In this 22nd episode of CultivatED Marketer, hosts Brent Bowen and Matt Tidwell, PhD, chat with Katie Macaulay, Managing Director at AB, about her book and podcast about internal communications, the shifting demands of internal communications due to the pandemic and great resignation, and advice for young marketers.

CultivatED Marketer Ep. 22 — Growing Importance of Internal Comms

Brent and Matt talk to Katie Macauley, Managing Director at AB. 

• Brent introduces Katie and her roles as Managing Director at AB, host of Internal Communications Podcast, and International Executive Board Member for IABC.


• Katie is also the author of From Cascade to Conversation – Unlocking the Collective Wisdom of Your Workforce


• Matt then asks Katie how her focus on internal communications came to be.


• Katie says that it evolved over time, and growing up she wanted to be a journalist and writer.


• She then discusses how she found the world of internal communications, her dream job at AB, and how that organization got started.

Internal Comms Podcast

Brent asks about Katie and her Internal Comms podcast, how it got started, and where it’s at now.

• She talks about how the podcast was born a little bit out of fear of being stagnant in her profession.


• She notes that she was expecting to only have a couple of episodes, but after reaching the iTunes ‘New & Noteworthy’ list, she realized there was a large audience for that type of content. 


• Katie then mentions some of the guests that they have interviewed in some of their nearly 70 episodes.

Brent follows up by asking about what the audience engagement is like with a show that large.

• Katie regales her experience with some of the audience members and how they have chosen to engage with her.


• She then discusses how when she’s recording a new episode, she pretends that she is doing it for the last person that has spoken to her about the show.


• She notes how her audience is at all stages in their careers, and how her episodes have a such a diversity of conversations because of that.

Brent then asks if there was a specific episode or guest that really filled her cup as far as her initial intent to create the show.

• She starts by noting that she learns something new in every conversation, and then brings up Prof. William Kahn and her conversation with him.


• She recalls in that conversation a specific question about leadership, and what makes great leaders.


• Brent and Matt also recollect on how much they have learned from listening to her show.

Matt asks how she makes the choices about her show topics when the audience is so diverse.

• Katie walks through her thought processes when picking new topics or guests for the podcast.


• She notes that she tries to rotate between covering the basics and other topics that are more timely and relevant to societal trends.