The PR Legend Who Pivoted to Health and Wellness (with Dawn Kelly)

In this episode of How I Got Here, Dreena welcomes Dawn Kelly, CEO and Co-Founder of The Nourish Spot Inc., a juice, smoothie, and salad bar that she started with her two children after leaving a 35+ year career in public relations and marketing. Dawn speaks on the importance of building and nurturing meaningful relationships throughout your career, the unforgettable people that influenced her life the most, and how she recently pivoted towards entrepreneurship in the health industry.

Dawn shares the fascinating reason behind why she initially wanted to become an attorney, as well as what led her to pursue African American studies in college. She talks about the Myers-Briggs test that inspired her to learn about PR and land a job in the field with very little experience, as well as how Ofield Dukes, the first black man to ever work as a publicist in the White House, became her mentor. 

“If you believe you are worth more, you have to hold onto that and you have to be courageous enough to ask for what you think you’re worth. All they can say is no, but guess what… they might say yes… and that started my nearly 16-year career with Prudential Financial.”

• Dawn Kelly

She details the benefits of bringing her family while traveling for work, noting the loneliness that can come with being a black corporate executive, along with the eye-opening lessons she learned from the people of Japan. Stay tuned to hear about the most fun, emotional, and ground-breaking moments from her career at Prudential Financial and why she attributes her momentum and success to her drive, perseverance, faith. 

Resources Mentioned:

The National Association of Black Journalists

National Black Public Relations Society

New York Association of Black Journalists 

Public Relations Society of America

Connect with Dawn and The Nourish Spot Inc.:

Visit The Nourish Spot Inc. at 107-05 Guy R Brewer Blvd, Jamaica, NY 11433

Give them a call: (718) 526-2099 

Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/thenourishspot

Connect with them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/theNourishspot 

About the Host:

Dreena Whitfield has a proven ability to create tangible outcomes that helps clients exceed expectations. Her diverse career has led her to spearhead the communications and marketing efforts for leaders in the nonprofit, corporate and political sectors, as well as small businesses internationally.

With more than a decade of experience, Dreena and the WhitPR team have a proven ability to spot opportunities for our clients to grow their brand recognition in saturated markets that are in alignment with their overall objectives.

The Huffington Post listed Dreena as one of their “Top 25 African American Millennials in PR to Watch.”

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@Dreenawhitpr & @whitpr

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