What the Media Really Wants: Ronica Cleary on Strategic PR

What happens when a White House correspondent trades breaking political news for building a purpose-driven PR agency?

In this episode of Founders’ Forum, Marc Bernstein sits down with Ronica Cleary to talk about clarity, intention, and the realities of growing a modern communications business.

Ronica Cleary is the Founder and CEO of Cleary Strategies, a full-service public relations agency serving leaders and organizations across the U.S. Before launching her firm, Ronica spent years as a television journalist, including covering the first 18 months of the Trump administration as a White House correspondent—an experience that shaped her deep understanding of media, messaging, and storytelling.

Ronica shares how she transitioned from journalism to entrepreneurship while raising a young family, why she intentionally avoids a frantic work culture, and how intuition has guided her business decisions. She also discusses building a remote, contractor-based team, maintaining strong culture, navigating client growth and pricing, and adapting to a rapidly changing media landscape—including how SEO and generative engine optimization (GEO) have become unexpected growth drivers.

Key Takeaways:

• Why clarity and intention matter more than hustle
• Lessons from transitioning out of journalism into entrepreneurship
• How to build culture with a remote PR team
• Navigating growth, pricing, and evolving media channels

About Ronica Cleary:

Ronica Cleary is an award-winning publicist and the Founder & CEO of Cleary Strategies, a full-service public relations agency and a two-time Inc. Power Partner Award winner. Cleary Strategies provides public relations, media placements, and crisis management services to leaders and corporations. Cleary Strategies’ clients can be seen on broadcast television, heard on podcasts and radio, and featured in digital and print media. Prior to launching her agency, Ronica worked as a White House Correspondent for Fox 5 in Washington, DC, and hosted a Sunday morning political talk show, Fox 5 On The Hill.

Connect:

Website clearystrategies.com
LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/cleary-strategies/ ; linkedin.com/in/ronica-cleary/
Instagram instagram.com/cleary_strategies/; instagram.com/ronicacleary/
Facebook facebook.com/RonicaCleary/
YouTube youtube.com/channel/UCBi-DNk7yTqKTrJtdX2DCsg

This episode is brought to you by The Satell Institute; the leading CEO organization dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility. Go to satellinstitute.org

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