Smart Talk Series

In today's episode, Melissa introduces two authors from the new anthology, "Latinas in PR", Jeannette E. Garcia and Paola Vargas-Strassner. About Jeannette: Jeannette is the Director of Communications at a San Antonio systems-change nonprofit organization, UP Partnership. In the past, Jeannette was a reporter with the San Antonio Business Journal. She has more than a decade of communications, publ...

In today's episode, Melissa introduces two authors from the new anthology, "Latinas in PR", Melissa Monroe and Olga Mayoral Wilson. About Melissa: Melissa Monroe, MA, APR has worked as a journalist for over 15 years and transitioned into PR in 2008. She works in the Marketing & Strategic Communications team at Northwest Vista College and stays busy in her community and with her family.  Connect wi...

In today's episode, Melissa introduces two authors from the new anthology, "Latinas in PR", Carmen Boon and Amelia Taurel Folkes. About Carmen: Carmen Boon, M.A. serves as the Vice President for Public Affairs at Food Bank For New York City, amassing decades of experience in crafting strategic communication strategies and spearheading social impact and advocacy initiatives. As a first-generation i...

Season premiere! For the first episode of season nine, Melissa reads the introduction from her new anthology, "Latinas in Public Relations: Shaping Communications, Communities, and Culture." Topics covered: - What inspired Melissa to go on this new book journey - The introduction of "Latinas in Public Relations" Resources mentioned:  - "Latinas in Public Relations: Shaping Communications, Communit...

This season, we've learned that cultural strategy is essential, but approaches can feel hollow and performative without collaboration and authentic engagement with the cultures being recognized. In this season finale, Melissa speaks with Charlene Ostbloom, the founder of Bloom Communications and Angela Gonzalez, the communications manager for Chugachmiut, a tribal consortium. They dig into bridgin...

Creating a cultural strategy is not enough. Effectively implementing your strategy is the first step to enacting real change. Listen as Melissa talks with Ben Finzel and LaTricia Harper Woods, APR of The Change Agencies about activating cultural strategy in today's society. About Ben: Ben Finzel is president of RENEWPR, a Washington, DC-based public relations firm. Ben and his team of seven indepe...

Sometimes the audiences that are the easiest to reach are not the ones that you need to hear from. In today's episode, Melissa sits with Jessica Broome Ph. D., the founder of Southpaw Insights about what inclusive insights are and how they can benefit every communicator. About Jessica: Dr. Jessica Broome is a survey methodologist and insights professional. She founded Southpaw Insights in 2008 to...

Soccer brings together people of all cultures around the world. With a large audience that comes from so many backgrounds, how do you best communicate with each? Tune in to an engaging conversation with the Executive Director of Public Relations for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Daniel "Danny" Marin about how to communicate with an international IQ. About Danny: Daniel Marin is the Executive Director o...

Culturally relevant communication is powerful, especially when it's created with knowledge, empathy, and solidarity. In this episode, Melissa talks to Gabriel Reyes, the president and founder of Reyes Entertainment about his new book and efforts to inform and educate the industry pros about the need for cultural competence. About Gabriel: Gabriel Reyes is considered one of the pioneers of Hispanic...

Join us this season as we focus on Cultural Strategy! Melissa kicks off Season 8 with Associate Director of Race and Ethnicity Research at Pew Research Center, Sahana Mukherjee. Listen as they discuss the important role research plays when crafting cultural strategy. About Sahana: Sahana Mukherjee is Associate Director of Race and Ethnicity research at Pew Research Center. She is an expert on issu...

Season finale! Celebrate the end of Season 7 with an insightful discussion between host Melissa Vela-Williamson and Ernie Zuniga the host of "Pickup Lines". Ernie shares about taking the leap from being a TV morning news anchor on traditional media, to developing a self-produced show with a unique format. About Ernie: For almost 18 years, Ernie Zuniga helped to wake up San Antonio area residents b...

No matter what field you're in, there's probably a publication that is created for professionals like you and covers stories that are relevant to your area of work. This is called trade journalism. In today's episode, Melissa is joined by John Elsasser, the editor-in-chief of PRSA's Strategies & Tactics for a discussion about the evolution and importance of trade journalism. About John: John Elsas...

Learn Copyright Law do's and don'ts of AI from public relations author Melissa Vela-Williamson and media law attorney Alicia Calzada on January 18. Tickets are on sale now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ethics-and-copyright-law-in-an-ai-excited-world-tickets-759697394357?aff=oddtdtcreator . Resources mentioned: Ethics and Copyright Law in an AI-Excited World Smart Talk: Public Relations Essentials...

Enjoy a bonus conversation between Melissa and Shannon Weinstein on the Keep What You Earn! podcast where they discuss creating a conscious public relations strategy. Thanks to Shannon for having Melissa on her show to talk about PR and money matters. Resources mentioned: Keep What You Earn!: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keep-what-you-earn/id1580071347 Smart Talk: Public Relations Essenti...

Making the leap from a steady corporate job to the chaos of owning your own business is not easy. In today's episode, Melissa talks to Jennifer R. Hudson, APR about her path to owning her own firm. About Jennifer: Jennifer is a strategic communications advocate, trainer, mentor, consultant and speaker. Her superpowers are helping PR leaders step boldly into their role as a trusted advisor and weed...

Social media is a powerful tool every PR professional needs to know how to use. But what happens when that power gets out of your control and creates a crisis? Today, Melissa discusses the importance of understanding crisis communication in every part of your career evolution with crisis comms and TikTok strategist Molly McPherson. About Molly: Public relations expert Molly McPherson knows how to...

How do you make a difference when you see a lack of support for your community? In today's episode, Melissa talks to Bernice Chao, an award-winning creative whose career evolution led her to creating Asians in Advertising and writing a book about visibility. Big thanks to our sponsor Anais Biera Miracle for supporting this season of the podcast! About Bernice:  Bernice Chao is an award-winning cre...

It takes a village to build a career you can be proud of. In this episode, Melissa talks to former PR agency pro turned coach Ken Jacobs about the importance of great coaching and consulting in your career evolution. Big thanks to our sponsor Anais Biera Miracle for supporting this season of the podcast! About Ken: Ken Jacobs is one of the few certified executive coaches who had an initial career...

When you start your career, you never know where life will take you. Today's guest, Julie Livingston, embraced the unknown by letting curiosity guide her throughout her career. Listen as she talks with Melissa about her path and how it ultimately led to starting her own firm. Big thanks to our sponsor Anais Biera Miracle for supporting this season of the podcast! About Julie: Julie Livingston is p...

Listen as Melissa kicks off Season Six by asking questions to get you thinking about you how to evolve your career. Join us this season as Melissa talks with experts in various disciplines about their career evolution stories. Big thanks to our sponsor Anais Biera Miracle for supporting this season of the podcast! Topics covered:  Career evolution  How to determine what you need in a new job or ca...

Enjoy a bonus conversation between Melissa and Gini Dietrich of Spin Sucks about effectively communicating across diverse audiences. Topics covered: - Being conscious of how you communicate - DEI communication musts - Tactics to include in your communications programs - Integrating intersectionality - Habits for more inclusive communication - Q&A Actions to take: - Advocate for yourself - Plan wit...