Smart in Public
CEOs trust us, the media tolerates us, and our mothers think we know Oprah. The Smart in Public podcast, hosted by Katie Boysen and Katie Dufficy, shares business, career, and life experiences through the world of two Public Relations professionals just trying to keep their sh*t together.
Episodes
64 episodes
Pack your career go bag with Daniel Méndez Aróstica
If you've been quietly doom-scrolling job boards and wondering if it's just you — it's not. The communications job market is genuinely hard right now, and nobody's being fully honest about why and what to do.Daniel Méndez Aróstica built ...
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Season 3
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Episode 64
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1:01:47
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What Happens When PR People Stop Complaining and Start Building
What does it actually take to build an AI product for an industry that's still figuring out what AI means for its future?Michelle Masek and Nadia Jamshidi didn't wait around for someone else to answer that question. As co-founders of Ho...
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Season 3
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Episode 63
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1:01:33
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The Art of the Deal: PR Agency Edition w/ Highwire's Michael O'Brien & Cortney Stapleton
This week, the Katies sit down with Michael O’Brien, CEO of Highwire, and Cortney Stapleton, Chief Strategy & Business Officer at Highwire (and former CEO of The Bliss Group), to unpack what really happens when PR agencies merge.We g...
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Season 3
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Episode 62
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45:46
Why the Smartest Brands Are Betting on Creators with Kerry Flynn, Reporter at Axios
In this episode of Smart in Public, The Katies sit down with Kerry Flynn, reporter at Axios, to unpack the seismic shifts reshaping media, marketing, and communications and try to understand what it all means for PR professionals, founders, and...
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Season 3
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Episode 61
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1:01:25
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Pop Culture Monday Mashup w/ Brooke Hammerling, Founder of The New New Thing
This week, Brooke Hammerling, founder of The New New Thing, joins the Katies for a Pop Culture Monday x Smart in Public mashup episode.Brooke has seen the PR industry from every angle -- from building reputations for founders before "fou...
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Season 3
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Episode 60
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1:05:42
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LinkedIn Could Never
In the spirit of Season 3's unofficial theme of 'are we helping or hurting', The Katies take to Reddit to uncover some of the questions that are on our fellow comm's folks minds. Did we give some good advice? Hopefully! Did we have fun pretendi...
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Season 3
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Episode 59
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41:22
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Why Comms People Make Great VCs with Ashley Mayer, Co-Founder & GP at Coalition
What happens when one of tech's sharpest communications minds crosses over to the investment side? Ashley Mayer, co-founder and GP at Coalition, made the leap from leading comms at some of the most talked-about startups to backing them an...
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Season 3
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Episode 58
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48:22
Welcome to Season 3: Are we helping or hurting??
We're back, baby. Season 3 kicks off with what we're now calling a Katie & Katie Special. We felt like the distinction was necessary considering how many guests we have coming your way, so sit back, relax, and listen to us argue about local...
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Season 3
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Episode 57
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53:34
Season 2 wrap up - see you next year!
Hello from down unda! We're on the same time zone for the first time for a year and wanted to take a quick moment to wrap up Season 2 with a gratitude bow. Thank you to everyone for tuning and chiming in -- we still can't believe that ...
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Season 2
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Episode 56
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9:54
What to do When Everything's on Fire with Tara Goodwin, Crisis Expert and Founder of Goodwin Consulting
Crisis communications expert Tara Goodwin has seen it all: executives freezing under pressure, companies making bad situations catastrophically worse, and the rare leaders who actually nail it when everything's on fire. In this no-BS conversati...
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Season 2
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Episode 55
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57:36
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The PR/Journalist Relationship Rehab Episode w/ Meredith Klein, Meredith & The Media
Most PR professionals think they understand journalists—but Meredith Klein, the veteran communications strategist behind the rapidly-growing
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Season 2
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Episode 54
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1:09:52
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The National Mall
Ever notice how when corporate giants go to war, they suddenly discover their deep concern for "customers" and "fairness"? This week on Smart in Public, the Katies dissect the Disney vs. Google/YouTube TV standoff and spoiler alert:...
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Season 2
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Episode 53
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39:34
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Stop Counting Impressions and Start Proving Impact with Linda Zebian, VP of Communications at Muck Rack
Ever wonder why everyone in PR talks about measurement but nobody seems to have cracked it? Linda Zebian, VP of Communications at Muck Rack, just said the quiet part out loud—and it's exactly what you need to hear right now.In this episo...
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Season 2
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Episode 52
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45:51
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Why Checking Your Own Boxes Beats Chasing Titles with Jess Aptman, Chief Communications Officer, Zocdoc
In an industry obsessed with job-hopping, Jess Aptman, Chief Communications Officer at Zocdoc, has been at the company for 13 years and she's here to tell you why loyalty isn't a dirty word. In this refreshingly honest conversation with The K...
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Season 2
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Episode 51
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47:42
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Fifty and Fabulous
In the 50th episode of Smart in Public, The Katies unpack the fallout from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff’s recent controversial comments and what it reveals about the modern relationship between leadership, communication, and reputation.Th...
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Season 2
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Episode 50
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41:36
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Climate Comm's Boldness Imperative w/ Corina Standiford, VP of Communications at Elemental Impact
Think climate communications is all doom, gloom, and corporate greenwashing? Corina Standiford, VP of Communications at Elemental Impact, is here to flip that narrative. In this episode of the Smart In Public podcast, Corina sits down with The ...
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Season 2
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Episode 49
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40:05
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We weren't raptured
In this week's episode of Smart in Public, The Katies dissect Jimmy Kimmel's media controversy involving FCC threats + Disney's response strategy and Australia's Optus telecommunications crisis that left customers unable to call emergency servi...
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Season 2
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Episode 48
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50:00
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Communities, Presence, and Experiences are Your New Brand Survival Kit with Christine Choi, Partner and Head of Brand Communications at M13
The Katies are back from our Season 2 intermission to bring you a conversation that goes deep—because that's the only way that Christine Choi, Partner and Head of Brand Communications at M13, knows how (and we wouldn't change a thing).
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Season 2
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Episode 47
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54:15
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Season 2 Intermission - we're back Sept 23!
If you skip this episode you're going to miss an epic 5 6 7 8. Also, moving forward, you can just assume that when those count-ins are over the top, we do not have a guest. lolThe Katies are taking a couple weeks off and will be back Sep...
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Season 2
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Episode 46
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4:10
Surviving the Communications Career Hunger Games w/ Gab Ferree
This week the Katies had Gab Ferree, founder of Off the Record and former VP of Global Communications at Bumble, on the show and she doesn't hold back. For the listeners, our emotion-driven chat and sentence-finishing will be a fun ride, but tr...
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Season 2
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Episode 45
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1:02:47
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Why Medium's CEO wants to bring back thought leadership
Ever wonder what the CEO of Medium—the platform where millions go for real, thoughtful content—thinks about authentic communication in our AI-slop-everywhere world? Tony Stubblebine dropped some serious truth bombs on this episode of Smart In P...
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Season 2
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Episode 44
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58:45
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Our Newsletter Queen Spills the Industry Tea: Eleanor Hawkins, author of the Axios Communicators newsletter
This week on the Smart in Public podcast, the Katies welcome Eleanor Hawkins, author of the Axios Communicators newsletter to discuss the evolution of communications roles, the impact of AI on the industry, and the importance of authentic leade...
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Season 2
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Episode 43
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56:47
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Is IR the Hardest Communications Job in Business? with John Cummings, Managing Director, CFO, and COO at Smith Point Capital
Most PR professionals think investor relations is just about spreadsheets and earnings calls—but John Cummings, Managing Director, CFO, and COO at Smith Point Capital, proves that IR is actually advanced brand storytelling attached to VERY big ...
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Season 2
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Episode 42
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52:08
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Demystifying the IPO for comms with Daniella Vallurupalli
In today's episode of the Smart in Public podcast, the Katies welcome Daniella Vallurupalli, VP and Head of Global Communications at Cloudflare, to demystify the role of communications professionals during the IPO process. Daniella ...
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Season 2
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Episode 41
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1:01:02
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Expectations, customer service, and your CEO could be causing a comms disconnect trifecta
In this week's episode of the Smart and Public podcast, the Katies dig into the crisis recently faced by Qantas, Australia's most well-known national airline, following a significant data breach earlier this month. Hot topics were t...
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Season 2
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Episode 40
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43:48
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