Podcast

Public Relations Stories and Strategies

Business, Marketing, Society & Culture

Every organization has a story people believe about it. Most leaders didn't choose that story. They inherited it, stumbled into it, or lost control of it somewhere along the way.

Stories and Strategies is the Public Relations podcast that changes that.

Host Doug Downs talks with the communicators, executives, and strategists who understand that narrative isn't a marketing function. It's a leadership one. Each episode unpacks what actually shapes reputation, trust, and public perception at the highest levels, drawing on behavioral science, media intelligence, and the ethics that keep persuasion honest.

This is public relations at the level serious leaders need it. Not tactics and press releases. The thinking behind why some stories win and others disappear.

Ranked among the most listened-to public relations podcasts in the world, Stories and Strategies reaches leaders and communicators across six continents every week.

If you are responsible for the story people believe about your organization, you cannot afford to guess. Follow Stories and Strategies wherever you listen to your public relations content.

Episodes
285
Releases
Weekly
Typical length
21 min
On air since
2020
Latest episode
1 day ago

Episodes

285 episodes, newest first

  1. AI is Making the Oldest Skill in Public Relations Worth More

    Season 5, Episode 254

    Show notes

    Recorded Live at PRSA ICON in Orlando, October 2026.

    AI is changing the rules of public relations, but is it actually making media relations more valuable than ever? Jennifer Bisbee explores why earned media, human relationships, and third-party credibility are becoming increasingly important in an AI-driven world.

    Jennifer explains why journalism and an expanded idea of “media” is still a powerful currency of trust, how AI search engines are reshaping brand visibility, and why a well-placed story can carry more weight than anything a company says about itself.

    Doug and Jennifer dig into AI-generated pitches, shrinking newsrooms, crisis communications, the advantages of boutique versus large PR agencies, and what happens when journalists get the story wrong. Along the way, Jennifer shares why AI can sharpen PR strategy but cannot replace human judgment, authentic storytelling, or the fundamentals of building relationships.

    Listen For

    04:52 Why Does Earned Media Matter More Than Ever in the Age of AI?

    07:52 How Can Your Media Pitch Stand Out When AI Agents Are Gatekeepers?

    09:37 How Can AI Improve Crisis Communications and Real-Time Reputation Monitoring?

    10:56 Should You Hire a Boutique PR Firm or a Large International Agency?

    14:28 What Should You Do When a Journalist Gets Your Story Wrong?

    Guest: Jennifer Bisbee, APR, Fellow PRSA, Bisbee and Company

    Website | Email | LinkedIn | PRConsultants Group

    The PRSA article for Jennnifer’s talk

    Link to Trailer for Jennifer’s Film “What Hugh Knew”

    Doug

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    18 min
  2. In Public Relations, Different is Better than Better

    Season 5, Episode 253

    Show notes

    Take Sally’s FREE Fascinate Test

    Recorded at PRSA ICON 2026 in Orlando, bestselling author Sally Hogshead explains why being different is more valuable than being better, why playing it safe may be the riskiest strategy of all, and why authenticity alone won't make you memorable.

    Sally shares what she shared in her keynote address at ICON. Surprising examples of brands that turned weaknesses into competitive advantages, along with practical advice for getting bold ideas past cautious decisionmakers. The question isn't whether you're good at what you do. It's whether anyone can tell you apart from everyone else.

    Listen For

    04:55 Can AI Really Make Your Brand Fascinating, or Is Something Human Missing?

    05:48 Why Is Being Different More Valuable Than Being Better?

    08:06 How Can PR Professionals Sell Bold Ideas to Risk-Averse Decision-Makers?

    10:16 Why Isn't Being Authentic Enough to Make Your Brand Stand Out?

    11:43 Can Introverts Be Just as Fascinating as Extroverts?

    Guest: Sally Hogshead

    Personal web site | How to Fascinate | About Sally | Email | LinkedIn | YouTube

    Doug Downs

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    18 min
  3. REPLAY Accreditation vs Certification for Communications Pros Bonus

    Show notes

    This replay comes from a conversation I had last week at PRSA ICON 26 in Orlando. Which is better accreditation? Or certification? This episode originally aired in October 2024.

    Sia Papageorgiou challenges the traditional idea of accreditation and argues that certification is the real game-changer for PR professionals. She shares insights on why the Global Communication Certification Council (GCCC) stands out with its internationally recognized standards, and why it’s crucial for communication professionals to continually update their skills to stay relevant in a rapidly changing field.

    Listen For
    2:43 Certification over Accreditation
    6:02 Ongoing Education and Accountability
    12:55 Mandatory Certification in Some Countries
    17:00 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Vince Nero

    Guest: Sia Papageorgiou, FRSA, FCSCE, SCMP
    Website | Email | X | LinkedIn
    CSCE link to training offerings

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads

    Request a transcript of this episode

    Support the show

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    22 min
  4. The Knowing-Doing Gap: AI Ethics in Public Relations

    Season 5, Episode 252

    Show notes

    There's a gap between knowing AI ethics and practicing them, and it's where reputations go to die. Research for PRSA's Board of Ethics and Professional Standards mapped it across 10 essential AI ethics competencies, from critical thinking and ethical judgment to privacy, accountability, and governance. The finding that stings most: critical thinking is both the most essential competency and one of the profession's biggest gaps. Communicators know the principles. They still fail to apply them when it counts.

    Doug caught up with researcher Marlene Neill in Orlando at PRSA ICON 2026 to dig into what that gap looks like inside real organizations, the perfect storm of pressure for speed without the training or guardrails to match. They get into why communicators are weakest at judgment when judgment is the job, what value the practitioner still provides when AI can draft the release in seconds, and the one thing a solo practitioner or small team can do Monday morning to start closing it. If AI touches your comms work, this is the episode about the part no tool can do for you.

    Listen For

    :13 The Surgical Safety Checklist: What Atul Gawande Teaches PR Pros About the Knowing-Doing Gap

    2:57 AI Ethics in Public Relations: Why Human Judgment Still Matters

    4:13 AI Hallucinations in PR: Why You Must Verify Every Output

    6:19 How AI Is Changing PR Agency Billing and Value-Based Pricing

    12:01 How to Speak Up on Ethics at Work: Giving Voice to Values

    Guest: Marlene Neill, Professor and Graduate Program Director at Baylor University (Journalism, Public Relations and New Media). Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA

    Email | PRSA Bio

    Doug

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    17 min
  5. The Hidden Rules of Workplace Emojis: What Gen Z Wants You to Know

    Season 5, Episode 251

    Show notes

    Three out of four office workers now feel like they need to use emojis at work, according to Statista's research on workplace communication. But almost nobody stops to ask what that emoji is actually doing once it lands in an inbox, a Slack thread, or a client email.

    That's the gap Stacy Jo Dixon from Statista has been studying, and it's the gap this episode sits inside: not whether emojis belong in business, but what they're quietly signalling about generation, culture, gender, and judgment every time someone hits send.

    In this episode we work through what the data actually shows, and where it gets complicated. Why older professionals default to the thumbs up, while younger ones have developed what Stacy calls emoji literacy. And why the same emoji that reads as friendly in one country can land as an insult in another culture, and what any of this means for a brand's voice once it starts showing up in pixels instead of words. It's a more surprising conversation than the stat sheet suggests.

    Listen For

    03:49 Which emojis should you never use in the workplace?

    05:49 What is emoji literacy and why does it matter at work?

    08:10 Can the thumbs-up emoji be offensive across cultures?

    12:40 When should you use emojis with executives, bosses, or clients?

    14:13 Should companies create workplace emoji policies?

    Guest: Stacy Jo Dixon, Statista

    LinkedIn |IG | Website | Emoji usage – statistics & facts |Off the Charts Podcast (hosted by Stacy): YouTube | Off the Charts Podcast (hosted by Stacy): Spotify

    Doug Downs

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    21 min
  6. A “Jolly” Rebranding Case Study

    Season 5, Episode 250

    Show notes

    What do you do when the name that built your reputation suddenly makes you look stuck in the past?

    Jolly SEO was a company founded on solid SEO strategies and infrastructure.

    But “S E O?” Ugh that’s soooo 2021.

    So cofounder Greg Heilers had a dilemma. Suddenly he had a name that kinda conveyed old thinking.

    In this episode he explains the surprisingly complicated journey from Jolly SEO to a brand built for an AI-driven search world.

    Greg also explains why “SEO” began sending the wrong signal, how the company preserved the valuable “Jolly” identity while embracing a broader definition of search, and why finding the perfect domain helped settle months of debate.

    Listen For

    03:12 Why did Jolly SEO need to change its name in the age of AI search?

    05:41 How did Jolly SEO finally land on the name Jolly Search?

    09:54 Does your company name affect whether AI and LLMs recommend your brand?

    12:06 How do you know whether a rebrand has actually worked?

    16:56 What should businesses know before rebranding an established company?

    Guest: Greg Heilers, Co-Captain | Jolly Search

    Website | LinkedIn

    Doug Downs

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    20 min
  7. What it Takes to Sell Your Brand Across the Atlantic

    Season 5, Episode 249

    Show notes

    Every brand that crosses the Atlantic faces the same unspoken question, and almost nobody asks it out loud before they've already spent the budget: should we act like ourselves, or should we act like we belong here?

    Volkswagen bet on staying unmistakably German and won over American drivers. Other brands have made the opposite bet and won too. There's no universal answer, and that's exactly what makes it a hard call to get right.

    Daisy Pack, managing director of HUNTER's London office, has spent more than two decades sitting inside that decision for American and British brands trying to win over each other's audiences. In this episode, she walks through how she actually makes the call, using a real campaign for Premier Protein that skipped the obvious American fitness playbook entirely, and explains why the right answer for a brand crossing the Atlantic in 2026 might be the opposite of what worked ten years ago.

    Listen For

    4:09 Should American brands emphasize or downplay their identity when entering the UK?

    8:13 How did Premier Protein make an American brand culturally relevant in Britain?

    14:05 Why do American and British audiences respond differently to brand storytelling?

    15:49 When can leaning into Americana actually help a brand connect with British consumers?

    19:28 What should an American brand do before launching or expanding in the UK?

    Guest: Daisy Pack, Managing Director, Hunter PR London

    IG | Website | Company LinkedIn | LinkedIn | Hunter UK LinkedIn | Email

    Doug Downs

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    23 min
  8. World PR Forum Wants Your Say on Public Relations Rules

    Season 5, Episode 248

    Show notes

    Take the Global Alliance Survey before October 2, 2026

    Who actually makes up the rules for public relations? Who decided what counts as good measurement, how you're supposed to structure a comms team, what you tell an executive when they ask "why does this function even exist"? Your local or national association has a voice in that, but the actual standards, the ones you're governed by and quoted to and inspired by, came out of delegate rooms in Madrid, Melbourne, and Stockholm. The US sends delegates to those rooms.

    You don't get a personal say in what they bring back.

    Well, NOW you do. You… personally!!

    The Global Alliance has opened 15 questions to the entire profession, not just the delegates, asking what society actually has the right to expect from a communication professional. This episode looks at what's being asked, why regions like Africa and Asia are answering in force while North America stays quiet, and what happens to the next set of rules if you skip your turn to answer.

    Listen For

    5:02 Why Should Communication Professionals Care About the Abuja Declaration?

    7:30 Should Public Relations Professionals Be Licensed or Regulated?

    9:44 What Should Society Expect From a Professional Communicator?

    14:29 How Will the Abuja Research Prevent Regional Bias From Shaping the Results?

    17:20 What Happens After the Abuja Declaration Is Created?

    Guest: Adrian Cropley, Centre for Strategic Communications Excellence,

    Website | LinkedIn | Adrian’s Podcast A View from the Top | CSCE Website

    Doug Downs

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    21 min
  9. Cognitive Surrender and What it Means to Public Relations

    Season 5, Episode 247

    Show notes

    For decades, PR professionals have tried to influence what people think or how they think it.

    AI may be changing something even more fundamental: whether people do much of that thinking themselves.

    Researchers call it “Cognitive Surrender.” The tendency to accept an AI-generated answer without really scrutinizing it. And if AI increasingly sits between your message and your audience, or starts doing the thinking for communicators themselves, the implications for trust, persuasion and professional judgment could be enormous.

    Listen For

    4:30 What Is Cognitive Surrender and How Did Researchers Test It?
    7:44 Why Did People Accept Wrong AI Answers 80% of the Time?
    9:53 Can Cognitive Surrender Weaken Critical Thinking Skills?
    12:47 What Happens When AI Sits Between PR Pros and the Public?
    15:14 Why Should Communicators Think First and Prompt Second?

    Guest: Dr Steven Shaw, PhD, King’s College London and Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

    Website | LinkedIn | Google Scholar page

    Doug

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    21 min
  10. Turn Small Talk Over Drinks into Your Best Public Relations Tool

    Season 5, Episode 246

    Show notes

    Every PR person knows the moment: you're holding a coffee or a glass of wine at a networking event, the small talk has dried up, and the person standing next to you outranks you by a lot. Shawn Spitaleri has spent years collecting the kind of beverage trivia that fixes exactly that problem, real, verifiable stories about why your coffee tastes the way it does, why tea sparked a geopolitical crisis, and why every champagne bottle opens with the same number of twists no matter who made it.

    This episode is a toolkit, not a lecture. Shawn walks through coffee, tea, champagne, wine, and beer, pulling out the one fact from each that's actually worth repeating out loud, the kind that gets a genuine reaction instead of a polite nod. If you've ever needed something better than "so, how about this weather" to say to a stranger holding the same drink as you, this one's for you.

    Listen For

    4:17 Why Did Governments Try to Ban Coffee?

    6:08 How Did Britain’s Love of Tea Fuel the Opium Trade and Corporate Espionage?

    9:41 Did Dom Pérignon Really Invent Champagne?

    12:16 What Does the World’s Oldest Beer Recipe Reveal About Ancient Drinking Culture?

    17:29 How Did Franklin Roosevelt Help Popularize the Dirty Martini?

    Guest: Shawn Spitaleri, The Architect, Obscura Meridian Co

    Distillate Podcast | Website

    Doug

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    23 min
  11. Public Relations in Egypt

    Season 5, Episode 245

    Show notes

    Most people don’t experience a country… they experience its reputation.

    Long before a flight is booked or a business deal is considered, a story has already landed in your mind. A headline. A search result. A clip that went viral. A warning someone repeated with total confidence. And once that story sticks, it starts to feel like the place itself.

    So, let’s test it. When you picture Egypt, what shows up first? Pyramids. Pharaohs. Ancient tombs. Maybe a biblical story, or maybe a recent news headline? Egypt is one of the most famous places on earth, but that fame can flatten it into a single image, a single idea, a single shadow.

    In this episode, nation branding and strategic communications leader Lamia Kamel unpacks how reputations are formed and how they can be changed, especially now that discovery runs through search, social, and AI. If you’ve ever realized you “knew” a place before you actually understood it, this conversation might rewire the way you think about perception.

    Listen For:

    04:28 What Misconceptions Do Travelers Have About Egypt?

    05:37 What Is the Real Egypt Beyond Pyramids and Stereotypes?

    08:10 How Should Egypt Use Digital Marketing to Attract Travelers?

    11:43 Which Social Media Platforms Are Most Popular in Egypt?

    17:49 How Is PR in Egypt Different From Western PR?

    Guest: Lamia Kamel, Managing Director of CC Plus

    Website | Email | LinkedIn

    Doug

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Request a transcript of this episode

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    22 min
  12. The Mentorship Myths Holding PR Professionals Back

    Season 5, Episode 244

    Show notes

    Most of us are waiting for mentorship to look a certain way. A senior person who takes us under their wing. A scheduled coffee every two weeks. A defined relationship with a clear beginning and a clear end.

    And while we are waiting for that version of mentorship to show up, the real thing is happening all around us and we’re missing it entirely. But the way mentorship actually works in the public relations profession is different to almost everything you would naturally believe.

    Listen For

    3:35 What Are the Five Biggest Myths About Mentorship?

    5:35 Why Should Mentorship Work Both Ways?

    7:36 Can ChatGPT or AI Replace a Human Mentor?

    13:42 What Mentorship Advice Can Stay With You for Life?

    16:36 How Do You Find the Right Mentor in Public Relations?

    Guests:

    Amy Thurlow

    Website | LinkedIn

    Colleen Killingsworth

    LinkedIn

    Book Rethinking the Table on Amazon

    Doug

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    21 min
  13. Can this AI Tool Spot Your Next PR Crisis Before You Do?

    Season 5, Episode 243

    Show notes

    As a communications professional you’ve used ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot in the last 30 days.

    Probably in the last week.

    Probably earlier today.

    And at some point you’ve had the same experience: you put in a prompt, you get back something that’s technically competent and completely generic. You spend the next 20 minutes re-prompting, editing, wrestling it into something that actually sounds like your organization, your voice, your situation.

    A Workday study found that 40% of the time saved by using generative AI tools is immediately lost reworking the outputs. You traded one kind of work for another.

    The reason is simple and almost nobody is saying it out loud. Those tools were built for everyone. Which in communications terms means they were built for no one in particular. They don't think like a communicator. They don't have access to what a communicator needs. They don't know what’s being said about your organization right now across 4,000 TikTok videos, each with modest view counts, each repeating the same damaging narrative, each flying completely below the radar of your existing monitoring tools.

    Stratum is the tool that needed to be built three years ago.

    Watch the YouTube Video of this episode to see Stratum demonstration

    Listen For

    3:29 Why do communications teams need AI built around use cases instead of tools?

    6:30 What is Stratum and how is it different from ChatGPT or Copilot?

    12:18 What is the difference between an AI agent and an agentic workflow?

    17:29 Can AI detect a reputation crisis before it goes viral?

    19:45 How can AI identify the right influencers for a campaign?

    Guest: Matt Collette, Sequencr.AI

    Website | LinkedIn | Stratum Platform

    Doug

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    23 min
  14. Two Thirds of the Room but Almost NONE of the Corner Offices

    Season 5, Episode 242

    Show notes

    In Canada, women make up roughly two thirds of the public relations profession. They are the majority in the classrooms, the majority in the entry level roles, and the majority climbing through the middle ranks. And then somewhere around the senior level, the numbers flip. The leadership tables in PR firms and communications departments across the country look nothing like the profession they are supposed to represent. This is not a new observation. The data has been there for years.

    Here’s what’s new. Two researchers decided to stop describing the problem and start asking a harder question. Not how do we get more women to the table? But why does the table keep failing the women who get there. Because what the data also shows, and what too many PR women know personally, is that the exit is often quiet and deliberate. Not a firing. Not a failure. A decision. A moment where a woman who is absolutely capable of leading looks at what it costs and says this is not worth it.

    This episode is about what is driving that decision, and what it is going to take to change it.

    Listen For

    4:15 Why Do Women Hold Fewer Than 30% of Senior PR Leadership Roles?

    7:11 What Does It Mean to Rethink the Leadership Table?

    9:15 How Can PR Organizations Create Sustainable Leadership Careers?

    15:06 What Can Women and Men Do to Change PR Leadership?

    17:03 Why Won’t Teaching Women to Play Golf Solve Workplace Exclusion?

    Guests:

    Amy Thurlow

    Website | LinkedIn

    Colleen Killingsworth

    LinkedIn

    Book Rethinking the Table on Amazon

    Doug

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Watch this episode on YouTube

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    20 min
  15. Good Girls Are Quiet

    Season 5, Episode 241

    Show notes

    Most women don't lose their voice all at once. It happens slowly, quietly, and with the best of intentions. They soften their tone here. They hold back an opinion there. They make themselves a little smaller, a little easier, a little less. Until one day they can't quite remember what they actually sound like.

    This episode is about that. Where the muting comes from, what it costs, and what it takes to find your voice at midlife.

    Listen For

    3:30 What Does It Really Mean to Find Your Voice at Midlife?

    5:03 Why Do So Many Women Feel Ready to Explode in Midlife?

    7:13 Why Are Assertive Women Judged Differently From Assertive Men?

    12:19 How Can Women Process the Unspoken Grief of Not Having Children?

    16:19 When Should You Speak Up, and When Should You Protect Your Peace?

    Guest: Priya Sudarsanam, Speech Pathologist

    LinkedIn | Website | Instagram | Podcast | Facebook | YouTube

    Doug Downs

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Watch this episode on YouTube

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    20 min
  16. The Paradox of Polarization… Division Makes PR More Valuable

    Season 5, Episode 240

    Show notes

    There’s a booming business in divisiveness. And PR is caught right in the thick of it.

    Recorded at the June 2026 IABC conference in Toronto, Doug Downs speaks with Fred Cook about A Quiet Shift, a report exploring how polarization is reshaping public relations. Cook explains why division is damaging society, mental health, and business while making thoughtful communications counsel more valuable.

    They examine echo chambers, outrage as a political and media strategy, the possibility that AI reinforces existing beliefs, and the disappearance of productive dialogue. Cook also outlines how PR education must evolve, emphasizing crisis management, finance, government relations, public affairs, ethics, and responsible technology use. Ultimately, the conversation challenges communicators to adapt without contributing to the very divisions that create demand for their expertise.

    Listen For

    2:33 How Is Polarization Changing Public Relations?

    5:38 Why Can Polarization Make PR More Valuable—and More Vulnerable?

    6:25 Is AI Reinforcing Bias and Deepening Polarization?

    9:01 Which Skills Will Future PR Professionals Need Most?

    12:00 Why Does Calling the Other Side “Stupid” Destroy Dialogue?

    Guest: Fred Cook, Director USC USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations

    Fred bio

    Doug Downs

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    15 min
  17. Sticky Stories Start with the Itch Your Audience is Already Scratching

    Season 5, Episode 239

    Show notes

    Generic messaging fails for a simple reason. It speaks to everyone, which means it actually speaks to no one. The messages that stick, the ones people repeat, forward, and act on, are never written for "employees" or "stakeholders" or "our valued customers." They are written for one person, with one specific frustration, in one specific moment.

    That’s not a nice idea about storytelling. It’s a framework, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it in every all-staff email that gets ignored and every campaign that gets remembered.

    In this episode we get the five tip framework behind stories that actually stick, from a communicator who has spent her career studying why some messages disappear the moment they’re sent while others get repeated for years.

    Listen for:

    3:17 The Five-Step Framework for Sticky Stories

    7:12 Finding the Frustration: Real Communication Examples

    10:34 Break the Fourth Wall to Make Messages Memorable

    13:54 The Recipe for Stories People Remember

    Guest: Eduvie Martin, FCIPR, Past President of IABC UK and Ireland

    LinkedIn | Comic Republic

    Doug Downs

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    21 min
  18. Reputation Management vs Reputation Architecture

    Season 5, Episode 238

    Show notes

    Reputation isn’t your shadow anymore. It’s your operating system.

    It’s no longer something you manage. It has already been decided, by AI, based on patterns inside your organization you may not even know exist. Most leaders still think about reputation the old way: crisis plans, issue management, damage control after the fact. But AI now reads every signal a company puts out and connects them across every location and every stakeholder, drawing its own conclusion about who you really are. A bad manager in one city used to stay local. Now it can become your global reputation by tomorrow morning.

    There is a scale that runs from head in the sand to full reputation architect, and most organizations are stuck somewhere in the middle, reacting instead of designing. This episode gets into why reputation now functions like a credit score, why one recent report put a seven trillion dollar number on it globally, and why the real work ahead is not protecting your brand but architecting the patterns underneath it, before AI does that job for you.

    Listen For

    3:35 Why should organizations stop managing reputation and start architecting it?

    5:13 How does reputation become operational currency across an organization?

    7:48 Why is brand more than a logo or a “cowboy hat”?

    10:45 How is AI becoming a stakeholder in your reputation?

    16:35 How can leaders tell if they are reacting, managing, or architecting reputation?

    Guest: Bonnie Caver, Reputation Lighthouse

    LinkedIn | Website | Company LinkedIn

    Doug Downs

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Subscribe to the Stories and Strategies PR podcast newsletter

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    24 min
  19. Why the Future of IABC May Be Less Stage and More Circle

    Season 5, Episode 237

    Show notes

    What happens when a conference has no keynote, no formal agenda, and no single expert at the front of the room?

    The new IABC International Chair calls this an “unconference” model. And it’s one glimpse of how professional associations can evolve: by creating space for communicators to learn directly from one another.

    Also in this episode – why community, credibility, and connection matter more than ever in a profession being reshaped by AI, shrinking budgets, and rising expectation, the changing role of communicators in the age of AI, and why earned media, credible third-party sources, FAQs, and even the press release may be gaining new relevance in AI search.

    Listen For

    4:13 Why was the ABC Designation Considered Tougher than the SCMP?

    5:34 How is AI Making Earned Media and Press Releases Valuable Again?

    8:09 Why Should Communicators Bring FAQ Pages Back for AI Search?

    9:56 Why are Chief Communications Officers Gaining a Stronger Seat at the C-Suite Table?

    17:11 How Is IABC Rethinking Chapters With Community Models and Unconferences?

    Guest: Richard Kies, Incoming IABC International Chair

    LinkedIn | Bio Page

    Doug Downs

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    22 min
  20. Communications Needs a New Compass

    Season 5, Episode 236

    Show notes

    As a communications professional you’re operating in the most complex information environment in history. Misinformation. Disinformation. AI generated deepfakes of executives saying things they never said. Audiences who have stopped trusting what organizations tell them. Employees who can't tell what's real. And somewhere in the middle of all of that noise you’re still expected to move people. To make them understand something, feel something, and do something. With the same frameworks you have always used.

    Dianne Chase has written a book that argues the profession needs a North Star more than it needs another tactical playbook. She’s the past International Chair of IABC, past Chair of the IABC Southern Region, and current president of IABC Charlotte. Her book is called The Seven C's of the New Communications Compass. And the argument she makes is both simple and urgent: in an era of collapsing trust, the communicators who will matter most are not the ones with the best tools. They’re the ones who remembered to be human.

    This episode was recorded on location in Toronto in June 2026 at IABC World Conference

    Listen For

    3:16 What Are the Seven Cs of the New Communications Compass?

    6:16 Why Should Organizations Build Relationships Instead of Transactions?

    8:19 How Does Compassion Become Empathy in Action?

    13:09 Why Does Community Matter to Purpose-Driven Brands?

    17:10 How Should Communicators Measure What Really Matters?

    Guest: Dianne Chase, President IABC Charlotte, past International Chair IABC, past Chair IABC Southern Region

    Website | LinkedIn

    Doug Downs

    Substack | Website | LinkedIn

    Are you a brand with a podcast that needs support? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.

    Apply to be a guest on the podcast

    Connect with us

    LinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Pinterest

    Send us a note about this episode. We'll reply and thank you on a future episode

    Support the show

    23 min