Lisa Simone Richards joined AOII in 2006. An alumna of the Iota Chi Chapter at Western University, she completed a degree in Social Science with a minor in Political Science as well as a Level II Writing Certificate.
Did the program you chose in your first year of undergraduate change by the final years? If it did not change, why not? If it did change, why?
It actually did change over the course of four years! I started out as a Comparative Literature major but my mother was really nervous I’d never get a job with that so I ended up switching. I still have a huge love for English and Lit so enjoy that on the side now.
What was your most memorable undergraduate course? Why?
My favourite class during undergrad was definitely Super Psych with Dr. Mike. Western’s infamous Psychology 101 was a huge class and the prof was amazing. I don’t the course exists in that format anymore though. I never skipped a class and it actually was one of my worst grades through my undergrad career but it was definitely fascinating.
Looking back at your final undergraduate year, can you describe how you were feeling about graduation and life after undergrad?
I had mixed feelings about graduating. Coming from Toronto, London was a bit small for me so I was definitely itching to get back to the city but I was really sad to leave my Western life behind – four of the most fun years I’ve ever had. If you can convince your parents to let you do a ‘victory lap’ as we called it (5th year) do it – you have your whole life to work! But I was really looking forward to doing a specialization in college once I got back to Toronto so I was very excited for that.
What were some of the challenges you experienced when searching for a full-time position after school? How were you able to work past these challenges?
I have to be honest, I didn’t have a hard time getting a job. After Western, I did a certificate in Public Relations at Humber College and did a ton of unpaid internships. The key was being exceptional at my internships – most companies went out of their way to create a paid position for me so that I could stay with them. For the most part though, instead I took advantage of still living at home and not having many serious expenses and kept doing unpaid internships within my industry so I could get as much experience as possible before taking on a coordinator position. I’m glad I had the foresight to really set myself apart from all of my peers.
You had mentioned that you’re currently involved in a Public Relations and Marketing Communications capacity for fitness and health. Can you describe a bit more about your role and day to day responsibilities?
When I initially got into PR, I intended to hone in on the automotive sector. Upon graduating, I spent a few years specifically in fashion and beauty, then in consumer packaged goods. For the last six years, I’ve worked exclusively with brands in health, fitness & wellness – I never thought that would end up being my thing! I currently work for an internationally recognized mind-body brand as their Brand Journalist which involves a lot of content creation, specifically: articles, newsletters, blogs, video, ad & web copy, etc. My other tasks in that position include social media management and a bit of PR. On the side, I run a boutique agency called Vitality PR & Communications where I work with emerging brands in health, fitness & wellness, primarily from a publicity angle focusing on media relations and getting my clients in newspapers, magazines and on TV. I also lead digital marketing campaigns for my clients.
How did you get to this position (e.g. training, skill development, past positions)?
Since my first year in AOII I knew I had an interest in PR so I ran for VP Communications at elections and held that role throughout the rest of my undergraduate career. Experience with AOII helped me land a position on the University Students’ Council as the Communications’ Commissioner-At-Large. With three years of PR experience by graduation, I landed an internship with a Canadian beauty brand for the summer while getting ready to do a one-year post-grad certificate in Humber’s Public Relations program.
Since Humber, I did a bunch of media-related internships, worked in-house and in an agency setting too to get to where am I now. Thanks to my time at AOII, I got the experience I needed to help propel me into my career!
What motivated you to pursue this channel of public relations and marketing?
Working in fitness actually fell into my lap. While I was working at an agency, I’d just really started to embrace health & fitness into my lifestyle, having dropped a few pounds and becoming active multiple times a week. I was doing one particular workout program that was also looking to recruit a PR coordinator so I was lucky to have an opportunity where I could blend my newfound love of being active with my career ambitions. I haven’t looked back since!
What are some of the challenges you encounter while working in the fitness and health industry?
Health and fitness can be challenging because the basic principles don’t change: Eat well, exercise and get results. But the way that combination is put together changes regularly which makes it fun. Also, fitness is a very trend-driven industry so while that allows for a fresh approach, working with certain brands that are based on tried-tested-and-true principles can feel stale.
What has been the most rewarding experience in your career thus far?
There are so many! I don’t know if I can narrow it down to one. I think I can say that one of the biggest perks and highlights I get to enjoy is the opportunity to travel. I’ve been all across Canada with one fitness company, and even to Hawaii and Puerto Rico for DVD shoots which was a blast – along with the rest of the team we’d stay in mansions right on the beach with waterfall showers and rent convertible jeeps for our stay – I could hardly call it work! I’ve also had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in the industry – going on stage after Jillian Michaels at one of the biggest fitness conferences last year 2014 was definitely a cool experience.
From another perspective though, I feel a sense of satisfaction when I do a great media placement and get a total high when I make my clients happy. Having developed brands and brand personalities that are seen in major media like The Social, Cityline, Flare, Shape, Oxygen and more is a thrill.
What is something you learned while working and in industry that you did not learn in school?
That’s a good question. I would say at school you learn to think within the box and follow general conventions and norms. I may not have the success I do career-wise if I followed the plan that school had laid out for me. In my post-grad program, all of my classmates applied for PR internships – makes sense, it was PR school. I elected to delay doing a PR internship in favour of interning in a fashion magazine’s editorial department. It gave me the opportunity to see PR from a different angle, see what happens daily in a media newsroom, write and get published nationally and also develop relationships with those key people I’d be pitching media stories to. While they may have been a few months ahead of me in their roles, years later that’s pretty inconsequential and I have the ability see media relations from an angle that a lot of publicists don’t.
What would be your advice to those looking to pursue a career in public relations and marketing communications?
As trite as it is, follow your passion! The great thing about PR and marketing is that they’re very translatable skills. While there will likely be a learning curve, you can work in literally almost any and every industry. From business to fashion, sports to food, every brand relies on PR & marketing to get their messaging out. So figure out what your ideal industry would be and take your PR skills there!
The 20s seems to be a time when a lot of people are questioning themselves, going through many changes, and experiencing personal development. Do you have any advice to those navigating this period?
Play around! If you’re in a position where you don’t have a ton of responsibility and commitments, now is the time to experiment. Looking back, I wish I’d travelled more. It’s hard to do that now with a full-time career. See the world, make mistakes, experiment and figure out what makes you happy. It’ll shape how you live the rest of your life!
What are some of your goals for the next 5, 10, 15 years? (e.g. personal, career, academic, etc)
Career-wise I’ve got lofty goals – I’ve started a side business, Vitality PR & Communications, which I’m working toward making a full-time gig. In the next five years I see it working with health, fitness and wellness brands across the country, maybe even the US too. My ultimate dream would be launching Lorna Jane Activewear if and whenever they come to Canada. I may consider doing a Masters in Communications though it’s not really needed in this industry. I can’t wait ‘til one day I’m doing my work from a beach somewhere!
Lisa is open to being contacted about her experiences and background. Her e-mail is: lisa@vitalitypr.com.
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