Claim OwnershipSmart in Public
Subscribed: 4Played: 16
Subscribe
© 2026 Smart in Public
Description
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.
65 Episodes
Reverse
What happens when your company moves so fast that your communications strategy is already outdated by the time you ship it? That's the reality at Lovable — the AI-native company that's making software creation accessible to anyone, anywhere. And their Head of Communications, Senka Hadzimuratovic, is living it in real time. In this episode, Boysen sits down with Senka for an honest conversation about what it actually takes to do comms inside a company that's rewriting the rules for how everyth...
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 #CommsJobs because he lived it. After making the leap from Chile to the US, he found himself navigating an overwhelming system and decided to fix it for everyone else too. What started as a hashtag became one of the most useful communities for communicators i...
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 Honey Jar — an AI co-pilot built specifically for PR and communications — they're in the middle of one of the most interesting experiments in the industry right now: betting that the practitioners who feel most disrupted by AI are actually the ones who'll benef...
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 go behind the January acquisition of The Bliss Group by Highwire and explore: Why agency consolidation doesn’t mean the agency model is dyingHow they managed talent through the transition (and avoided the typical post-acquisition talent exodus)What clients car...
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 marketers trying to figure it all out. Kerry brings a rare insider perspective on how the creator economy, AI, and media consolidation are colliding to create an entirely new playbook for communications peeps. What we cover in this episode: The power s...
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 "founder brand" was a thing, navigating crisis moments when social media didn't exist yet, being in the ear of some of the world's most important executives, and decoding culture weekly for thousands of newsletter subscribers. In this episode, she dissects how we...
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 pretending like we're not both individual contributors in our day jobs? Definitely! Whether you're an intern trying to break into PR, a mid-level pro feeling stuck, or an agency leader managing impossible client demands, this episode might be just what you need...
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 and the Katies want to know what she's learned sitting in both seats. Ashley unpacks the messy reality of startup storytelling, why the "chief storyteller" title usually falls on founders whether they want it or not, and how the tech industry's curr...
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 localizing events, AI, and a bunch of other shit. We cover two case studies about the future of events without people in mind & what it actually means to build a personal brand when everyone is screaming for attention. You'll hear a lot of... 🎙️ Re...
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 our little passion project has turned into the platform that it has! We'll be back for Season 3 mid-January 2026 with some guests that we're extremely excited about!! Until then, have a very happy holidays and in the meantime we'll be photoshopping our hea...
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 conversation with the Katies, Tara shares why most organizations are dangerously unprepared for inevitable crises and what actually works when your reputation is on the line. Most CEOs don't have a dedicated crisis plan. They're operating on vibes, crossing their...
Most PR professionals think they understand journalists—but Meredith Klein, the veteran communications strategist behind the rapidly-growing Meredith & the Media newsletter, is here to take us to school. In this no-holds-barred conversation with host Katie Boysen, Meredith pulls back the curtain on the massive disconnect (AND OPPORTUNITY) between what PR professionals think journalists want versus what actually lands coverage. With 20 years of communications experience and a Substack that...
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: neither company gives a damn about you. What they do care about? Leverage, market control, and making sure you think they're the good guys while they battle for billions. Most coverage of corporate disputes treats them like sports rivalries—pick a side...
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 episode of Smart In Public, the Katies sit down with someone who's uniquely positioned to call out the industry's blind spots: a comms leader who works at the company that literally builds the tools we're all supposed to be using to prove our worth. Linda's journe...
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 Katies, Jess breaks down what it actually takes to build a communications function from survival mode to strategic powerhouse, and why the best career move might be doubling down instead of moving on. This episode is a masterclass in (what some people mi...
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. They explore how Benioff’s remarks led to public backlash and even a Salesforce Foundation board member’s resignation, raising deeper questions about how powerful CEOs perceive risk, influence, and accountability. The conversation examines the role of communica...
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 Katies to break down why the biggest climate week ever happened this year—despite what the political headlines want you to believe—and what that means for every communications professional watching this space. Why this episode hits different: 🌍 The narr...
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 services. This episode unpacks what happens when crisis management goes right—and catastrophically wrong. What we covered for Jimmy The FCC's unprecedented response: How FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened ABC's broadcast licensesDisney's communication stra...
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). There's a reason why leaders like Sir Richard Branson have trusted Christine with their messaging, programs, and comms strategies over the years. She thinks deeply, considers all angles, and strongly believes that communications isn't just about getting y...
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. lol The Katies are taking a couple weeks off and will be back Sept 23 with a guest you're not going to want to miss!! Here's a hint: we'll SEA you then! Connect with us on: Instagram TikTok Web Have a topic or a guest idea? Email us at hello@smartinpublicpod.com
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States