At The Fearey Group, we live and breathe our motto, which is thinking fearlessly while coming up with bold ideas. We always challenge ourselves to think outside the box in ways no others do (or at least we tell ourselves this!). So, of course, I would say yes, when asked to speak about my Bold Moves in 2013 at the annual Counselors Academy PRSA conference in Key West. Goal: inspire fearless thinking, invoke boldness and demonstrate how boldness wins as agency leaders.
2013 was the boldest year of my life.
The local Puget Sound Business Journal said I took over a PR firm from “the godmother of Seattle’s public-relations industry…where she presided over an about-face in gender dominance and a legacy of community involvement.” Bold? In my world, not bold enough.
In April, my family and I adopted Ermias from Woliso, Ethiopia. When we traveled to this third world, we didn’t really know what was in store for us but we didn’t care. Ermias was our family. His first month at home in Seattle was spent at Seattle Children’s battling a few nasty infections. Several weeks later, we learned that Ermias had Epidermolysis Bullosa, a very rare genetic connective tissue disorder that is known as the worst disease you’ve never heard of. Bold? Not bold enough in our world.
In November, we partnered with Children’s Hopechest to find 150 of the most neediest children in Ermias’s birth town and started a new care point site. The goal is to find people in our social networks to fund these children’s childhood from now until they are 18. In exchange, they will get food, shelter, clothing and security in a place where that simply is not available. Bold. Yes, but we are not done!
Life is full of unknowns. Boldness only advances the ball.
In my talk, I will tell these stories while providing real world examples on why being bold sets you apart from those around us.
Running a public relations firm is a tricky thing. The first several years are considered to be the years when you’re learning how to ride a bike, or learning how to type. Garrity PR agency owner Tom Garrity said it best: it is like you are in a “hunt and peck” mode and then you transform it into its own unique form. CAPRSA is a place for PR firm owners and agency leaders to share, inspire and motivate each other. Tom, along with many agency leaders from around the world will be there to share their bold moves. Join in on the conversation. It is worth the time, energy and resources!