Meet Beth Okeon

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Beth Okeon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Beth below.

Beth, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
My elementary school CLUE teacher took me to WMCTV Action News 5 for a segment they were doing on a book entitled “A Kid’s Guide to Memphis” that our class had put together. The minute I saw the set and some of the media personalities I recognized from my TV back home, something clicked. I quickly understood that this is how good stories get shared with the community. I knew then that I wanted to be involved with helping the untold stories get told. Once I became an adult and started work at a corporation, I found that many people were nervous about dealing with the media – an area in which I felt completely comfortable. I have a sister who was a news reporter back then, so I often sought out her input at the beginning of my career which was a big help. Since then, it’s been a privilege to help share the good news of many local nonprofits and small businesses as well as some great Memphis success stories of companies which have grown across the nation. I love everything about the PR process from the pitching to the media training to working with amazing reporters, producers, and media personalities. I still get to visit the TV station fairly often – and I still have my copy of “A Kid’s Guide to Memphis” (thank you, Mrs. Uiberall)!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
One of the most rewarding things I get to do is to help people prepare to speak with the media and/or be interviewed. They have all of the passion and information they need to do the interview and, many times, may just not have had the opportunity to talk about it in that particular format. Helping them develop and practice this skill is something that will continue to help them and their organization succeed indefinitely.

Another thing I love about my job is getting to interview people! Whether it’s for a news article, a social blog or a company newsletter, I get to interview all types of professionals who make the world a better place. From truck drivers and pet food experts to restauranteurs and nonprofit leaders, I never tire of hearing about what inspires a person to do what they get up and do each day.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Optimism Resilience
Being raised by an entrepreneur

The best advice I can offer is to get around people who uplift and encourage you. Whether that’s personally, professionally, spiritually or otherwise, I believe we increase our chances of being the person we were designed to be if we surround ourselves with people who are seeking the same for themselves and allow us to be our true self too.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
Being raised by an entrepreneur was extremely impactful to me. My father, who passed away just this year, owned Marx-Bensdorf, REALTORS and was the broker there for decades. Watching him work days, nights, weekends and holidays showed me that an entrepreneur’s involvement in their business never ends. What it also showed me was the freedom, flexibility and opportunity that entrepreneurship affords. If my father worked hard (and if the crazy real estate market cooperated), he could provide more for our family. He and his siblings came from humble beginnings and, armed with the same three items I noted (optimism, resilience and being raised by an entrepreneur), my parents were able to raise four girls, put them through college and position us for success. While I did work for a corporation prior to starting my own business, I knew being an entrepreneur was both possible and very likely for me because it was what was modeled in my home. As my good friend and colleague Leigh Mansberg, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South, often says, “You can’t be it if you can’t see it!”

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Image Credits
Professional headshot by Ben Couvillion. All other photos are courtesy of ABO Marketing & Communications

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