Houston, Gayle King and Crew Have a Problem: Blue Origin’s PR Free Fall

A rocket full of high-profile women launched into space, but the real spectacle might’ve been the PR machine that sent it there. From Katy Perry floating with a daisy to Oprah crying on the ground, every moment of Blue Origin’s all-women flight felt like it was choreographed to go viral. It looked empowering on the surface, but the optics raised a bigger question: when the narrative feels off, who gets to push back—and how?

This episode is a smart, strategic walkthrough of how to correct the record without igniting a firestorm. Using a therapist-backed framework from relationship expert Dr. Abby Medcalf, this breakdown lays out the emotional and tactical roadmap to tell someone they’re wrong in a way they’ll actually hear. Because calling out the spin doesn’t have to burn everything down—if you know how to land the message.

What You'll Learn:

• The three-step framework for correcting someone without causing a blow-up
• Why even seasoned communicators get stuck defending bad stories
• How to separate honest feedback from ego-driven pushback

Transcript

Questioning the Blue Origin Space Flight

Molly McPherson 0:00

One , two , three take us space .

Molly McPherson 0:07

Gail ? Why ? Why this ? Why strap yourself into Jeff Bezos' giant metaphor of a rocket for what clearly looks like a high-gloss publicity stunt ? What made you wake up one morning and say you know what I need ? I need a little space travel with Katy Perry and a billionaire's girlfriend . No , this isn't shade , it is genuine curiosity . Okay , there's a lot of side eye here . Let's talk about this space flight , shall we ? Welcome to the PR Breakdown ? I'm your host , molly McPherson , and , for the record , I was not invited into space , was it my bixie cut Not enough hair to float dramatically in zero gravity . Not enough influencer energy . I can't sing . I'm not going on tour .

Molly McPherson 1:12

Either way , this episode is a mashup of strategy , psychology and a touch of chaos . In this episode I'm asking the question how do you tell someone they're wrong without setting everything on fire ? Recently I brought in friend of the podcast , dr Abby Medcalf . She is a therapist , a relationship expert , who knows how to make even the most defensive boss client you to . Okay , I'm listening , and bring it to life . I thought what better case study than the Blue Origin all-women space flight , aka Jeff Bezos and his publicity machine launching into space , branding optics , possibly overcompensation . But I'll walk you through Abby's framework

Breaking Down the All-Women Crew

Molly McPherson 2:15

as we walk through an imaginary , slightly cheeky but sincerely curious conversation with Gayle King , after listening to her defend this spaceflight .

Gayle King 2:29

So what do you think when people say , oh , it's frivolous . Number one , they call it a ride , which I find very irritating because they never say men went for a ride . What do you say to people who think that this was frivolous or just a ride ? You know , I think the message that it sends is very , very powerful . And the people that say that , by the way , weren't they ? And I don't work for the origin , but I think I was one of these people that go . I don't know why we got to do this . Until you educate yourself and see what is happening there , I think you'll have a very different perspective .

Molly McPherson 2:56

Ask her really why she's defending it . I think it's a lesson that anyone can use , because , you know me , I love offering lessons to communicators , but also people who communicate in life , because even the best communicators can end up defending the indefensible when the story gets muddled . First , let's start out with some facts . When you go to Wikipedia now , under April 2025 , blue Origin , jeff Bezos he will be the person behind launching its first all-women crew to the edge of space . The crew included Lauren Sanchez , the mission organizer , also philanthropist . What Journalist , former journalist and , yes , jeff Bezos' fiance . Gayle King , cbs journalist , bff Oprah she's turning 70 and reaching for the stars . There is Katy Perry , who is a oh gosh , wikipedia , my color pop icon . I call her a slightly washed up one . She's going on tour more on that later and her tickets are having trouble selling . But hey , nothing like launching into space to launch those ticket sales . Aisha Bowe she's an aerospace engineer and the first Bahamian woman now in space . Amanda Nguyen she's a civil rights activist and scientist and when she tells a story about why she wanted to take this trip into space , she speaks about justice . She's a victim of sexual violence . It's a very sad story . In an interview she said that she always wanted to be an astronaut , but fighting for justice for women who have been abused came first , so that's very noble . And then also Carrie Ann Flynn , who's a film producer .

Molly McPherson 4:44

Jeff Bezos is no dummy . He's not just going to send up a crew of online influencers and people who could get him publicity . That's a powerful lineup . There were real firsts here and there was real inspiration , but it was also a textbook PR formation . Jeff hit all the demo boxes science , activism , celebrity media , his girlfriend . He wanted to make it historic . He wanted to get the Wikipedia annotation . He wanted to make history , but he also wanted it to trend on TikTok Instagram . But he also wanted it to trend on TikTok Instagram and in the news cycle . And then there was the rocket which , I'm sorry , looks like it was designed in a frat house in their marketing meeting . The symbolism

Analyzing Celebrity Motivations

Molly McPherson 5:35

is not subtle .

Molly McPherson 5:36

Let's just say I know this is an audio podcast , but just Google it if you haven't seen it . And did I watch the broadcast on YouTube . But if you haven't seen it and did I watch the broadcast on YouTube the Blue Origin broadcast getting ready to launch , I did . Katy Perry , okay . So her being interviewed by an all-female broadcast crew acting like this is the first mission into space , honestly , and all it is to me is one big promotional video . That's all it looks like .

Molly McPherson 6:06

She sang the song what a Wonderful World midair . She was also holding a daisy for her daughter , daisy . In an interview before launch she talked about how important this mission was . I don't think her husband , orlando Bloom , was there . Is he her husband or just boyfriend ? They have a daughter , daisy . She just talked about how important it was to Daisy and went on and on and on about how important it was . Also , her mom , when she came off the flight , she said in the interview . She said oh , you know , this is so important to my mom because the person interviewer said and your mom was here and she's like I don't know where she is , like , is that like ? She came off and like launched into her mother's arm . No , she came off , kissed the ground , but she also launched the set list to her upcoming tour . I think that just ends the argument right there .

Molly McPherson 6:57

She launched and then launched . It wasn't about her daughter , it wasn't about space exploration , it certainly wasn't about her mother . It was publicity . And Lauren Sanchez , oh my gosh . So she in the broadcast was bringing up one of the color commentators up in her helicopter because she's a helicopter pilot , her father was a pilot and she's wearing everything is tight . With Lauren Sanchez , everything is tight and her hair is flowing everywhere . Any woman watching this footage and really the whole footage of the flight all you want is a little tie to put it back , to put the hair back , because there's hair everywhere . Jeff Bezos needs a big rocket ship to feel like a man . Lauren Sanchez needs tight clothes and her hair and her lips and it is so , so , so difficult to take her seriously . This is not to knock her looks or her beauty or anything like that . It's the juxtaposition of both when the theatrics , the choreographic nature to it , the wardrobe as well . But then there's Gayle King and Gayle honestly she doesn't want to be up there . She doesn't want to do this . Cbs struggling , massive cutbacks Well at all , the morning shows . They're all cutting back . She doesn't want to do it . But she in the interviews talked about her kitchen cabinet .

Molly McPherson 8:23

Three people I asked about this space exploration Her daughter , her son and then , of course , oprah . Now we could not have a Blue Origins launch without Oprah somewhere in the mix . She was definitely there on land crying . They had footage of Oprah crying . I know there's some people out there , women out there , who are defending this and saying this is important for women and they're hating on all the other women who are hating on this flight . And I'm a commentator on calling PR campaigns when I see it , and let's just be honest , you cannot have an argument about how important this flight was to women without mentioning that Katy Perry launched her set list during the flight . Okay , I stand by that . This is the hill I will die on . This is the spaceship I will go into space on . It was all for publicity , for blue origins . Jeff Bezos who else happens to be in the news nowadays ? Musk who else is a billionaire who has a fixation with space ? Musk , this was all about Bezos , and if you want to come at me , that's fine . I respect you . I don't disrespect the argument towards women at all . I respect it , but this is not the argument about respecting women . Hey , if there's one hair tie in space , maybe , maybe , but all the hair flying , no .

Molly McPherson 10:05

In this episode , I want to walk you through Dr Abby's three steps for how we can walk through conflict when you know they're wrong . This

Dr. Abby's Framework for Difficult Conversations

Molly McPherson 10:20

could be a boss . This could be a colleague . This could be a situation that I had to give one of my daughters yesterday . This could be a partner , someone in your life . This could be a parent , a kid , whatever it is . Whomever you need to tell that they're wrong . These are three steps that , wow , they work . These are three steps that , wow , they work .

Molly McPherson 10:40

Dr Abby delivered this advice to me just yesterday in a live interview on my Substack . You can find me at Molly McPherson on Substack . I often do lives on there . This was my first interview , which was a whole lot of fun . I posted it to my Substack so you can watch the entire interview with Dr Abby . She's going to be coming back and speaking in my members-only section in the future because everyone with Dr Abby . She's going to be coming back and speaking in my members-only section in the future because everyone loves Dr Abby .

Molly McPherson 11:07

I'm going to walk through the three steps that she provided , but I'm going to use it in the premise of me having a conversation with Gayle King about why this probably wasn't the best mission to be a part of , or one that you at least wanted to defend . She could still do it and be a part of it , but defending it . That's where I have the issue with Gail on this . Telling someone that they're wrong often feels like war , because truth rarely lands softly , even when said kindly . There is a cost of defensiveness , whether it's in leadership or politics and PR crisis management . Take a listen to Dr Abbey explain why telling someone they're wrong feels like an attack .

Molly McPherson 11:55

I always want to tell people is that being attacked is in the eye of the beholder . We feel attacked when we feel like we're not valued , and we feel like we're not valued when we think you disagree with us .

Molly McPherson 12:07

If this is an interview with your boss , you are not going to do it in their office , with them sitting at the desk , with the desk in front of them . The barrier then you . That's the normal leadership subordinate setup . You want to be someplace else , walking down a hall outside . You won't want to have this conversation in a place where you typically have arguments . So Dr Abbey says you want to prep . She said it's like painting a room . You don't just buy paints and brushes and start painting . No , the prep of a room takes a lot of work . You are buying the paint and you're buying the paintbrushes , but you're also buying the painter's tape and you're taping it off . You also have to pick up the color . Painting is the easier part . You just slap on the paint and go from there . The same with this conversation you have to prep it .

Molly McPherson 12:57

Let's say I meet Gayle King and she wants to talk to me about the public reaction to the Blue Origin flight . She received a lot hires me . It doesn't mean everything I say to my client about their crisis management is going to be well-received . Most often it's not for the reason that people are defensive With Gail . We're going to be walking down the street , perhaps lattes in hands , comfortable shoes , zero media presence , no Oprah , no Oprah , just me and Gail . We're having a conversation . Okay , Gail , you wanted to talk about the Blue Origin flight . This won't be a critique , at least not in the internet sense . I mean , I'm not going to come at you , but let's talk about the story . I want to understand it because I respect you . I want us both to walk away from this feeling clear . I'm genuinely curious about what you got out of it , but I'm curious what you think on it . There needs to be mutual respect . Then we move to step two , and that's setting the intention .

Molly McPherson 14:10

Number two is to say out loud hey , is this a good time to talk to you about X , right ? And then wait for an answer yes or no ? They'll say yes or no . My goal is to find a solution together that really fits for both of us . I value you . I want you to feel that for me . It

Setting Intention and Creating Safe Space

Molly McPherson 14:30

will only be to me a good solution if we're both on the same page about it .

Molly McPherson 14:34

You know what , gail ? My goal here is to figure this out together . I want to understand where you're coming from and then I'll share where things didn't quite land for me , which might translate into the public sentiment , which is resoundingly negative . Because , gail , I value you . I know you don't put your name on fluff , but I also know you're up for anything , so I can absolutely see why you landed in space . So I can absolutely see why you landed in space . I value you and I want to hear what brought you there . What an opportunity . Tell me about it . It's all about the process .

Molly McPherson 15:11

What I'll do like , let's say I've got a CEO I'm talking to , right , and he let's say it's a he and he is up in it , okay , and I'll just stop and I'll say scale one to six right now . How are you doing so ? Always use Got one to three and you got four , five , six , so I know where you are . So I'll say six You're like super anxious about what's going on right now . One is you feel really calm and collected about this ? Six is you feel like your message was really heard . People really get what you're saying ? Six you feel really confident about what you're saying ? One you're not so sure . Right , I just find out where they are . But what you're doing is you're getting people out of the past and out of the future and into the present , because the present is where they could actually think clearly . Again , they can't think clearly when they're in fight , flight or freeze , when they're in their amygdala or people pleasing you know we call it fawning when they're in that you can't help them .

Molly McPherson 16:05

We want to ask questions , bring the conversation into the present and interrupt the ego spin cycle . When people are on the defensive , it's ego because they're afraid . It's fear , they're worried about their standing , whether it's in a job , whether it's in the relationship , they're worried . That's when you start asking them the questions . So , gail , let me ask you on a scale of one to six six being incredible how was the launch ? She'd likely say six . Then my next question would be okay , same scale when are you at with how the launch was received ? How do you think people received it ? Then she'll give a number . I'm thinking Gail would say three , when really she knows it's probably somewhere between one and two . Gail , what do you want people to take from it ? When you floated up there and Katy Perry was holding that daisy , what was that moment supposed to mean ? Maybe then Gail's going to tell me I wanted young girls to see that age doesn't define ambition , that joy matters . I could say wow , gail , I love that . But here's where I got stuck .

Molly McPherson 17:15

From the outside , people may have looked at this as a Jeff Bezos project . It felt a little curated . Yes , you have engineers and scientists , and then Katy Perry like doing zero gravity spins and we saw the made for TikTok moments singing , launching the set list . To a lot of people it looked like a billionaire's idea of a branded empowerment launch Less NASA , more Netflix , especially considering that so many people are hurting right now , so many people are losing their jobs , so many people are worried about the economy . How much is it to go into space ?

Molly McPherson 18:00

I read somewhere well , I wouldn't say that Now I'm being sarcastic and now I'm being Molly on the podcast . This is my conversation with Gail Gail . I read somewhere some people were saying that it costs like $500,000 to launch one person in that rocket ship . You have to pay $150,000 deposit , which I assume none of you paid . Right , you know , with a number like that , with people hurting , while a presidency might likely be launching us towards a recession or a depression , do you see why people might feel it was a little off ? Then she might say well , yes , then Gail would give her spin . Now Gail the journalist would probably come in and start thinking a little more clearly on this

Connecting to Correct: Finding Middle Ground

Molly McPherson 18:40

. Then I would ask Gail , what would you say to people who saw it as a publicity move and not progress ? Here's what Dr Abbey says is to let them tell you what's wrong .

Molly McPherson 18:50

You have to remember that you have to connect to correct , which means you have to have some connection first to correct someone . We don't want to change things for someone we think is mad at us or doesn't like us or disagrees with us .

Molly McPherson 19:06

They know . You just need to get them present enough to say it . Gail needs to be in a safe enough space where she can recognize why the backlash was there . She can admit it because you know she's thinking this . Tom Cruise , daniel Caffey he knows Colonel Jessup Jack Nicholson wants to say that he ordered the code red . He wants to say it . I'm Daniel Caffey , gayle King is Colonel Jessup .

Molly McPherson 19:34

Gayle will say something like this I get it , I really do . Then she'll add but the messages I got from the girls afterward that made it worth it . Was it packaging ? Was it polished ? Sure , but the impact , that was real . You're going to get her to understand it from both sides .

Molly McPherson 19:51

It's not a takedown of a person , it's just finding that safe space right in the middle . Gail is absolutely going to understand that it was a PR stunt , but it was also inspiring for a lot of women and girls . I don't know who they are , but there are plenty there . Both can be true . It's never about telling someone that they're wrong for the sake of telling them that they're wrong so you can be right . It's about offering feedback , create space , set intention and ask questions that bring them into the moment , because the goal isn't to win , it's to connect , and sometimes the hardest thing isn't saying the truth , it's saying connect . And sometimes the hardest thing isn't saying the truth , it's saying it to someone you admire or someone you care about , or someone you love , without making them feel like you're launching a missile , even if the whole thing kind of looked like one .

Molly McPherson 20:46

That's all for this week . Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast . Remember you can follow me in my new content hub , substack . You can find me at mollymcphersonprbreakdownmedia . That will bring you to my Substack publication . Thanks so much for listening . Bye for now .