Looking Back Before Moving Forward
When was the last time you stopped to see how far you’ve come in your career?
Milestones naturally invite moments of recollection, and CyanPoint Communications’ approaching 15th Anniversary has prompted us to pause and wonder about our storied public relations path—our past experiences, present situation, and future direction. The process has been both humbling and uplifting.
In the fall of 2010, Founder Karyn Odway started a boutique public relations consultancy focused on the ever-evolving healthcare and disability sectors. With God’s guidance, she has worked to steward it with integrity, excellence and a collaborative spirit.
In the early 2010s, the PR industry was undergoing a dramatic shift. Between 2010 and 2015, digital platforms disrupted traditional media, social channels opened new opportunities for dialogue, and content creation became central to any effective communications strategy. Once relying heavily on earned media, PR plans quickly expanded to include owned and shared media, reshaping how organizations connected with their audiences. We adapted to the changing PR landscape. We leaned into digital transformation while staying rooted in storytelling and relationships. For our clients—healthcare industry executives, physicians, and leaders in the disability community—this meant developing strategies that showcased their expertise while ensuring their voices were heard in the right spaces, at the right times, and with the right messages.
Fast forward to the last five years (2020-2025), and adjustments have had to be made to accommodate AI, brand narratives across multiple digital channels, and data-driven strategies. We also have engaged in authentic influencer partnerships and hyper-segmented audiences. All this while cultivating radical transparency in communications and utilizing owned media platforms to navigate declining trust in traditional media and the rise of confusing and questionable information online.
But simply acclimating to industry change is not the reason CyanPoint thrived through all the twists and turns. It always has been about the people we serve: Our clients. Highly skilled, passionate professionals entrusted us with their stories, which drove us to find effective ways to showcase their unique expertise and offerings. From guiding physicians through their first media interviews and positioning them to present at medical conferences, to amplifying healthy living and encouraging future care planning in the disability community, we made genuine connections through one speaking engagement, one news story, and one content posting at a time.
We also grew by collaborating with other brilliant minds—web designers, graphic designers, social media strategists, videographers, virtual assistants and partners who stretched our creativity and deepened our capabilities. Each project was more than a campaign; it was a chance to learn, to connect, and to deliver impact through the stories we shared. Together, we built relationships rooted in mutual respect, staying true to our values even as our culture and trends shifted.
As we prepare to share 15 Years of Stories, we are grateful for the trust and treasure earned, the meaningful connections made, and the relevant relationships nurtured. It’s been a storied PR path, and this contemplative process has helped us reconnect with our “why,” refresh our purpose-driven storytelling, and remind us of God’s faithfulness through it all.
In the weeks leading up to our 15th Anniversary Month – November 2025 – we hope you jaunt with us on this journey and are inspired to do your own looking back, unearthing long-forgotten treasures. Some of our awe-inspiring stories shared and lessons learned have been the result of what has been impressed upon us as we listened, observed and discovered from the best – all the people we’ve been privileged to walk alongside in the fascinating world of PR and marketing communications.
As you reflect on the moments in your work life that cause you to pause, what wisdom could you gain from those experiences and bring to future projects?
