We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Summers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Amy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job?

Early in my career, I worked for a boss I admired deeply. She trusted me, stretched me, and gave me experience and responsibilities that helped me grow faster than I thought possible. I was loyal beyond my paycheck because I felt deeply connected to her and valued.

Then something suddenly changed. Policies and financial pressures began to outweigh people. The new rules crossed an ethical line for me, and I told her that honestly. When I resigned, promises were made, and I agreed to stay longer because I trusted her. In the end, I was let go in a way that felt abrupt and transactional. What stayed with me was not the relationship we had built, but how I felt on the way out the door.

At the time, I didn’t label this as mentorship or define how I would be a mentor to those in the future, but when I ultimately started my own company, I remembered that feeling from this bad experience and knew that, no matter how stressful business becomes, I vowed never to let policy or profit override how I treat people. People are not line items; they are the heart of the work. That lesson became the foundation for how I built my company and, years later, why I wrote “Lift.”

Amy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In college, I pursued a degree in public relations without knowing much about the field or having role models in the industry. What drew me in was my love for communication and storytelling. I initially thought I would become a journalist, but public relations felt like a place where I could still tell meaningful stories while also helping people solve real communications challenges.

I founded Pitch Publicity in my mid-20s, not because I set out to be an entrepreneur, but because I ran out of other options. After losing my job, several former clients mailed me checks and told me to buy a phone and a computer and start pitching for them. These first clients believed in me, trusted m,e and recognized potential in me long before I could see it on my own. That belief became the foundation and beginning of my company.

More than two decades later, I can say with certainty that if I had not been fired, none of this would have happened. What felt like rejection was actually redirection. Being pushed out forced me to bet on myself and build something of my own, rooted in trust and relationships. Because of this experience, I always tell people, if you are standing in a setback that feels unfair or frightening, it may be the very moment that points you toward the work you are meant to do.

At Pitch Publicity, we provide publicity for companies and organizations that want to raise awareness for their causes, innovations, and services. We help clients use their expertise to educate and inform the public on important issues, new developments,s and events, and we work closely with journalists to connect them with credible, well-prepared sources who can add value to their reporting.

Over the years, we have had the privilege of producing campaigns that reached audiences in extraordinary places, including becoming the first to coordinate live media interviews at both the underwater research lab Aquarius Reef Base, 63 feet beneath the sea, and from the top of Mount Everest. I am proud of the logistics and the headlines, but that is not what makes the work meaningful. What stays with me are the relationships built along the way, the trust people place in us to help tell their stories, and the talent we develop as a result.

In 2020, I launched INICIVOX to formalize something I had been doing informally for years: mentoring emerging professionals in how to find their voice, pitch their ideas, and build confidence through communication.

What sets me apart is that mentorship is not a side initiative in my business. It is the business model. I have chosen to invest in people rather than build a following or chase profits, and because of that, the success we create is more sustainable.

I am proud of the campaigns we execute for clients, but what fills me up most are the people I have had the privilege to work beside. I call them our “Pitch Stars.” Watching their growth, their courage, and the moments when they earn big opportunities or step into new chapters of their careers, those are the successes that mean the most to me.

As my career has evolved, I have realized the real treasure of any business is the human transformation that happens inside it. Watching someone discover their capability and confidence is more rewarding than any headline or profit margin.

That realization is why I dedicated “Lift” to the “Pitch Stars.” The book captures the everyday leadership and mentorship moments that create real momentum.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn someone else’s definition of success.

For a long time, I was told growth meant becoming bigger, meaning more staff, more offices, more revenue, more noise. I tried to want that, but the further I chased it, the further I drifted from the part of the work that energized me most: being present with people.

Eventually, I understood that success is personal. You must define it for yourself, or you will spend your life trying to satisfy a scoreboard you never agreed to.

Today, I intentionally keep my company sized for true connection. When prospective clients ask why we are not larger, I tell them the truth: staying small and focused allows me to invest deeply in them and my team.

For me, success is measured in human advancement. If the people around me rise, so do I.

Any advice for managing a team?

Compensation and titles are important, but they are not what people remember years later. They remember who believed in them, who made time for them, and who helped them see potential they could not yet see themselves.

After more than two decades in business and the opportunity to help launch dozens of careers, I’ve learned that management keeps operations running, but mentorship changes lives.

Over time, I began to notice certain moments that consistently created momentum, specific ways leaders could show up that built trust, connection, and confidence. Those observations became the 10 mentorship touchpoints I share in “Lift.”

When people feel supported and connected to a larger purpose, morale rises naturally. Performance follows, and leadership becomes something we practice with each other, not something we hold over each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lifttolead.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amysummersnyc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amysummersnyc/
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/amysummersNYC
• Twitter: https://x.com/PitchAmy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pitchpublicitynyc
• Other: TIkTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amysummersnyc

Image Credits

Amy with one of her first clients, Anthony Zolezzi
Amy on site in Islamorado, in the Florida Keys, with Fabien Cousteau
Amy moderating a virtual INICIVOX Mentor SkillShare session with a panel of professionals.
Amy, with her Pitch Star team at the CBS Morning Show with Gayle King.
Amy with the Pitch Star team at PT Barnum-themed celebration event
Amy with Pitch Star team at the Studio 54-themed celebration event for Pitch Publicity in New York City
Amy with Pitch Stars (mentees: Lee and LaKendra) and artist for Lift book, Stephen Palladino at the EDITION in West Hollywood, California.
Amy with Pitch Star (mentee: Maiya) at The Edge in New York City
Amy with Pitch Stars (mentees: Salem, Maureen, Daniele and Jacob) at Tavern on the Green in New York City
Amy with Pitch Stars (mentees Ellie and Nicole) planning for the Lift book release event at The Times Square EDITION penthouse.
Amy Summers HP3: Amy Summers
Lift_Cover…: Lift Book Cover