a PRessing On in Public Relations conversation with Geri Koenig, Founder of König Creative Co, as she shares how she collaborates with clients nationwide across industries to develop branding that is set up for success and growth. Through her studio, located in sunny San Diego, Geri partners with small businesses and entrepreneurs to craft bold brand identities, digital experiences, and marketing materials. Her mission is to help clients feel confident and proud of their brand’s visual presence. Outside of König Creative Co., she is also a design leader in the B2B tech space. When she’s not working, you’ll likely find her tending to her garden, creating nail art, or cheering on 76ers basketball. Tune in for real stories, practical advice, and a dose of PR inspiration. Like, share, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! ----------------------------------------------------------------- To track down Geri visit: https://www.instagram.com/konigcreativeco/         https://www.linkedin.com/company/konig-creative-co/       For more information on the PRessing On podcast visit ⁠⁠⁠PressingOnPodcast.com⁠ RMGComm.com DeGravePR.com

Join us for a PRessing On in Public Relations conversation with Tamrin Olden, CEO of TOC Public Relations. Originally launched as Law Enforcement Social, starting with web design services in 2004 and then eventually providing social media services to law enforcement agencies, TOK specializes in law enforcement, fire service and public safety outreach. Following a few years of research and development, Law Enforcement Social began teaching social media classes to Southern California law enforcement agencies.   Tamrin Olden began her career employed by the Chino Police Department, in Southern California. As a community relations manager, part of her duties included managing the department’s social media program and public affairs operations.   While working for the department, Tamrin began sharing her expertise and experiences through the teaching of social media and PIO classes with Law Enforcement Social, which was a newly formed company based out of the Los Angeles area.   Tamrin subsequently took management positions at a district attorney’s office and a sheriff’s department, where she shared her knowledge to help improve public relations and communications for both organizations.   Encouragement came from law enforcement leaders, co-workers, family, and friends that she needed to teach and provide her public relations skills and services on a full-time basis.   Having no ties to a government organization also meant these same public safety leaders could now have Tamrin inside their agencies, helping steer the narrative of their missions and core values, as a contracted consultant. Tune in for real stories, practical advice, and a dose of PR inspiration. Like, share, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! ----------------------------------------------------------------- To track down Tamrin visit: instagram.com/tamrinolden instagram.com/tocpublicrelations  tocpublicrelations.com  For information on TOC Con: tocconference.com ________________________________________________ For more information on the PRessing On podcast visit ⁠⁠⁠PressingOnPodcast.com⁠ RMGComm.com DeGravePR.com  

Join us for a PRessing On in Public Relations conversation with Jennifer Kaplan, Founder of Evolve PR & Marketing, Arizona’s largest PR firm. Since launching the agency in 2010, she has led Evolve’s growth from a small, client-focused team into a powerhouse of 27 full-time publicists serving more than 100 clients across local and national markets. A proud Phoenix native and Arizona State University alumna, Jennifer’s deep Valley roots and relationship-driven approach have helped her build lasting partnerships and elevate brands across industries. Her leadership and impact have earned her numerous honors, including the Inaugural Hugh Downs School of Human Communication Alumni of the Year Award, Phoenix Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, AZ Business Magazine’s Most Influential Women in Arizona Business, Ranking Arizona #1 PR Agency, AZ Big Media's Most Admired Companies and PR News’ 2025 Top Women in PR and People of the Year. Outside the office, Jennifer enjoys time with her family, giving back to the community, and finding balance on her yoga mat. She’s always cheering on the Sun Devils—forks up!  Tune in for real stories, practical advice, and a dose of PR inspiration. Like, share, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! ----------------------------------------------------------------- To track down Jennifer visit: https://www.linkedin.com/company/evolveprandmarketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kaplan-b331948/ https://evolveprandmarketing.com/  https://www.facebook.com/EvolvePRandMarketing/ https://www.instagram.com/evolveprandmarketing/   For more information on the PRessing On podcast visit ⁠⁠⁠PressingOnPodcast.com⁠ RMGComm.com DeGravePR.com