Welcome to How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield. In today's episode, we explore the journey of Fatou Barry, founder of the PR Girl Manifesto and co-founder of Hold the Press. Barry's mission is to create a safe space for communications professionals, especially young black women struggling with staying in the PR industry. She believes in the importance of representation and diversity in the field, and her advocacy group, Hold the Press, is committed to improving just that.

Barry's story is about perseverance and finding her happy medium in the communications department. Working in the communication space while an undergrad, Barry quickly learned the value of working independently and being an all-hands-on-deck team player. This eventually led to her founding the PR Girl Manifesto, which has grown to over 40,000 followers.

If you want to join a community of communications professionals, look no further than the PR Girl Manifesto's website.

So tune in, listen to Barry's inspiring journey, and learn the importance of representation, diversity, and advocacy in the PR industry.

- Fatou Barry: Founder of PR Girl Manifesto and Hold the Press

- High school dream of fashion PR

- Found a happy medium in communications

- First job at a French-owned denim brand

- PR Girl Manifesto launched in 2014

- Nonprofit creates safe space for comms professionals

- Hold the Press advocates for diversity in the PR industry

- Joy in influencing change

- Community front and center for growth

- Encourage flexibility and exploration in the industry

- Find and follow at PR Girl Manifesto website

Introduction [00:00:40] Praise for Speaker 1 [00:00:56] Importance of representation [00:01:00] Gaining confidence as a communication specialist [00:09:29] Unique aspect of Whip PR [00:09:33] Small team and transition to a nonprofit [00:27:00] Black PR professionals jumping through hoops [00:33:31] Using black PR professionals to get black business [00:33:55] Passion for supporting the next generation [00:36:17] Importance of personal and professional development and relatable content [00:39:08]