We were lucky to catch up with Alexis Kouser recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alexis, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back on your career, have you ever worked with a great leader or boss? We’d love to hear about the experience and what you think made them such a great leader.

Yes, I’ve had many amazing bosses and mentors throughout my life…. But one in particular really stands out because I very much credit her with helping shape me into the person I am today. That’s Lindsay Feldman, founder of BrandBomb PR. I think what made her leadership so impactful for me was the level of one-on-one mentorship I was blessed enough to experience with her early in my career. I don’t think many young professionals get the opportunity to experience that type of mentorship in today’s professional landscape.

The story of how it all came together is honestly almost serendipitous. It was during COVID, and I was at my wits’ end with my job search after going through what felt like endless bait-and-switch interviews. So by the time I found BrandBomb PR, I was skeptical, so I did a full deep dive. I went through the website, all of the social channels, basically playing detective to make sure it was actually a PR agency. At the same time, Lindsay had been struggling to find the right candidate and was doing her own due diligence, researching me. She saw that we were both from Philly and decided to interview me and we immediately connected.

The funniest part is that my background check came back faster than we both expected. So, shortly after the interview, Lindsay called me the night before Valentine’s Day and said, “You start tomorrow at 4:45 AM, meet me at Planet 13.” My first day started at a mega cannabis dispensary in Las Vegas with a client being interviewed by all of the local news stations. I was thrown right into the fire from day one and it was exhilarating!

Working under Lindsay, I was able to learn directly from her in real time. It wasn’t just occasional guidance, it was consistent exposure to how she thinks, how she communicates and how she navigates high-pressure situations. That kind of proximity to a PR veteran who is deeply involved in the work is rare and I’m so grateful that I got to experience it.

What stood out to me most was her level of dedication and hustle. She moves quickly, expects a high standard and is deeply invested in outcomes. Being in that environment required me to be open, adaptable and willing to learn fast. I had to really listen, observe and apply things immediately. She always says she can teach PR, but she can’t teach trustworthiness or character… that really stuck with me.

Another moment that sticks out is when I realized I wasn’t being micromanaged or handed step-by-step instructions. I was expected to figure things out, make decisions, and move quickly. That kind of trust forces you to grow fast and trust your own judgement. You either rise to it, or you don’t.

Because of that, I was able to develop a strong sense of ownership and confidence much earlier than I could have ever expected. I learned how to think more strategically, how to handle pressure and how to operate with a level of independence that I don’t think I ever would’ve developed as quickly in a more traditional environment.

Her mentorship and leadership gave me a foundation that I carry into everything I do now.

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 background and context?

I’m Alexis Kouser, a publicist specializing in earned media and authority-building for experts and businesses in legal, medical and wellness spaces.

I’ve always been interested in communication, honestly, because I was painfully shy as a child. I became really aware of how people speak, how things are perceived and what actually makes someone pay attention. I’ve also witnessed how fast a reputation can be tarnished with just one rumor, true or not. That naturally turned into a career where I help others communicate their expertise in a way that translates into media and public visibility.

While I’ve worked across hospitality and lifestyle PR, I discovered that I really enjoy nonprofit work and purpose-driven projects. What I’ve come to focus on most now is authority-building. My work centers around securing earned media opportunities like broadcast segments, expert commentary and interviews… things that actually build real organic credibility for professionals. I’m not focused on paid features or vanity placements. It’s more about getting the right people talking about you for the right reasons.

What sets me apart is that I don’t just pitch stories, I think in systems and patterns. I help structure messaging, anticipate how the media will receive something and create processes that make everything more efficient and repeatable. A lot of what I do behind the scenes is just making things make sense. Lindsay and I joke that I like to make sense of chaos.

I started as the first full-time employee at BrandBomb PR, where I helped develop internal systems and processes that we still use today. That experience taught me how to operate at a high level and organize information within a fast-paced environment pretty early on.

At the end of the day, I’m someone who is strategic, direct and focused on results that actually matter. I’m not here to overpromise or sell something unrealistic. I just want to help people and businesses build real authority in their space in a way that actually lasts.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots for me has been learning how to adapt quickly when it comes to PR campaigns and to look for opportunities to elevate positioning, even when something is already working.

The truth is, I almost gave up on getting into PR altogether until I found BrandBomb PR. But, once I stepped into that environment, everything moved fast and I didn’t have the luxury of overthinking… which is something I tend to do. I had to figure things out in real time and adjust quickly!

One example that stands out was working with a client who had a strong business presence, but an even stronger medical background that wasn’t being fully leveraged. While the brand was already getting attention, I saw an opportunity to shift the narrative.

By focusing more on his clinical expertise, professional credentials and stem cell research, we were able to elevate how he was perceived and position him as a credible authority in his field, including aligning with opportunities like Top Doctor recognitions.

That kind of shift doesn’t require starting over. It’s about refining the narrative and making sure the strongest, most credible aspects of someone’s background are leading the conversation.

That whole experience really shaped how I approach PR now. It’s not always just about getting attention… sometimes it’s about making sure the attention actually builds credibility and long-term authority.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn is that not everything has to be perfect and organized, sometimes it just has to be done!

As someone prone to overthinking and who likes to have everything mapped out and organized before taking action, I thought that was a strength. And in some ways, it is… but I realized pretty quickly that in PR (and in life in general), that mindset can actually slow you down and keep you paralyzed.

When I started working at BrandBomb PR, the pace was fast. There honestly wasn’t always time to plan everything out or have a perfect strategy in place. You have to make decisions quickly, act on them and adjust as you go. Nothing ever goes exactly as planned, no matter how much planning!

That was uncomfortable for me at first. There were definitely moments where I second-guessed myself or felt like I didn’t have enough experience to be making certain calls, but I didn’t have the option to sit in that for long or be scared.

One moment I always think back to was when we were setting up a celebrity sighting and the rapper and his crew were just not paying me any mind. It was one of the first times Lindsay had me handle something like that on my own and I remember feeling the pressure. I’m naturally a little more timid and tend to go with the flow, but there was way too much chaos in that moment to sit back and wait. I remember standing there thinking, “Okay… no one is going to get this together for me.” So eventually, I had to get a little aggressive so I could get the photos I needed to get the job done (and go home).

It sounds small, but that moment really stuck with me. I realized pretty quickly that if I didn’t step up and take control of the situation, nothing was going to happen.

Over time, I realized that waiting for things to be perfect was actually holding me back and keeping me stuck. And on top of that, I’ve also learned that not everyone is going to understand or celebrate my growth… but that that doesn’t make it any less valid. Some people are committed to seeing older versions of you and don’t really make space for who you’re becoming. So I’ve learned to celebrate with the people who do.

Now I focus more on taking action, staying adaptable and celebrating progress instead of trying to get everything right the first time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://BrandBombpr.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexis_kouser/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alex.kouser.5
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexiskouser/

Image Credits

Shade