Xina P. Eiland, Founder and President of Xina PR, is on a mission to use innovative storytelling to craft stories within online, broadcast, and social media platforms.
Born and raised in Detroit, Xina’s life-long career was influenced by her family’s history in the automotive industry. After being hired to work on media and outreach for the Ford Motor Company Fund, Xina started designing PR campaigns for clients who were doing work focused on disenfranchised and underserved populations. As someone rooted in the history of great civil rights leaders, Xina aspires to tell the unique and powerful stories of Black America through her work. Her latest project, UNMUTE, is working to relaunch a program redefining how people talk about racism in the workplace.
We asked Xina about the story behind how she got her company’s founding, how her upbringing contributed to how she operates as a leader, and advice she has for those starting out on their entrepreneurship journey.
Q: Tell us the story behind your company’s founding. How and why did you start working on Xina PR?
A: If you had told me more than 15 years ago that I would be running my own business, I would have laughed in your face. Born and raised in the Detroit metropolitan area, my parents worked at one of the Big Three automakers, followed by my brothers at Ford and GM. I was the only member in my family who didn’t work for an American auto company and proud of that fact—that is, until a PR firm hired me to work on media and outreach for the Ford Motor Company Fund, the nonprofit arm of Ford Motor Company.
Even though I was running away from the auto industry, Ford is where I first touched Black history, sitting at the feet of great civil rights leaders—such as the poet Sonia Sanchez, civil rights leaders Myrlie Evers-Williams, and Dr. Dorothy Height, president emeritus of the National Council of Negro Women. It’s where I learned of the great contributions that sisters made to push this country forward.
Q: What problem does Xina PR solve?
A: As President and CEO of Xina PR, those experiences continue to shape my vision as a leader in multicultural communications, focusing on the Black community. I bring a wealth of experience, connection, and awareness to clients, helping them connect effectively with diverse and hard-to-reach populations. From health disparities and social justice to bias in tech and policy, I seek projects that tackle issues of diversity and inclusion and directly impact the disenfranchised and underserved. I want to share the unique, powerful, and relevant stories of Black America with the rest of the world.
Q: In what ways has your upbringing or past experiences contributed to how you operate as an entrepreneur?
A: When I first started working, my goal was a career that didn’t involve the automotive industry. I soon found out that you cannot escape your past—it has a way of coming back to remind you of who you are and where you are from. Today, I am proud of not only my past, but our history. I know how fortunate and blessed I was to have time with civil rights icons who helped fill in the blanks of my childhood education. As Gil Scott-Heron tells us,“The revolution would not be televised.” My time with these icons not only opened my eyes to our struggle for equality and rights in this country, they motivated me to be the best, to do my best, and to use my skills to push our collective work forward in my own way. My parents and some close friends might not have always understood the paths that I chose. But they were always there to support and guide me along the way—especially as I maneuvered through my entrepreneurial journey.
Q: What’s one thing you wish you had known before starting Xina PR?
A: The best advice I can give an entrepreneur starting out is to make sure you have a great attorney, accountant, and mentors. When I began my journey, there were not many Black publicists, but I was determined to find them. If I had not found them, I would not have discovered that my secret sauce was my background growing up in Detroit and having a Masters in healthcare administration. That has led to my success as a publicist because I remain deeply involved in the healthcare industry working on issues related to health disparities in this country.
Q: What’s next for you and your journey?
A: I’m working to relaunch UNMUTE, a corporate training program I co-designed to change how people talk to each other about racism in the workplace. My business partner and I launched UNMUTE to bring women together in person to discuss issues of race after the Women’s March in 2017. Following the murder of George Floyd, UNMUTE took off. What started as a passion project quickly became overwhelming as more and more employers reached out for our program even as we were still leading our own businesses. The pandemic prompted us to hit pause, but now, still concerned about the silencing of Black and people of color in America, we both agreed it is time for us to reignite UNMUTE. More to come!
Xina is a member of Dreamers & Doers, an award-winning community that amplifies extraordinary women entrepreneurs and leaders by securing PR opportunities, forging authentic connections, and curating high-impact resources. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and get involved here.
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