M.J. Clark Communications
By Karen Seelenbinder

How do we break the “it’s all about me” cycle and learn to listen and really care about what others are saying to us?  M.J. Clark, owner of M.J. Clark Communications, helps companies communicate more effectively with clients and conducts workplace training to foster stronger listening skills and more authentic communication in the workplace.
     
M.J. was raised in a family of 15 children in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.  She was used to the constant support and closeness of her family and friends. When M.J. decided to take a “once in a lifetime” opportunity and accept a position on Capitol Hill at the age of 18, her world suddenly changed.  “In the Midwest, everyone was friendly.  In D.C., no one would make eye contact or even greet me with a friendly, hi,” explained M.J.  But M.J. loved her work.  The Senator she worked for began to see that M.J.’s skills surpassed those of an average receptionist, and M.J. was asked to edit speeches and press releases.  She wrote a “Guide to Capitol Hill” for lobbyists in her next job with BellSouth Corporation.  Little did M.J. know that she was honing her skills in communication and writing to become an entrepreneur by opening her own communications business in Ohio.
     
M.J. met her husband Bob in D.C. When they decided to start a family, they moved back to the friendly Midwest and settled down in Canal Winchester, Ohio.  M.J. earned a Journalism degree from Ohio University.  After graduation, she returned to the work she had known since high school, working in a law firm.  “I was working in a Columbus law firm’s marketing department and decided I’d like to start my own company and also go back to school and get a master’s degree in organizational communications,” said M.J.  “I had been practicing public relations for about 15 years at the time.”  M.J. is Accredited in Public Relations. This accreditation is achieved by about 10% of public relations professionals both nationally and in Ohio. “My work at the law firm fostered a curiosity in leadership and management styles and how teams communicate, so that’s what I wanted to study in my master’s program at OSU,” she said.  
    
During the tough decision process of leaving a full time, secure job to launch M.J. Clark Communications, M.J. leaned on God.  “My standing prayer to God was ‘let your will be done.’ That is my way of giving myself over to God for whatever He has for me to do.  When people try to control their lives, it is very messy,” comments M.J.  “I let God direct my life.”
    
M.J. is self-motivated and driven.  “I don’t sit around and wait for things to happen.  I step out in the direction I think God wants me to go.”  
    
“I love the field of communications,” M.J. said, “and I think communication problems are what causes the most conflict in relationships, whether they are business or personal.  I like to be able to help people communicate with their business partners, their clients or customers and their friends and families.”
    
M.J. faced fear head on when she started her business and has continued to do so over the course of her career.  “My mother, Mary Ann, has been my greatest inspiration.  I have a very independent spirit that she has always respected.  Mom never gave advice, but always said just the right thing to help me make important decisions on my own.”  When M.J. was trying to decide if she should move to Washington, D.C., at the age of 18 her mom simply told her, “You might not have this opportunity again.”
    
“Whenever you conquer fears, you feel like a million bucks. So working through my fears really gives me the courage to continue to try new things. I just focus on what I’m passionate about, and I do whatever I have to do to live that passion.”

If you have found this story interesting, informative or inspiring, please let M.J. know! M.J. Clark Communications LLC, 370 Old Meadows Ct., Canal Winchester, OH, 614-214-7062 (cell), mj@mjclarkcommunications.com  www.mjclarkcommunications.com