This past January, a calendar booking popped up in my email from someone whose name I didn’t recognize. It’s not so unusual for new collaboration opportunities to come through organically, but this call would indeed be unusual. Why? This 30-minute introduction meeting would change my life.

It was from a woman named Shaw Hipsher. My fellow Purdue Alumna and former classmate Jayne Harris Esposito sent her my way. (Thanks again, Jayne!) Shaw sent me an email a few moments after booking the call. She shared that she was looking to find a PR partner for her friend Andrea Peet. When I read what Andrea was working on, my jaw hit the floor.

Andrea was on track to become the first person with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) to complete a marathon in all 50 states. In fact, she was just three states away from completing the feat and had marathon #48 coming up in just a few weeks.

Whoa.

Soak that in for a second. Andrea is fighting a battle with a disease that has no known cause and no known cure. She still gets up and gets after it, fighting to the finish line…all fifty of them! Andrea uses a recumbent bike to conquer 26.2 – but this doesn’t make her journey any easier. Andrea walks with a walker and has limited mobility in her legs. Pedaling is no small task. She finishes marathons in around 4-5 hours.

Let’s just say the meeting was as much a new business opportunity as it was a new friendship. Shaw, Andrea, and their entire team have the most infectious positive energy and I knew we had to collaborate to share Andrea’s story.

Andrea had a very specific wishlist item. Andrea is not shy about asking for what she wants. She knows better than most that now is the time to go after it!

What was this wish? She was already working with the New York Times to highlight her story in print, and she’d generated a great amount of press in the locales where she’d earned a medal. One type of coverage had remained elusive: national television coverage.

No doubt, in our ever-changing world laden with breaking news that is often heartbreaking news, this was not a short order. It was a challenge I happily accepted. Andrea’s story needed to be told…to raise awareness, to raise funds, to inspire others to Go On, Be Brave – Andrea’s mantra.

We got to work designing a custom PR plan that would share more about the upcoming fundraising challenge that the public could participate in to celebrate her 50-state finish. We also put together plans for pitching her upcoming completion of the states to national endurance sports media and, of course, national television news and talk programs.

As we prepared to kick off this campaign, Andrea was headed to my state to complete the Oakland Marathon in the Bay area – #49! I had to be there. I hopped on a flight and had the best day of work ever. I got to be with Andrea and her husband on the eve of her race. During an interview with a local reporter, Andrea said the most poignant thing in one of her answers and her words emitted some type of energetic ping. I could feel what she shared if that makes any sense.

“I used to think that everything happens for a reason. What I’ve learned through this is that things just happen…it’s up to us to find the reason.”

Do you have goosebumps yet?

On race day, I helped manage media onsite and was up and down the course screaming my lungs out for Andrea. I got to see her cross the finish line and I’m so very grateful for that day.

From there, our PR plan for her big finish was put into action: press releases, pitches, fact sheets, video news releases - the works. Additionally, I was there to advise Andrea on all of her strategic communications along the way.

From the beginning, I had a very specific way I wanted to achieve Andrea’s national TV wish. Nearly every night, ABC’s David Muir acknowledges an inspiring and impactful individual on World News Tonight. The segment is called America Strong, and is meant to showcase someone who is an example of the American spirit. Andrea was no doubt the perfect candidate for this segment and I was adamant that her story was worthy of this level of recognition and reach.

It took a lot of follow-ups and patience, but I was able to secure the opportunity. On June 5, millions of national viewers got to see Andrea in action and understand her unique mission. Over the following days, ABC stations in 25 states played the segment on their local news broadcasts – some multiple times throughout the day. In total, we estimate that 38 million people were exposed to Andrea’s accomplishments.

Alongside that, audiences engaged with Andrea’s journey through:

• The Find Your Finish Line Podcast, hosted by the Voice of IRONMAN Mike Reilly
• The Extra Mile Podcast, hosted by Charity Miles Founder Gene Gurkoff
• The 50 State Marathon Club’s Monthly Newsletter

You can view the full report here!

I caught up with Andrea about her experience working with me, and I was thrilled to hear what she had to share.

“Working with Meg was phenomenal -- I cannot say enough glowing things to do her justice!” Andrea said. “She is the whole package: smart, eloquent, hard-working, and SO polished and professional. She is cool and calm under pressure, yet warm and sincere.”

Andrea noted that her previous experience working with PR firms felt “cookie-cutter.” She felt the Treat PR experience was much more customized, with tactics that were “thoughtful, targeted, and direct to maximize our exposure to the right media outlets and audience.”

When I asked Andrea if she felt she got value for her investment in our engagement, she exclaimed: “Oh my god, yes!” 

What would she say to someone who is considering collaborating with Treat PR? 

“You won't regret your decision to hire Meg! You can have confidence that she will get everything well prepped in advance for the event, and she will handle whatever comes up unexpectedly. She is a true joy to work with.”

Andrea, the joy is YOU! I feel wildly lucky that the universe brought us together and that I got the privilege and pleasure to be your PR partner. Your story is so incredibly important, and I’m dedicated to making sure as many people hear it as possible…for I know how life-changing it is to know you.

I’m thrilled to share that Treat PR’s partnership with Andrea is not yet over – we have many more miles to go and lives to change with her story. I’ll be partnering with Andrea throughout the coming year as she launches the documentary that captures her 50-state journey and her memoir that shares her deep insights into living with ALS.

Curious about how I can help you put your story on the biggest stages? Get the conversation started with me by clicking here.