Winners Find a Way

In this episode of Winners Find A Way, Trent Clark sits down with Mickie Kennedy, founder and president of eReleases, to break down why 97% of press releases fail — and what successful businesses do differently. Mickie shares how storytelling, earned media, and strategic PR can help small and mid-sized businesses stand out in today's noisy digital world. From building compelling headlines to using AI the right way, this conversation is packed with practical insights for entrepreneurs, authors, and business owners looking to build credibility and visibility through media. The episode also dives into Mickie's personal journey from poet and creative writer to building a nationally recognized PR company serving thousands of businesses. In This Episode Why most press releases never get picked up The difference between syndication vs earned media How journalists actually choose stories Why storytelling matters more than company announcements How to use AI effectively for press releases The power of surveys and industry data in PR Why great quotes can make or break media coverage How small businesses can compete for national attention Mickie's journey from poetry to entrepreneurship Key Takeaways Storytelling Wins The best PR campaigns focus on human stories, transformation, and emotion — not just product features. Earned Media Matters Real credibility comes from journalists writing about your business, not just publishing your release on random websites. AI Is a Tool — Not the Strategy AI can help structure and improve writing, but businesses still need strategic angles and compelling narratives. Industry Surveys Create Authority Creating and publishing original survey data is one of the fastest ways to become a thought leader in your industry. Great Quotes Increase Pickups Strong, memorable quotes help journalists build better stories and increase the likelihood your company gets featured. Memorable Quotes "Most press releases fail because they read like ads." — Mickie Kennedy "Stories sell. Data supports the story." — Trent Clark "AI should help you write better — not decide what's newsworthy." — Mickie Kennedy "A great quote is your Trojan horse into the article." — Mickie Kennedy About Mickie Kennedy Mickie Kennedy is the founder and president of eReleases, a PR distribution service helping small businesses, startups, and authors gain real media exposure through PR Newswire distribution and strategic press release campaigns. He is also the author of PR Strategy Manifesto and A Beginner's Guide to Press Release Writing. Outside of business, Mickie is a creative writer and poet whose newest poetry collection, Worth Burning, reflects on life growing up in the South. Resources & Links Connect with Mickie Kennedy 🌐 https://www.ereleases.com/ Free PR Masterclass: https://www.ereleases.com/plan-2/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/publicity/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ereleases.press.release.distribution Connect with Trent Clark & Leadershipity https://leadershipity.com/ Winners Find A Way Podcast: https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentmclark  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipity/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trent.m.clark1 Leadershipity LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadershipity Subscribe & Review If you enjoyed this episode of Winners Find A Way, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with an entrepreneur or business owner who wants to grow their visibility and credibility through smarter PR. Winners Find A Way with Trent Clark features conversations with elite performers, entrepreneurs, and leaders sharing the lessons, adversity, and mindset that helped them reach the top 1% in their field.  

Sacrificing the Good for the Sake of the Potentially Great | Part 1  Trent M Clark, 3X World Series Coach, Serial Entrepreneur, Coach to the 1%, and now NIL Educator and Marketing Agent, host another fabulous ONE-percenter in Alex Sanfilippo on the WINNERS FIND A WAY Show!     Alex is the owner of PodPros and has dedicated his career to improving the lives of others as he has been at the forefront of Podcasting Education for a number of years. He overcame learning disabilities and without a college education, he rose to an Executive position in the highly esteemed Aerospace Industry!  And then...he QUIT all of it to come to help people like you and me!  Crazy!    Come on this journey with me and Alex as we discuss the mindset it takes to be at the top, how our past should never define our future, plus the risk and reward of stepping out of your comfort zone to Live the Dream you have imagined in your own mind!    Learn More from Alex Sanfilippo: 5:21 - Why Alex got into homeschooling 6:53 -  How he got into aerospace engineering- from school dropout to aerospace executive. 7:19 - How he got interested in real estate. 10:17 - Transitioning from aerospace to podcasting. 13:46 - Why we need to leave every relationship in a good term. 16:13 - Challenges he faced along the way 21:47 - Finding his relationship with Jesus 22:24 - Why would we accept people in our life that aren't treating us well? 26:50 - The importance of owning your journey along the way - 34:51 - Getting out of his comfort zone   Podcast Takeaways : "I believe the way you end one season is the way you begin the next. So the footing that you have as you're leaving is the flooding you have when you get started" - Alex "Always ending the season faithfully doing your best every single chance you get" -Alex "If you want to be a winner like you have to be yourself and just own where you've come from." - Alex "The first thing I always tell people is you've got to show up and be transparent." - Alex " Taking the risk, can't steal second with your foot on first." Trent Connect with Alex Sanfilippo: podproz.com   Support our sponsors:  www.rebelliousbeverage.com   Learn more about Leadershipity Coaching and Events:  [email protected]     Connect with Coach Trent Clark with these links : Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_76SFCClh6GbqLjzFgf8xw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentmclark/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/leadershipity/?hl=en Fb Page: https://www.facebook.com/Leadershipity/?ref=pages_you_manage   Thanks for tuning into today's episode of Sacrificing the Good for the Sake of the Potentially Great with Coach Trent Clark and Alex Sanfilippo. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the show and leave us a review.   .  

Join us as our host, International Coach Trent Clark talks to Gordie Bufton, an award-winning international speaker spoken around the world in high demand within corporations, the EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization), and YPO (Young Presidents' Organization) community.  He's passionate about wellness and health care and has been featured on CBS, NBC, Forbes, and countless more.   Let us hear how Gordie crossed the line from being a former drug dealer to being a keynote international speaker specializing in helping people connect to what is essential in their lives.    "Small things that you do on a daily basis, compounded annually will change your life". Gordie Bufton   Today on Coach Trent Clark Podcast, learn from Gordie Bufton : Part 1 (3:40)   What are Gordie's challenges he faced and how did he overcome them?   (5:21)   At what point in Gordie's life did he ever get inspired to change his life? (10:37) What is anxiety? What advice can Gordie give to worrywarts? (17:44) What is the premise of the connection effect?     Podcast Takeaways: "I couldn't put it back together and then there was that 1% in order to do what I want, lean into that greatness and have to make different choices.  "Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge". "Success is a choice".   Connect with Gordie Bufton : GordieBufton.com https://www.facebook.com/gordiebufton https://twitter.com/gordiebufton https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/gordonbufton/ Send  GordieBufton an email to GB at genius. Creators.org   There's more!   Gordie is the author of two books, have a copy! The Connection Effect: An Entrepreneur's Playbook To Unlocking  The Present Moment and Eluding Reality: A Memoir About Drugs, Psych Wards, and Recovery.        Support our sponsors:  Rebellious Beverages Use Code:  99999   Follow & Connect with Trent Clark: 💡 Website: Leadershipity.com 🎙️ Winners Find a Way Podcast: https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast 📩 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentmclark/ Grab a copy of the Book Leading Winning Team : https://leadingwinningteams.trent-clark.com/bookrecording79 🚀 FREE GIFT ALERT! Want to take your leadership to the next level? Download "The Pyramid of Leadershipity" for FREE! This powerful guide breaks down the essential steps to becoming an elite leader—from mindset to execution. Grab your copy now! 👉 PYRAMID OF LEADERSHIPITY     Listen to More Episodes:  Catch new episodes of the Winners Find a Way Show every Thursday at 12:30 PM Eastern / 9:30 AM Pacific.     Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guest and do not necessarily reflect any organisation's official policy or position. 

Join us as our host, International Coach Trent Clark , talks to Cory Procter, a former American football guard in the National Football League for the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins. He currently owns and runs Pro Capital Wealth Management. A professional speaker to different organizations and a Certified Financial Planner of Woodbury Financial Services. Cory Procter had his NFL career ended abruptly in 2010 after suffering a serious knee injury.  Being forced to leave the game he loved was difficult for a pro athlete. So let us tune in to hear Cory Procter's transformation and success story, an offensive lineman delivering levels of protection in the area of sports but now protecting assets.   Learn from Cory Procter: Cory added weaponry to his system to get his destination A to destination B ten times faster How to manage discomfort How to combat "victim mentality" The result of filling the proverbial cup The best battle that ever conquered in his lifetime   Podcast Takeaways : It's not who you know, it's who knows you. Make sure you got good people around you. Confidence comes with preparation and repetition. We're all naturally searching for leadership, we're all naturally searching for somebody to guide us. And along with that, we are actually called to be a leader somehow in our life, every one of them, no matter how big or small.   How to Find Cory Procter   https://www.procapitaltx.com/team/cory-procter https://www.instagram.com/coryprocter/?hl=en https://twitter.com/coryprocter https://www.linkedin.com/in/coryprocter/       Support our sponsors:   Rebellious Beverages Use Code:  99999     Follow & Connect with Trent Clark: 💡 Website: Leadershipity.com 🎙️ Winners Find a Way Podcast: https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast 📩 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentmclark/ Grab a copy of the Book Leading Winning Team : https://leadingwinningteams.trent-clark.com/bookrecording79 🚀 FREE GIFT ALERT! Want to take your leadership to the next level? Download "The Pyramid of Leadershipity" for FREE! This powerful guide breaks down the essential steps to becoming an elite leader—from mindset to execution. Grab your copy now! 👉 PYRAMID OF LEADERSHIPITY     Listen to More Episodes:  Catch new episodes of the Winners Find a Way Show every Thursday at 12:30 PM Eastern / 9:30 AM Pacific.     Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guest and do not necessarily reflect any organisation's official policy or position. 

Ann Gaffigan is a former American record holder in the 2,000- and 3,000-meter steeplechase. She won the 2004 Olympic Trials when the event was held as an exhibition for women. Ann retired from competitive running in 2008 and co-founded the website WomenTalkSports.com. She has owned and run her own web development company, Gazelle Incorporated, since 2004. In this episode, Ann shares her journey to success and what she went through. "Focus  on things that can bring success"   You don't want to miss: Olympics challenges  Career and passion   How she started her entrepreneurial journey Managing stress and focusing on things that bring success Best self /self-care Facing adversity   Tweetable quotes:  "Do whatever you can, it doesn't wait"-Trent  " If you have a good race today, be happy today!  "Focus  on things that can bring success" "I can be that girl that I thought I was" "Always no regrets"- Trent "Sometimes setting specific goals can be limiting"  " What you think is possible right now is a function of what you know right now" "I never saw wild things feel sorry for themselves"     Follow & Connect with Trent Clark: 💡 Website: Leadershipity.com 🎙️ Winners Find a Way Podcast: https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast 📩 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentmclark/ Grab a copy of the Book Leading Winning Team : https://leadingwinningteams.trent-clark.com/bookrecording79 🚀 FREE GIFT ALERT! Want to take your leadership to the next level? Download "The Pyramid of Leadershipity" for FREE! This powerful guide breaks down the essential steps to becoming an elite leader—from mindset to execution. Grab your copy now! 👉 PYRAMID OF LEADERSHIPITY   Listen to More Episodes:  Catch new episodes of the Winners Find a Way Show every Thursday at 12:30 PM Eastern / 9:30 AM Pacific.     Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guest and do not necessarily reflect any organisation's official policy or position.