Featured Woman to Know

Hope Gibbs, founder of The Inkandescent Group, LLC

A journalist, author, publicist, public speaker, and serial entrepreneur, Hope has been a professional writer since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. She has won awards for her newsletters, blogs, and feature articles that have appeared in dozens of publications including The Washington Post, USA Today, the National Press Club blog; university alumni magazines (The George Washington University, The University of Pennsylvania, Baylor, and more); and Costco’s magazine, The Connection, where she interviews bestselling authors.

In 2008, Hope founded Inkandescent Public Relations, a PR, marketing, and social media firm that in the last decade has helped hundreds of small business owners increase their visibility using her 8 Steps to PR Success™ — www.InkandescentPR.com. Helping entrepreneurs supersize their small business is the focus of her 200-page interactive guidebook, “PR Rules: The Playbook,” lauded by reporters at The Washington Post, among others, and available at www.PRRulesPlaybook.com.

Also in 2008, Hope launched TrulyAmazingWomen.com, a website that features hundreds of women who are making strides and changing lives. In 2018, she launched Truly Amazing Women TV, a monthly series that showcases these remarkable women in videos on her popular YouTube channel, www.Inkandescent.TV.

Sensing the synergy between the objectives of Truly Amazing Women TV and Aspire Ascend, the two have come together to create a partnership for the new year. Jan and Hope sat down to share their vision for this exciting new partnership.

JM: What was your inspiration for Truly Amazing Women TV?

HG: The idea to create Truly Amazing Women came the afternoon I was sitting at a luncheon for the women’s group Aura at the Columbian ambassador’s home in DC’s Dupont Circle in April 2008. Surrounding me were 100 dynamic, invincible women determined to create change.

Speakers included actress and Cancer Schmancer founder Fran Drescher, politically savvy Hadassah Lieberman, and Holocaust survivor Nesse Godin. Later that day, I was among hundreds more women.  As a journalist and advocate, I felt it was my job to shine a spotlight on these women — and thousands more — doing important work, but often under the radar.

JM: In the decade since that day, you have conducted interviews with more than 500 women. What does it mean to be a truly amazing woman?

HG: That’s a question I have been asked for the past 10 years, including by the women I have interviewed. From my perspective, each has accomplished remarkable things. But they rarely think they have ever accomplished enough. So, letting the world know their true value has been the real backbone of Truly Amazing woman.

JM: You have been working on women’s initiatives for a decade.  How do you see your background in public relations adding value to the new collaboration with Aspire Ascend?

HG: By joining forces with Aspire Ascend, we’ll be featuring women from around the country in videos for my TV network (www.TrulyAmazingWomen.tv and www.Inakndescent.tv), podcasts for my radio network (www.InkandescentRadio.com), and writing articles for my online magazine for women, by women, about women (www.BeInkandesent.com).

We will also be co-sponsoring events and summits, and Aspire Ascend will write a regular column on women’s leadership for our various outlets as well.

JM: With this new collaboration, Aspire Ascend members will have the opportunity to become members of the speaker’s bureau with www.InkandescentSpeakers.com.  Why is this important?  What are the benefits?

HG: Having women tell their stories in their own words is powerful. With this collaboration, we will get more women in leadership in front of audiences around the country to share their message of strength and courage and encourage more women to do the same. It will also give Aspire Ascend’s members an opportunity to expand and increase their professional profile with a broader audience base.

JM: Who are some of the Inkandescent Women who are featured on your websites?

HG: I’ve written about hundreds of women in the last decade, including incredibly successful entrepreneurs, insightful futurists, bestselling authors, female politicians, award-winning artists, and more. Some you may have heard of, including “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” author Kristine Carlson, Banana Republic co-founder Patricia Ziegler, and philanthropist Sara Agah, who co-founded rocker Michael Franti’s Do It For the Love Foundation. There are also hundreds of other women featured who you may never have heard of who are doing remarkable things. The goal is to spotlight them all.

JM: Well, we are excited to be a strategic partner with you and look forward to rolling out new initiatives with you.  We are looking forward to being able to help women brand themselves in more powerful ways and take the credit that is they are due!  Here’s to 2019!