Y’all are in for a treat! Eden Gordon is one of the first women I interacted with right at the beginning of my career journey, and she spoiled me into believing all woman are as genuine, kind, and willing to help other women out. Eden had worked in the office I started in on Capitol Hill, but had been gone for weeks by the time I was hired. And yet, she offered to train, mentor and guide me as a terrified recent college grad with no idea what was going on!
I still have the notes I took on our first phone call and it’s a reminder of how thankful I am for the time other people invested in me early in my career. I hope to someday return the favor and pass on that kind of kindness and concern.
Tell us a little about yourself and your career
I am a Northern “Yankee” native with a sassy pearl “Jackie O” necklace, living in a Southern sweet tea world. My name is Eden Gordon Hill, owner of Eden Gordon Media, LLC and I am originally from Southeastern Pennsylvania. I was raised in the world of local and state politics thanks to my amazing father and his conservative political influences.
I moved to Washington, D.C. to attend university and decided not to wait until my senior year to land an internship on Capitol Hill. Instead my freshmen year of college I began a journey in the Halls of Congress that forever changed my career and my life. I successfully completed a long-term internship with Congressman Joe Pitts and then ventured to the Senate side and landed a staff role in the office of Senator Rick Santorum.
My communications world opened up dramatically for me upon my new role from personal staff to conference staff. I had the distinct honor of working with celebrities on global issues, interacting and helping run the Senate Press Secretary Association and helping lead a culture initiative that still impacts Members of Congress today. I thank my amazing communications team that surrounded me when I worked in the Senate Republican Conference. It was the influence of two key leaders and mentors which led me to the world of Strategic Political Communications. Thank you to Mark Rodgers & Margaret Calhoun Hemenway for their many years of investment and mentorship in the early history of my career.
The career path I journeyed on from this period was forever changed. The construction of my tool kit was to advocate and represent a very special brand of clients. Those clients with missions to serve the greater good, to bring justice and mercy to those in need.
The doors of opportunity were wide open to my initiatives and my service. The pathways of this business gave me the distinct honor to represent members of congress, former presidential and vice -presidential candidates, leading nonprofits in New York City, famous authors and celebrities.
Today, I have been running my own public relations boutique, Eden Gordon Media, LLC, based in Eastern, North Carolina near Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg military bases. I am an official resident of North Carolina thanks to my new husband and Army veteran. I run my boutique out of our home and use trains, planes and automobiles for this “on the go” type of lifestyle that generates travel on both East Coast and West Coast.
I absolutely love to create, design, organize and build the strategy for book tours, authors, campaigns, and non-profit organizations. It’s been such an honor to represent many powerful women who are entrepreneurs in their own right. They are survivors trailblazing journeys nationally and internationally for the next generation of women to lead.
One of my most admired roles is the path that always leads me to the Halls of Congress and advocate on Capitol Hill for important causes including veterans’ affairs, veteran spouses, human trafficking, child abuse prevention and pro-life issues. I can already see that 2019 will be filled with new initiatives for the greater good.
How does your community of women you surround yourself with support you?
I characterize the community of women I surround myself with as fierce, faithful, prayer warriors. They inspire me to be better today than I was yesterday.
The legacy of my grandmothers and my mother-in-law still resonate with me to this day. As I sit at my office desk I am surrounded by their images and remember the path they paved for me.
The power of a strong work ethic resides in this mind and body, thanks to the Hungarian roots of my mother and the female women in our family. These powerful and resilient women have inspired me in my daily work to remember where I came from historically and to remind myself of what I have become today. It’s with great anticipation for what I will become in 10 years!
Overcoming the many social barriers these women were faced with in their time has given me the freedom to use my voice to collaborate with many powerful women in their own right. The leading women I mention are to be admired, respected and lead with great integrity. They are the women of today who are leading the women of tomorrow. I’m blessed and thankful to know them.
The many fearless women who inspire me and I have had the privilege to work alongside of is founder of Ladies America, Lindsey Mask; conservative women leaders including Marjorie Dannenfelser, founder of the Susan B. Anthony List, conservative advocate and Senate Staff professional, Barbara Ledeen; veterans’ spouses and veteran advocate groups led by Executive Director of the Gary Sinise Foundation, Judy Otter; authors including Sonya Sasser of the Politichicks, Michele Rigby former undercover CIA officer, Holly K. Dunn the “Sole Survivor” and Erin Merryn founder of Erin’s Law; they are educators and perhaps will be candidates for elected seats. I look forward to the day we as Americans celebrate our first female president of the United States. I can’t wait to see this day!!
As a veteran spouse, what advice do you have for women focusing on their family’s needs and their career?
Most of my communications career has somehow focused on taking care of our veterans. Today, my additional labels given are veteran spouse and caregiver for my husband who served our country for more than 20 years in the U.S. Army.
The advice I share with spouses both active duty and retired is do not give up your identity and do not stop taking care of yourself; self-care is key. You are your best advocate. You are the only one who will look after you. If you don’t take care of you, it’s hard to take care of anyone or anything else.
Today, is the best day to make the change and become whoever you want to be. Be the entrepreneur, your time is now. There are so many opportunities now to make the Superwoman cape your reality. Walk alongside the next woman you meet and say, “I can do this too, I have what it takes to make a difference in my community. I can invest in many ways and one of the biggest contributions I can make to our society is supporting other female entrepreneurs, who also could be that veteran caregiver and veteran spouse.”
What do you wish you could go back and tell your younger self re: your career aspirations?
I would love to tell my younger self…it’s okay to make mistakes, it’s okay to fail, because you do have to get back up. No one else will help you get up, except for you. Staying down isn’t an option. Resilience, renewal, rebuilding are three themes in my life — for which I am thankful. Showing grace to yourself is loving yourself and ultimately accepting the love of God in your life so you can continue on to what is ultimately in store on this journey we call life. LIVE IT!
What is your career-related mantra?
“I drink coffee for your protection!” In my spare time, I love to try out new brews, find new coffee pubs and explore coffee shops in my travels. For those reading this and who know me all too well, coffee is what makes me brew. But the greater lesson in my career mantra in a world of many hardships, disappointment, loss and fear…the next time you see someone down on their luck, they may be a complete stranger or your next-door neighbor, lift that person up.
Don’t look down on them, don’t turn your head and look the other way. Lend a hand of kindness. It was that hand, that carried you in your time of need. This type of agape love and integrity is what makes me tick in my career along with a strong shot of espresso!
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