Most people build their professional networks in one place, over time. Heather McElrath built hers from scratch, over and over again.
More than 40 moves across seven states — from a small gold-mining town in California where she once rode a pony to school, through fintech and finance, non-profits, government, and agriculture, eventually landing in Manhattan’s global banking sector. Each move meant a new city, a new industry, and a new set of people who had no reason yet to trust her.
“Every time I relocated, I had to figure out how to establish credibility quickly,” McElrath says. “You learn a lot about what builds trust when you can’t rely on existing relationships to vouch for you.”
That experience shapes the chapter she contributed to “Speak Your Way to Sales: Expert Strategies to Turn Speaking into Sales, Clients, and Growth” (Eaton Press, 2026), a collaborative book released during Women’s History Month by 10 women specialists.
Her chapter, “Stop Chasing Gigs, Start Attracting Them: The PR Playbook for Speakers,” is a practical guide to building the kind of credibility that draws speaking opportunities in, rather than requiring you to pursue them.
The problem the book addresses is well documented. Research suggests roughly 70% of speaking bookings flow through existing referral networks — a structure that makes it genuinely difficult for capable outsiders to break through. Women, who now own nearly 14 million U.S. businesses, hold just a third of keynote slots at major conferences. The gap rarely comes down to ability.
What McElrath learned through repeated reinvention is that credibility can be built intentionally through strategic media relationships, thought leadership placements, and a track record of visibility that compounds over time. Her chapter lays out how to do that systematically, even without an established network to lean on.
“You build the signals that make discovery inevitable,” she says. “That’s what good PR infrastructure does for a small business.”
McElrath founded Sandbox Communications, a boutique marketing communications agency in Virginia, around the belief that professional life should have room for experimentation alongside strategy. She also teaches PR Essentials as an Adjunct Lecturer at Borough of Manhattan Community College, working with students of all ages as they navigate a rapidly evolving field.
“Speak Your Way to Sales” is available now on Amazon in ebook and paperback. More at eatonpress.com/speak-your-way-to-sales.
