March 26, 2025 • 21 mins
This episode explores the calculated timing and emotional storytelling behind Meghan Markle’s latest media rollout. With a new Netflix series and curated social media posts emerging alongside headlines about Prince Harry’s visa status, the episode lays out how strategic vulnerability is being used as a crisis communication tool—and why it might not be landing. The episode breaks down the disconnect between brand aspiration and emotional authenticity, and how perceived relatability doesn’t always translate to real connection.
Through the lens of self-disclosure theory and shifting favorability ratings, the episode also points out the risks of manufactured intimacy in the influencer era. Listeners are challenged to consider whether Markle’s approach reflects genuine strategy or reactive PR gloss. And, as always, the conversation expands into the personal: when life feels messy, is being selectively vulnerable helping—or just a way to dodge the harder truths?
In this episode:
- Strategic vulnerability vs. authentic connection—what’s the difference?
- Why Meghan’s content may be polished but still feels emotionally distant
- A lesson from Ina Garten on how humility builds trust better than beige branding
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the PR Breakdown, the podcast that
transforms curiosity intoclarity, skepticism into
strategy and backlash into trust.
Each week, we will break down aPR crisis through empathy,
accountability and insiderinsights, helping you build your
own indestructible reputation.
Ready to dive into what'sreally behind today's headline,
(00:24):
let's go.
Last week I had a live chatwith my Substack members.
I believe it was Chris whoasked about Meghan Markle.
He wanted to know if I'd seenher program yet on Netflix with
Love Meghan.
I admitted no, I haven't.
I want to, but she keepsfalling down the list because
(00:46):
something else will come infront of her Apple cider vinegar
, which I loved, scamanda WhiteLotus there's just so many
programs out there.
But this past weekend I saidthat's it.
I told everyone on the chat,and specifically Chris, that I
was going to watch it.
So I'm going to watch it.
I will admit I did not getthrough the entire series.
I watched one episode More.
(01:08):
On my review on that, I'll saythis right out of the gate I am
not a Meghan Markle hater.
I am not that creator.
There are plenty of creatorsout there who will bash on her
and Harry, I'm not one of them.
I happen to think she has greatstyle.
I think she's cute as can be.
I think the Meghan Markle brandthe Tig, you know, pre-harry,
(01:32):
pre-royal fiasco, was a good one.
I think she was on her way, butshe met Harry, married Harry,
and we all know what happenedthere.
I cut right down the middlewith those two.
On the one hand, I thinkthey're both fine, you know,
separately.
I think Harry also had a greatbrand going.
You know, being the sparecertainly comes with issues.
(01:54):
Same for Meghan.
She's brought into the royalfamily.
That's not easy.
I absolutely believe that shesuffered through a lot when she
was a member of that family, alot of racism, so there is no
doubt it wasn't easy for her.
Having said that, the other halfof me watches them in just
stunned disbelief.
I think the moves they make areso perplexing.
(02:15):
I find them to be curious.
That's my feelings towards them.
It's just curiosity.
I guess if you were to look atlabels, you could call them
A-list, but their offeringsaren't necessarily A-list
because they're still trying tofigure it all out.
I also believe that they arevictims to fate in the worst way
(02:38):
, combined with just poorchoices.
They always seem to screw upthe timing of everything that
they do, every rollout.
Every launch they have comeswith problems, definitely comes
with a lot of scrutiny.
People do not give these two,particularly Meghan Markle, a
break at all, but there alwaysseems to be a combination of
(03:01):
just bad timing, bad choices.
Maybe they just hope it's goingto work.
But I also think they sufferfrom the same grandiose feelings
about themselves that a lot ofcelebrities and politicians,
people in the public eye, thinkabout themselves.
They think their goodwill is alot stronger than it actually is
(03:22):
.
Then, when things go wrong,they can point to the haters.
I'm always curious from astrategic point of view.
That's why we have the topicthis week.
I always look at Meghan Marklenot coming from hate I'm not a
hater creator about MeghanMarkle and just in general, I'm
always looking for the PR lesson, the communication lesson, also
(03:44):
the PR for people lesson.
What's the life lesson that wecan learn?
I want to speak to both of thembecause I'm a big, obviously a
communicator.
I want to find the lessons tooand I share them with my
communicators in the audience.
But I also want to share thelife lessons because people know
I love doling out advice.
My poor children, oh my gosh.
When I say to them life lesson.
(04:06):
It's like their earsimmediately shut down because
they know something's coming.
But I bet if you ask them, theyall know that my lessons are
actually quite good.
And my oldest daughter, rory,she's very good about telling me
mom, you were right, and I lovethat.
Meghan Markle let's look atsome PR theory.
(04:27):
Meghan recently has been divingmore into this relatable content
.
She is posting on Instagram alot more and you may have seen
these carefully curated familyshots popping up exactly when
negative headlines hit hardest.
Popping up exactly whennegative headlines hit hardest.
There was a post of Lilibet.
(04:47):
I assumed hands in the flowers.
We're not seeing a full frontalof the kids' face.
That's part of the problem withthe Sussex brand.
They want to be relatable, theywant people to love them, they
want that goodwill.
But our audiences nowadays theykind of demand that they get a
little inside access.
They want to see the kids,because Meghan and Harry have
(05:09):
created this barrier, this moatif I could use a royal analogy
there around them for privacy,because they say, as royals,
they need it, which isunderstandable.
If you want to emote your brand, it's very difficult to do if
you're not open.
That's very, very challengingfor them.
So that's why we're watchingthem in real time.
(05:31):
Try to navigate it, meghan inparticular.
Now the negative headlinesabout Harry and his immigration
status a lot of it pushed byconservative media those were
starting to hit.
So all of a sudden we see a lotof Megan content come up.
Now I can't say that withoutsaying that Megan's Netflix
series is out.
Plus, she has a podcast comingout as well.
(05:53):
So Megan is in the marketingphase of content.
But what about adding kids inthere?
Is it a coincidence?
Is it strategic genius or is itauthentic, emotional
relatability for brandingsurvival.
So let's break down what'sreally happening here.
(06:13):
First, some PR theory.
Megan's strategy alignsperfectly with the
self-disclosure theory.
In essence, the more personal,narrative-driven details that a
person shares online, the moreconnected audiences feel.
Look at your favoriteinfluencers and creators and
(06:37):
celebrities.
That's why influencers haveinfluence, because we and I add
myself to the collective, we welet people into our lives and
that's what connects incommunication.
And that's what challenges itfor Megan.
Because she can't do that.
She needs to be as relatable asshe can.
(06:57):
Megan leverages what's known asperceived connectedness, that's
, sharing intimate, relatableglimpses of family life to build
emotional bonds and shiftpublic perception.
But here's the hard data,meghan's UK favorability rating
continues on a downwardtrajectory from 55% in 2019 to
(07:22):
only 21% today.
In the US, her support has alsoweakened amid criticisms and
controversies surrounding everyeffort that she tries, including
her trademark, the AmericanOrchard Riviera.
They did this with the SussexRoyal name and then Meghan just
experienced it again.
(07:42):
That diminishes credibility,that deteriorates trust, and
that's why I think Meghan stillstruggles.
Some of their endeavors work,but some don't.
When there is a scrutiny story,like Harry's visa papers heavily
redacted, the pivot towardsrelatable content isn't just
(08:02):
charm.
It is a strategic crisiscommunication tactic designed to
counterbalance the harshrealities of what they are going
through.
Looking a little bit deeper,megan's latest Instagram posts
and her interviews with Peoplemagazine coincide suspiciously
(08:24):
with the release of theseredacted immigration documents
concerning Prince Harry.
Also, the underperformingviewership of her Netflix series
A lot of the news articles anddigital content you see out
there.
You know that the ratings aregoing down on Meghan, but, in
fairness, there was a lot ofhype about Meghan and Harry
(08:46):
coming out with that firstNetflix special.
So much hype it was the firstone, so there's no way this
series, the With Love Meghanseries, is going to reach those
numbers and it doesn't matter ifit's Meghan or Harry, anyone,
even John Mulaney, of contractthey have.
There's always resurfacedbullying allegations coming out.
(09:20):
A member of their previousstaff, when they lived in
Frogmore, I believe, did aninterview recently with the 60
Minutes Down in Australia Reallyhard to combat that.
There's always negative mediaattention around Meghan.
So clearly timing is everythinghere.
Reinforcing that in PR, thesubtle redirection can be an
(09:42):
effective narrative managementtool.
That's why I think we're goingto constantly see it from Meghan
and Harry.
But let's not oversimplify.
Yes, strategic vulnerabilityworks, but is it truly authentic
if carefully timed, megan'ssocial media comeback over the
last few weeks feels preciselycalculated to redirect attention
(10:04):
.
Yet authenticity isn't justabout timing.
It's about consistency andbelievable, relatable emotional
depth.
Believable, relatable emotionaldepth.
Audiences today, particularlyGen Z, quickly discern
authenticity from calculatedmanipulation.
(10:25):
Megan's challenge isn't justposting relatable content.
It's making audiences genuinelyfeel that connection, despite
the calculated timing.
So for communicators out there,the key takeaway is this Real
vulnerability, strategicallyapplied, must still be rooted in
consistent authenticity.
Quick pivots and new hires can'tinstantly rebuild damaged trust
(10:49):
.
Megan and Harry recentlyannounced they have a new comms
hire A little under theheadlines, if you will, because
this new hire is number seven.
I believe that's a tough one tokeep marketing out there.
They are trying to gloss overcontroversy as often as they can
(11:11):
, but you need genuinecommunication.
To do that, you have tothoughtfully acknowledge what's
happening out there and you haveto frame setbacks as relatable
and human.
Megan and Harry do not havesetbacks.
That's not a part of any oftheir communication strategy,
and we know why and we canunderstand why because they know
(11:32):
they'll be destroyed over it.
But it could work Now on ahuman level.
Megan's pivot reveals somethingdeeper and this is how we can
relate from a PR for peopleperspective.
Relentless media scrutiny candrive people towards emotional
coping strategies.
Whether it's media scrutiny orjust life scrutiny, like your
(11:54):
friends or everybody wants toknow something.
Social media, family narrativesand personal reflections aren't
just PR tools.
They're genuine methods peoplecan use to reclaim their sense
of identity and also to controlunder pressure.
Think about the conversationsyou have with friends or your
friend's kids or your friend'sparents, depending on how old
(12:16):
you are.
When someone tells you a story,their side of the story, how
many times do you listen to it?
With a blank face or you'renodding?
You understand it in agreement,but your head is going oh my
God, this person is crazy.
This person doesn't see what'sgoing on.
This person is missing it.
They are missing it.
Remember that just becausesomebody tells you something in
(12:38):
person doesn't mean that it's anaccurate message, because
internal dialogue can be very,very different from external
dialogue.
So here is the life lesson foryou when faced with criticism or
negativity, sometimes thehealthiest strategy is to openly
acknowledge yourvulnerabilities, because you're
acknowledging that you get whatthe issue is.
Connecting authentically, evenwhen it feels uncomfortable, can
(13:01):
provide emotional resilienceand shift your personal
narrative from crisis to control.
And speaking of authenticconnections, I mentioned that I
did watch her Netflix special.
Here is my review.
I, for one, am an Ina girl.
I love Ina Garten.
One of the reasons why isbecause she is so honest and
(13:22):
she's vulnerable, like she willshow if she doesn't know
something.
If you see her interview withguests, particularly when she
has celebrity guests on, shewill always tell a story that's
relatable where she may havefailed or done something
differently.
A celebrity is coming in tocook something with her.
I think Julianna Margulies hada great cod recipe.
(13:44):
It was a fish recipe that Imake to this day.
It's very, very good and what Ilove that Ina Garten did is
Julianna.
She's an actress.
She spends a lot of time in thekitchen.
She also has her own garden, soIna related to her on that
level and Ina is way better atcooking and growing herbs and
everything in the garden thanJulianna Margulies.
But she treated JuliannaMargulies as an equal.
(14:07):
When Julianna would show hersomething in her recipe, ina
would say oh my gosh, I neverthought about it that way.
What a great idea.
So here she is as a cheftelling this actress wow, you're
doing something better than me.
When Juliana would do somethingthat Ina would say I do it a
different way.
When I watched it I thoughtthat's perfect communication.
Real life relatability helps.
(14:27):
That is what is missing inMegan's program in her
production One.
I don't know if she's going toget those level of guests on
there.
It'd be nice if she did, ifJulianna Margulies came into
Meghan Markle's kitchen, thatwould work.
But Meghan is bringing in herfriends and I think we all kind
of know that Meghan doesn't havea ton of friends and that's not
(14:49):
a negative thing.
There are people in life whojust don't.
They don't.
Meghan started off as oneperson living with a single
parent and going back and forthbetween her single parents.
She didn't have a lot of moneyliving in Hollywood.
Then she went to her Catholichigh school, which she posted on
Instagram last week.
She had friends there and thenwent off to Northwestern in
(15:10):
Chicago but then went thecelebrity route.
It's not easy, you can imagine,to keep your friends and to
keep the same people in thatworld.
That's perfectly understandable.
But in her royal world, herworld, her friend world, got a
lot smaller and you could tellwith the royal guest list and
who we see them with.
You know, as they bop aroundbut also in their projects they
(15:34):
can't get people to join them.
They're becoming a little bitof a tainted brand.
So Megan's bringing in her quote, unquote friends or people
close to her, but it's notworking that well because people
are seeing like oh Megan, youdon't have a lot of close people
in your life.
I think Megan should start tolean in on that a little because
I think a lot of people couldrelate to that.
(15:54):
A lot of women, a lot of youngwomen could relate to that.
I think that would be good.
Yes, everyone's going to pounceon her, but I don't know.
I think that might be relatableand then she could get more
guests on her show.
But that's the problem, I think.
So she brought in her.
What was he?
Her makeup artist?
That's her producer's duty.
It's not my duty to seek it out, but he was one of her friends,
(16:14):
but he was someone who workedwith her in her world as a
celebrity and it worked.
I really liked his personality.
He's really engaging and itshowed that they knew each other
well and I thought that wasgreat.
But I didn't like Megan'sapproach.
I think we all buy into thisidea that Megan is good with
doing things at home and cookingand creating things and just
(16:35):
the aesthetic of the Megan'slife.
I think we can all buy intothat.
But it's not as if she grew upin Old Sabre, connecticut, from
old money and she's been doingthis her whole life.
It's all somewhat new to herand I wish she would lean into
that more and really just say,hey, this is part of the new
Megan and this is what I learnedthen.
So they're creating vegetables,then she's doing a cake, then
(16:57):
she's creating a welcome packagefor her friend and then what
was she doing?
Bees.
Now we see her beekeeping,working with someone and where
she did admit she didn't knowwhat she was doing.
Most people aren't as fortunateto me to be able to have bees
here, though my neighbor doeshave bees Then she's making
candles.
So she's doing things thataren't really relatable, they're
(17:18):
aspirational and I thought, oh,that's cool.
Not quite the same experiencewhen I was in fifth grade.
Sister Gratia asked the classcould someone make an advent
candle?
And I immediately raised myhand.
Sister Gratia was a tough,tough customer.
She was mean, like a lot ofnuns back then were mean.
I said sure, and I knew therewas no way.
(17:38):
My mother was going to sit downand make a candle with me and
my dad was a traveling sales guy.
But I had a grandma who couldpretty much do anything.
And I came home and I said,grandma, I have to make an
advent candle.
I had to do layers of colors,because there's purple, there's
pink and it's in layers.
And Sister Gratia, I think,expected me to do this in like a
day, because I came backwithout it the next day.
(18:00):
She said what's a candle?
I said what?
And then I said, grandma, yougot to help me and there was my
wonderful grandmother moremelting crayons and making this
candle and it was a little messy, but my goodness, my goodness,
was it a candle?
So I could do my own Netflixseries about how to make an
advent candle.
(18:20):
I love my grandmother to thisday for that.
Megan is doing a lot of thingsthat aren't necessarily
relatable.
If I could give it a one wordreview, it matches the aesthetic
and it's this beige, it's beige, it's fine, but it's beige.
And a garden has comfortingrecipes.
I followed her sea saltchocolate cookies that she made
(18:40):
with Willie Geist.
I've been making them eversince.
My kids love them.
Megan is more polished.
Authenticity ultimatelyresonates deeper than perfection
, in my opinion.
So the show works, but it'sjust too too, too.
You know Now, if you'renavigating your own tricky
reputation moments, personal andprofessional, this is the time
(19:01):
to jump into my world, my hub,my content.
I am always looking for ways tohelp people learn PR and how
they can apply it to their workas a communicator or just in
their life.
That's why I've moved over toSubstack.
You can find my hub of contentthere.
I have weekly lives, and ifyou're a member of my community
(19:22):
or someone who purchases anindestructible PR playbook, you
will have access to my monthlytrainings as well and monthly
workshops.
I have one coming up this April, so head on over to my Substack
if you want to find out aboutit.
Check it out, because yourreputation deserves more than
these reactive fixes that we seecelebrities out there do.
(19:43):
It deserves, you know,intentional protection and I
want to give you that.
So here's your PR challenge forthe week.
Imagine you're advising MeghanMarkle.
Would you recommend this exactapproach that she's on right now
?
Does her timing seem strategic,authentic or a bit too
convenient?
Let's have this conversationonline.
(20:03):
I genuinely want your thoughts.
Tell me on Substack, hop on thelive this week.
I genuinely want your thoughts,because PR isn't passive, it's
ongoing dialogue.
That's it for this episode ofthe PR Breakdown.
Remember, insider knowledgeisn't gossip, it's armor.
(20:26):
So, everyone, stay strategic,stay authentic and turn every
crisis into an opportunity tobuild your indestructible
reputation.
Until next time, keep yourreputation strong by eyeballing
what other people are doing inyour world and in the big
celebrity world, political world.
Look for the insights, and it'susually found in the intentions
(20:49):
.
See you next time.
Bye for now.
Welcome to the PR Breakdown, the podcast that
transforms curiosity intoclarity, skepticism into
strategy and backlash into trust.
Each week, we will break down aPR crisis through empathy,
accountability and insiderinsights, helping you build your
own indestructible reputation.
Ready to dive into what'sreally behind today's headline,
(00:24):
let's go.
Last week I had a live chatwith my Substack members.
I believe it was Chris whoasked about Meghan Markle.
He wanted to know if I'd seenher program yet on Netflix with
Love Meghan.
I admitted no, I haven't.
I want to, but she keepsfalling down the list because
(00:46):
something else will come infront of her Apple cider vinegar
, which I loved, scamanda WhiteLotus there's just so many
programs out there.
But this past weekend I saidthat's it.
I told everyone on the chat,and specifically Chris, that I
was going to watch it.
So I'm going to watch it.
I will admit I did not getthrough the entire series.
I watched one episode More.
(01:08):
On my review on that, I'll saythis right out of the gate I am
not a Meghan Markle hater.
I am not that creator.
There are plenty of creatorsout there who will bash on her
and Harry, I'm not one of them.
I happen to think she has greatstyle.
I think she's cute as can be.
I think the Meghan Markle brandthe Tig, you know, pre-harry,
(01:32):
pre-royal fiasco, was a good one.
I think she was on her way, butshe met Harry, married Harry,
and we all know what happenedthere.
I cut right down the middlewith those two.
On the one hand, I thinkthey're both fine, you know,
separately.
I think Harry also had a greatbrand going.
You know, being the sparecertainly comes with issues.
(01:54):
Same for Meghan.
She's brought into the royalfamily.
That's not easy.
I absolutely believe that shesuffered through a lot when she
was a member of that family, alot of racism, so there is no
doubt it wasn't easy for her.
Having said that, the other halfof me watches them in just
stunned disbelief.
I think the moves they make areso perplexing.
(02:15):
I find them to be curious.
That's my feelings towards them.
It's just curiosity.
I guess if you were to look atlabels, you could call them
A-list, but their offeringsaren't necessarily A-list
because they're still trying tofigure it all out.
I also believe that they arevictims to fate in the worst way
(02:38):
, combined with just poorchoices.
They always seem to screw upthe timing of everything that
they do, every rollout.
Every launch they have comeswith problems, definitely comes
with a lot of scrutiny.
People do not give these two,particularly Meghan Markle, a
break at all, but there alwaysseems to be a combination of
(03:01):
just bad timing, bad choices.
Maybe they just hope it's goingto work.
But I also think they sufferfrom the same grandiose feelings
about themselves that a lot ofcelebrities and politicians,
people in the public eye, thinkabout themselves.
They think their goodwill is alot stronger than it actually is
(03:22):
.
Then, when things go wrong,they can point to the haters.
I'm always curious from astrategic point of view.
That's why we have the topicthis week.
I always look at Meghan Marklenot coming from hate I'm not a
hater creator about MeghanMarkle and just in general, I'm
always looking for the PR lesson, the communication lesson, also
(03:44):
the PR for people lesson.
What's the life lesson that wecan learn?
I want to speak to both of thembecause I'm a big, obviously a
communicator.
I want to find the lessons tooand I share them with my
communicators in the audience.
But I also want to share thelife lessons because people know
I love doling out advice.
My poor children, oh my gosh.
When I say to them life lesson.
(04:06):
It's like their earsimmediately shut down because
they know something's coming.
But I bet if you ask them, theyall know that my lessons are
actually quite good.
And my oldest daughter, rory,she's very good about telling me
mom, you were right, and I lovethat.
Meghan Markle let's look atsome PR theory.
(04:27):
Meghan recently has been divingmore into this relatable content
.
She is posting on Instagram alot more and you may have seen
these carefully curated familyshots popping up exactly when
negative headlines hit hardest.
Popping up exactly whennegative headlines hit hardest.
There was a post of Lilibet.
(04:47):
I assumed hands in the flowers.
We're not seeing a full frontalof the kids' face.
That's part of the problem withthe Sussex brand.
They want to be relatable, theywant people to love them, they
want that goodwill.
But our audiences nowadays theykind of demand that they get a
little inside access.
They want to see the kids,because Meghan and Harry have
(05:09):
created this barrier, this moatif I could use a royal analogy
there around them for privacy,because they say, as royals,
they need it, which isunderstandable.
If you want to emote your brand, it's very difficult to do if
you're not open.
That's very, very challengingfor them.
So that's why we're watchingthem in real time.
(05:31):
Try to navigate it, meghan inparticular.
Now the negative headlinesabout Harry and his immigration
status a lot of it pushed byconservative media those were
starting to hit.
So all of a sudden we see a lotof Megan content come up.
Now I can't say that withoutsaying that Megan's Netflix
series is out.
Plus, she has a podcast comingout as well.
(05:53):
So Megan is in the marketingphase of content.
But what about adding kids inthere?
Is it a coincidence?
Is it strategic genius or is itauthentic, emotional
relatability for brandingsurvival.
So let's break down what'sreally happening here.
(06:13):
First, some PR theory.
Megan's strategy alignsperfectly with the
self-disclosure theory.
In essence, the more personal,narrative-driven details that a
person shares online, the moreconnected audiences feel.
Look at your favoriteinfluencers and creators and
(06:37):
celebrities.
That's why influencers haveinfluence, because we and I add
myself to the collective, we welet people into our lives and
that's what connects incommunication.
And that's what challenges itfor Megan.
Because she can't do that.
She needs to be as relatable asshe can.
(06:57):
Megan leverages what's known asperceived connectedness, that's
, sharing intimate, relatableglimpses of family life to build
emotional bonds and shiftpublic perception.
But here's the hard data,meghan's UK favorability rating
continues on a downwardtrajectory from 55% in 2019 to
(07:22):
only 21% today.
In the US, her support has alsoweakened amid criticisms and
controversies surrounding everyeffort that she tries, including
her trademark, the AmericanOrchard Riviera.
They did this with the SussexRoyal name and then Meghan just
experienced it again.
(07:42):
That diminishes credibility,that deteriorates trust, and
that's why I think Meghan stillstruggles.
Some of their endeavors work,but some don't.
When there is a scrutiny story,like Harry's visa papers heavily
redacted, the pivot towardsrelatable content isn't just
(08:02):
charm.
It is a strategic crisiscommunication tactic designed to
counterbalance the harshrealities of what they are going
through.
Looking a little bit deeper,megan's latest Instagram posts
and her interviews with Peoplemagazine coincide suspiciously
(08:24):
with the release of theseredacted immigration documents
concerning Prince Harry.
Also, the underperformingviewership of her Netflix series
A lot of the news articles anddigital content you see out
there.
You know that the ratings aregoing down on Meghan, but, in
fairness, there was a lot ofhype about Meghan and Harry
(08:46):
coming out with that firstNetflix special.
So much hype it was the firstone, so there's no way this
series, the With Love Meghanseries, is going to reach those
numbers and it doesn't matter ifit's Meghan or Harry, anyone,
even John Mulaney, of contractthey have.
There's always resurfacedbullying allegations coming out.
(09:20):
A member of their previousstaff, when they lived in
Frogmore, I believe, did aninterview recently with the 60
Minutes Down in Australia Reallyhard to combat that.
There's always negative mediaattention around Meghan.
So clearly timing is everythinghere.
Reinforcing that in PR, thesubtle redirection can be an
(09:42):
effective narrative managementtool.
That's why I think we're goingto constantly see it from Meghan
and Harry.
But let's not oversimplify.
Yes, strategic vulnerabilityworks, but is it truly authentic
if carefully timed, megan'ssocial media comeback over the
last few weeks feels preciselycalculated to redirect attention
(10:04):
.
Yet authenticity isn't justabout timing.
It's about consistency andbelievable, relatable emotional
depth.
Believable, relatable emotionaldepth.
Audiences today, particularlyGen Z, quickly discern
authenticity from calculatedmanipulation.
(10:25):
Megan's challenge isn't justposting relatable content.
It's making audiences genuinelyfeel that connection, despite
the calculated timing.
So for communicators out there,the key takeaway is this Real
vulnerability, strategicallyapplied, must still be rooted in
consistent authenticity.
Quick pivots and new hires can'tinstantly rebuild damaged trust
(10:49):
.
Megan and Harry recentlyannounced they have a new comms
hire A little under theheadlines, if you will, because
this new hire is number seven.
I believe that's a tough one tokeep marketing out there.
They are trying to gloss overcontroversy as often as they can
(11:11):
, but you need genuinecommunication.
To do that, you have tothoughtfully acknowledge what's
happening out there and you haveto frame setbacks as relatable
and human.
Megan and Harry do not havesetbacks.
That's not a part of any oftheir communication strategy,
and we know why and we canunderstand why because they know
(11:32):
they'll be destroyed over it.
But it could work Now on ahuman level.
Megan's pivot reveals somethingdeeper and this is how we can
relate from a PR for peopleperspective.
Relentless media scrutiny candrive people towards emotional
coping strategies.
Whether it's media scrutiny orjust life scrutiny, like your
(11:54):
friends or everybody wants toknow something.
Social media, family narrativesand personal reflections aren't
just PR tools.
They're genuine methods peoplecan use to reclaim their sense
of identity and also to controlunder pressure.
Think about the conversationsyou have with friends or your
friend's kids or your friend'sparents, depending on how old
(12:16):
you are.
When someone tells you a story,their side of the story, how
many times do you listen to it?
With a blank face or you'renodding?
You understand it in agreement,but your head is going oh my
God, this person is crazy.
This person doesn't see what'sgoing on.
This person is missing it.
They are missing it.
Remember that just becausesomebody tells you something in
(12:38):
person doesn't mean that it's anaccurate message, because
internal dialogue can be very,very different from external
dialogue.
So here is the life lesson foryou when faced with criticism or
negativity, sometimes thehealthiest strategy is to openly
acknowledge yourvulnerabilities, because you're
acknowledging that you get whatthe issue is.
Connecting authentically, evenwhen it feels uncomfortable, can
(13:01):
provide emotional resilienceand shift your personal
narrative from crisis to control.
And speaking of authenticconnections, I mentioned that I
did watch her Netflix special.
Here is my review.
I, for one, am an Ina girl.
I love Ina Garten.
One of the reasons why isbecause she is so honest and
(13:22):
she's vulnerable, like she willshow if she doesn't know
something.
If you see her interview withguests, particularly when she
has celebrity guests on, shewill always tell a story that's
relatable where she may havefailed or done something
differently.
A celebrity is coming in tocook something with her.
I think Julianna Margulies hada great cod recipe.
(13:44):
It was a fish recipe that Imake to this day.
It's very, very good and what Ilove that Ina Garten did is
Julianna.
She's an actress.
She spends a lot of time in thekitchen.
She also has her own garden, soIna related to her on that
level and Ina is way better atcooking and growing herbs and
everything in the garden thanJulianna Margulies.
But she treated JuliannaMargulies as an equal.
(14:07):
When Julianna would show hersomething in her recipe, ina
would say oh my gosh, I neverthought about it that way.
What a great idea.
So here she is as a cheftelling this actress wow, you're
doing something better than me.
When Juliana would do somethingthat Ina would say I do it a
different way.
When I watched it I thoughtthat's perfect communication.
Real life relatability helps.
(14:27):
That is what is missing inMegan's program in her
production One.
I don't know if she's going toget those level of guests on
there.
It'd be nice if she did, ifJulianna Margulies came into
Meghan Markle's kitchen, thatwould work.
But Meghan is bringing in herfriends and I think we all kind
of know that Meghan doesn't havea ton of friends and that's not
(14:49):
a negative thing.
There are people in life whojust don't.
They don't.
Meghan started off as oneperson living with a single
parent and going back and forthbetween her single parents.
She didn't have a lot of moneyliving in Hollywood.
Then she went to her Catholichigh school, which she posted on
Instagram last week.
She had friends there and thenwent off to Northwestern in
(15:10):
Chicago but then went thecelebrity route.
It's not easy, you can imagine,to keep your friends and to
keep the same people in thatworld.
That's perfectly understandable.
But in her royal world, herworld, her friend world, got a
lot smaller and you could tellwith the royal guest list and
who we see them with.
You know, as they bop aroundbut also in their projects they
(15:34):
can't get people to join them.
They're becoming a little bitof a tainted brand.
So Megan's bringing in her quote, unquote friends or people
close to her, but it's notworking that well because people
are seeing like oh Megan, youdon't have a lot of close people
in your life.
I think Megan should start tolean in on that a little because
I think a lot of people couldrelate to that.
(15:54):
A lot of women, a lot of youngwomen could relate to that.
I think that would be good.
Yes, everyone's going to pounceon her, but I don't know.
I think that might be relatableand then she could get more
guests on her show.
But that's the problem, I think.
So she brought in her.
What was he?
Her makeup artist?
That's her producer's duty.
It's not my duty to seek it out, but he was one of her friends,
(16:14):
but he was someone who workedwith her in her world as a
celebrity and it worked.
I really liked his personality.
He's really engaging and itshowed that they knew each other
well and I thought that wasgreat.
But I didn't like Megan'sapproach.
I think we all buy into thisidea that Megan is good with
doing things at home and cookingand creating things and just
(16:35):
the aesthetic of the Megan'slife.
I think we can all buy intothat.
But it's not as if she grew upin Old Sabre, connecticut, from
old money and she's been doingthis her whole life.
It's all somewhat new to herand I wish she would lean into
that more and really just say,hey, this is part of the new
Megan and this is what I learnedthen.
So they're creating vegetables,then she's doing a cake, then
(16:57):
she's creating a welcome packagefor her friend and then what
was she doing?
Bees.
Now we see her beekeeping,working with someone and where
she did admit she didn't knowwhat she was doing.
Most people aren't as fortunateto me to be able to have bees
here, though my neighbor doeshave bees Then she's making
candles.
So she's doing things thataren't really relatable, they're
(17:18):
aspirational and I thought, oh,that's cool.
Not quite the same experiencewhen I was in fifth grade.
Sister Gratia asked the classcould someone make an advent
candle?
And I immediately raised myhand.
Sister Gratia was a tough,tough customer.
She was mean, like a lot ofnuns back then were mean.
I said sure, and I knew therewas no way.
(17:38):
My mother was going to sit downand make a candle with me and
my dad was a traveling sales guy.
But I had a grandma who couldpretty much do anything.
And I came home and I said,grandma, I have to make an
advent candle.
I had to do layers of colors,because there's purple, there's
pink and it's in layers.
And Sister Gratia, I think,expected me to do this in like a
day, because I came backwithout it the next day.
(18:00):
She said what's a candle?
I said what?
And then I said, grandma, yougot to help me and there was my
wonderful grandmother moremelting crayons and making this
candle and it was a little messy, but my goodness, my goodness,
was it a candle?
So I could do my own Netflixseries about how to make an
advent candle.
(18:20):
I love my grandmother to thisday for that.
Megan is doing a lot of thingsthat aren't necessarily
relatable.
If I could give it a one wordreview, it matches the aesthetic
and it's this beige, it's beige, it's fine, but it's beige.
And a garden has comfortingrecipes.
I followed her sea saltchocolate cookies that she made
(18:40):
with Willie Geist.
I've been making them eversince.
My kids love them.
Megan is more polished.
Authenticity ultimatelyresonates deeper than perfection
, in my opinion.
So the show works, but it'sjust too too, too.
You know Now, if you'renavigating your own tricky
reputation moments, personal andprofessional, this is the time
(19:01):
to jump into my world, my hub,my content.
I am always looking for ways tohelp people learn PR and how
they can apply it to their workas a communicator or just in
their life.
That's why I've moved over toSubstack.
You can find my hub of contentthere.
I have weekly lives, and ifyou're a member of my community
(19:22):
or someone who purchases anindestructible PR playbook, you
will have access to my monthlytrainings as well and monthly
workshops.
I have one coming up this April, so head on over to my Substack
if you want to find out aboutit.
Check it out, because yourreputation deserves more than
these reactive fixes that we seecelebrities out there do.
(19:43):
It deserves, you know,intentional protection and I
want to give you that.
So here's your PR challenge forthe week.
Imagine you're advising MeghanMarkle.
Would you recommend this exactapproach that she's on right now
?
Does her timing seem strategic,authentic or a bit too
convenient?
Let's have this conversationonline.
(20:03):
I genuinely want your thoughts.
Tell me on Substack, hop on thelive this week.
I genuinely want your thoughts,because PR isn't passive, it's
ongoing dialogue.
That's it for this episode ofthe PR Breakdown.
Remember, insider knowledgeisn't gossip, it's armor.
(20:26):
So, everyone, stay strategic,stay authentic and turn every
crisis into an opportunity tobuild your indestructible
reputation.
Until next time, keep yourreputation strong by eyeballing
what other people are doing inyour world and in the big
celebrity world, political world.
Look for the insights, and it'susually found in the intentions
(20:49):
.
See you next time.
Bye for now.
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