Q WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT FORTHRIGHT PEOPLE?
I grew up at Procter & Gamble, but my career was anything but conventional. I’m actually an engineer. I spent my first decade in research and development. I wanted to be closer to where business decisions were being made, which took me to communications and influencer marketing, where I spent my second decade. This gave rise to my passion for helping businesses cultivate Brand-Love. That spurned a desire to do my own thing and led me to April Martini,
and we formed ForthRight People, an on-demand branding and marketing agency. Our mission is to help small and medium-sized businesses become savvier marketers. One easily accessible way we do this is through our podcast “Marketing Smarts.” We also launched ForthRight Women, a community of women who have ambition and are tired of feeling like they have to apologize and compromise to get there. It is inspired by our years of experience facing such challenges, as well as seeing what those we coach endure as well.
Q IN YOUR PROFESSION, WHAT EXCITES YOU THE MOST?
I love breathing new life into businesses and people. Everything at its basic level is a commodity. This can be debilitating for some, but it’s liberating for those with big aspirations because it’s a blank slate to create. Whether it’s in crafting the brand around a business or one’s Personal Brand, the biggest reward for me is when people see potential they didn’t know they had, and they believe they can achieve that potential. This is the motivation for ForthRight Women. As women, especially executive moms, we often run in default mode because of the expectations others and, frankly, we put on ourselves. When I see women feeling empowered to make intentional choices that prioritize themselves and their careers, I’m excited that we’re progressing with the mission to help more women rise.
Q WHAT’S ONE OF YOUR BEST MEMORIES FROM YOUR CAREER?
I can’t do just one. Here’s a snapshot: Watching the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team win and receive their gold medals at the Olympics; hosting Emmitt Smith and Jimmy Johnson for media days; two award-winning Tide Super Bowl spots; sitting on top of an RV watching the Tide Ride at Darlington, South Carolina; meeting April; getting our first real client for ForthRight People; and our first ForthRight Women’s event. And honestly, that’s just scratching the surface.
Q WHAT IS CINCINNATI’S BEST-KEPT SECRET?
Our local music scene. We have some of the best bands I’ve heard anywhere, including 3PR, Michelle Robinson, Audio Graffiti, and Doghouse. And we have so many venues to watch them — from restaurants to bars to festivals.