Expertly Said

How might your approach to pharma communications shift if you suddenly found yourself on the patient side? Sara Noonan has dedicated nearly two decades to building patient communications in rare disease and oncology,  holding roles as the Senior Director of Product and Pipeline Communications for Servier Pharmaceuticals and Director of Public Relations and Investor Relations in the oncology busine...

What if the biggest barrier to effective communication is how quickly we react?  DeeDee Fisher , founder of Discover Response , is a strategic communication leader, executive coach, and entrepreneur with three decades of experience guiding executives and teams to communicate with compassion and clarity. Her speaking and coaching work centers on teaching people to move communication beyond the reac...

In a fully remote organization, the hallway doesn't exist. Neither does the break room, the impromptu lunch, or the moment you sit next to someone new in a meeting. So how do you actually build a culture? Kristen Oeltjen-Bruns is the US President of Ashfield Medical Communications , where she leads a 160-person organization working across 20 to 30 client teams. With more than 25 years in medical c...

How can pharma companies build marketing and communications strategies that truly put patients first?  Sara Zelkovic is a communications leader with more than a decade of experience supporting life sciences and biotech organizations through critical growth milestones. As Associate Director of Research and Development Communications at Astellas , she leads global scientific communication strategy a...

The best leaders aren't the ones with all the answers. They're the ones still asking questions. Eileen Habelow, PhD , is the CEO and founder of Leadership-Link and co-founder of Know 2 Grow . With over 30 years of experience improving the performance of people managers, teams, and leaders across more than 110 companies—most in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries—Eileen helps smart profession...

What happens when your side project starts feeling more like your real calling than your full-time job? Zach Randles-Friedman is a podcast host, content creator, and corporate communications professional with nearly 25 years of experience across banking, pharmaceuticals, and biotech. He's the voice behind two podcasts: Everything and Anything…and A Bit Gay and Listen Up Girl .  In this episode, Za...

Why does the same communication approach work in one region and fall flat in another? Stephanie Roberts is the Chief Communications Officer at Hitachi , where she leads teams responsible for brand, public relations, digital and social media, executive communications, reputation and crisis communications, and internal communications across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific.  In this episode, Ste...

How do you create messaging that breaks through the noise and actually sticks? Steve Woodruff , President of Clarity Fuel Inc. and author of Clarity Wins and The Point, has spent decades focused on one core idea: clear communication is the most valuable professional skill. His work spans sales, marketing, consulting, and training, all focused on helping people translate complexity into language ot...

What makes a story truly resonate?  Evon Burton is Associate Director of Patient Marketing at Bristol Myers Squibb , where he leads integrated initiatives that connect brand strategy with real patient needs, blending data-driven insight, cultural fluency, and regulatory rigor. An accomplished marketing and communications leader, Evon has more than a decade of experience driving patient and consume...

What guiding principles inform your work?  D’Shonda Brown , Corporate Communications Manager at Tris Pharma , is a storyteller, strategist, and speaker who explores the intersection of creativity, technology, and representation. With a background in journalism and corporate communications, she's passionate about helping others harness the power of authentic storytelling to inspire change and shape...

When engaging busy stakeholders, clear communication is essential.  Davina Stanley , Director at Clarity First , advises executives and product managers on communicating high-quality insights that lead to better, faster decisions. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience—including time supporting consultants at McKinsey—she is an expert at bringing clarity to complexity and surfacing the big id...

What happens when you ask “why”—and then keep asking it? From her early career as a dietitian to her current role leading medical communications at Parexel , Nichola Gokool has built her work around the belief that understanding the “why” behind people’s needs, behaviors, and decisions is the foundation of impactful communication. In this episode, Nichola joins Kristen Sweeney to discuss how this...

What role, if any, should AI play in developing biotech and pharma manuscripts?  Svetlana Pidasheva , PhD, is the Director of Scientific Communications at Radius Health , with 19 years in biotech and pharma across multiple therapeutic areas and company stages, and a PhD in experimental medicine from McGill University.  In this episode, Dr. Pidasheva joins Kristen to discuss the rigorous, human-led...

Scientific discovery creates knowledge, but communication determines whether that knowledge actually helps people. Dr. Rajiv Saini , Chief Scientific Officer at H2Ocean and a Harvard Medical School graduate specializing in clinical operations and industry leadership, has significant experience leading R&D operations, creating high-value research propositions, and uncovering new pathways for sc...

What does it take for companies to produce quality content at AI speed?  Tony Cohn is the Director of Customer Marketing at Everflow , where he leads the company’s content production. With more than 15 years in marketing, Tony’s work centers on translating complex, jargon-heavy technology into language people can actually understand.  In this episode, Tony and Kristen explore how content functions...

Are you being intentional enough about your company’s culture?  Ann Melinger is the CEO and owner of bink and an internationally recognized expert in organizational culture, employee engagement, and change management. With more than 25 years of experience, Ann has worked across global communications agencies and now leads teams helping organizations align culture with business strategy.  In this e...

If you’re thinking about who the next leaders in your organization might be, Keith Berman —Director of Internal Communications at Vertafore —has a word of advice: Don’t overlook your internal comms pros.  Keith has spent his career studying how audiences listen, feel, and act. From his early days in radio and journalism to leading internal communications across industries and company sizes, he has...

What would you do if suddenly, you had to reinvent your business?  Mary Lou Andre , founder and CEO of Dressing Well , assists leaders in leveraging style as a tool of communication and confidence. An accomplished entrepreneur, speaker, author, stylist, coach, mastermind facilitator, and nonprofit leader, Mary Lou has worked with a wide range of leaders, including corporate CEOs, governors, media...

What does it really take for people to trust the information that is being communicated to them?  Babs Crane is a consumer psychologist and design consultant who specializes in bringing human understanding to communication, design, and technology. Drawing on psychology and behavioral science, Babs helps organizations understand not just what people do but why they do it. She’s passionate about pro...

What would happen if you stopped aiming for perfection in your marketing and communications and focused instead on showing up authentically and consistently? Eric Crews has spent his career building companies and helping other entrepreneurs do the same. As founder and CEO of Crews & Co. , his work draws on decades of scaling organizations, from teaching college students to run summer businesse...

While digital marketing solutions have made it easier to connect with customers, there is still something to be said for good old-fashioned relationship-building.  With more than 20 years of experience driving growth across regulated B2B industries, Meredith Dennis brings a philosophy rooted in building strong relationships, devising practical marketing strategies, and delivering meaningful result...

The diagnostics field is changing fast, and Maria Urso is helping it keep its humanity. As Director of Medical Communications at Exact Sciences , she focuses on communicating complex science to healthcare providers and equipping them to communicate effectively with patients.  In this episode of Expertly Said , Maria breaks down what it takes to educate these audiences in a world flooded with new t...

To what extent does a healthcare provider’s word choice impact patient outcomes?  In this episode of Expertly Said , physical therapist, yoga teacher, and pelvic floor rehab specialist Kathryn Ahuja of Solstice Physiotherapy joins Kristen to explore the role of language in healing—and how even well-intentioned words can inadvertently cause harm. She explains why “do no harm” begins with mindful co...

What makes executive communication successful?  Chuck Anderson , Associate Director of Manufacturing, Engineering, and Contracting Communications at AbbVie , has spent more than two decades helping senior leaders communicate with clarity and confidence. In this episode of Expertly Said , Chuck talks with Kristen Sweeney about what it takes to help leaders connect in ways that truly resonate.

Tara Goodwin is the founder of Goodwin Consulting and co-founder of Crisis Interception, Inc . With over three decades of experience in communications, she has guided everyone from professional athletes and CEOs to global organizations through high-stakes moments.  In this episode of Expertly Said , Tara joins Kristen Sweeney to talk about crisis communication—how to prepare for it, manage it, and...