Roshini Rajkumar ’97 thrives on having as many irons in the fire as possible. But now one of her many roles will be taking on a different look – or sound.

Her nine-year-old radio show, Real Talk with Roshini, will be broadcast on Minneapolis-based WCCO Radio for the last time on Sept. 5.

Rajkumar will continue to do a digital show, Discover Minnesota with Roshini, on the Good Neighbor’s Facebook platform, while also doing other digital projects for the station.

 The main reason is the growth of her business, Roshini Multi Media. It’s the highest revenue-producing of her endeavors, so she’s eager to devote more energy to it.

 “My full-time job is still full-time,” she says. “I just made a decision to give up part of my part-time job. I needed to get my Sundays back.”

Rajkumar's company does executive coaching, media consulting, multimedia content creation, mainstage speaking, and endorsements.

Within all those areas are subcategories that showcase Rajkumar’s versatility. Her coaching offerings include media strategy, crisis coaching, and tips in areas as fine-tuned as request-for-proposal presentations and product launches.

One of the areas that has morphed the most in recent years, she says, is crisis coaching.

 “There are ways for things to go wrong that didn’t really even exist 10 years ago,” she says. “Things like diversity and inclusion have become much more important. I focus on crisis preparedness and crisis reaction.”

From Law School to Broadcast

Born in Sri Lanka, Rajkumar’s family moved here when she was a toddler, and she grew up in Edina. At every step of her education, she had an eye on what was around the next bend.

 “I went to college planning to be a trial attorney, and I went to law school planning to be a reporter,” she says.

Her path illuminated as she explored her passions. As a 2L, Rajkumar was a summer associate at the since-shuttered Rider Bennett firm but declined a full-time job offer so she could pursue journalism.

“I fell in love with talk radio while in TV news. As I launched my business, it was part of my plan to have a radio show one day," she says. "I wasn't sure how. I just started networking in radio."

Rajkumar’s preternatural poise and gift of gab made her a natural for TV, and later for radio. Six years after she started her business, she became a part-time host at WCCO.

But again, she blends her worlds. She kept--and keeps--her law license current and uses legal skills in her consulting and interviewing. 

Growing Client List

As Rajkumar has plied her trade both in front of and behind the scenes, her client list has blossomed. Ryan Companies, Felhaber Larson, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Georgetown University Law Center Corporate Counsel Institute are among those who have benefited from her counsel, her materials – or her event savvy– in one way or another.

One client happy to sing Rajkumar’s praises is Kristine Fortman, PhD, CEO of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. 

“Roshini leads from her heart, and that matters to me,” says Fortman. “She has a way of drawing people out and highlighting their authentic selves. She is definitely my phone-a-friend when I’m navigating critical messaging.”

And in fact, the ongoing shift in her work has already created opportunities in the form of prospective clients to whom Rajkumar previously might not have been able to say yes.

“I’ve had to manage my goals while I also manage my full-time business and my part-time work,” she says. “What I’m doing now is opening up my ability to be more focused on my coaching practice, my speaking, and my content creation.”

Dan Heilman is a St. Paul-based freelance writer.