What, Like It's Hard?

At 21, I bootstrapped my business as a first-time founder during COVID. At 28, I spoke at Harvard about it.

Four words, one blonde, a question that requires the recipient to read between the lines.

What, like it’s hard?

As Elle Woods strutted onto Harvard Law’s campus and obliterated her ex-boyfriend in a cunning and decisive war of words, proving him wrong and asserting her wisdom and tenacity on the world’s greatest stage, she stood on business. And it was clocking to him. Or whatever the kids are saying these days. Whatever her verbal gut punch needed to give, it was giving… and then some.

Although but a character on a screen, Legally Blonde’s leading lady will forever pay rent in the minds of young women who she empowered to defy the odds, write (and then rewrite) their own stories, and to forsake the status quo. She didn’t take the easy way out. She listened. She asked questions. She observed. She followed. She led. She gave second chances. She never ignored her instincts. She always trusted her gut. She chose to collaborate instead of compete. She became that girl. And while it undoubtedly was hard, harder than any viewer could imagine it would be for a fictional character to study for the LSATs with no legal background and secure admission into Harvard Law, she did it. And she made it look easy.

I’ve always resonated with Elle’s unparalleled resilience. I’ve admired her strength and fortitude. She’s a blonde girly girl through and through, but the alpha dog inside of her comes out when it needs to… and make no mistake, her bite is worse than her bark. Elle isn’t afraid to put herself in the line of fire to handle the situation in front of her. She would do what it takes to get the job done, relying on her competitive edge and valued advantage as an unconventional needle in a Harvard haystack. Her nuanced duality proved to me at a young age that you can be anything, many things, everything. Maybe even all at once.

So when I was invited to speak at Harvard University, a bucket-list opportunity for anyone in business, there was no doubt in my mind that I would channel Elle mentally, spiritually, and of course, aesthetically. And while many may have predicted I’d walk onto campus in a bright pink blazer dress, I opted to adapt her green skirt-set look, accessorized with a striped tie and baby glasses, emulating her first-day-of-school ensemble as I too embarked on an unknown experience, but one I always knew deep down that I would conquer someday. What, like it’s hard?

When I first connected with Harvard’s Undergraduate Women in Business (HUWIB) organization, I was instantly impressed by the members’ professionalism, creativity, ambition, and desire to learn and provide access and opportunities beyond a traditional scope of reach to their peers. This isn’t surprising – there’s a reason these young ladies attend the leading university in the world, and they presented themselves with the utmost humility, grace, and enthusiasm. What did surprise me though was their interest in learning about the world of entertainment, marketing and public relations, an industry often overlooked by the powers that be, and the responsibility they embraced to extend educational initiatives to their fellow students and younger peers who shared these passions, but didn’t know how or where to find the room to step into so they too could enjoy their own “foot-in-the-door” moment. Enter BOLD.

It goes without saying, but students at Harvard have incredible resources and networking opportunities with the world’s elite leaders across finance, business, consulting, and many STEM-adjacent career fields. But when it comes to the communications industry at large… not so much. I was immediately awe-struck and humbled when the HUWIB asked me to speak at their annual BOLD conference with programming geared toward students and high schoolers jumping at the chance to quench their thirst for knowledge about a career path that - let’s face it - often feels enveloped by a giant question mark.

The PR industry at large can often feel like the Wizard of Oz. Who or what exactly is this force behind the curtain, ideating and driving narratives that shape our cultural perceptions, content consumption, dinner conversations, and worldly opinions? Truth be told, it’s very “if you know, you know.“ If you’re in it, actually a key player, you understand the daily grind, the ever-changing job description, the passion-fueled hustle. And if you don’t really know, you may confuse publicists like me as being someone you hire if you want to get into events, or attain a social media deal. Not quite.

I’m intimately aware of the many misconceptions that come with the role, and I welcome every opportunity to correct the narrative and show, not tell, the magic of public relations in elevating one’s brand, personal story, and ultimately, developing a client’s relationship to and with the public. Students at Harvard don’t have majors that support curriculum in this field – but they’re Harvard students for a reason. They made key learning opportunities on campus happen all on their own, through producing a conference powered by trailblazers across various entertainment-adjacent industries. I was honored to sit alongside them.

And so there I was. On campus. At Harvard University. To share my story. To hopefully inspire a young girl who also loves Legally Blonde, creative writing, debating hot topics, and pop culture, to take her future by the reins, and dauntlessly pursue her dreams. To meet new people. Take notes. Realize what she likes. Remember what she doesn’t like. Prove everyone wrong who stands up and questions the impact of our industry. To believe without a shadow of a doubt that she’s never too young but it’s also never too late. Yet every day she waits, someone else will do it and be one step ahead. So why not her? Why not now? What goal is truly that far out of reach? What, like it’s hard?

As I reflected on my career path spanning over a decade, I looked outward into a sea of 400 tweens, teens, and young adults. I saw myself in them. I recognized the fire in their eyes, felt the fervor in their pen as they rapidly wrote notes and stained the page with boundless imagination. I would have proudly been sitting in their seats if I knew such a program existed when I was their age. The age of endless possibilities at your finger tips, if you just have the courage to chase them.

At 17, I was a senior in high school, who found herself at a glitzy Hollywood hotel, no less at just the right place and just the right time, to virtually encounter her “foot-in-the-door” moment.

At 18, I was interning for Us Weekly, transcribing red carpet interviews on my iPad in frat party bathrooms and always saying “yes” to every opportunity, no matter the inconvenience or my inexperience and insecurity. Fake it till you make it.

At 19, I was freelancing with a fake ID, balancing a full course load while attending red carpet soirees and breaking stories that became national headlines.

At 20, I was working full time as a journalist while wrapping up my college degree, covering the Oscars one night and taking a final exam the next morning.

At 20, I found my groove.

At 21, I traveled the world, attending the Vogue College in London and expanding my passion for journalism and multimedia internationally by studying under the Conde Nast greats.

At 22, everything changed.

An unprecedented and unfamiliar pandemic swept across the globe, instantaneously bringing my industry to a halt. And just like that, there were no red carpets, no celebrities working, no news to unpack, nothing for a reporter to report on. I knew I had to pivot. To be uncomfortable. To flip the page. What, like it’s hard?

Simultaneously, I noticed a new wave of internet celebrities who I had never heard of seemingly acquiring overnight fame… in ways I also have never heard of. (Think Addison Rae in her TikTok prime). And yet, they were being pitched to me as though I should be as familiar with them as I was with MAC Cosmetics’ holiday lipstick swatches. I quickly understood that these digitally native talents required an extremely boutique approach to storytelling and worldbuilding that would amplify their true influence. In order to obtain respect and credibility amongst their peers and superiors, and to bolster the multimillions of followers they were ascertaining overnight, developing social footprints at a historic pace, they needed teams to think outside of the box. Flipping the page wouldn’t be good enough. This required a brand new book. Nothing about their notoriety was traditional. So everything about the PR approach needed to be untraditional. What, like it’s hard?

And while I may not have been answering Elle’s question to a boy who never thought I’d amount to anything worth writing home about, I was answering it to the younger Emily who always wanted to pursue a career path that she couldn’t quite explain, but always knew existed, and with grit, guts and a bit of charm, was hers for the taking.

As I sat there mid-COVID at my mom’s kitchen table, I reflected on a conversation I had earlier with my friend who is a celebrity makeup artist. She encouraged me to do PR for one of her clients. I had never done PR. But she countered right back, never having one ounce of hesitation in my ability to pick up the skill. But you can. And it suddenly dawned on me that if I just reverse-engineered my inbox and took advantage of my incredible network of journalist friends, maybe, just maybe, I could do this. I could split my bank account in half, keep my head down for a year inside the house, and build a business from scratch. I knew this industry well enough. Sure, I had lots more to learn, but I was already leaps ahead of the curve.

Could I do this? Could I read between the lines and answer the age-old question?

I could do this…

I had to believe without a shadow of a doubt that I’m never too young but it’s also never too late. Yet every day I wait, someone else will do it and be one step ahead. So why not me? Why not now? What goal is truly that far out of reach? Maybe Elle was right all along. Maybe with the right headspace, unwavering confidence, and just a shred of disillusion, our dreams are well within reach.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s not that hard after all.