Julia Lytle shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Julia, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is a normal day like for you right now?
My day starts early—around 5:30 a.m.—with coffee and breakfast, followed by meditation and sometimes journaling. If I can, I take my dog down to the beach for a morning walk. Given that I’m West Coast-based and work with people across the country and internationally, that quiet time to myself (and outside) is crucial before client calls and meetings begin as early as 7 a.m.
The first half of my workday is typically focused on client strategy and execution—whether that’s pitching media, updating press lists, creating content for our blog or social channels or doing outreach to prospective clients. I’ll often take a midday walk or workout to reset, and some days I’ll head to an in-person lunch meeting or check out a local art or design exhibit for inspiration (recently I saw the Diane von Furstenberg exhibit at the Skirball).
I usually wrap up by 4 or 4:30 p.m., unless I’m finalizing a proposal, preparing a client recap or hopping on a late call. Evenings are for movement and play—often beach volleyball or a workout—followed by cooking dinner and winding down with a book or bubble bath. Lately, I’ve also been dedicating at least 30 minutes each evening to writing, as I’m developing the outlines for three different book projects.
It’s a rhythm that blends creativity, strategy, and wellness—keeping me energized for both my clients and my own personal projects.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I graduated from Boston University’s College of Communication in 2014 and began working in consumer PR the year after I graduated. I subsequently moved into an Account Manager role with a digital marketing agency, which is what brought me to Chicago in 2016. The small, Boston-based agency I was working for at the time secured a large contract with Kellogg’s, and I was one of three people who moved to Chicago to support the Midwest Kellogg’s client. That experience allowed me the opportunity to collaborate with advertising powerhouses Starcom & Leo Burnett, as we were part of an inter-agency team working together to produce integrated campaigns for Kellogg’s brands like Cheez-It, Frosted Flakes, Pop-Tarts & Rice Krispies Treats. I left the agency world in 2018 for a remote contractor position with Turner (now WarnerMedia) in Atlanta, and that gave me a taste of what it would look like to contract full-time. When the Turner contract ended, I found myself contracting with several small agencies in Chicago. I was doing traditional PR for one agency, social & digital marketing for another and experiential & brand marketing for another. It felt like I was working in siloes – these agencies were all extremely specialized, and they operated strictly in their lanes. Based on my varied experience, I was yearning for more of an integrated experience for clients, which led me to start Che Public Relations in 2019. Since then, my company has supported clients in creating and executing integrated brand strategies with earned media (aka public relations) at the forefront. We provide traditional PR services, as well as digital & social media, experiential and multicultural services. We have supported clients in a variety of industries, including art & design, entertainment, sports, lifestyle & wellness, nonprofit, finance, tech and consumer packaged goods. Over the last six years, we’ve navigated a global pandemic and recession as a small business ourselves, and I’ve observed the way economic uncertainty causes businesses to pull back when it comes to marketing & PR. I hate seeing businesses miss opportunities to build brand awareness & cultivate connections because they’re scared or unable to invest in professional PR & marketing support. I’m currently refocusing my efforts to educate & empower others to do PR for themselves with a new digital course called Club Che. I believe anyone can do PR when provided with the right insights, tools & resources, and once someone learns how to build an integrated brand strategy and conduct effective media outreach, they don’t have to rely on expensive outside support.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Definitely my relationship with my mom, Judy. She’s always called me the “unrepressed version” of herself—a phrase I used to bristle at, but now see as one of the best compliments she could give me.
She grew up in South Carolina at a time when her dream of becoming a doctor was dismissed in favor of being told she should marry a doctor. She did marry a doctor—my dad, an ophthalmologist—but she also defied expectations and became one herself, going to medical school in her mid-30s after my brother and I were born. That decision is the fact about her I’m most proud of.
Now, when she calls me “unrepressed,” I understand why. I’ve had opportunities she didn’t—freedom to travel, work remotely, experiment with different jobs and ultimately start my own business. Her journey—and the courage it took to create a life on her own terms—has shaped not only how I see myself, but also the kind of possibilities I believe are worth pursuing.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Every week! As a business owner, doubting yourself comes with the territory—but most days my vision and determination are stronger than those doubts. The time I came closest to really walking away, though, was in the spring of 2024.
I’d had a tough stretch. One client refused to pay their final invoice and disappeared, business in general felt slow and I couldn’t seem to find my rhythm again. I was completely drained from running the business solo—doing client work during the day, then spending nights and weekends chasing new business and managing all the behind-the-scenes operations. I felt stuck, tired and burned out.
One afternoon, almost on impulse, I wandered into a small clothing boutique in Santa Monica and asked if they were hiring. They said yes, and within a couple of weeks, I was working full-time retail for the first time in my life. It surprised everyone—including me—but it turned out to be exactly what I needed.
The irony of the store’s name, Lost & Found, wasn’t lost on me. That experience gave me space to reset and, in many ways, brought me back to life. Over the next year, I learned practical things—like how to fold and steam clothes, how to wrap a gift with a “Tiffany bow” and how to dress myself according to my personal style—but I also absorbed bigger lessons: what makes a small business thrive for decades and how to show up for others & for myself.
So while I thought I was stepping away from my business, what I was really doing was giving myself a chance to become re-inspired. That pause helped me rediscover my resilience and reminded me that sometimes you have to lose your way a little in order to find the path forward.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I think it comes down to this question: Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?
So many smart people are obsessed with being right—whether it’s in business, politics, relationships or even small day-to-day interactions. They dig in, double down and treat every disagreement like a zero-sum game. But being “right” doesn’t always move things forward. It can actually create more friction, damage relationships and close off opportunities.
Happiness, on the other hand, often requires flexibility—choosing collaboration over ego, curiosity over certainty and connection over being the one with the last word. As a business owner, I’ve learned that I don’t always need to be the smartest or loudest voice in the room; I need to be the one who listens, adapts and builds trust. That’s where real progress and fulfillment come from.
The world doesn’t reward us for having the perfect answer—it rewards us for being authentic & able to create, inspire and work well with others.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
I love this question, because I’ve been doing a lot of work and self-exploration around ego recently—and that’s really what this is asking: who are you without all the external stuff?
For me, what remains is the way I try to show up in the world. I hope I’d still be seen as a good friend, daughter, sister, and “tía” to my friends’ kids. I try to lead with compassion and empathy, whether it’s toward the people closest to me or strangers I cross paths with. I aim to be a source of inspiration and warmth, a mirror reflecting back to others the qualities they may not always see in themselves. And above all, I try to practice gratitude for the present moment.
Sometimes that looks like noticing small, ordinary joys. Recently, after a morning walk on the beach with my dog, I realized I had all the ingredients at home to make the most incredible French toast—cinnamon swirl bread from a favorite local bakery (Jyan Isaac in Santa Monica for those who are familiar!), eggs, milk, maple syrup, even blueberries for on top. I rarely have all these things in my house at the same time. The sheer delight of that realization stopped me in my tracks. To me, that’s what life is really about—being awake enough to recognize and savor those tiny, everyday moments of magic.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chepublicrelations.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chepublicrelations/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chepublicrelations
Image Credits
Susannah Pazdan Photo
