We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bridgett S. Holden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Bridgett S. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I risked leaving a job with a guaranteed salary to become an entrepreneur. I started a YouTube channel at 50 years young because I wanted to show women that, for one, age is truly nothing but a number, and there are ways you can dress while looking like a million bucks without breaking the bank through thrifting. Risks are necessary to help you grow, and being a Publicist, I take calculated risks. If you don’t take risks, you remain stagnant and become irrelevant. You are only good as your next big thing!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started my business in March 2002 after my son began having tantrums (he was four years old), and I had to leave work every day to calm him down. Not to mention, I was building a house and planning a wedding all at the same time. The tantrums continued for four months until I had to decide between my son and the radio station I was working for. I chose my son and gave my two weeks’ notice. After leaving the radio station, I became a freelance journalist writing for several publications.

One day, a friend called and said she needed help with a new venture she was starting and wanted some help branding it. I booked her on the radio station I left and wrote an article about her venture for one of the publications I freelanced for. Soon after, she invited me to lunch, handed me a check for $100, and announced you are my Publicist! I was like, “Okay…” I told her that it was just a phone call to set up the interview, and my editor loved the story for their publication, so I wrote it. I tried to give her the check back, but she refused to take it. I informed her that I had no idea how to be a Publicist and what it entailed, to which she responded, “It’s what you just did!” After some convincing, I took the $100 check, opened a business account, came up with a name for my business (which at the time was called S. Charles Public Relations until I rebranded in 2019), got my DBA and the rest is “Herstory.”

To date, I am the Principal Owner of a Houston, Texas-based Public Relations Firm called SHE Bridges PR (SBPR), whose slogan matches its purpose, “Bridging the Gap Between You and the Media!” I evolved my company by strategically branding my clients in the Fashion, Beauty, Entertainment, Sports, Nonprofits, and Political industries. I have successfully secured Brand Placements for my clients via media outlets through television, radio, print, and podcasts on International, National, Local, and Digital platforms!

Since I stayed on top of trends to grow my company, I became certified with the City of Houston, the Port of Houston, Houston METRO, the State of Texas, and the federal government in 2016. I qualified SHE Bridges PR to do business with local/state and federal government entities as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women Business Enterprise Alliance (WBEA), Small Business Enterprise (SBE), Historically Underutilized Business (HUB), and Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Certification, and Minority Owned Business (MOB).

For the past 20 years, I have successfully managed to be a business owner, entrepreneur, volunteer, board member, speaker, host of the Bridge Talk TV podcast, content creator, YouTuber, fashion enthusiast, and an active participant in the community. In 2009, I was named volunteer of the year by the West Orem YMCA for leading the board in exceeding their fundraiser goal of $50,000 during their Partnership Campaign to the tune of $64,000. I serve on the Houston Association of Black Journalists (HABJ) Board as the VP of Public Relations, an organization that raises scholarships for college students majoring in Journalism. I am also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), served on the Men of Style Steering Committee, which raises funds to find a cure for Sickle Cell Anemia and served on the Texas Drowning Prevention Alliance Board that brings awareness to local communities around drowning prevention. I also serve on the Board of Dreams UnleaSHEd She Networks (DUSN), a nonprofit organization whose Mission & Vision is to grow and develop young ladies for holistic success. I appeared on Fox 26 News Isiah Factor Uncensored as a commentator, lending my expert opinion on various news stories from a PR perspective.

Finally, I am a proud mom of one son (Kamren), currently getting his MBA in Criminal Justice at the University of North Texas. My philosophy in life is to be intentionally happy every day!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Funny you ask that question. It has not been a smooth road. However, anything worth having never is. One struggle of being an entrepreneur was balancing working on my business and in my business. Having to be in every position in a company fell on me. While promoting my business was sometimes a challenge to balance life choices, the lesson I learned was to maintain goals for my company while building client brands with a perfectionist mindset. One of the lessons was managing stress that impacted life choices. As a perfectionist, I also learned that life is too short to be perfect, which allowed me to provide what the client needed, and that has worked out for me over 21 years.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Relationships. As I have been on this journey of Public Relations, I took a page out of my own playbook and turned my contacts into relationships, which helped to build my network of developing a strong reputation as someone who is relatable, reliable, and trustworthy.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.shebridgespr.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shebridgespr/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/shebridges_pr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsMeBridgett