Welden Tote Series | Vol. 2

The second volume of our Welden Tote series features one of our favorite people, and good friend of Moore & Giles, Elisabeth Edelman. Based in Richmond, Virginia, Edelman is the founder of Golden Word--a boutique PR firm that represents esteemed brands like Huckberry, Lyft, Veritas Vineyard and Winery, Hardywood Brewery, and more. Her work with Moore & Giles has landed us in national publications such as Real Simple, Apartment Therapy, and Dwell. Besides her broad experience in the PR and communications field nationally, Edelman is deeply invested in her local community. In 2017, she founded Here., a weekly email service that delivers short messages to Richmond residents about the interesting happenings for the week. We are constantly inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit that she brings to the table. Her 'Be Your Own Publicist' workshops [that launched last year] continue to sell out and have helped many small businesses and individuals become proficient in leading their own PR efforts. Today, we're excited and honored to introduce you to our friend, Elisabeth.

Walk us through your morning routine.

As I am a total night owl and champion sleeper, my morning routine starts the night before. I lay out breakfast and lunch to bring to the office as well as the day’s outfit, so I don’t have to make decisions in my flurry to get out the door. I apply Maven Made’s Facial Serum as a calming ritual and head to bed around 11 pm/midnight.

If I succeed in waking on time, I’ll head to Boho Studios for a spin class or personal training, or try a NikeTraining workout at home. After showering, I light a candle and spend a minimum of 5 minutes in prayer; this moment is central to my entire day.

Then, I’ll get ready and zoom out the door. Fortunately, my commute is only 10 minutes, from the Fan to Jackson Ward in Richmond. I eat a breakfast of homemade oatmeal or chia seed pudding at my desk while organizing my to-do list before our daily team stand-up at 9:30 am.

Briefly describe the path that led you to founding Golden Word.

I was flirting with the idea of starting a PR firm when I was offered the incredible opportunity to serve as the VP of Communications at Ledbury, the men’s luxury shirtmaker - which I accepted. After four years in-house managing PR and working on a wide range of marketing activities from email to events, a perfect storm of influences got me thinking it was finally time to start that firm.

I read Greg McKeown's book Essentialism which follows a less but better mindset. At the same time, I landed my friends at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in the Wall Street Journal, twice! It was a nice reminder that I’m particularly strong at PR and that I wanted to return to a role that focused on PR. Plus, working with Ledbury had given me the entrepreneurial bug! Six months later, I launched Golden Word, with Ledbury and Hardywood as my first two clients.

What is the most rewarding part of the work you do?

Over my career, I’ve represented a wide variety of brands from Fortune 500 companies to brands that have yet to launch. Amid all that, there is nothing more exciting than landing a significant piece of press coverage that so clearly impacts a small business’s trajectory. That’s why Golden Word focuses on small businesses we believe in. Top among those moments was this note from a client: “you made me look like a hero to my family.”

What keeps you up late and/or wakes you up early?

I catch a second wind late at night, so I have to be careful when I pick up a good book because I can read it straight through, which generally doesn’t bode well for the next day. My taste is all over the place, but some recent winners: A Gentleman in Moscow, Crazy Rich Asians, and A Discovery of Witches trilogy (hello nerd alert).

What can be found in your Moore & Giles Welden tote at any given time?

I adore that the Welden sturdily stands tall, so I use it as my work bag, holding my laptop which doubles as my notebook. All supporting power cords and headphones are tucked in a neat pouch. Then, I’ve usually packed a nice stack of magazines for research and snacks. Always snacks!

Your next travel destination is Nashville, New York, San Francisco, New York (and that’s just through March), and then I’ve promised myself only beach destinations for pleasure travels the rest of the year.

Your Weekend is for Saturday adventures with my nephew Wes and Sunday family dinner.

Give us a few of your favorite Instagram accounts to follow.

For a lesson on work ethic, @jlo.

For a fresh style perspective, @ssarahmac.

For travel/wellness/lifestyle inspo, @hannahbronfman.

And obviously, @goldenwordco!