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

Carina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories 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.

In 2021, I decided to change publication from twice a month to once a month. This was a risk. It was a risk because the newspaper has always been twice a month since the early 1900s. I would be changing the cadence. The familiar cadence for the community, advertisers, and supporters. This was a big deal. We had the potential of losing advertisers. We didn’t. I was shocked! We were not questioned why we were scaling back and keeping the same prices. We were thankful. This change proved a lot. It showed us that no matter what we need to do for the sake of the newspaper, we will be understood and trusted.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a lover. I am a lover of many things – helping people, writing, Yorkies, mountain biking, traveling, and taking risks!

As a 29-year-old woman, I am proud to say that I still do not have it all figured out, and that is okay. Actually, that is the beauty of it all. I am a St. Louis native. I attended the University of Mississippi – Ole Miss in Oxford, MS, where I studied journalism. Not on purpose. I began my 4-year degree as a business student and graduated as a journalism major who took over an Italian American newspaper six weeks after. All. By. Myself. I fell into the journalism school because I told my school counselor, at the time, I was interested in public relations.

Fast forward to 2025; I have been publishing a 1904 newspaper since July 2018, and it has been the most rewarding seven years of my life. Print is not dead! I absolutely love publishing a print publication in a digital age. It is such a unique experience. My grandfather began publishing the newspaper in the 60s and challenged me to take it over.

The purpose of the newspaper, Il Pensiero, is to keep alive the Italian heritage, support the local community, and support other Italian organizations across the states.

It is the only Italian American newspaper in the State of Missouri. I am most proud of the organic attention it is getting in 2025. I want people to be able to share the newspaper with someone and challenge us to continue.

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

Building a reputation is hard! For me, it was the most difficult. People didn’t know me. They knew my grandfather. I have a different last name than him. When I took over the newspaper, people thought he sold it to someone. He didn’t! It was me – his granddaughter. So, for almost two years, I had to attend certain events, parties, functions, etc., with either him or his daughter, my mom. After this repetition, people started to notice my face. It was easier! They were relieved, and so was I, My reputation was built on showing up, asking questions, introducing myself, reintroducing myself, and supporting anything and everything going on in the community.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Books:
How Leaders Learn
Niching Up
Atomic Habits
Good to Great
Leader Shift
The Energy Bus
The Making of a Manager
How to be a boss
dare to lead
Make It Happen

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ilpensiero.net/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carinamarino/

Image Credits

Carina Marino