The Confidence Curve
The Confidence Curve is a podcast that explores the dynamic journeys of successful professionals who have scaled organizations and left lasting legacies. Hosted by Ashley and Rick Bowers, each episode delves into the challenges, victories, and lessons learned. Through engaging conversations with leaders across industries, this podcast offers listeners valuable insights, practical advice, and inspiration to confidently navigate their paths—whether in business, leadership, or personal growth. Join us as we uncover strategies that build successful careers and impactful legacies.
The Confidence Curve
Who Owns Your Reputation?
What does it take to build Phoenix’s largest PR firm? For Jennifer Kaplan, founder and CEO of Evolve PR and Marketing, it started with embracing discomfort and a no-excuses mindset.
From being voted “most talkative” in high school to leading a team built on trust—not micromanagement—Jennifer shares how culture, communication, and strong writing skills have fueled Evolve’s growth. She dives into the difference between brand and reputation, the power of community involvement, and why perception really is reality in PR.
Tune in for insights on scaling a people-first business, the legacy she’s building, and what’s next for Evolve.
Welcome to the Confidence Curve with Ashley and Rick Bowers, where personal and professional journeys define the art of scaling with confidence. Whether you're a business leader navigating change or someone seeking personal growth, this podcast offers insights and actionable advice to help you thrive. Now let's dive into today's conversation with our incredible guest.
Speaker 2:Hi, welcome to Apex GTS Advisors and our podcast, the Confidence Curve. My name is Ashley Bowers. I'm here with my co-host, rick Bowers. Today we have a very special guest. We have the founder and CEO, jennifer Kaplan, of Evolve PR and Marketing, so we're super excited to have you on. We've known each other for a really long time, so it's great. And you two, of course, have the Sun Devil connection, which we'll get into here in a little bit. But if we could let's just start off Tell us a little bit about you and about Evolve.
Speaker 3:All right. Well, thank you for having me. I know we've not had a shortage of conversations in the past, so I'm sure this will flow really well. And yes, I love my ASU Sun Devils. Yeah, born and raised in Arizona, went to Arizona State, got senior most talkative in high school. So I kind of thought that my future might be in PR, although I did want to be a sports agent because I really love sports. And then I realized I had to go to law school. So I stuck with communications, studied communications with an emphasis in public relations. So I did sort of know that would be a path that I would take and at 30, started my business. And here I am, just a couple years later now we won't date anything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3:So it's been a really fun journey and building the company to now being the largest PR firm in the Valley, but only doing PR. So there are full service agencies that do a lot of things and we only do one thing, which is PR. So we work to get our client's name out in the media via TV, radio, print, online, influencers, all of that. So, and I'm pretty hands-on and involved, but my team is very empowered to manage and be creative and work to be an extension of our client's team.
Speaker 2:Well, you mentioned being the largest firm, and so that was actually kind of where we want to start the conversation. The achievement of that has happened in a relatively short time, so that's tremendous growth. But take us back to the early days. What was it like when you first started and kind of what gave you the confidence to continue, to bring it to the point that it is today?
Speaker 3:So a couple things I would say. My mom calls fear the real four letter F word. So I do come from a family of entrepreneurs and taking that risk was something I was comfortable uncomfortable with. And I did start a firm with a business partner for five years and then I sold my equity to her to go on my own with Evolve and that'll be 15 years. And when I left her to go on my own I found this great girl who I'm still friends with to this day and I was like we're going to do this, I'm going to start this firm, you know restart I mean because I'd had the firm and we had a few clients that stayed with us with the firm, but I didn't know what it was going to be, you know kind of bootstraps-ish, and within six months we hired our second person and really felt like at that point I knew I was doing something, that was really who I am and that the networking and the connecting and the passion for helping people build their brand. So the two employees were sort of quick and then we sat for a little bit for probably maybe two years and then at that point was seeing some of the cadence and really building our brand, and one of the ways that I was fortunate enough to do some of that was getting involved in the community. So, while I promote PR and know the importance of PR for businesses and it's something that we define marketing as at Evolve, which is community outreach and cross-promotional opportunities what other ways can businesses get their name out there other than PR? And so I found, when I was building my company, I got involved with an organization called Cystic Fibrosis. I didn't know what Cystic Fibrosis was and didn't have any connection to it at that. I mean, I'm in my early 30s, but they had a young auxiliary group and they're all up and coming people that are building businesses and wanting to, you know, support each other, and that was a huge catalyst even to this day the relationships and the referrals and the connections. I never would have thought that, almost 20 years later, that that like way of networking in the community through charitable outreach and fundraising and getting involved would have such an impact. But it did, and so we had a spurt of growth.
Speaker 3:And then you have your zigzags along the way with hiring and staffing, and how do you grow? And which way do you grow? Being in the service industry, it's just the team and the staff. We don't have a widget or something tangible like inventory or an asset. The asset is the team. Sure, so navigating, you know the chicken before the egg. Do you get the clients? Do you hire staff? And so Liz, who's still with me to this day, who maybe has two clients now because she's in a vice president role and running more, at one point had like I'm almost embarrassed to say like 14 clients, and you can't service 14 clients with what we do. So you know, navigating that along the way and just figuring out, you know the growth and trajectory.
Speaker 2:I have to say, this is what I love about us doing these podcasts, because we've known each other. For what? 12 years maybe now? Yeah, cause I was at.
Speaker 2:HomeSmart for 10, and that's when we met, um, and I've learned two new things about Jen.
Speaker 2:In the first, like 30 seconds, so one I just have to say real quick and I'll turn it to you for a question. But, um, the sports agent side, and which made me think of Mollylly fletcher yeah, I don't know if you've ever heard her speak a female sports agent, and she was kind of known as like the female jerry mcguire in the industry. We've had her speak for a couple different companies over the years, but my like newest thing, and I just absolutely love it um, she wrote a book called dynamic drive and there's a whole section in it and then a kind of a book that came out of that called the Energy Clock, and it talks about how you can't, like you need to stop managing your time, basically because time is finite, and that you need to manage your energy, because energy is infinite, and how you schedule your day and making sure that you're buffering energizers around, things that are drainers, and I've been following this now for a few months and it's absolutely amazing. And so the sports agent thing hit, and then I think about you and your schedule and all the things you're trying to accomplish.
Speaker 2:It's an amazing book. If you have time. It's like a one-hour Audible. It's really nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and what you've shared so far does resonate for me, because I did have a little auto challenge today, if you will, and I just kind of figured I need to get where I need to get, but I can't control certain things, and so I just knew that you know, from the time perspective that as long as I am prepared and show up where I need to show up and don't let people down that I mean I don't know the book, but just kind of what's resonating with today is, you know, there's only so much we can do. But there's another aspect of time I know you're talking about with the book too.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, but it's still. Do you have the energy to show up to the next thing, based on how?
Speaker 3:you manage it. Yeah, 100%. All right, I'm going to look that up. Yeah, it's a good one.
Speaker 4:And on Audible she reads it as well, so you hear her tell the story.
Speaker 3:Oh, I like that.
Speaker 4:So it's fun, and we met her when she spoke, so it's like, okay, you need to check this book out because if you focus on your energy, you're going to have more. You'll actually feel like you have more time because that energy is there and then you're more productive in that standpoint. But I wanted to touch on something that you said. You mentioned the uncomfortable times versus the comfortable times, and when people are struggling with confidence, usually it's something that helps us to do something uncomfortable and then, as you're successful with that, that's where the comfort and the confidence comes from. So, as you were going through some of those early days, what was maybe one or two of those uncomfortable things that kind of gave you the confidence, because from the outside, looking in, you always look very confident.
Speaker 3:That's a great question. And when I've been uncomfortable is totally when I've grown, because I've done something that I didn't want to do or didn't think I could do, and then I did it and I felt so empowered to do, or didn't think I could do, and then I did it and I felt so empowered, you know, because, again, we don't have an asset except for people, which is a huge asset but meaning a tangible product. Just being in the service industry, most of the challenges and the uncomfortable situations were dealing with staff, I would say. And then, second to that, were client issues, because I want to make sure that everyone's happy and I want everyone to like me. So if I can approach it that way, I'll be perfect. But that's not always how it works and especially being in my 30s, my early 30s, when I started at 30, I mean, what do I know from certain situations that I had to navigate? So I also would say fake it till you make it, and it really put me in a situation to grow up fast and lean on some mentors as well.
Speaker 3:One story that really sticks out and this was 15-ish years ago, but I still carry it with me today we were supposed to do a screening of a movie and there were just some layers of things PR-wise that weren't falling into place. And I get on the phone with the client and it was kind of a third-party connection. So that person was on the phone with the client and it was kind of a third party connection, so that person was on the phone and I just had I had a perfect reason for all of the things. And that person said the most impactful thing to me they don't want any excuses, they're paying us to do a job. And I thought I had all these great reasons I don't remember them right now, but it could be. You know, I didn't get enough food that day. I don't know whatever the reasons are and truly they said I paid you to do a job. So I mean basically, like that's your problem.
Speaker 2:Deliver.
Speaker 3:I don't care, and so I realized I'm in a lot of situations since then. I never, ever, want to come up with an excuse. I either want to lean in to what we've failed or where we fell short or what we could have done better and different, or don't get to that point, just do what you need to do to deliver. And so that's been like a really raw lesson that I had and I'm not just chalking it up to being younger or not having the confidence, but that situation really hit me in the face pretty hard, and I try to make sure that we never come up with excuses at Evolve Like we just can't.
Speaker 4:So does it really become part of your culture?
Speaker 3:like we just can't. So this, is it really become part of your culture? A hundred percent, yeah, I mean, that's definitely like there's, and because of what we do, we have to show results. So where's the coverage that we hired you for an end of month report? You know where are the deliverables and we can't hide behind that right so it's really important that you know we're ahead of it.
Speaker 3:We've done some things at the company to make sure midway through the month where are we at with this client, so we don't get to the end of the month and then go sorry, we were waiting for you to send us something or you didn't get us what we needed. No, what are we doing to be proactive?
Speaker 2:and in those situations, you mentioned people challenges, staff challenges and things like that as well. How has your approach to leadership and being connected with the staff changed over the time, going from two employees to over 25 employees? Because, following Evolve on Social and things like that, you can really see you have a strong, close-knit team, but to your point, there's no excuses and you're having to deliver results. So how's your leadership style changed over the?
Speaker 3:years I've definitely had to release a lot and not be as I wouldn't say I was controlling, like from a micromanagement standpoint, but I've tried to just be, feel like I can empower the team more. And it's not the team today, it's just over. You know, it's the, the generation of me growing.
Speaker 3:And so empowering is definitely one of them, and letting them navigate things but know they can come to me. One thing that sort of maybe hits on what your question is one thing that I make sure my team does not do, and I tell new people when they join do not call me your boss. And I think that sets a precedent to I don't see myself as a boss. I don't want to like come that word is not something I'm comfortable with. I work with Jen. Jen owns the company, jen's the CEO, whatever reference to give me. You know the level of who.
Speaker 3:I am Right, but I don't like when they use the word boss, and so for me, I feel like that makes me more approachable. At least that's like I said, the way I see it. So they do know that it's not a scary thing to come to me and share and know that I'm going to support them and be there for them. So that's, you know. Another thing I want to empower them, but I want them to know that I'm here and they can come to me with anything. Yeah, so that's one way of sort of navigating the growth, giving them the empowerment, and that helps me relinquish some of that, and then you know, bringing it down to a level where we can support each other.
Speaker 4:Do you feel like and I probably have talked about this several times on the podcast, but I like to talk about when there's engagement within the organization, you can tell the difference between, like renters and owners. And when you create what you've just talked about, you have a staff full of owners, those people that are really engaged, it's like it's their own business and they treat it like they would treat their own home versus a rental person in a rental property, kind of a thing, and so it's just a powerful when you start to see all of that and they buy into the vision and they understand all of those things.
Speaker 3:Yeah, big time. That's another thing reflecting on the journey that. I've had, and when I look at certain periods of starting out and midway, a lot of turnover and things that we weren't doing to create the connection and the culture and getting people to want to buy in. I guess what you know in what you're saying and now I guess in what you're saying and now, knock on wood, so much less turnover.
Speaker 3:And when people are leaving, they're moving out of state or they're maybe changing their career or they're starting a family or something like that, it's not like we need to go down the street to the competitor to find something. We need to go down the street to the competitor to find something and so, yeah, that's a growing pain, that can be super challenging. But, you know, creating that culture and getting people to feel, I think, the empowerment is part of that, to make them feel a part of it and they're empowered in situations, makes them maybe more feel that they have a stake in you know what they're doing and, yeah, that's that's really important. I want people to be with me forever.
Speaker 2:One of the things I loved about our working relationship with Evolve was you know the fact that it's more than just a service that you're providing out there from a PR perspective, but also the education component, media training and things like that. And you know in that we talk a lot about. You know you have your brands that you're promoting and then you have the reputation that you're building out there. Can you talk a little bit for our listeners as they're? You know, maybe going over that 50 employee mark or hitting that 100 employee mark and you know kind of the differences. It might be a nuance, it might sound just like semantics, but it's really critical that those are really two different things, and one you have a little bit more control over than potentially the other.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so there's a few things there. So media training and crisis, and then brand and reputation. So, as part of what we do as an extension of the team with these clients are helping with media training and crisis communication, because both are really important in their messaging and their positioning and their posturing, good or bad situations. And then that's internally and externally. When it comes to the crisis, media training is just a great way to build their confidence when they're in interviews and in presentations. Even Brand and reputation, you know, are also internal and external and it could really devastate a business or an organization or it could really elevate them and enhance the allure of that business, and we see that a lot. But businesses can come and go really quick.
Speaker 3:So your brand is what you build and create from starting with a logo. You know what are the colors, what is your look, what is your feel. You know we don't know what a Starbuck is, but they created a brand and that is a brand Even Uber, xerox, over the years. You think about these brands that people use to compare Can you Xerox this or can you? I'm going to call an Uber, but you're really maybe calling a different ride share. So those companies have built a brand, then the reputation is totally different. So the reputation is what people think of you. Oh, I don't like Starbucks. Their coffee is blah blah blah. Or I never take Uber, I take Lyft. So the reputation is something that businesses. It's really hard for them to change reputation Brand as well, but maybe you'll see a brand refresh or do whatever, and it's still Uber.
Speaker 3:But they went from black and white to yellow and white, but you're still going to have that perception. And I tell people and clients all the time perception is reality and so it's really hard to change that perception and that reputation that people have of you. And the second you wake up and get on a virtual at your house or walk out the door and go to the gym or the grocery store, your reputation is there. So the way you look, the way you act, what you say, how you say it, people are creating these perceptions of you and you are representing yourself and your organization.
Speaker 2:Right, and it's so important for the staff right to even know and understanding what they're putting out there, their digital footprint and all I mean it's just the education is valuable for the organization and what they're trying to achieve and you're really doing a service to that team too for their futures, Because a lot of times just depending on for first getting in, it's like, well, my social is my social, and it's like but it's not, it is your digital footprint, whether you want it to be or not.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I see.
Speaker 3:A lot of people that are in. Well, celebrities do this. Media people do this. They'll create a separate social media page that's not their real name, that they want to curate whatever content to people that they just want to have see it. Or now, on social media, you can actually just have your regular page and then there's certain content, so you don't need to create a second one with a pseudonym or another name, but there's certain posts that you can share that only certain people will see. Your small groups.
Speaker 3:Right because they know. They know that to the masses it's not the greatest thing to put out there. But when I'm not just putting kids down, but high school graduates, college graduates, to be thinking about where they might rush for a sorority, fraternity or do an internship or look for a job, those employers or people that are looking at them will probably go to the social and look and get a perception of what they put out there. So yeah, the digital footprint is and it's technically forever. I mean, yes, you can take down a page or block a page, you know your own page, but I mean the Internet's forever. It's really hard to work around that.
Speaker 4:We talked a lot about your team and how awesome the team is and how well you get along in the culture and those kinds of things, which kind of builds that employee brand as well. So you have the company brand but there's an employee brand. Some companies struggle with that and then they also struggle to hire new people because that reputation gets out there of kind of what it is, what's it like to work for this company. So have you worked with organizations to try to fix the employee brand side of things from a PR standpoint?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, my big thing with that is it has to seem authentic and if it feels like they're fixing or overcompensating to do something because they know they need to, people sometimes see right through that and so I feel like it's got to be so real and even if it's not, but it's got to feel that way, or else we're in another damage control situation as well, like the overcorrecting. So you know, doing things to build the team together and not just feel like you're going through some motion just because you need to. And it is hard. I mean, you've got people of different ages and backgrounds and you know this one's married, this one's not. This one, you know, went to the same school as maybe a coworker and this one didn't. So you've got to make everyone feel so inclusive and it's something we talk about at Evolve all the time. It is a crazy, crazy gift. I don't know how this got built.
Speaker 2:And it's all them.
Speaker 3:And, of course, what I can try to do. But it's so special when your team can support each other and back each other up and have each other's back, and I think it's so special. I say at Evolve I don't want to work in an environment that has drama and dynamics and stuff.
Speaker 3:So I don't want to create an environment that is that way, because I don't want to work at that place. So you know, finding that formula is important but it can be very challenging, you know, for organizations to get over that hump. But you know, I think doing it with authenticity and culture is really. I mean, the people should be first, absolutely.
Speaker 4:It really should be. I agree with what you said. It's not a fix, it's kind of a nurture or a rebuild. It really starts with the leadership and them connecting with the people.
Speaker 3:And it's so much more challenging now for companies that haven't gone back to either working in their office or they've gone back even very limited. You have to work even harder for those connections and the culture, because it's not monday through friday anymore. I mean businesses are, I don't mean that it's zero, but it's not in the office. But it's changed so much, and so you've got to work harder on that well, you know and forever you know we.
Speaker 2:What's the saying? You don't leave companies, you leave you know bosses and and stuff, and so that connectivity with connectivity with your coworkers is what kept you kind of through some of the hard times, cause every company goes through some bumps and bruises. I always used to say, like it's not all rainbows and butterflies all the time, but it's also not all doom and gloom all the time either. Right, like we have our ups and downs and that connectivity keeps you through those downs. Right, I mean, it's just like in personal relationships and without that now I feel like sometimes employees are a little bit faster to give up on it and maybe look at the next opportunity. So it's keeping it so important.
Speaker 2:I also think, doing something you're super passionate about and obviously you guys help. You know so many different organizations and different products and different services. Is there any like project that comes to mind that was a super passion project for you that, like you and or your whole team, just got so excited over what it was that you were able to be a part of from a client perspective that you can share?
Speaker 3:yeah, and this one is an easy answer, and it also got the media super excited as well.
Speaker 3:Sprinkles cupcakes oh so they came here to the valley and they were this beverly hills brand and oprah, you know, had them on their show. I mean, this is dating way back and they came here to the valley and we had the opportunity to work with them and we were with them for nine years and Candice Nelson, who founded Sprinkles, was on Cupcake Wars and doing all this stuff on the Food Network, our food channel, and we had her here locally on the cover of magazines and we're bringing cupcakes to all the TV stations and I mean we would joke that we were like had the back door to all these, you know, media people and it was such a big part in the growth of my career, more so on the media side because every month I was bringing cupcakes, they looked forward to it. I let them know I was coming, they would open the back door, and so it was. Really it was a fun product and I love sweets and sugar. So I was excited to do meetings with them.
Speaker 3:I would eat and you probably know some of my idiosyncrasies with food and health and all that I would eat three cupcakes in a meeting. Then I narrowed it down to two and a frosting shot, because they would give you shots of frosting and I would go to the back door of Sprinkles. They had the graveyard, which is where the cupcakes that didn't look presentable for the front. So there were these racks of the cupcakes that were on the graveyard and I would go to the back door. I mean I was like so personally, professionally, and it was so fun. You know it was the Valentine's cupcake or the St Patty's cupcake or the holiday cupcake. Yeah, and I learned a lot. It really those nine years were more the beginning of Evolve and it helped me grow up a lot and learn a lot. They had a lot of standards and brand standards and just different things. That helped me mature and grow as a PR person too, that's amazing.
Speaker 4:So when we talked earlier this week, we talked a little bit about external communication versus internal communication and just understanding what information is critical to get out early versus what should wait till a certain point, because maybe certain times product releases and you don't want leaks or things like that. So how do you help people with that internal communication or what message would you have about internal communication?
Speaker 3:Do it and I've learned that and that's a challenge of mine learning every day is to make sure that businesses are. You don't want your team internally to find something out about your own company or something you're working on. It might not even truly affect them maybe it's a product launch and they didn't work on that product or something but they're still. It still makes them feel that equity in the company and in the brand. So I would say, first of all, internal is number one and that message is going to be different internally than externally. So I would say that has got to be number one and consult with you. Know, maybe it's an in-house PR person or marketing person, but sometimes messages can be emotional or reactive and so to make sure it's that's why we love when our clients do use us as that outside gut check, because we come from a different place and can see it differently. And then, externally, you know that's obviously key to some of the other stuff we're talking about with brand and reputation. But internally, I mean, you can lose people like that if if you don't make them feel like they're part of that.
Speaker 3:And there's some companies right now that they've got some announcements and they're not telling everyone on their team. They're telling you, but not you. So when I tell everyone it's probably going to come out, somebody else knew Right, or maybe you're going to sidebar I actually kind of knew that and then you're going to feel like, well, I give just as much to the company, why didn't I know? And now, guess what? Now you're kind of mentally checking out and you have resentment and it just causes, and maybe even to a coworker if that was your coworker now you're like, well, I don't even like him anymore because he knew before me. And so, yeah, I would say internal is just as important, not more.
Speaker 2:It's funny because we in previous life would use code words for a lot of things which a lot of companies do.
Speaker 3:That's what this company is doing too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a lot of code words, and we had a subset of people that were typically read in on every code word project. And so people who were never read in on code words, like they would just know, they kind of had an idea of what type of thing would be coming, because that's what we use code words for, and usually had the mindset of of, okay, that tells us something is coming and I'm just gonna keep my head down until, like, I need to deal with it, and so that was okay. And then we had a bigger project that also had a code word and about four people who were typically read in weren't read in in the beginning and we just, you know, like, okay, we're using a code word, we do do this all the time. It's accepted, it's trusted. But what it did to like those four people, like am I on my way out? I'm always read in, and now I'm not. And it was just a huge miss.
Speaker 2:And luckily the relationships were strong enough where those people were coming in and saying I'm seeing meetings with a code word, I'm not in them, like is it intentional? Can I know about it? Like what's happening? And we could have a dialogue to rebuild that trust. But thank goodness that they did feel like they could come and have the conversation, because they were creating a narrative that was not true and was way worse than the exciting news of the code word Right, which I always try to tell somebody when we're consulting with different companies and stuff. They're like, well, they don't need to know or I don't have information to share yet. I only know this much and it's like but they know that you know something, they know that something is going on. Just tell them the information that you have and build the trust that, as you have more information, it will be shared. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, even if it's a meeting that you closed your door and you normally don't close your door for those meetings with that person like people are going to pick up on the energy and the vibe in the office and the narrative they make up is always worse.
Speaker 2:I feel like always 100 percent.
Speaker 3:So it's easier just to you know, kind of dispel it as best you can. But I do agree there are certain situations and certain times a merger and acquisition, a public filing, you know things like that. That. I know you do want to manage that when the time is right to tell the team, but it can be sort of polarizing how it affects the dynamics. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 4:So, as you think about kind of growing the company over the last decade, I guess what have been some of the things that have been successful mentoring young people coming up in the PR industry? What are some of those tips and tricks?
Speaker 3:Well, the biggest thing I tell people if they want to get into PR because a lot of people are like I love PR, I love people and I love connecting people but the one thing that is really important in our job is writing.
Speaker 3:And we're not writing thesis and dissertations and things like that, but we've got to write something in a way that's going to catch the media's attention. Or we're writing statements or, you know, press releases, pitches, things like that, and there's certainly there's AP style and there's, you know, forums, that, things like that, and certainly there's AP style and there's forums that we follow with that. But if someone can't really tap into that writing skill, it's pretty challenging in our job, even with technology and even with AI and chat, gpts and all of that, because we know that that's out there. Well, we have to write something, we have to edit it, we have to proof it, we have to. So I have a lot of friends who are like oh, my daughter or son wants to do PR and I'm like what is their experience writing and do they like writing?
Speaker 3:Because we're storytelling and so if we're not, you know, doing that, that then we're going to probably fall a little short and so, yeah, I would say writing is an important skill for pr well, I think you said that.
Speaker 2:Do they like writing right? Because we do do a lot of it. Yeah, there's a lot of the time, and so is it something that they're passionate about, in addition to having a competency in.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that is something with interviewing people for a position. We give them writing tests and we want to put them through some of those examples so we can tell if they like it, if they're passionate about it, if they're good at it. So that's an important one.
Speaker 4:I volunteered at a student veteran event at asu last week and reviewing resumes, helping with interview press or prep and those kinds of things. And there was one girl and her resume was like very, very good, but you could tell it was just detail, detail, detail, detail. And I was like you're an electrical engineer but there's no passion here and she looked at me like I don't have passion for this.
Speaker 4:It's like she, she got the degree for the wrong reason right and I said but you had like this summary paragraph at the top, has to stand out and get somebody's attention, and so it goes back to writing. And if you can't tell a story even in that short paragraph to get the interviewer's attention, you're going to struggle.
Speaker 3:So they were just more tactical than making it come across like I want to build a career in this industry and yeah, I mean, that's the other thing too. Those words, you know, come across. You know, even a social media post going back to that Someone could write maybe not try to say the wrong thing, but you know it across. You know even a social media post going back to that Someone could write maybe not try to say the wrong thing, but you know it can come across the wrong way.
Speaker 3:So same thing a resume, anything Writing is an important skill.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, we have to talk about the impact that you've made. Obviously, you know yes, you know being a native going to ASU, being an entrepreneur, you've done so many different things and we'll jump into scholarship and some of the work at ASU. But kind of, you know, looking back and now dreaming forward, what are some of the impacts that you want to make in the next 10 years?
Speaker 3:Great question. I want to double and triple in size. I want to continue growing. I feel this energy and this opportunity of what Evolve foundationally has done and 10 years like the next 10 years then we'll talk. It might be different where I focus, but I'm all in. I see a great opportunity for PR and us pivoting where we need to pivot, with technology and different nuances like podcasts and influencers and things that aren't just in that traditional media lane, and the energy and excitement from our team to want to go down that path and not be stuck where maybe other PR firms or, you know, practitioners are. And so we want to really grow locally and nationally and, yeah, increase a lot.
Speaker 2:So yeah, my goal you can see light up as you talk about it.
Speaker 3:Yeah definitely the energy is there, so I'll read Molly's book and hear more about time and energy, but yeah, I definitely feel it. I don't feel like I'm on a wind down. Wind down, almost a renewed energy too that's awesome, wonderful.
Speaker 2:Okay, you two, we have to talk about asu.
Speaker 4:Yes, um so one of the things that I think is is amazing is just the the sun devil 100, and you're one of a handful maybe less than five companies that have been awarded every year since they started the process. So what has the Sun Devil 100 meant to you or done for your business?
Speaker 3:Well, first I have to say I'm not a Wildcat fan and I love the rivalry. So my Arizona people sorry, I'm a big Sun Devil and I can't wait until football season. Oh, I know, because basketball I can't wait till football season. I know, because basketball I don't talk smack. So the Sun Devil 100 has really opened my eyes to ways that I can stay involved at the university and while I love the recognition and the camaraderie among the other Sun Devil 100 individuals and the people I've met and learning about other businesses, it's been a great way for me to stay or get engaged with university.
Speaker 3:And so for me the first thing was a scholarship and the Sun Devil 100, after a couple years I realized there's probably more ways that I could give back to the university and I don't have kids. So creating a legacy was also important to me. And creating the scholarship, for I have initial parameters to it which are mimicking me a little bit someone from Arizona, female, wanting to do PR, all of that. But then if no one's in, that it's, you know, male or female, and all of that. But I want to support and lift up other, you know, people wanting to pursue their passion and their career. And I get to meet them every year and stay in touch with them and it's really special.
Speaker 3:So the Sun Devil 100 continues to be sort of that catalyst and bright light for my initial every year wanting to do more. I can't explain it. It's like more than alumni, it's more than even though it is, we're all alumni. It's just this very, you know, uplifting thing to hear these stories of entrepreneurs and people that we share, this ASU journey back in the day where we all probably never thought 20-30 years later we'd be back at the campus, you know, rah-rah-ing each other, and then had the opportunity this last year, in the last few months, to name a conference room at the school that I went to, um at the hugh down school of communication, which I mean getting me to class was enough of a challenge as it is, and now I have a conference room.
Speaker 3:Um, I still don't know where the library is at asU, because I never went there. No, I'm kidding, but you know I owe that all to Sun Devil 100, truly because it's just really helped me see and appreciate the value that ASU had in my life and ways that I can continue supporting the university.
Speaker 4:Have you had a meeting in your conference room?
Speaker 3:I haven't and I definitely. That's definitely on the list. I mean, it was pretty new that we did it a couple months ago, right? So yeah, it's pretty neat to think about you know, people making a meeting in the building and saying what, what room are they? I don't know? Are they going to say JGK? Are they going to shorten it, jk, kaplan room, I don't know. But yeah, going to say JGK, are they going?
Speaker 2:to shorten it.
Speaker 3:JK Kaplan Room. I don't know. But yeah, I wanted to have something a little bit more, and maybe there's again something in the future that I'll do more at the university, so I'm excited about that. But I won't stop with that. Sun Devil 100. Yeah, as long as we hit those numbers and we're doing the things to qualify, I still want to continue that as well that's awesome um.
Speaker 2:So I mean whether it goes back to when we kind of talked about this a little bit um on the we talked earlier this week. But you know, looking back at you know when you graduated, you know to today, and that connection that you have still um with the university and how involved you're in I know that that's really important to you. What other advice would you give your younger self, kind of looking back?
Speaker 3:Well, maybe get some more sleep along the way as an entrepreneur.
Speaker 3:I think that I mean I don't want to divert the question, but I feel like some of those missteps or experiences I didn't necessarily want to go through got me to where I am. You know I am still friends with my ex-business partner, but you know that's not something I would have wanted to navigate and so, but had I not had those situations, I really and like I said, I'm not trying to be cliche or kind of soften what you're trying to answer, but I really feel like the growth came through some of the challenges that I did have.
Speaker 2:So, for what I take from that, though, is embrace the bumps. Yeah, totally so there's going to be some turbulent times, but embrace them, because those are really big growing moments, versus maybe resisting them as we do when we're in them.
Speaker 3:And stay focused on your passion. I mean I would use well, not surprised I make a sports reference but Tiger Woods, I mean he would use well, not surprised I make a sports reference, but Tiger Woods, I mean he got to such an incredible place in his career but then you'll see his parents show pictures of him at three years old with a golf club, like he stayed focused on what he wanted to do. So maybe less about the younger self, but also what I would tell people on their journey. The engineer, you know, what is she passionate about? What are people passionate about? You know, you've got a skill, you've got something that gets you excited, and then the success or the reward will come if you're doing something that you love. So I think that's what helped me get through some of those times. But yeah, there's definitely been those challenges where I wanted to throw it in, but then I look back and I realize that it helped me grow.
Speaker 2:Those little moments, yep All right.
Speaker 4:I like to always end with a fun question. So for those of you that follow you on social media, they know your love for cruising. Yes, your cruises. I've never been on a cruise you have. So what would your recommendation be for someone new? And maybe what would your recommendation be for someone new and maybe what's your favorite or your bucket list cruise?
Speaker 3:Well, I do feel like people either love or hate it. I talk to people and they're like we love cruising. Or oh, I went on a cruise and I didn't like it at all. To me I say what didn't you like?
Speaker 3:I mean, you put your luggage in the room, you pay one price and you go and have some fun the food and drink and the entertainment and the activities and going to different ports. You don't need to think about any of that. So I love cruising. I did grow up with cruising because my dad was in the travel industry, so I guess I'm a little biased because I did have that pretty much my whole life. But I do love the getting on the ship and truly not having to think. When you go on vacation and there are all-inclusive resorts that have a similar structure but let's say, your typical vacation you've got to figure out your transportation and where are we going to go to dinner and you know what kind of activities. What do you want to do? What do you want to do On a cruise ship? I mean, they dummy proof it for you.
Speaker 3:It's like all right there you can eat here for this food and it's just so easy. And so I love that. And I do like waking up and being in a different port, um, the, the Caribbean and the you know, the Bahamas, and those types of cruises are great. Um, I have found over the last four or five years and I did one when I was younger, but four or five years doing European cruises are so different A lot of the Bahamas and Caribbean. You wake up and it kind of looks the same. Each port, obviously, each city has something special and I can sit at a beach bar all day long, so I'm fine with that. But in Europe it's like you wake up here in Croatia and you wake up here in Italy and you wake up here in these different countries, and that, to me, has been something really special.
Speaker 3:So I'm looking forward to that in the next couple weeks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's going to be amazing. The one that I went on was for work and it was mediterranean, and so it was, uh, 14 days, 11 ports, starting in rome and ending in barcelona, and, yeah, it was only one day at sea. Yeah, um, and I thought it was amazing. It's the same thing like you unpack, you're done, everything is there, it's all planned for you. You get to go see all these different places without packing and repacking, which is a pet peeve of mine on vacation. So, and he loves water, I think he'll love it. Yeah, oh sure.
Speaker 3:So if you like water, yes so and I can't imagine you would get seasick if you like water and boating and things like that. So you know, I think that's something that people get. One thing is they want to be stuck. They don't want to be stuck on a boat and then be seasick. So I can appreciate that. I tell people to take maybe a three-day cruise to get acclimated to that and then, outside of that, the other thing that people say is they just don't want to feel so confined. These ships are so big You're not feeling confined, you're not on top of each other. I mean, maybe if you go to a breakfast buffet at 7 30 you'll feel that way, uh, but for the most part, yeah, you know, it's very spread out and I mean, a lot of these ships now have over the top experiences and shops and some of them have 40 restaurants and it's just unbelievable. Yeah, yeah, you want for nothing. You'll be hooked.
Speaker 2:I want to know after you go. All right, all right, we have to look at that one for next year. Yeah Well, it's been amazing having you on today. We really appreciate you dedicating the time and sharing some stories with us. If people want to talk to you more about Evolve, about cruising, about your giving back to ASU, where should they reach out?
Speaker 3:I would say the website is the best and easiest evolveprandmarketingcom, and it's got the contact us and the socials and the phone numbers and all the things. So I think that's the best All right, well, thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 3:We really appreciate it, Thank you.
Speaker 2:Bo Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Thanks for tuning in to the Confidence Curve. We hope today's episode left you inspired and ready to embrace your journey confidently. Remember whether you're leading a team, growing your business or pursuing personal growth, each step forward builds your curve. If you enjoyed today's conversation, don't forget to subscribe, share and leave us a review For more insights and resources. Visit us at apexgtscom. Until next time, keep climbing the curve.