We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Leslie Hacker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Leslie below.
Hi Leslie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
The idea for Hacker Communications didn’t come from a business plan. It came from a breaking point.
In 2015, both of my parents were diagnosed with cancer. I was 25 years old. That same year, my dad passed away. I had been working in PR and marketing for about five years. I had already held roles with major hospitality, food, and lifestyle brands, led campaigns that drove real business results, and interned at top-tier companies. But despite my experience, I kept getting offered more internships instead of real opportunities to grow. I felt stuck and underestimated in an industry where I knew I had so much more to offer.
Losing my dad that same year made that clarity even sharper.
I needed to take ownership of my future and build something on my own terms, something that would give me the flexibility to caretake for my mum battling brain cancer and do work that gave me meaning in this short life we have.
That opportunity came through someone very special: my first client, Tracy. When I was between jobs, she asked if I could help her with her skincare studio’s launch. That small project opened my eyes to what was possible. I realized I could build a business helping people like Tracy: Kind, values-driven entrepreneurs, and connect them with the people who needed them most. She believed in me, and that was all I needed.
Tracy, who later passed away from breast cancer, was truly an angel of a human. Her grace, strength, and unwavering support stayed with me throughout the evolution of my business. She gave me my start, and showed me what heart-led entrepreneurship looks like and the clientele that it attracts.
That’s how my PR agency, Hacker Communications, began. From day one, I wanted to build something different. I created a collective model that brings together top-tier, hand-selected (and vetted) specialists across PR, branding, digital marketing, SEO, influencer strategy, and experiential campaigns. Our strength lies in collaboration. By aligning brilliant minds under one roof, we offer businesses a holistic approach that is agile, emotionally intelligent, and deeply impactful.
What makes Hacker Communications stand out, and still drives me today, is our focus on emotion. In a world increasingly shaped by automation and AI, human connection is more valuable than ever. AI can’t understand what it feels like to lose a parent, to feel isolated, or to navigate the emotional complexity of grief. But I do. And I bring that lived experience into every campaign by tapping into empathy and the human experience to build campaigns that do more than just make noise; They resonate and reach people on a human level.
In 2020, I lost my mum to brain cancer. Her strength, love, and belief in me continue to guide everything I do. Since her passing, I’ve been deeply committed to raising awareness and funds for brain cancer research through events that support the work of Dr. Kevin Petrecca, the brain surgeon who gave her five extra years of life. Dr. Petrecca leads groundbreaking research at The Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), one of the world’s leading centers for innovative treatments and ultimately finding a cure for brain cancer.
That loss also deepened my commitment to supporting brands that bring healing, wellness, and light to those in need. After my mum passed, I attended a retreat in Costa Rica that helped me begin to heal. It reminded me just how many people are quietly struggling, unsure of how to cope with life’s toughest challenges. I want to help brands reach those people. I want to ensure that no one feels alone in their hardest moments, the way I did.
That’s what excites me about my work. Whether it’s a wellness brand offering healing, a travel brand creating moments of peace, or a tech brand improving everyday life, I am on a mission to help connect meaningful businesses with the people who need them. The most rewarding part of my work isn’t just the business success, it’s that we are helping people feel seen, supported, and inspired when it matters most.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hi, I’m Leslie Hacker, the founder of Hacker Communications, a purpose-driven PR, social media, and brand activation collective. I started my career as a business reporter at the New York Daily News, where I didn’t just learn about storytelling- I lived it. At just 19 years old, and completely out of my element, I was thrown into the fast-paced world of journalism. I did heavy research to uncover the truth, developed my skills as a writer and editor, and learned how to craft headlines that made people care. I covered everything from police car auctions in the Bronx to financial survival tips from Fordham University students. It pushed me far outside my comfort zone and taught me how to speak to readers in a way that was clear, relevant, and impactful. That early experience shaped the foundation of everything I do now.
From there, I transitioned into the world of hospitality and consumer marketing, working with iconic brands like Sheraton Hotels, Chefs Plate, and Just Eat.
Losing most of the people I cared about in such a short period of time is what led me to start my agency, Hacker Communications, and it’s the values and lessons I learned from those experiences that guide me in everything I do now.
Hacker Communications is not a traditional agency- we’re a collective of specialists across PR, branding, digital marketing, influencer strategy, SEO, and experiential campaigns. Our ability to combine senior-level strategy with emotional intelligence, flexibility, and heart is what sets us apart. Everyone I work with is properly vetted by me, and I only work with people who I feel understand and jive with these values.
While we offer full-service marketing, PR is my favorite service to offer, and it remains the heartbeat of my work. I believe that every brand has a story worth telling, and that the right story, shared in the right way, has the power to reach and move the people who need to hear it most. Public relations is about creating relevance, resonance, and real connection. A great example is our recent Music is Medicine campaign, which reached over 56 million people and helped raise more than $600,000 for Dr. Kevin Petrecca’s brain cancer research. That’s the kind of impact that thoughtful, emotionally intelligent PR can make and when we connect purpose with the right audience in a way that inspires action.
Our clients are typically in the health, wellness, and lifestyle spaces. They are brands that want to make an impact, not just make a sale. Whether it’s launching a wellness product, raising awareness for a healing service, or positioning a consumer-based company with heart, our work is grounded in empathy, creativity, and strategy.
We also specialize in influencer campaigns, which continue to be one of the most effective ways to connect on a deeper, more human level. People trust people more than brands, and the influencers we partner with have built real communities through authentic, engaging content. We prioritize creators who align with our clients’ values and who foster genuine connection, not just reach.
Hacker Communications is more than a PR agency. It is a mission-driven collective focused on amplifying meaningful brands, creating authentic emotional connections, and using marketing as a force for good. The most rewarding part of this work isn’t just the metrics or media hits. It’s knowing that we are building bridges between purpose and people and helping others feel seen, supported, and inspired when it matters most.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
One of the most defining moments of resilience on my journey thus far came on Valentine’s Day 2020. The day I lost my mom to brain cancer. Just weeks later, the world shut down as COVID hit. I was living alone in Toronto at the time, locked down with no physical support system, no human connection, and no family nearby. The grief was crushing and the isolation was unnatural to any social creature. My only source of comfort was my dog, Eevie, who was born on March 15, 2020. She quite literally saved me during that time.
Oddly enough, my business was thriving. Digital marketing was in its heyday and I had been unknowingly preparing for that moment for a decade. Hacker Communications was built to be agile, digital-first, and emotionally intelligent so while everything around me felt uncertain, I leaned into work. It gave me structure, purpose, and an outlet for my energy. And if I’m being honest, I drank a lot of White Claw during that time. It was a coping mechanism, like it was for many of us just trying to get through the unknown.
After a year in Toronto, I realized I needed more than just survival-I needed a fresh start. In October 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, I moved across the country to Vancouver, a city I had always loved and dreamed of living in, but where I had no friends, no business contacts, and no safety net. It was one of the hardest and best decisions of my life.
Starting over in Vancouver was not easy. The city has a reputation for being tough to break into socially, and the pandemic made it even harder. But I stayed open and slowly, as more people moved here looking for the same things (healing, connection, and a better life), I began to find my people. I built a warm, supportive community, not just personally, but professionally. Many of the collaborators in my collective are now true friends. We support one another, challenge one another, and lift each other up, and that energy flows directly into the work we do for our clients.
Resilience, to me, isn’t just about pushing through pain. It’s about building something meaningful from it. Vancouver gave me the space to start again, and I used that opportunity to grow a business and a life rooted in empathy, creativity, and community. That experience continues to shape how I lead, how I serve, and how I show up for others.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
The most important advice I can offer for managing a team and maintaining high morale is to remember that first and foremost we’re all human. Before diving into business, I always take a moment to check in, whether it’s with my clients, collaborators, or members of my collective: How are you doing? How’s your week been? What’s going on in your world? How is business?
Work is part of life, but it’s not the whole picture. Many of us work remotely, and that comes with its own set of daily disruptions- kids, pets, neighbours, tech issues, or just life showing up unexpectedly. I don’t expect anyone to be “on” every second of the day. I believe in creating a culture where people feel supported as full human beings, not just professionals.
It’s also essential to give credit where it’s due. I’m a big believer in celebrating wins, both big and small. Right now, we’re working on a social post to highlight one of our team member’s recent accomplishments. I’m also exploring ways to offer perks like updated headshots, and during the holidays, I make a point to take each team member out for a one-on-one dinner, as well as host a team celebration. These may seem like small gestures, but they go a long way in helping people feel seen, valued, and appreciated.
Lastly, I always strive to create a safe, open space where people feel comfortable asking questions, offering feedback, and being real. When people feel heard and respected, not only does morale go up, but so does the quality of the work we create together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hackercommunications.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hacker_communications/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePublicRelationsHack
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-hacker/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-46332510
- Other: Funny you should ask for my Soundcloud! I started this channel when my parents got sick. Making music helped me get through some of the darkest nights of my life. Music helped me heal and cope when my parents were sick. This channel were some of the songs I created during that time. I hope to continue to use my passion for creating music to help others as well and that will be my next endevour that I hope to share with you in the future!
Image Credits
CTV News
Tetiana Slyviak
Michelle Diamond
Leslie Hacker
Keren Fisher