Embarking on a career change is never an easy transition. However when your goals align with your passion, that’s when your move becomes seamless. I became a journalist because I wanted to tell stories, give a voice to those who had none, but most importantly I wanted to make a difference in my community. When deadly flooding struck Wimberly, Texas during Memorial Day in 2015, killing eight people and leaving millions of dollars in damage behind, as a journalist, I knew I had a duty to help those Central Texas residents. From interviewing residents who had lost everything to attending fundraisers, I wanted viewers at home to see what these folks were going through and encourage them to help as well. When you help others who are in need, not only do you feel good as a person, but you can encourage others to do the same.
When I made my career change, the biggest challenge I faced was trying to achieve that same feeling of helping others but on a different scale – public relations. Every media pitch and press release I received from public relations agencies felt more about selling their client to you than about authenticity. However, when I dipped my toes into the public relations industry one of my clients proved that you can be authentic, if you know how to share real-life experiences.
When I was assigned to work with Any Length Retreat, the leading spiritual retreat for treating men’s addiction in Central Texas, I knew right away there were an endless amount of impactful stories to tell. One thing journalism has taught me is that people want to hear stories from real people and they want to feel an experience. When I met Any Length Retreat Founder Robert White, he shared his experience about his own recovery journey and wasn’t afraid to share it with others as well. With willingness to share his story, I was able to book him on a radio show, Inside Austin. The pre-recorded interview consisted of Robert and another guest from Any Length Retreat who was also recovering from addiction. On the day the episode aired, I was informed by Robert that they had a new guest check-in at Any Length Retreat because he heard the interview and wanted to get help. Thinking about it still gives me chills to this day, but it made me realize that just because I left journalism it didn’t mean I was leaving behind my passion for helping others by telling stories. I was still doing it.
If your company or nonprofit organization has amazing stories to tell, but don’t know how to get the word out to the community, contact Noisy Trumpet to work with our experienced public relations team who can turn your stories into impactful changes in the community.
