The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

187: How To Explain A Public Blip In Your Career That Affects Your Reputation


Listen Later

So you've had a misstep at some point in your career. 

It made news, maybe it made the press or it just created news in your ecosystem? If you have ever made a poor choice on a job, off the job, were fired publicly, were involved in a sticky situation, or had a professional relationship that adversely affected your reputation or the reputation of your employer, this episode is for you!  

in this epsiode we cover how to explain a public blip that impacts your professional reputation. Tuning in you’ll hear expert advice on how to deal with a blip by presenting the positive motivation that led to it, putting it in context, and preparing good references, while also not avoiding it or refusing to talk about it. You’ll also hear one final tip about a social media pitfall to avoid. One mistake doesn’t have to destroy your entire career, so tune in today to find out how to overcome it! 

 

Key Points From This Episode: 

 

  • An intro to today’s topic: How to explain a blip in your career that affects your reputation.
  • The blog post by Doug Lester on this topic and why Molly feels the need to discuss it.
  • Step one: Recall the positive motivation that led to your blip.
  • How this reinforces the positive aspects you have as a leader, employee, or candidate.
  • Step two: Don’t try to avoid talking about the blip.
  • Step three: Put your blip into context. 
  • Why you need to put the context into your strengths.
  • Why you should think of the negative perception of your reputation as an exhale.
  • Step four: Make sure you have good references who know about the blip.
  • Tips on how to prepare your references to talk on your behalf.
  • How to get more help overcoming a career blip.
  • A final tip about a social media pitfall to avoid in the event of a blip.

 
Tweetables:


“You want to remind people how you got there and, more important, why you got there. It speaks to the core of your personal brand, which is another way of saying your personal mission statement.” — @MollyMcPherson [0:06:48]



“Owning the blip is where all the power lies.” — @MollyMcPherson [0:09:03]



“What often happens when people come out of a crisis is they root for you. They want to see what you can do.” — @Molly

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow Molly → @MollyMcPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.


Follow & Connect with Molly:

  • https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson
  • https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson
  • https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollymcpherson/

© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The PR Breakdown with Molly McPhersonBy www.mollymcpherson.com

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

168 ratings


More shows like The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

View all
Next Question with Katie Couric by iHeartPodcasts

Next Question with Katie Couric

4,900 Listeners

Pod Save America by Crooked Media

Pod Save America

86,163 Listeners

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard by Armchair Umbrella

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

68,760 Listeners

Work in Progress with Sophia Bush by iHeartPodcasts

Work in Progress with Sophia Bush

3,082 Listeners

SmartLess by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett

SmartLess

57,719 Listeners

what i will say by Bop Culture

what i will say

331 Listeners

Celebrity Memoir Book Club by Vox Media Podcast Network

Celebrity Memoir Book Club

6,282 Listeners

Dear Chelsea by iHeartPodcasts

Dear Chelsea

3,787 Listeners

Beyond The Blinds by Cloud10

Beyond The Blinds

3,075 Listeners

FluentlyForward by CAKE MEDIA

FluentlyForward

2,175 Listeners

It’s Become a Whole Thing by The Sonar Network

It’s Become a Whole Thing

366 Listeners

Hello Hayes by Alexandra Hayes Robinson

Hello Hayes

212 Listeners

All The Fails with Jenny Mollen by Jenny mollen

All The Fails with Jenny Mollen

119 Listeners

What's Your Issue? by Dara Laine Sussman and Troy McEady

What's Your Issue?

233 Listeners

Diabolical Lies by Katie Gatti Tassin & Caro Claire Burke

Diabolical Lies

340 Listeners