She Keeps Pro Athletes in the Headlines

In this episode of The Mission Control Podcast, Mike sits down with legendary PR pro Kelly Swanson, founder of Swanson Communications. With just $8,000 in the bank and a Volkswagen Beetle, Kelly launched her agency from a New York apartment—and went on to represent some of the biggest names in sports, including 15 years as Floyd Mayweather’s publicist.

They dive into the real grind of building a business:
- How Kelly landed her first clients and stayed afloat early on
- What it takes to scale when your name is the brand
- Managing crises (like hacked accounts at 4 a.m.)
- The difference between publicity and advertising—and how to leverage both
- Why hustle, consistency, and just showing up still win

Whether you're in PR, marketing, or building a business of your own, this conversation is packed with hard-earned wisdom and real-world lessons.

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00:00:00 - Kelly’s Origin Story
00:09:33 - Biggest Challenge Starting Biz
00:11:21 - Instagram Scandal
00:13:23 - Getting Clients Early On
00:18:49 - Understanding PR
00:22:43 - The Cost
00:29:22 - Why Mike Started Ascend
00:38:11 - Working With Floyd Mayweather