You all know my obsession with journalism - I’ve talked about it many times here. And in today’s episode, I get to talk to the OG of journalism.

This is a moment for me.

Neil Brown is the president of The Poynter Institute since September 2017, after serving as the editor and vice president of the Tampa Bay Times. Brown has spent four decades as a journalist, news company executive and media industry leader. He recently completed nine years as a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board, the past two years as co-chair.

In case you’re not familiar with the Poynter Institute, its staff of more than 80 journalists and educators leads the nation in training journalists in craft, ethics and leadership. Poynter is now home to PolitiFact, the International Fact-Checking Network, the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership and a news literacy initiative called MediaWise. Poynter works with journalists and citizens in the U.S. and more than a dozen countries.

Neil and I cover a lot of ground. I was so excited to discuss the evolving landscape of journalism, the importance of media literacy and the challenges faced by journalists today— and he has so much wisdom to offer. He highlights the importance of rebuilding trust in journalism through responsible reporting and diverse representation.

We discuss:

• The critical role of editors and the essential traits of modern journalists

• The importance of building relationships in reporting

• The challenges faced by the press in the current political climate

• The state of fact-checking and the integration of AI in journalism

• And, my favorite - the importance of telling a good story above all else

Plus, journalism is NOT a dead career—and that’s an important message for all the would-be journalists out there listening.

If you’re a journalist, past, present or hopeful, or someone who consumes the news, this episode is for you. As a consumer, it’s especially helpful to understand how good journalism should work, and how important the work of reporters continues to be.

So what I mean is, don’t miss this episode. You can connect with Neil here and follow Poynter on Instagram and on their website.

Chapters

4:42 Introduction to Neil Brown and Poynter Institute

9:24 The Evolution of Journalism and Media Literacy

10:50 The Shift in Storytelling and Audience Engagement

23:11 Rebuilding Trust in Journalism

27:16 Defining Great Journalistic Writing

31:50 The Importance of Editors in Writing

34:54 The Role of Editors in Journalism

32:06 Traits of Modern Journalists

40:01 The Impact of Media on Justice

43:23 Press Freedom and Current Challenges

46:39 The State of Fact-Checking Today

50:46 AI's Role in Journalism

54:55 The Future of Journalism for New Graduates

How many authors do you know who love networking?

(So not raising my hand.)

Let’s face it—a lot of us are introverts, and networking events where we have to do a lot of small talk are probably right up there in popularity with a canceled publishing contract. Am I right?

What if I told you there was a better way to expand your network to create and nurture connections?

Well, there is. And my guest today is going to tell you how.

Devin Sizemore is a serial entrepreneur and the author of the book Connection Expansion, which delivers a foolproof strategy on identifying and cultivating high-value connections that can help your career or business.

He’s run a bunch of businesses—including a cat cafe!! Which of course we talk A LOT about— and he’s honed the art of networking while building those ventures. His strategies are perfect for authors looking to build their brand through meaningful connections.

We covered:

• Why you need a network, especially as an author
• How to manage your networking time effectively so it’s not taking up too many hours of your writing time
• Common mistakes in networking
• What it was like to write his first book
• And - what it was like to run a cat cafe!

And so much more. If you’re looking to get your name out there—and really, what author isn’t?—you don’t want to miss this episode.

You can find out more about Devin and buy his book here: https://devinsizemore.com/connection-expansion-book/

I love personality tests. It’s always been a thing for me—I love trying to figure out what makes me tick. And if I can find any reasonable explanation for the things I do, well, all the better!

So I’m exited to share my conversation with my guest Eric Gee, who developed his own personality test—and the results are all animal personas. Which, of course, makes it even better.

And, he wrote a book about it. So of course we talked about the writing process.

Eric has administered personality-based life coaching for more than twenty years. He built a successful education company that used his personality typing method to better the lives of more than twenty thousand students, parents, and teachers. As creator of the Youtopia Project website and the Youtopia 16 assessment, he has disseminated his method to over half a million users since the website’s creation in 2016. His coaching program has been used in companies (Hulu, Disney), universities, and over forty school districts.

We covered:

• How his personality typing works

• What some of the personas signal about who we are and how we operate

• What the types mean for your writing career

• What it was like to write the book after doing all the research and developing the test

And so much more. If you’re looking to find about who you are, this episode is definitely for you.

You can take the test here: https://youtopiaproject.com/youtopia-16-assessment-2/

And I want to know—what animal are you? Please let me know - drop me a note on Instagram

@lizmugavero.

Chapters

03:49 Introduction to Personality Typing

09:52 Understanding Eric's Personality Typing Methodology

13:13 Exploring the Animal Personality Types

23:02 Application of Personality Types in Writing

26:50 The Writing Process and Publishing Journey

29:24 Marketing and Promoting the Book

38:22 Future Projects and Aspirations