Public Relations Stories and Strategies

What happens when protests shake a regime built on control, not consent? 

We look at Iran’s largest wave of unrest since 2022. Fueled by economic collapse and skyrocketing inflation, the protests are no longer just about hardship, they’ve become openly anti-government, spreading even into rural areas. We break down Iran’s unprecedented tone shift in crisis comms, explore the influential role of the Iranian diaspora, and consider how narratives are being shaped despite media restrictions. 

And we pivot to examine Donald Trump’s striking effort to brand U.S. institutions with his name, followed by a look into 2026 with helpful resources for PR pros preparing for global risks. 

Listen For

:47 What’s really fueling Iran’s latest wave of protests?
4:28 How does Iran’s diaspora influence global perception?
5:39 Can Trump gain political advantage from Iran’s instability?
6:14 Why is Trump rebranding national institutions with his name?
12:46 What tools can help PR pros prepare for global risks in 2026?

The Week Unspun is a weekly livestream every Friday at 10am ET/3pm BT. Check it out on our YouTube Channel or via this LinkedIn channel

Folgate Advisors

Curzon Public Relations Website

Stories and Strategies Website

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Public relations shapes what people believe, how communities respond, and which ideas earn trust. It influences elections, corporate crises, government decisions, reputations, and public sentiment. 

Yet unlike medicine, law, or engineering, anyone can call themselves a PR professional. No license. No minimum standard. No consequences when things go wrong. What happens when a profession with this much power has almost no guardrails?

Some say that freedom is essential for open societies. Others say it leaves the public exposed. What happens if we build those guardrails too strong? 

In this episode we walk the line of tension between protection and freedom.

Listen For

4:28 What problem is PR regulation really trying to solve?
9:47 Does regulation protect the public, or just PR pros?
12:38 Could PR regulation threaten free speech?
14:23 Is there a middle ground on PR regulation?
18:37 Can licensing and ethics training reshape PR?

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What happens when war, resilience, and optimism collide on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean? 

In this special Boxing Day episode of The Week UnSpun, David Gallagher is off so Doug Downs and Farzana Baduel trade headlines for heart as Farzana shares her recent three-week journey through Sri Lanka, a country shaped by civil war, natural disasters, and powerful recovery. From her work with the Halo Trust, the world’s largest demining organization, to meeting the Prime Minister and local heroes reclaiming their land, Farzana brings vivid stories of courage and transformation.  

The episode shifts gears into lighter fare with a fun, AI-generated “Board of Advisors,” exploring 2026 PR trends and cheeky questions like everyone’s favorite ice cream. It’s a soulful blend of global awareness, digital imagination, and strategic storytelling, all wrapped in warmth, wit, and curiosity.  

GPT Board Members (and Good Sports):

·       Anne-Marie Blake 

·       Catherine Arrow 

·       Candace Kuss 

·       Rod Cartwright 

·       Aaron Berger

Listen For

:54 Why is Sri Lanka so heavily mined?
3:42 What happens when families reclaim lost land?
4:53 How should Sri Lanka rebrand itself?
7:44 What’s Sri Lanka’s relationship with India like?
8:15 What if you could build your own AI-powered board of advisors?

10:06 What are the top PR trends for 2026?

The Week Unspun is a weekly livestream every Friday at 10am ET/3pm BT. Check it out on our YouTube Channel or via this LinkedIn channel

Folgate Advisors

Curzon Public Relations Website

Stories and Strategies Website

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This is not just one podcast.
 It’s a feed with two.

First is Stories and Strategies with Curzon Public Relations.
A weekly show hosted by Doug Downs and Farzana Baduel.
Every Tuesday, we tackle the real work of public relations.
The strategy behind the stories.
The decisions behind the headlines.
No fluff. No profiles. Just the issues shaping modern communications.

Also in this feed is The Week UnSpun.
A live, weekly look at global news through a public relations lens.
Hosted by Doug Downs, Farzana Baduel, and David Gallagher of Folgate Advisors.
Streaming every Friday at 10 a.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. UK time.
With the audio released later the same day.

Two shows.
 One feed.
 Follow now, and stay ahead of the story.

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What do you say when there’s nothing to say?

Most workplaces think they handle grief through policy, a few days of bereavement leave, a checklist, and a quiet expectation that people will return “ready” to work. But grief doesn’t follow policy. It walks back into the office with someone long before they’re prepared, reshaping their focus, their energy, their confidence and their sense of safety. 

And while HR manages the paperwork, it’s the hallway conversations, the team dynamics, the awkward silences and the well-meaning but painful clichés that shape a grieving person’s real experience. 

That isn’t an HR problem. That’s a communications problem.

And yet almost no one prepares for it. Teams don’t know what to say. Leaders fear saying the wrong thing. Colleagues avoid eye contact because they’re anxious, not uncaring. 

In this episode, grief expert Cindy Lang shows why communication is the most powerful support any workplace can offer, and how simple, compassionate language can make the difference between someone feeling invisible and someone feeling understood. 

Listen For

4:11 Why Is Grief First a Communications Issue, Not Just HR's Job?
6:45 What Is the “Three-C Model” for Grief-Informed Communication?
8:05 How Does Grief Physically and Emotionally Impact a Person at Work?
14:51 What Small Act of Kindness Made the Biggest Impact After Loss?

19:29 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Marc Whitt

Guest: Cindy Lang

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What happens when a top political strategist forgets the rules of media engagement?  

This episode of The Week UnSpun strikes a nerve for PR professionals as Doug unpacks Susie Wiles’ widely criticized Vanity Fair interviews, where a lack of structure, message control, and audience awareness turned rare access into a strategic failure. It’s a masterclass in what not to do when the stakes are sky-high.  

Then, the conversation pivots to a claim that’s rippling through the industry in the UK. Sir Martin Sorrell declared on BBC Radio that PR no longer exists, prompting fierce pushback from Farzana. The team’s defense of the industry is both impassioned and insightful, raising a critical question for anyone in communications. Is PR losing ground, or is it finally stepping into its own power?

Listen For

1:23 What went wrong in Susie Wiles’ interviews?
4:10 What are the 8 media mistakes she made?
6:51 Is PR really dead, as Martin Sorrell claims?
10:34 Why can’t PR pros explain what they do?
12:09 Is PR losing ground or evolving fast?

The Week Unspun is a weekly livestream every Friday at 10am ET/3pm BT. Check it out on our YouTube Channel or via this LinkedIn channel

Folgate Advisors

Curzon Public Relations Website

Stories and Strategies Website

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Nonprofits often describe themselves with a strange sense of pride: “We’re the best kept secret.” But in an era where funding is shrinking, donor expectations are shifting, and public trust must be earned every single day, staying a secret is no longer a virtue. It’s a liability. 

So why do so many NGOs still hide behind humility, overwhelm, or the hope that their good work will somehow speak for itself?

It’s same problem everywhere. Leaders who underestimate the power of strategic communication. Teams overwhelmed by tactical delivery. Fundraisers separated from PR staff. And organizations with extraordinary missions that remain invisible. In this episode, how nonprofits can step out of the shadows, communicate their value with confidence, and build the visibility they need to survive and serve.

Listen For

5:11 Why doesn't good work speak for itself anymore?
10:12 How can NGOs attract top talent without top salaries?
18:52 What are the first PR steps for nonprofits to grow visibility?
21:04 Answer to Last Week’s Question from Cindy Lang

Guest: Marc Whitt

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Who’s Really Writing the Stories That Shape Our World?

This week, we dive into the high-stakes power play unfolding in Hollywood as Netflix and Paramount battle to take over Warner Bros. What looks like a blockbuster business deal is, in fact, a global struggle over who gets to shape the stories that define how we think, feel, and remember.

Farzana explores the soft power implications of the deal, asking what happens when control of cultural narratives shifts to private or even foreign-backed hands. Doug examines the potential impact on creators, especially if Netflix, known for tight content licensing, wins control of vast historical archives. David brings in insider chatter from Hollywood, where some fear the deal could spell the end of cinema as we know it.

Also in this episode, we unpack why the UK is launching a legal PR offensive to keep English law as the gold standard for global deals and how Singapore is emerging as a serious contender.

Plus, is the US hurting its tourism brand with new visa requirements demanding access to social media history? And what can Australia’s ban on under-16s using social media teach us about digital policy and parental reality?

Listen For

3:53 How would this merger reshape global storytelling and soft power?

6:58 Why is the UK promoting English law as a global standard?

10:12 What makes Singapore law a serious competitor to English law?

15:39 Will new US visa rules scare away global travelers and harm tourism?

The Week Unspun is a weekly livestream every Friday at 10am ET/3pm BT. Check it out on our YouTube Channel or via this LinkedIn channel

Folgate Advisors

Curzon Public Relations Website

Stories and Strategies Website

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In every corner of the world the public mood is shifting, sometimes quietly and sometimes all at once. Climate anxiety, pandemic fears, economic pressure, geopolitical tension and a surge in concern about data security have all reshaped what people expect from companies. 

For organizations trying to build trust across borders the rules keep changing. What mattered in 2019 did not matter in 2021. What mattered last year may not matter next year. And unless communicators understand these shifts they will miss the signals that determine whether a message lands or falls flat.

That is why this conversation with Steve Shepperson-Smith is so valuable. Drawing from Vodafone’s 75,000+ annual reputation data points and RepTrak’s million-strong global dataset, Stephen shares compelling insights on the critical 60/40 split between capability and character, and why the latter matters more than ever in polarized, politicized times.

Listen For

4:37 What does global data say about what drives reputation today?
6:52 Have public views on social and environmental issues shifted?
8:41 Are ESG and DEI labels now hurting more than helping?
10:57 Why is data security now a top consumer concern?
16:38 How can brands stay local in a divided global landscape?

20:40 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Andy West

Guest: Steve Shepperson-Smith, Vodaphone

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Most agencies can tell you how their clients are doing but ask how they are doing and the room gets quiet. The truth is that even the best run firms skip their own checkups. Margins thin out, teams burn out, and culture drifts while the spotlight stays fixed on the next pitch. 

But what if agencies treated their operations the way a doctor treats a patient, tracking vital signs, diagnosing problems early, and prescribing real solutions before things spiral.

From hidden symptoms to running a full-scale agency fitness test, in this episode we look at what separates a healthy firm from one that just looks good on paper. 

Listen For

3:56 What vital signs show if your agency is healthy or just surviving?
5:25 Are agency leaders really surprised by their own problems?
8:57 Is AI a threat or a tool for agencies to grow?
12:25 What four pillars make an agency profitable and strong?
18:15 What aha moment helped an agency turn things around?

20:03 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Lionel Zetter

Guest: Andy West, West of Center

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Rate this podcast with just one click 

Follow Farzana on Substack

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