Episodes

You can be the smartest person in the room, but if no one knows you or your point of view, you don't have authority. This "authority gap" is why most professionals struggle to earn attention, build trust, and gain influence. ...

What happens when the communications function stops being about messaging and starts being about business transformation? When your stakeholders include 10,000 employees, 94,000 students, 350,000 alumni, plus investors, polic...

MIT just dropped a bomb : 95% of corporate AI initiatives are failing. Not struggling. Failing. And Sandy Carter knows exactly why. In this episode of The Trending Communicator, I sit down with Sandy, currently Chief Business...

Gab Ferree led global communications at Slack, Bumble, and OneTrust, reaching every traditional summit in our profession. Then she walked away to build Off The Record , where communications professionals can finally admit the...

Can you juggle? If you're a communications pro today, you'd better learn how. Just when you think you've got a good rhythm going, someone tosses you another responsibility. Maybe it's a new social platform. Maybe it's a cultu...

How many of us are stuck playing media relations hits-and-misses while the real opportunities to drive business transformation seem to be just out of reach? In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle sits d...

We can navigate a crisis, position a CEO, and craft messaging for millions of people. So why do so many brilliant communications professionals struggle when it comes to talking about themselves? In this episode of The Trendin...

What if empathy isn't just about being nice, but your secret weapon for building systems that actually work? Lizabeth Wesely-Casella , CEO of L12 Services , spent her early career in construction wearing hard hats and reading...

Here they are again—marketers and communicators worried that AI is about to eliminate storytelling altogether. But what if the exact opposite is happening? What if AI is actually making authentic human storytelling the ultima...

Humans are in a tough spot right now. But one thing remains certain: business transformation will fail without a human-centric approach.

If you're thinking "cultural communications" is another way to say "DEI," you may want to broaden your perspective. Culture comms might just be the key to building trust when the stakes are high - especially in healthcare. In...

AI is forcing a real moment of decision for communicators. Make it count.

Is AI a miracle, heralding an age of invention, or the harbinger of a dystopian civilizational collapse? The rise of short-form video on social platforms - empowering creators, or undermining society? The only certainty these days is uncertainty. But...

Are we going in the right direction as communicators? In an era of dramatic policy shifts, cultural upheaval, and a fractured media landscape, how do we trudge onward through the muck without losing our way? Weighty questions indeed. In this episode...

Faced with today's fractured mess of audiences and media, it's tempting to unleash a deluge of content and overwhelm social channels with content, hoping to reach the people who want to hear from you. Clearly, not a winning strategy - and those who...

If change is inevitable, why are we typically so bad at managing it? As businesses navigate digital shifts, mergers, and AI advancements, one crucial group often gets sidelined: employees. Communicators can play a much larger role in managing these...

As AI disrupts and reshapes our interactions with brands and people alike, how do we genuinely connect with the voices around us? Conversational AI challenges us to rethink engagement with both technology and each other. What does it mean for brands...

The future of communications is fractured, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. How can leaders navigate this new landscape where audiences are scattered, AI is advancing rapidly, and traditional playbooks no longer work? In this episode of The...

Is AI the superglue that can repair our fractured media universe? Or is it just another tool that could further splinter our audiences? In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle sits down with digital marketing expert, leading AI...

Is AI the savior or the destroyer of journalism? As media outlets grapple with dwindling trust and audiences, could artificial intelligence be the key to revitalizing the industry, or is it the final nail in its coffin? In this episode of The Trending...

Over the last few years, at least since 2020, in the marketing and communications professions, remote work has become more of the norm than the exception. Connections between and among co-workers remain predominantly digital or virtual, and so many of...

NOTEBOOK LM HAS TAKEN CONTROL OF THE TRENDING COMMUNICATOR. EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS IS AI-GENERATED. Are you ready to supercharge your communication skills for the AI-driven future? Discover how to harness the power of artificial intelligence while...

Walk into any PR conference these days, and it's all but guaranteed that you'll see a session or two about how communicators can effect real business impact. Panelists and speakers talk about how we can earn a seat at the table (even though we often...

I think it's fair to say that most of us in communications and marketing, at one point or another (and probably recently), have been accused of the most awful, terrible thing: committing fluff. It can happen anytime, but usually when we talk about the...