Plan Like A Boss | Planning, Productivity, and Strategy for Entrepreneurs

From Burnout To A Boutique PR Business with Melinda Jackson

• Tonya • Episode 62

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0:00 | 32:22

Quitting a “dream job” can look reckless from the outside, but sometimes it’s the most responsible thing you can do for your health, your future, and your sense of self. We sit down with Melinda Jackson, owner of Melinda Jackson Public Relations, to talk about what happens when the glamour of LA entertainment PR collides with real burnout and you decide to start over anyway.

Melinda shares the leap that shaped her: moving to Los Angeles with $500, no job, and zero connections, then hustling through internships and side gigs while learning how to build relationships that last. From there, we trace the pivot back to North Carolina, the moment she decides she can build a boutique PR agency on her own, and how she creates “safety scaffolding” with just enough freelance income to cover rent and calm the scarcity mindset.

We also get practical about confidence and age. If you’re a woman over 40 rebuilding after a transition, the fear of being behind can get loud. Melinda breaks down how she uses intuition as a business superpower, how to tune out toxic voices, and why you don’t need to follow every trendy “female founder” playbook to succeed.

Then we dig into shoestring budget PR: how to shape your pivot story into a clear hook, what to pitch, and why local media can compound into regional and national visibility. If you’re building a second act, this is your reminder that your story is an asset, not a liability.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s starting over, and leave a review if it helps. What’s one leap you’re considering right now?

Connect with Melinda Jackson: https://www.melindajacksonpr.com

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