We were lucky to catch up with Edel Howlin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Edel, appreciate you joining 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.

After leaving college, I worked in the world of clinical trials for a while. My degree was in statistics, and I was solidly working my way toward getting a job in stats. I had just moved to Dublin from a small county in Ireland and I suddenly had a lot of spare time on my hands. Taking a few evening classes seemed like a good idea, one of which was with a local radio station. They were offering to teach people some basic radio skills if you were interested in volunteering at the station. The course lasted for nine weeks, and I loved every minute of it. It planted a seed of wanting to pursue a career in radio. I had always loved radio, but I hadn’t realized that I could work in it. Doing some research I found a year’s full-time certificate in media from a local college, handed in my notice at work, got a part-time job at a radio station doing promotions and started my course.

My parents thought I was crazy, but they also knew that I had my degree to go back to if it didn’t work out. I spent that year learning how to make TV and radio, writing journalism pieces, and taking and developing photographs. It was so amazing to be pursuing something I loved, and it reinforced that this was the right decision for me. Working at the radio station really helped me apply what I was learning. This was the first real risk I ever took in my life, and it also felt like picking the path less traveled. That risk has paid off time and again in my life. I continued to pursue a career in radio when my husband and I moved to Houston, Texas. I drew on that risk taking experience again when we moved a third time to Philadelphia, and it was all I could think about when I started my own communications business in the last few years. We learn so much from the risks that we take, some of them good experiences, some of them not so good. But all of them help to pave the way and show us that if we put our minds to something, we can achieve it.

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 kind of fell into running my own communications business in recent years, but I love what I do. I work with nonprofits, small sustainable businesses, and women-owned businesses to help them share their inspiring stories with media and beyond. I also train people on how to reach media and how to harness the power of their story. As I mentioned, my college degree was in statistics, and after using it for about a year or two working in clinical trials, I decided to go back to study journalism, TV, and radio. I worked in radio and journalism in both Ireland and Houston and that’s where I developed my love of storytelling. That’s also what planted the seeds for running my own communications consultancy. I love weaving words into speeches, fundraising appeals, press releases, and newsletters. It gives me so much pleasure to perfect someone’s voice, so much so that they take those words and use them as their own. I think my proudest moment was a speech I wrote for a well-known musician who was supporting a nonprofit client. Not only did he use what I wrote, but he delivered this one line so beautifully that the media replayed it when they covered the event. I got to hear it over and over, it’s hard to top that feeling!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I met my husband in 2006, we were given a once in a lifetime opportunity to move to America. Houston, Texas to be exact and we jumped at the chance. The only issue was that I knew no-one and didn’t have a job to go to. I knocked on doors, made calls, applied for jobs, and was met with a depressing wall of silence. But I am nothing if not persistent. It paid off. Within a few months of moving, I had found a part-time job at a radio station doing promotions and before long, thanks to my previous radio experience in Ireland, I found myself broadcasting on the radio.

Fast forward ten years later to another move and another city. We had landed in Philadelphia, and I was back at square one again looking for work. To say it was tough to start over was an understatement. I felt really lost this time and I couldn’t figure out what my next move was. I questioned everything I had learned, everything I knew and even considered going back to school to learn a new skill. While I went through this existential crisis, I was meeting with anyone who was kind enough to grab a coffee, lunch or whatever, so I could figure out what came next. It was thanks to these incredible folks that I managed to get a few opportunities, followed by a full-time job and now I’m circling back to these very same people since I started my own communication’s business. I learned that persistence, resilience, relationships, and a tiny bit of luck will go a long way.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I am a sticky person, once you get to know me, we’re connected forever. I don’t mean that in the creepy “I’m going to stalk you, kind of way.” I mean that I will always remember you and if I can connect you with someone helpful, I will. I simply adore supporting people and connecting dots between those that I meet. If you’re looking for work in a city that I lived in, no problem, let me introduce you to folks who will help you get settled. You’re looking for a source for a story? I’ve got you covered and will ask around. You need a speaker for an event? Let me look through my list of inspiring clients and send you some names. This is how I build relationships with media and clients. I care. I want to help you and I will do everything in my power to go that extra mile. The clients who value that have been with me from the very beginning and I’ve continued to support them in ways far beyond our initial engagement. I love what I do, I love to meet new people through networking opportunities, and I love when I can connect like-minded individuals. It’s my happy place :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://untaptcomms.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edel-howlin-2b05129/