We dive into:

• Why your beingness is the brand—and how to access it
• The quiet resistance most leaders carry that keeps them from full expression
• Her philosophy on “branding from the inside out”
• How she helps clients identify and speak from their core essence, not just what they do
• The real story of how she and I met—and why she decided I needed a podcast

This conversation goes far beyond brand strategy. It’s about being brave enough to be fully seen and fully yourself. Jenna doesn’t just build brands—she calls people home to who they are.

If you’re ready to stop performing and start resonating, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

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Jenna Flanagan is an award-winning broadcast journalist, host, and producer whose work bridges public media, local accountability reporting, and smart, accessible conversations about civic life. She has reported and hosted for WNET’s MetroFocus, bringing audiences across the New York region in-depth coverage of policy, culture, and community voices. She has also been a field reporter responsible for covering how policy presented in the New York State legislature impacts constituents across the state for WMHT’s government and public-affairs program New York NOW.

Jenna began her career at New York’s 1010 WINS, rising from production assistant to assistant editor in a fast-paced newsroom. She then went on to WBGO in Newark as a general-assignment reporter before spending six and a half years at WNYC’s All Things Considered as a writer, reporter, and producer. Her work has also aired nationally on NPR.

Her recent projects include co-creating and co-hosting the podcast Laid Off and Looking, a candid series that examines how news is made, who shapes it, and what’s at stake for democracy as the media industry restructures. She has also hosted the award-winning podcast series, After Broad and Market, revisiting the 2003 murder of Sakia Gunn to explore the power and limits of local journalism.

A Hudson Valley native who grew up in New Paltz, Jenna studied communications and journalism at Seton Hall University. She continues to champion localism and public-interest reporting across platforms, appearing on radio, television, and digital outlets to elevate stories that inform, challenge, and connect communities.

Laid Off and Looking Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@LaidOffandLookingPodcast

In the Margins with Jenna Flanagan Substack: https://jflanagan.substack.com/

Jenna Flanagan on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jflannys?lang=en

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John Bates provides 1:1 Executive Communications Coaching, both in-person and online. He also gets 92+ Net Promoter Scores for his large and small group leadership development trainings at organizations like Johnson & Johnson, NASA, Google, Intuit, Boston Scientific, and many more. Find more at https://executivespeakingsuccess.com.

Sign up for his weekly micro-trainings for free at https://johnbates.com/mini-trainings and create a great leadership communications habit that makes you the kind of leader who inspires trust, loyalty, and connection.