Hidden Gems: Meet April Monet of 48X , 48 & Forward Foundation

Today we’d like to introduce you to April Monet.

Hi April, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Absolutely. My journey has always been shaped by two things, my love for sports and my passion for storytelling. Growing up as an athlete taught me discipline, leadership, and the importance of team culture. Those lessons stuck with me, even as my path shifted from competing on the field to helping athletes tell their stories off of it.

After college, I started working in public relations and brand management. I quickly noticed a gap in how athletes and entertainers were being represented. So much of the focus was on short-term publicity instead of long-term strategy and I knew there was an opportunity to change that. In 2016, I launched A.M. Elite PR, specializing in sports and entertainment PR. My goal was to help clients build meaningful brands that aligned with their values, not just their visibility.

Over time, that vision evolved. I started working more closely on the finance side of things with investors, family offices, and philanthropists who were equally passionate about impact. That expansion led to the rebrand of A.M. Elite PR into 48X, a strategic advisory firm that bridges the worlds of sports, business, and philanthropy. 48X now helps athletes, investors, family offices and HNWI’s with strategic positioning, life insurance and PR, while also advising on community impact and legacy-building initiatives.

That same mission inspired me to start the 48 & Forward Foundation, our nonprofit arm focused on supporting athletes in transition to life after sports, and funding programs that use sports as a catalyst for education, wellness, and community development.

Today, everything I do, whether through 48X or the 48 & Forward Foundation, comes back to helping people turn their platform into purpose. I believe every story, every career, and every investment can create impact when it’s guided by intention. My role is to help align those pieces so that success isn’t just measured by visibility, but by legacy.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not a smooth road but I wouldn’t change it. Entrepreneurship, especially in PR and the sports industry, comes with a lot of unexpected turns. When I first started, I was building everything from the ground up, no investors, no safety net, just faith in God, relationships, and relentless work ethic. There were times I questioned if I was doing the right thing, especially as a woman, not to mention a woman of color, navigating a space that can be very male-dominated, and relationship-driven. I am also a single mother of 2 girls, one of whom, Kara Wise, now 11 yrs old, was kidnapped by her biological father (Christian Wise) 5 years ago, and has been missing ever since. So yea, road has been a little bumpy.

One of my biggest challenges early on was earning trust. In this industry, people often measure credibility by who you’ve worked with and as a new agency owner, I had to prove that I could deliver results that spoke louder than any roster. There were late nights, projects that didn’t go as planned, and seasons where I had to learn the business side of entrepreneurship the hard way.

Another challenge was learning balance. When you work in PR and strategic advising, you pour so much of yourself into helping others build their platforms that it’s easy to lose sight of your own boundaries. Over time, I’ve learned the importance of protecting my peace, setting systems, and working with intention instead of urgency.

Every obstacle has helped me evolve both personally and professionally. The tough moments built resilience, and the setbacks taught me strategy. They also pushed me to expand my vision beyond PR, leading to the creation of 48X and the 48 & Forward Foundation, both born out of a desire to make the work more meaningful, sustainable, and impactful.

The road hasn’t been smooth, but it’s always been purpose-driven, and that’s what keeps me going.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about 48X , 48 & Forward Foundation?
Absolutely. My work today centers around helping people, brands, and capital connect with purpose.

48X is a strategic advisement firm that serves athletes, investors, family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and brands. We focus on strategic introductions, experiential networking, public relations, and long-term brand alignment creating a space where business, influence, and impact meet.

Our core mission is to connect the right people to the right opportunities, whether that means helping an athlete step into entrepreneurship, guiding a founder toward aligned investors, or advising a family office on legacy-building initiatives that integrate philanthropy and purpose. What sets 48X apart is our human-centered approach: we’re not transactional, we’re intentional. We look at the full picture of the personal brand, the business vision, and the social impact, and then build strategies that tie them all together.

We also host curated experiential events that bring together thought leaders from across industries to foster collaboration and partnership. From intimate investor dinners to large-scale activations, each experience is designed to spark authentic relationships that lead to real opportunity.

Our nonprofit arm, the 48 & Forward Foundation, extends that same mission into community impact. The foundation focuses on athlete transition to life after sports, youth development, and community wellness, leveraging sports as a vehicle for education and empowerment. Our signature program, Fuel the Future, provides free meals and enrichment programs to school-age children nationwide. We also have an Athlete With Heart scholarship fund that provides tuition assistance for athletes who lose scholarships due to injury.

What I’m most proud of is that both 48X and 48 & Forward are rooted in legacy, not just success. Everything we do is designed to move people, purpose, and communities forward.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I see the industry moving toward deeper integration between technology, authenticity, and impact. In PR, sports, and brand strategy, AI will play a major role in how we gather insights, personalize storytelling, and predict audience behavior, but the human element will still be what makes brands feel real and relatable.

Athletes are also becoming entrepreneurs and investors much earlier, creating more crossover between sports, business, and tech. At 48X, we’re already seeing that shift. Investors want access to athlete-led opportunities, and athletes want to use their platforms to build equity and legacy.

On the philanthropy side, I think we’ll see a demand for measurable, tech-enabled impact, where donors and athletes can actually see the results of their giving in real time. Overall, the next decade will be about strategic alignment powered by innovation and blending data and technology with purpose-driven storytelling.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://the48x.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamaprilmonet
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilmonet
• Other: https://48andforward.org