The Trending Communicator

The Trending Communicator

In today's hyper-accelerated communications world, keeping up means juggling reputation, brand building, crisis management, storytelling, and more while adapting to new technologies like generative AI. The Trending Communicator, hosted by Dan Nestle, is your guide through this chaotic landscape. This podcast dives into the challenges of PR, communications, and marketing today, with experts sharing real stories and strategies for overcoming those challenges and more. It's the perfect resource for professionals looking to innovate, take risks, and stay ahead. Join us to make sense of today’s communications chaos, one insightful conversation at a time.

Episodes

Harmonizing AI and Human-Centric Approaches in Business Transformation - with Kate Bullinger

June 13, 2025 • 70 mins
Humans are in a tough spot right now. Seems like everyone's talking about AI disruption, how to "stay human," why humans will be more or less important, and on and on. But one thing remains certain: business transformation will fail without a human-centric approach. In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle sits down with change management and change communications legend Kate Bullinger, CEO of United Minds, ...
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Beyond DEI: Redefining Cultural Communications - with Aleisia Gibson Wright

May 30, 2025 • 66 mins
If you're thinking "cultural communications" is another way to say "DEI," you may want to broaden your perspective. Culture comms might just be the key to building trust when the stakes are high - especially in healthcare. In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle connects with award-winning healthcare communicator Alicia Gibson Wright, founder of GW Health Public Relations, to challenge conventional wisdom ...
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Disrupting Yourself Before AI Does - with Steve Rubel

May 16, 2025 • 84 mins
How do we work with AI in a way that keeps the human part intact? Because while AI can handle the process, it’s still on us to bring the perspective, the empathy, and the meaning that make communication matter. In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle reconnects with seasoned media analyst, communications strategist, digital innovator, and social media OG, Steve Rubel. Steve - now EVP of Media Insights & Measu...
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Chaos, AI, and the Future of Work - with Emanuel Rose

May 5, 2025 • 55 mins
Is AI a miracle, heralding an age of invention, or the harbinger of a dystopian civilizational collapse? The rise of short-form video on social platforms - empowering creators, or undermining society? The only certainty these days is uncertainty. But for curious minds, that's precisely what makes it exciting. In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle catches up with Emanuel Rose, CEO of Strategic eMarketing and...
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From Clinton's Wrath to AI's Rise: Navigating through the Perma-crisis - with Elie Jacobs

April 18, 2025 • 72 mins
Are we going in the right direction as communicators? In an era of dramatic policy shifts, cultural upheaval, and a fractured media landscape, how do we trudge onward through the muck without losing our way? Weighty questions indeed. In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle sits down with Elie Jacobs, founding partner of Purposeful Advisors, to tackle the thorny issues facing today's communications professiona...
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Distinctive Discoverability: Search Rules the Reputation Roost - with Rob Jekielek

April 4, 2025 • 67 mins
Faced with today's fractured mess of audiences and media, it's tempting to unleash a deluge of content and overwhelm social channels with content, hoping to reach the people who want to hear from you. Clearly, not a winning strategy - and those who think it is produce nothing more than dull, generic, reputation-breaking AI slop.  But what if the key to success lies in a concept as simple as it is powerful: distinctive discoverabili...
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Why Audits Should Delight Communicators - with Lynn Zimmerman

March 21, 2025 • 74 mins
If change is inevitable, why are we typically so bad at managing it? As businesses navigate digital shifts, mergers, and AI advancements, one crucial group often gets sidelined: employees. Communicators can play a much larger role in managing these key stakeholders during organizational upheaval - and strategically guide organizations through any transition. In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle welcomes ch...
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From Alexa to Agentic AI: Conversational AI and the Future of Brand Communication - with Susan and Scott Westwater

March 7, 2025 • 71 mins
As AI disrupts and reshapes our interactions with brands and people alike, how do we genuinely connect with the voices around us? Conversational AI challenges us to rethink engagement with both technology and each other. What does it mean for brands to have a voice, and how can this change redefine connection and accessibility? In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle sits down with the dynamic duo behind Prag...
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The Rise of the Multidimensional Communicator - with Jim O'Leary

February 21, 2025 • 51 mins
The future of communications is fractured, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. How can leaders navigate this new landscape where audiences are scattered, AI is advancing rapidly, and traditional playbooks no longer work? In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle sits down with Jim O'Leary, CEO of The Weber Shandwick Collective, North America. With a career spanning both client and agency leadership roles, J...
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Fractured Reality or Real Opportunity: With AI, It Can Go Either Way - with Martin Waxman

February 7, 2025 • 69 mins
Is AI the superglue that can repair our fractured media universe? Or is it just another tool that could further splinter our audiences? In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle sits down with digital marketing expert, leading AI researcher, and prolific LinkedIn Learning course creator Martin Waxman. A professor at McMaster University, associate director of the Future of Marketing Institute, and member of the ...
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Reinventing Newsrooms: AI as Friend, Not Foe - with Pete Pachal

January 24, 2025 • 88 mins
Is AI the savior or the destroyer of journalism? As media outlets grapple with dwindling trust and audiences, could artificial intelligence be the key to revitalizing the industry, or is it the final nail in its coffin? In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle sits down with seasoned journalist turned AI consultant, educator, trainer, and founder of the popular Media Copilot newsletter, Pete Pachal. Together, ...
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The Future of Work is Community (with a touch of AI) - with Ashley Dennison

January 10, 2025 • 76 mins
Over the last few years, at least since 2020, in the marketing and communications professions, remote work has become more of the norm than the exception. Connections between and among co-workers remain predominantly digital or virtual, and so many of us fitted out our home offices with comfy ergonomic chairs, standing desks, recording gear, balance boards, and all kinds of tchotchkes. Then, when the economy started to turn, and ou...
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AI TAKES CONTROL OF THE TRENDING COMMUNICATOR - with Google NotebookLM

December 24, 2024 • 15 mins
NOTEBOOK LM HAS TAKEN CONTROL OF THE TRENDING COMMUNICATOR. EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS IS AI-GENERATED. Are you ready to supercharge your communication skills for the AI-driven future? Discover how to harness the power of artificial intelligence while keeping your human touch in this eye-opening episode of The Trending Communicator. In this captivating discussion, hosts Maichael AI and Laila AI take over the podcast to unpack the se...
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Spin sucks, The PESO Model is the answer, and AI can help - with Gini Dietrich

December 13, 2024 • 63 mins
Walk into any PR conference these days, and it's all but guaranteed that you'll see a session or two about how communicators can effect real business impact. Panelists and speakers talk about how we can earn a seat at the table (even though we often have one) and get taken more seriously as business partners by "aligning with the business strategy" and "bringing measurement discipline" to "demonstrate the ROI of Communications." Bu...
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Down with Fluff: Executive Storytelling in the AI Era - with Anuneha Mewawalla

December 2, 2024 • 71 mins
I think it's fair to say that most of us in communications and marketing, at one point or another (and probably recently), have been accused of the most awful, terrible thing: committing fluff. It can happen anytime, but usually when we talk about the mysterious arts of messaging, writing, brand identity, and almost anything creative. I think it's happened most often in my career when I've mentioned the most misunderstood five-lett...
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Unlocking the Communications Career Cage - with Emily York

November 15, 2024 • 74 mins
How many times have you heard that career paths in PR and Communications are full of options and opportunities? Maybe that's true when you're just getting started, but for many of us, as we progress in our careers, we start to notice fences and guardrails rising ever higher as the path itself becomes narrow and steep. What does it take to jump the fence or take it down? Or are we in a communications cage? In this episode of The Tr...
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Corporate Culture Disruption in the AI Era - with Pinaki Kathiari

November 1, 2024 • 74 mins
Take a look at any job description today--either in your organization or posted to a job board--and you might notice that it's not entirely accurate, especially for communications and marketing roles. It's almost as if they're created to fit into a system of some kind....oh wait, they are. Job descriptions, from the simple to the complex, are often nothing more than checklists designed for ease of processing and evaluation. They're...
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EQ, AI, and the Influential Communicator - with Deirdre Breakenridge

October 18, 2024 • 63 mins
So many of us--especially communicators--struggle to make the case when it counts.  Sure, you may have all the facts at your fingertips, and there's no doubt you feel strongly about your point of view. But when you get to the boardroom, the interview, or any meeting for that matter, are you in the conversation or on the sidelines? Are your contributions making an impact? Do you have a seat at the table?  Perhaps you're missing a k...
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Why Business-Savvy Communicators Can Lead in the Age of AI - with David Albritton

October 4, 2024 • 73 mins
What do corporate communications leaders know about the businesses they serve? Chances are they know quite a lot. They know the stories, the narratives, and the CEO's various points of view; they know the strategies, the values, and the culture; they know the audiences and stakeholders and (should) how to calm them in times of crisis; sometimes they know where all the bodies are buried and which closets hold the most skeletons. The...
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Weird Unicorns, AI, and the TBD Career: The Future of Work - with David Armano

September 20, 2024 • 75 mins
Is it wrong to be future-focused in your career? At what price should you pursue innovation or push boundaries in your organization? Are you aware that there could be a growing urgency gap between you and your employer that may eventually be too wide to cross? In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle sits down with award-winning communications and marketing strategist, CX-UX-DX innovator, social media OG, and ...
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