PodCatalyst: The Official Podcast of IABC

Founded in 1973, the Commission on Public Relations Education (CPRE) provides recommendations on public relations education for universities and professional associations around the world. CPRE’s latest signature report, “ Navigating Change: Recommendations for Advancing Undergraduate PR Education ,” offers an in-depth look into what’s needed and expected of educators and practitioners when it com...

In Under 10: Guiding Principles for the Ethical Use of AI As a complement to the association’s Code of Ethics, IABC recently released Guiding Principles for the Ethical Use of AI by Communication Professionals. In this first edition of “In Under 10,” Kristin Frankiewicz, IABC content manager, sits down with Simon Murphy, a member of the IABC Ethics Committee, to learn more about these principles....

When it comes to brand-building, the communicator is well-equipped to not only manage that of their organization or clients, but their own brand as well. So what does that look like in practice? Miri Rodriguez, senior storyteller at Microsoft, offers her insight and sage advice to “date the brand and marry yourself.” IABC Content Manager Kristin Frankiewicz sits down with Miri to learn more about...

In the latest episode of PodCatalyst, Peter Finn, IABC executive director, sits down with Maliha Aqeel, IABC chair, Kamyar Naficy, IABC vice chair, and Danielle Bond, IABC past chair (2021-2022) to discuss the year ahead. This conversation has something for everyone: how comms pros can wield influence in the C-suite and within their own teams, the importance of tapping into geopolitics, what it me...

In the latest episode of PodCatalyst, Peter Finn, IABC executive director, sits down with Mike Klein, founder of #WeLeadComms. Mike is a seasoned comms pro and champion of the profession. In 2021, he created #WeLeadComms to recognize everyday achievement in the field. To date, he’s shone a light on more than 600 communication leaders. Tune in as Mike shares what he’s learned through this work and...

Martha Muzychka was named an IABC Fellow in 2019, acknowledging her decades of service to the profession and excellence in the field. Peter Finn, IABC executive director and host, sat down to talk with Martha about what led her to an entrepreneurial career, observations from her experience as a Gold Quill evaluator, what it means to join the ranks of IABC Fellows, trends she’s keeping a pulse on a...

Josie Cox is a global journalist with a long held interest in business, power, workplace culture and gender. As author of the upcoming book, “Women Money Power” (March 2024), Josie sat down with IABC Executive Director Peter Finn to talk about the work she’s done to uncover the stories of women who have been instrumental in driving significant legal, social and political transformations in modern...

Linda Rutherford, chief administration and communications officer at Southwest Airlines, joins IABC Executive Director Peter Finn PodCatalyst to talk about her 30+ years with the company and the changes she’s seen in the field along the way. After a pivot from journalism, Rutherford grew her PR career and climbed the ranks to where she is today. Tune in to learn how she’s watched tech become a dis...

While AI excels at word predictions and learns from existing content, it lacks empathy, emotion and sometimes accuracy. This is where communicators shine, leveraging the technology as one tool in their toolbox rather than a one-stop solution. Tune into this episode of PodCatalyst to hear from Jared Curtis, senior director of corporate communications at Maximus, Inc. as he sheds light on his team’s...

Managing reputation in today’s polarized world is not unlike solving a Rubik’s Cube — each move is connected and one step impacts the next. This is lens through which USC Annenberg viewed the findings of their 2023 Global Communication Report. In this episode of PodCatalyst, Fred Cook, chairman emeritus at Golin and director of the USC Center for Public Relations, offers insight into the report. L...

Zaria Parvez, global social media manager at Duolingo, joins PodCatalyst host and IABC Executive Director Peter Finn to share her outstanding journey on TikTok. With her creative and interactive approach, Zaria has made Duolingo a prominent figure in the TikTok community, particularly among Gen Z and with over 6.7 million followers and counting. This episode explores how creative freedom and trust...

In the latest episode of PodCatalyst, Eli Carmona, communication specialist at The 519 and World Conference 2023 speaker, talks about the critically important role communicators play in supporting trans and gender diverse communities through their work. They share how design can help break stereotypes, their experience navigating difficult conversations with clients around inclusivity, the importa...

Can change bring joy? Ed Cook, co-founder of The Change Decision, believes so — and has years of experience and the data to back it up. Tune in to the latest episode of PodCatalyst, where Ed discusses how change can drive energy, boost morale and make people feel more connected to their work. Prior to co-founding The Change Decision, Ed worked at a major U.S. bank. In this episode, he shares how h...

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) remains one of the hottest topics of 2023 and is changing the way businesses think about content creation. Who better, Alex Sevigny argues, than the communicator to lead this charge? Long before it was trending, Sevigny, an associate professor at McMaster University, has been interested in the power of AI and how communicators can harness its power. In this...

Returning for a second year, Chris Lee shares insights from the 2023 Gallagher State of the Sector report. Tune in as he and IABC Executive Director Peter Finn discuss trends around belonging and culture, a results-only work environment, how communicators can retain their role as strategic partner and more. Want to hear more from Chris? Join him at the IABC World Conference in Toronto, 4-7 June, a...

As Twitter shifts under new leadership and platforms like TikTok continue to emerge, what is the state of social media for communicators? We spoke with Slma Shelbayah, chief marketing and communications officer at Yardstick Management, to gain her perspective on this evolving landscape. Plus, learn how her seven-year tenure as a journalist at CNN helped laid a foundation for her role in the C-Suit...

If you search ESG on Google, you’ll get about 436 million search results. The term (environmental social governance), while not new, has been gaining traction in recent years. We spoke with Kamyar Naficy, who’s been following this business framework for the better part of two decades. In this episode, he helps us unpack what ESG really means, opportunities for business communicators to lead the co...

Stephanie Speck has had a fascinating career, working in more than 23 countries across the world. While she was a soprano diva early in her career, Speck soon shifted gears and became a first responder during the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Her passion for development work in change communication and crisis response took flight. She has since built her career working on some of the world’s most...

This episode of PodCatalyst is republished as an encore of the April 2022 interview featuring Dr. Lilian Ajayi-Ore. Revisit the episode in anticipation of Dr. Lilian's upcoming, three-part webinar series on digital acumen for business communicators. Learn more and register for the webinar series .  Dr. Lilian Ajayi-Ore has had a rich, remarkable career that spans work with the United Nations,...

Charlene SanJenko is a two-time Founder, Impact Producer, and Modern-Day Medicine Woman — and media is her medicine. She’s taken her background in impact investing and applied it to advertising, asking the question “What if we brokered impact media deals like we do any other business deal?” In other words, how can advertising dollars shift toward more progressive goals that do good for society? Tu...

EDITOR’S NOTE: This episode briefly discusses how companies might respond in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned, and was recorded prior the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to do so on June 24. According to the USC Center for Public Relation’s 2022 Global Communication Report, “The Future of Corporate Activism,” 85% of PR professionals believe business can play a meaningful role in addressing t...

Holograms: a technology that was once a plot device in sci-fi movies is now more commonplace in business communications than the average person might think. In this episode of PodCatalyst, IABC Executive Director Peter Finn sits down with Ziena Jalil and Natasha Meleisea, who are intimately familiar with using this emerging technology. Tune in for a preview of their World Conference session, “Conn...

The birth of the metaverse is offering communicators a new space to explore. What is there to look forward to? How can we prepare ourselves and our organizations? Do we all need VR headsets at our desks? These are some of the questions Jo Eyre will answer in her World Conference 2022 session, “The Communicator’s Guide to the Metaverse,” on Tuesday 28 June. IABC Executive Director Peter Finn sat do...

Oscar Suris got his start in journalism, including time as a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, and eventually transitioned to corporate communications. Over the course of 20 years, he has counseled like State Farm and Goodyear, and served in senior leadership roles at Ford Motor Company and an executive role at Wells Fargo. Today, he is the president of Edelman New York. IABC Executive Dir...

Dr. Lilian Ajayi-Ore has had a rich, remarkable career that spans work with the United Nations, the creation of the award-winning Global Connections for Women Foundation (GC4W), teaching the next generation of communicators at Columbia and NYU, and so much more. In this episode of PodCatalyst, IABC Executive Director Peter Finn sits down with Dr. Lilian, who will host the World Conference 2022 dig...