Earlier this week (Feb. 8), DFW-based publicist, Chief Strategist and founder of KTA Media Group, Kayla Tucker Adams, was recognized for a second time among other local luminaries in the fifth annual edition of Who’s Who In Black Dallas. A networking event and publication that highlights the accomplishments of African-Americans who, in the words of Community Director, Jamie Goodspeed, have proven themselves as “hard-working movers and shakers that use their successes to make a positive impact in the community. In addition to being kind and compassionate, Kayla is well-known for her marketing and publicity work with The Potter’s House and other businesses in Dallas/Fort Worth.”

Shortly before the WWIBD awards ceremony, the author, motivational speaker and seasoned media maven—she’s created social media campaigns and garnered coverage in top media publications for instantly-recognizable names like Oprah Winfrey, Soledad O’Brien and Roland Martin, to name a few—spoke by phone about how her business works, the importance of sisterhood and how people can overcome negative perceptions to excel in PR or any other field:

What happens when you meet a prospective client?

“Whenever someone comes to me, I have a consultation with them and a Public Relations analysis. We figure out together what their PR goals are and since I’m a former journalist, I also ‘find their story,’ which helps others become interested in what they’re doing. That’s what I can consider to be my edge. I also find out how ready they are before getting started, because there is a lot of work behind the scenes and people’s attentions spans are short. You, as the brand or the company, you have to be ready to do the work and I want my clients to be able to adapt to the growth that publicity can bring.

African-American professionals still have to counteract negative stereotypes in business, how should the problem be approached?

I think as a business owner, because we [as African-Americans] know that those stereotypes exist, I feel like it’s on us to present and our products and our brands in an exceptional light. What my clients know about me is that when the work with Kayla Tucker Adams, they know they are going to get results. We’re going to plan, strategize, set goals and I’m going to get results by any means necessary, because it’s important that my work is congruent to what KTA Media Group stands for.”

In addition to the glass ceiling, women often face professional sabotage by their own peers. What’s the solution and how should it be handled?

“I think that this spirit of competition, esp. Among Black women, is absolutely unnecessary. There is space enough for all of us to win, collaborate and not compete. Collectively, we can go much further than we can alone. It’s society that’s given us false beliefs, such as there’s not enough money out there, or that there’s no more room at the top. There’s room for all of us to win and we all win bigger if we do it together.

Mikki Taylor, another woman I grew up admiring and now a personal friend and mentor of mine, who’s still the editor at large for Essence magazine and has been there for over 30 years, stressed to me the importance of every woman having a celebration team have people around you that under-gird you, motivate you, inspire you most importantly, pray for you, as you also supply those qualities in return. Everybody’s not going to be your tribe: all you can continue to do is walk in confidence of who you are, try to be a supportive and if someone doesn’t accept you, realize that he or she is still in a place where they remain insecure.”

How can those who are interested in PR get their start?

“I’ve always said that if someone doesn’t open a door for you, then you’ve got to create an opportunity for yourself. I started with low-hanging fruit, friends with businesses that needed PR. I tell High school students to go and shadow people, spend time with a PR person and intern whether it’s paid or not. PR is a career where you have to have experience, thorough training, great writing skills, and a know-how to maintain relationships. Oprah Winfrey always says that ‘cream rises to the top,’ and that means when you cultivate your excellence and deliver an exceptional product, you’re always going to stand out and become a success.”