Discover the INCREDIBLE journeys of the women in our community.
In our Member Stories, we hear from our members about the experiences that have shaped them, the challenges they’ve overcome, and how they are driving impact in their industries and beyond.
Emma Elliott
Founder
Chalk PR and CHALK PR D.I.Y
I founded Chalk PR in 2002, a ‘hands-on’ PR, communications, and brand building consultancy specialising in wellness, lifestyle, and beauty brands. Sister company CHALK PR D.I.Y is a consultancy service that helps you create and develop your PR strategy for in-house execution.
Share an experience or challenge that has shaped you? I was fortunate to spend my early years on multiple continents whilst being schooled in the UK. These experiences made me inquisitive, resilient, and intuitive. My parents are both optimists and kindly shared this character trait with my brothers and I, it has been invaluable to my career.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given? Kindness is a non-negotiable, something my mother taught me early on and family comes first.
What advice would you give to your younger self or a woman just starting her career? Be confident enough to believe in your own capabilities but never afraid to ask others for help, remaining curious is essential to business growth.
What does success mean to you? Happy Clients, Happy Team, Happy Me! Really getting under the skin of a brand, helping its messaging resonate and taking that to a wider audience is what makes me thrive.
How do you handle challenges and changes? What's in your toolkit? Life is a rollercoaster, now more than ever and there will always be challenging times. Pausing, whilst I navigate them is valuable. Someone somewhere will have had a similar experience to reference, and their advice is often helpful to guide me alongside my gut-instinct response.
Why is it important to support women in business and women-led business? My business has always been women-led and women-run. We are fortunate that this is not unusual within our industry for smaller businesses. It is one of the reasons I chose this sector.
60 Seconds with Emma Elliott
My inspiration is: I am inspired by women who manage a work and life balance – it is hard to do but essential in the long run.
My greatest fear is: Not delivering on hopes and promises for brands despite my best efforts.
The most courageous thing I have ever done is: Leaving a well-paid job and launching two businesses at once: Chalk PR and Dogmad. I quickly realised that is Chalk PR is my focus although I still have some fans for Dogmad.
I am most proud of: Reaching a 22 year milestone with Chalk PR!
Guiltless pleasure: Tricky one, dark chocolate or Margarita…
Mantra I live by: Glass half full or overflowing – never glass half-empty.
Female role model: All those who are lifters-up of women, we need many more in positions of seniority to help address the gender imbalance in many industries.
Women-led brand I love: All those I represent: STORIES Parfums, Jenni Retourne Willowberry, Ekwy Nene Equi Botanics and Anne Onwusowulu Skin Hair Manufacturing Hub.
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