The Leading in a Crisis Podcast
Interviews, stories and lessons learned from experienced crisis leaders. Email the show at Tom@leadinginacrisis.com. Being an effective leader in a corporate or public crisis situation requires knowledge, tenacity, and influencing skills. Unfortunately, most of us don't get much training or real experience dealing with crisis situations. On this podcast, we will talk with people who have lived through major crisis events and we will tap their experience and stories from the front lines of crisis management. Your host, Tom Mueller, is a veteran crisis manager and trainer with more than 30 years in the corporate communications and crisis fields. Tom currently works as an executive coach and crisis trainer with WPNT Communications, and as a contract public information officer and trainer through his personal company, Tom Mueller Communications LLC. Your co-host, Marc Mullen, has over 20 years of experience as a communication strategist. He provides subject matter expertise in a number of communication specializations, including crisis communication plan development, response and recovery communications, emergency notifications and communications, organizational reviews, and after-action reports. He blogs at Blog | Marc Mullen Our goal is to help you grow your knowledge and awareness so you can be better prepared to lead should a major crisis threaten your organization. Music credit: Special thanks to Nick Longoria from Austin, Texas for creating the theme music for the podcast. #crisis #crisismanagement #crisiscomms #crisiscommunications #BusinessContinuity #LeadingThroughCrisis #CrisisResponse
Episodes
Twelve tons of Kit Kat bars get stolen, and suddenly the internet is doing what it does best: turning a real-world incident into a meme factory. We dig into why that kind of viral corporate humor can be a smart PR play in the right context, and why it can also become reputation roulette when the facts change. I’m joined by Natalie Gibson, founder and CEO of Songue PR, to talk about where the “fun” ends, how to think...
A deepfake can hit your audience before your first internal briefing ends and the most “engaging” version of events is often the least true. That’s the reality we dig into with James Hartsfield, former director of communications at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, as we unpack what it takes to lead crisis communications in a changing media environment.
We start with the foundation: practice. James explains why ...
A shuttle breaks apart on re-entry, the world demands answers, and the people closest to the story have to decide what transparency actually looks like when an investigation is just getting started. We pick back up with James Hartsfield, former director of communications for NASA’s Johnson Space Center, to talk through what happened after Columbia’s first, intense week of press briefings and why it was essential for...
Columbia didn’t arrive when it was supposed to, and the whole world felt the silence. We sit down again with James Hartsfield, recently retired as director of communications at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, to walk through the most difficult minutes and hours after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and what crisis leadership looks like when every word carries consequence.
He also looked back at the space s...
The most frightening part of a space flight crisis is how fast it rewrites reality. One minute the plan is a routine landing and a little live education for viewers. The next, you’re choosing words that millions will remember forever.
We sit down with James Hartsfield, a veteran NASA communications leader from Johnson Space Center, to talk about what it really means to be the voice of Mission Control during...
On today's episode we're revisiting the story of the terrorist bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England in 2017. A suicide bomber detonated a backpack bomb loaded with nails just after the concert ended, killing 22 concertgoers and injuring hundreds more. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
Our guest today, Amanda Coleman, served as the lead press officer f...
One rushed reply can turn a small complaint into a full-blown brand reputation crisis, and social media makes that mistake painfully easy. We sit down with Lee Caraher, president of DoubleForte PR and author of two management books, to talk about what crisis communication really demands from leaders and teams when the pressure hits.
We dig into social media crisis management, including how to map likely sce...
A late-night plane crash is tragic on its own, but it also triggers a second crisis that unfolds at the speed of phones, headlines, and social feeds. We step through the early communications around the Air Canada Express crash at LaGuardia Airport involving a Jazz Aviation-operated flight, looking at what the public saw, what stakeholders needed, and where the response gained or lost precious time.
Tom Muel...
Your crisis plan looks great on paper until the day you can’t use email, chat, or even your own devices. That’s where this conversation goes: into the messy, human reality of executive communication when the normal playbook disappears. I’m joined by Texas-based executive coach Susan D. Nelson to unpack what leaders actually need to stay credible and calm, and why the biggest threat to preparedness is often a simple ...
Alarms don’t announce themselves politely. They scream into your day and force you to decide who speaks, what’s true, and how to steady a room full of worried people. That’s where Ruth Rendon has spent her career—first as a Houston Chronicle reporter, then as a corporate communications leader at bp, Marathon Petroleum, and SABIC—bringing order to messy moments with clear words and tight networks.
We mine st...
Sirens fade, but the lessons shouldn’t. On this episode, we sit down with Helen Hynson Vettori—former paramedic, federal emergency planner, and now the mind behind the Black Swan thriller series—to explore how real-world crises become page-turning stories that sharpen leadership and preparedness. From street-side triage to cross-agency strategy, Helen shows why decisive action at the edge must pair with deep collabo...
Outrage online isn’t always organic—and when it’s engineered, it can hit hard. We sit down with crisis and risk consultant Phil Borremans to expose the mechanics of rage farming: coordinated attacks that use psychology, algorithms, and incentives to inflame audiences, distort brand updates, and turn a minor moment into a market-moving storm. From bots and fake accounts to “coordinated amplification,” Phil maps how b...
In this episode, Philippe Borremans joins the podcast to explore key crisis preparedness and response strategies, including the growing challenges of deepfake videos, the widening trust deficit, and persistent capability gaps in the crisis comms field.
Phil shares key findings from his latest annual survey of over 100 crisis communications professionals — revealing results that are both surprising and, in some cases...
Imagine walking into a crisis room with a complete first-draft playbook—roles, spans of control, holding lines, and a 48-hour plan—ready in minutes. That’s the promise we explore with Chris Hamilton and Peter Heneghan, veterans of 10 Downing Street, BP, and AstraZeneca, and now the co-founders of Albie.ai. Their take isn’t hype: it’s a grounded, human-first approach to using AI as a co-pilot that speeds up the work ...
Crises don’t wait for perfect plans, which is why Michelle Ehrhart’s mantra—practice makes permanent—hits so hard. Michelle, former VP of global communications at FedEx and now CMO at the University of Memphis, joins us to share the field‑tested playbook behind her new book, Crisis Compass. Tom and Michele share stories from their experiences and dig into the habits that turn panic into poise: understanding operatio...
A deadly crash at UPS’s Louisville hub put crisis leadership under a microscope—and the first 24 hours told a powerful story about timing, empathy, and restraint. We invited Michele Ehrhart, former VP of Global Communications at FedEx and author of Crisis Compass, to unpack how the early communications played out in this heartbreaking incident.
We walk through the initial statements that landed within hour...
The first words after a mass casualty event can steady a community—or shake it further. We break down the opening press conferences following the Grand Blanc, Michigan church attack to show how leaders earn trust when stakes are highest: the county supervisor’s grounded empathy, a police chief balancing hard facts with community care, a seasoned Michigan State Police PIO orchestrating structure and boundaries, and t...
Charlie Kirk built his reputation through campus debates, setting up tents where he'd engage students with his signature challenge: "prove me wrong." When a sniper's bullet ended his life at a Utah university, it threatened to become another flashpoint in America's increasingly volatile political landscape. Instead, something remarkable happened.
Just days after her husband's m...
What does it take to lead through chaos? Tracy Nolan knows firsthand. This remarkable Fortune 100 executive has repeatedly stepped into roles most would consider overwhelming - from transforming struggling retail operations to merging telecom giants during a global pandemic. She also likes to solve puzzles.
Tracy's journey from retail buyer to telecom executive to healthcare leader reveals a unique tal...
What happens when crisis hits your business and the only information people can find about you online is that negative event? In our conversation with communications expert Tiffany Muehlbauer, we dive deep into her innovative "Pool Theory" concept that's changing how organizations approach crisis preparation.
The Pool Theory isn't about shouting louder when trouble arrives—it's abou...
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