The Crux of the Story

Stacey Jones, Honeywell’s Chief Communicator, joins The Crux of the Story to discuss CEO transitions, enterprise transformation, executive visibility, and the growing role of data and AI in communications. We explore the communications challenges facing C-suites and boards amid societal disruption, what separates successful CEO transitions from the ones that stumble, and how to build an executive...

Geoff Curtis, founder of Marshall Curtis Communications and former EVP of Corporate Affairs and Chief Communications Officer at Horizon Therapeutics, joins The Crux of the Story to discuss his new book Embracing Your Own Purgatory – a candid, research-informed exploration of what happens when achievement becomes identity and how the “in‑between” spaces of life can become catalysts for growth. Draw...

In this episode we sit down with Samantha (Sam) Stark, Founder and Chief Strategist of Phyusion, a consultancy helping communications teams work with generative AI. With more than 25 years of agency experience including at Endeavor’s 160over90, Ketchum, Burson-Marsteller and Rubenstein PR. Sam has become one of the most influential voices shaping how communicators build and work with AI systems. S...

City of Hope’s mission is bold: deliver the cures of tomorrow to the people who need them today. As one of the nation’s largest cancer research and treatment organizations, it sits at the forefront of scientific discovery, compassionate care, and national expansion. In this episode, Nisha Morris – Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer – takes us inside the strategy behi...

The public relations is now a profession with more women than men – yet the number of women in leadership positions lag. In this episode, Colleen Killingsworth and Professor Amy Thurlow (Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, NS) unpack that paradox and share insights from their research behind their book Rethinking the Table: Women Leaders in Public Relations in Canada. Drawing on data, lived...

Behavioral scientist Professor Amanda Rebar unpacks the hidden forces that shape what we do—and what we fail to do. As Director of the Motivation of Health Behaviors Lab at the University of South Carolina, Rebar is a leading voice on habits, automatic processes, and the unconscious evaluations that guide our health, our choices, and our daily routines. She explains why willpower is overrated, how...

We sit down with Joe Lockhart — former White House Press Secretary to President Bill Clinton and one of the most influential communicators of the last three decades. From journalism to the West Wing, from Facebook to the NFL, and now as Managing Director of Rational 360, Joe has shaped some of the highest‑stakes narratives in American business, politics, and culture. We explore the evolving inters...

In this episode, we sit down with Andy Shain – long one of the most respected journalists in the Carolinas who now is a senior communicator at the University of South Carolina. After more than 30 years covering business, politics, higher education, and two presidential campaigns, Andy brings a rare dual perspective: the journalist who once held institutions accountable and the communicator now hel...

Rob Jekielek, Managing Director of The Harris Poll, and Dr. Rochelle Ford, CEO of the Arthur W. Page Society, join Mike to discuss the 2026 Page‑Harris Poll Confidence in Business Index. Drawing on insights from more than 15,000 adults across 14 global markets, the conversation explores: - Why economic impact has become the number‑one expectation of business worldwide - Sharp generational differen...

Partner at Bully Pulpit International and former Boeing chief spokesperson Bradley Akubuiro previews his forthcoming book, Faster. Messier. Tougher.: Crisis Communication Strategies in an Era of Populism, AI, and Distrust (April 7, 2026). Bradley shares new field‑tested frameworks for crisis management: how to think about stakeholders, and when authenticity beats perfection. We also dig into the n...

In a year marked by economic uncertainty, political tension, and AI tech disruption, reputation has become one of the most powerful—and fragile—assets an organization holds. In this episode, Stephen Hahn, Chief Reputation & Strategy Officer at The RepTrak Company, joins The Crux of the Story to break down how companies can understand, measure, and strengthen reputation when stakeholder expectation...

Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald, joins The Crux to explore how leaders can steer organizations through today’s turbulence—AI disruption, geopolitical risk, layoffs, and rapid M&A activity. A pioneer in culture and change management, Maril shares lessons from advising Fortune 500 executives on building resilient, future-ready enterprises. She discusses how leaders can balance tr...

Three of the lead researchers behind the Canadian Public Relations Society’s landmark report, 2025 State of Public Relations in Canada: Ethics, AI and Reframing the Professional Field, join The Crux of the Story to unpack how the profession is evolving at a pivotal moment. Kim Blanchette (EVP of Castlemain/ChangeMakers), Dr. Terry Flynn (Associate Professor at McMaster University), and Colleen Kil...

Bill Myers, Managing Director of Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility at Liberty Global, joins The Crux to reflect on the legacy of media titan John Malone and the shifting dynamics of global telecom. With a career spanning government and politics, healthcare, and tech, Myers shares insights on leading through crisis, balancing local brands within a global strategy, and embracing AI’s...

Leroy Chapman Jr., Editor-in-Chief of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, discusses the paper’s bold decision to go digital-only in 2026—making Atlanta the largest U.S. city without a printed daily. Chapman shares his vision for transforming local journalism in a polarized media landscape, and how he’s guiding one of the South’s most influential newsrooms through cultural, technological, and civic s...

Fernando Vivanco, Chief Communications Officer at Marelli, returns to The Crux to unpack one of the most challenging—and least talked about—topics in corporate communications: bankruptcy. Following Marelli’s Chapter 11 filing, Fernando has led a global messaging strategy across 23 countries, confronting myths, managing stakeholder sentiment, and maintaining morale amid uncertainty. In this episode...

American Airlines’ EVP of Communications and Marketing Ron DeFeo, shares insights from a decade at one of the world’s largest airlines. We explore his approach to crisis management—from flight disruptions to viral passenger incidents—and how empathy, transparency, and strategic storytelling shape public response. Ron reflects on his career journey through Ketchum, Darden Restaurants, and The Home...

The President & CEO of The Latino Coalition discusses public policy and expanding economic opportunity for Latino entrepreneurs. We explore his career journey across five companies – Anheuser-Busch, Carnival, Ford Motor Company, Tyson Foods, and Waste Management Inc – and his leadership of the Hispanic Association for Corporate Responsibility. We also talk about Carlos’s book From Havana to DC: Th...

Described as a “creative instigator,” Cheryl Overton who leads her own firm and previously worked for top agencies – including Ogilvy, Edelman and EGAMI Group – and has worked on several iconic brands from P&G to Lancome, Dove, the American Red Cross, and McDonald’s talks with us about the intersection of brands with culture. We discuss: the NFL and the “Taylor Swift effect,” the American Eagle je...

Manny Ruiz is a media, marketing and creative dynamo. From founding the first Hispanic PR newswire service in the U.S… to launching Hispanicize an event that highlighted the best of Hispanic and Latino PR, marketing and advertising… to co-founding Brilla Media Ventures with his wife and creative partner Angela, Manny has spent three decades shaping how brands engage with U.S. Hispanic and Latino a...

Chernoff Newman CEO David Campbell, head of one of the US’s more successful regional agencies, discusses his firm’s integrated approach – employing public relations, advertising, digital media and public affairs – to solve unique client challenges across many industry sectors, government and education. In our conversation we touch on agency growth, how technology and AI are changing the firm’s wor...

With over 25 years of expertise in organizational transformation, leadership development, and employee engagement, Kate Bullinger, CEO of United Minds (Weber Shandwick’s global management consultancy) discusses how businesses can navigate uncertainty, foster purpose-driven cultures, and lead effectively through change. We also explore the evolving role of communications executives, the workplace o...

David Grossman is the founder and CEO of The Grossman Group, a leading communications consultancy focused on leadership, change management and internal communications. We spoke with him about his 25th year in business and career journey, the evolution of leadership communication, and key insights from his upcoming book, The Heart Work of Modern Leadership: Six Differentiators of Exceptional Leader...

What are on the minds of future journalists from technology to storytelling to trust? We speak to three top students from the University of South Carolina's School of Journalism and Mass Communications with different broadcast disciplines and unique work experiences as interns and fellows to give us some insight: Sarah Craft (international news/ WIS-TV, WYFF-TV and WMBF-TV), Chloe Castain (sports/...

Shelley Spector, founder and CEO of the Museum of Public Relations, and Dick Martin, Chair of the museum’s board and former AT&T communications executive shed light on the rich history of the PR profession, the importance of preserving its legacy, and how the Museum of Public Relations is shaping the future of the profession. Shelley and Dick share their insights on tackling contemporary challenge...