Is your media diet making you smarter? Or just more stubborn?

In this episode, we sit down with senior communicator and former journalist Mark Burey to explore how the collapse of shared truth is reshaping public relations. From the erosion of local journalism to the rise of AI-generated content. What does media literacy really looks like today? And what role do PR professionals play in rebuilding trust?

Listen For

7:33 What media literacy means in 2025

10:13 The decline of local journalism and its ripple effects

11:08 How PR has absorbed the watchdog role

13:39 What to do when misinformation feels like fact

15:43 Appreciative inquiry: changing minds without confrontation

21:23 Answer to Last Episode’s Question From Guest Bradley Davis

Guest: Mark Burey

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Are public relations and marketing two distinct disciplines—or is PR simply one piece of the broader marketing puzzle? It’s a question that stirs up strong opinions in boardrooms, agencies, and comms teams alike.

Some argue PR is strategic storytelling aimed at building relationships, while marketing is focused on driving sales. Others say that in today’s world of integrated messaging, the separation is outdated.

In this episode, we take on the debate head-on, exploring how the roles overlap, where they diverge, and whether the modern media landscape has blurred the lines beyond repair. Is PR still its own function—or has it become just another lane on marketing’s highway?

Listen For:

:10 Fyre Festival The Luxury Mirage
4:02 Influence vs Image Showdown
6:25 PR Is the Pie
10:14 The Sad Fate of Local Media
13:02 Metrics KPIs and the Dashboard Wars
18:54 Who Owns the Message
25:10 The Final Prediction Marketers Report to PR

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Most PR strategies still focus on the big three: social, legacy media, and search. But while everyone’s watching the headlines, the real conversations—the ones shaping trust, behavior, and brand reputation—are happening in people’s ears. Podcasts aren’t just a trend or another content format. They’re a strategic intelligence channel, and if you’re not monitoring them, you’re missing critical signals.

In this episode of Stories and Strategies, we talk to Bradley Davis, co-founder and CEO of Podchaser, the platform often called the “IMDb of podcasts.” From how global brands like Starbucks and Amazon use podcast data to shape campaigns, to why the most valuable audience insights aren’t public-facing at all, PR pros need to know what they can no longer afford to ignore.

Listen For

1:29 The Crackle That Started It All

3:33 Podchaser: IMDb for Podcasts

5:25 Podcasting as a Third Dimension of Analytics

8:20 Guest Pitching vs. Starting a Podcast

10:32 How Rogan, Newsom & Trump Changed the Game

13:05 Key Messages Out. Vibe Is In.

21:09 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Irene Lungu

Guest: Bradley Davis, Co-Founder & CEO, Podchaser

Podchaser | LinkedIn | Instagram | X | About Bradley

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What does public relations look like in a country where radio is still growing, social media still exploding, and communication reaches from rural villages to global platforms?

In this episode, we take a closer look at Zambia — a nation with a vibrant, evolving PR landscape shaped by both tradition and innovation.

Irene Lungu is one of Zambia’s leading voices in public relations and a board member of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management. She joins us to talk about ethics, communication trends, and the responsibilities that come with influence in today’s media environment.

We explore how Zambian practitioners are navigating rapid change, and what global conversations they're helping to shape.

Listen For

3:50 Why Zambia Regulated Its PR Industry

6:14 Resistance and Discomfort: Who Pushed Back

8:00 Is PR Regulation a Threat to Free Speech?

14:36 Global Standards, Local Contexts

16:14 The World’s #1 Risk: Misinformation

18:52. Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Olivia Fajardo

Guest: Irene Lungu

LinkedIn | Global Alliance Board Profile

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Curzon Public Relations Website

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Employee engagement is evolving — and the old assumptions no longer hold. Today, workers want more than a paycheck. They want growth, flexibility, and to feel like their voices matter. In this episode, we unpack surprising new research on what really drives engagement, retention, and belonging inside organizations. Olivia Fajardo joins us to explain why internal communications has become mission critical — and how companies can move from simply talking to truly connecting. If you care about building teams that stay and thrive, this conversation is for you.

Listen For

4:14 PR: As Stressful as Firefighting

5:05 Why Communicators Feel More Purpose

6:34 Career Stagnation: The Hidden Threat

9:27 The Hybrid Challenge for Internal Comms

12:05 The Listening-Action Gap

12:10 Olivia’s Strategies to Build Trust and Accountability

20:05 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Helena Humphrey

Guest: Oliva Fajardo, Director of Research, Institute for Public Relations

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Link to IPR Study Employee Engagement in the Communications Industry

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More Americans are turning down the volume on domestic news — and turning up British voices instead. From BBC to The Guardian, outlets across the Atlantic are reshaping how U.S. audiences see their own country.

Why is this happening? And what does it say about trust, tone, and the global conversation?

Listen For

3:48 British Media’s Rising Credibility in the U.S.

7:23 Could BBC Influence U.S. Culture?

12:29 Feminism, TikTok, and the Tradwife Dilemma

18:47 Femininity and Power Around the World

21:32 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Sarah Waddington

Guest: Helena Humphrey, BBC

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Feeling stuck or stressed at work? You might just need to GROW your way out.

Executive coach Sarah Waddington shares the power and practicality of the GROW model — Goal, Reality, Options, Way forward — in transforming workplace performance, especially within high-pressure environments like PR.

Sarah breaks down how this deceptively simple coaching framework fosters self-awareness, reduces stress, builds resilience, and helps individuals and teams move from dependency to interdependency.

From managing difficult clients and workplace lethargy to unlocking mindset shifts for career advancement, this conversation offers actionable tips to leaders and middle managers alike on how to introduce coaching into fast-paced and demanding cultures.

Listen For

5:15 Why GROW works for both work and life

7:04 Applying GROW in the pressure cooker of PR

11:52 Nightmare client scenario: Using GROW in real-time challenges

14:40 Resilience in PR: Avoiding burnout with GROW

16:37 — Baby steps for senior leaders to start using GROW

19:20 Answer to Last Episode’s Question From Guest Mark Borkowski

Guest: Sarah Waddington, CBE

Website | Email | X | LinkedIn | Wadds Inc.

#FuturePRoof Community https://www.futureproofingcomms.co.uk/

Socially Mobile https://www.sociallymobile.org.uk/

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Reputation is often treated like an invisible asset—vital but fragile. And while we insure everything from homes to art collections, very few think to protect their name.

In this episode, we speak to PR pioneer Mark Borkowski about a bold new product: crisis insurance for individuals. It’s not just an idea—it’s a rethinking of how we prepare for the worst-case scenario in a world where reputation can be destroyed with just one social media post.

Listen For

4:10 The Power of Optimism Bias

10:33 Delivering Bad News to Powerful Clients

13:25 Why Killing Your Ego Matters

18:12 What Is Reputational Risk Insurance?

21:39 Building an Insurance Product for Reputation

22:50 Answer to Last Episode’s Question From Guest Jo Carr

Guest: Mark Borkowski

Website | Email | X | LinkedIn

See the LONGER FULL INTERVIEW on our YouTube Channel

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