What do Tylenol, Jimmy Kimmel, and Disney all have in common? 

They’re all caught in the crosshairs of public opinion this week. 

On this episode hosts David Gallagher and Doug Downs are joined by B2B PR powerhouse Michelle Garrett to dissect a week of PR minefields. From President Trump’s dangerous misinformation about Tylenol and pregnancy, to the backlash and brand gymnastics following Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial monologue.  

The trio also touches on the shifting global perception of American brands and how companies can (and must) navigate reputational risk in polarized times.  

Listen For

5:42 What did President Trump say about Tylenol? And how should PR teams respond to misinformation?
14:52 Why did Jimmy Kimmel get pulled off the air, and what does it say about Disney’s PR strategy?
26:33 How can political polarization affect brand trust and corporate reputation?

Special Guest Michelle Garrett

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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

We publish the audio from these livestreams to the Stories and Strategies podcast feed every Friday until Sunday evening when it’s no longer available. 

Folgate Advisors

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What happens when your newsfeed becomes a battlefield?

In the US and UK, political leaders trade accusations, social media thrives on outrage, and communities are left simmering in distrust. What used to be disagreements over policy now look more like open hostility, with violence creeping closer to the center of public life. 

Attacks on lawmakers, threats to schools, and the killing of high-profile figures are no longer shocking outliers but part of a troubling pattern.

This episode asks a difficult but urgent question: how much of this violence is rooted in the way we communicate? Words frame identities, assign blame, and sometimes push people toward radical action. 

Sticks and stones may break bones… but in today’s world, it’s the words that are drawing blood. 

Listen For

3:17 Identity-Based Polarization

6:22 How Algorithms Divide Us

10:20 The Rush to Blame

14:49 Messaging That Can Prevent Violence

19:33 Teaching Kids to Resist Radicalization and Disinformation

Guest: Amy Pate

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Every Friday at 3pm UK and 10 am Eastern we scan the PR Mega Chat and pick the stories that actually shaped the week.  

This week’s episode is a fiery, globe-spanning dive into the uncomfortable truths of modern communication. From protests on the streets of London to censorship in North America, we break down what’s really going on behind the headlines.  

Farzana delivers a powerful personal reflection on racism and PR spin around far-right movements in the UK, while Doug unpacks Jimmy Kimmel’s removal from airwaves and the free speech debate in the U.S.  

We also dive into AI’s growing role in reshaping communication strategy, the rising cost of silence in the PR industry, and the intricate dance between the UK and US in global affairs.  

Listen For

4:26 The Flag and the Trauma: A Personal Protest Reflection
13:09 Racism, Silence, and the PR Industry’s Reckoning
15:02 Jimmy Kimmel, MAGA, and the Censorship Crisis
21:33 AI Bots Are Your Audience Now
26:25 When Strategic Silence Becomes Ethical Evasion

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

We publish the audio from these livestreams to the Stories and Strategies podcast feed every Friday until Sunday evening when it’s no longer available.

Folgate Advisors

Curzon Public Relations Website

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Google Search still holds about 90% of global search volume as of mid‑2025, but change is underway as more users begin turning to AI. 

AI search is rewriting the rules of discovery, and PR needs to adapt. With ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity each scraping different corners of the web, the old focus on big-name publications is no longer enough. The most influential sources may now be niche review sites, specialized forums, or content hubs you have never pitched. Knowing what each Large Language Model (LLM) values and how to optimize for it, is becoming a core PR skill.

In this episode, we explore how Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is reshaping PR. From the rise of “dual websites” for humans and bots to the ethical tensions between LLMs and media outlets, we discuss how PR teams can rethink targeting, adapt content, and position clients for visibility in an AI‑first world.

Listen For

5:49 Dual Websites: One for Humans, One for Machines

8:39 LLMs as New Media Channels

11:38 What AI Tools Scrape (and Why It Matters)

14:45 Can Bots Get Past Paywalls? The Legal and Ethical Minefield

17:01 Answer to Last Episode’s Question From Heather Blundell

Guest: Jackson Wightman, Founder Proper Propaganda

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Every Friday we scan the PR Mega Chat and pick the stories that actually shaped the week. 

What happens when narrative control collides with tragedy, misinformation, and an unfiltered digital age?

In the second episode of The Week Unspun, hosts Farzana Baduel, David Gallagher, and Doug Downs dive into the breaking news of political commentator Charlie Kirk’s shocking shooting and the volatile aftermath, both online and off. 

From exploring how disinformation spreads faster than facts to how leadership (or lack thereof) shapes national reaction, the trio offer PR-savvy analysis of crisis communication, media ethics, and the real-world consequences of social media. 

They also explore surprising connections between gender inclusion, menopause in the workplace, and how ageism and AI are reshaping the public relations industry.  

Listen For

4:07 The Vacuum of Information and Divisive Reactions

7:58 Unfiltered Violence: Children, Social Media, and Emotional Fallout

18:53 Menopause in PR: The Silent Career Killer?

24:33 The Great Unbundling of PR Talent

30:15 Are Reputations Still Vulnerable in the Teflon Age?

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

We publish the audio from these livestreams to the Stories and Strategies podcast feed every Friday until Sunday evening when it’s no longer available. 

Folgate Advisors

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More women are now leaving the PR industry because of perimenopause and menopause than because of childbirth. 

That’s a staggering, often invisible, that’s shift happening right at the top. It’s not burnout or work-life balance pushing them out, but a phase of life that’s rarely acknowledged and even more rarely supported.

This episode is an unflinching conversation about the real pressures senior women face. 

Why is menopause still a taboo topic at work? 

How misunderstood are its impacts on confidence, performance, and retention? 

And what must organizations and agencies do to support their best talent before they quietly walk away?

 Listen For

4:22 The Invisible Workplace Crisis

7:01 The “Rush Hour” of Women’s Lives

10:01 Emotions, Gender, and Professionalism

13:37 Finding Balance in Psychological Safety

18:53 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Fred Cook

Guest: Heather Blundell, CEO Grayling

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Every Friday at 5 pm UK and noon Eastern we scan the globe and pick the stories that actually shaped the week then apply a public relations lens. This first live edition explains the format, brings the chat into the room, and sets a simple goal: turn a firehose of posts into practical takeaways for communicators. 

We start with breaking UK politics and what a resignation and reshuffle signal about timing, narrative control, and public affairs workload. Then we track a viral rumor about a US president to show how influence and incentives push disinformation. Finally we hit Westminster for a fresh look at soft power and why language, culture, and education still move markets and minds.

Listen For

1:01 David explains the 1,200-person WhatsApp roundup and why this show exists.

2:28 UK cabinet shakeup. Farzana breaks the Angela Rayner resignation and the PR cost of timing

6:02 Charisma vs competence. The panel weighs why likability keeps beating policy.

10:35 Rumor mechanics. Doug and David map how influencers and gaps in information fuel false news

23:35 Soft power strategy. Farzana reports from Westminster on turning culture and education into influence

The Week Unspun is a weekly livestream every Friday at Noon ET/5pm BT. Check it out on our YouTube Channel or via this LinkedIn channel

We publish the audio from these livestreams to the Stories and Strategies podcast feed every Friday until Sunday evening when it’s no longer available.

Folgate Advisors

Curzon Public Relations Website

Stories and Strategies Website

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PR really is at a crossroads… we’ve got old playbooks and new players coming in who want to change the rules. 

In its report Mind the Gap, USC’s Center for Public Relations reveals sharp divides between Gen Z and older professionals on everything from AI and hybrid work to media influence and corporate purpose.  

While Boomers and Gen X cling to the belief that human creativity will always be irreplaceable, Gen Z is charging ahead, optimistic about technology, eager for flexibility, and expecting brands to stand for something more than just profit. But will that energy survive once they step into leadership — or will they, too, get swallowed by the system?

In this episode, we sit down with Fred Cook, Director of USC’s Center for Public Relations and author of the Mind the Gap report, to explore whether we’re training young professionals for a world that no longer exists. Are we too obsessed with purpose and not focused enough on performance? Are old myths about PR holding us back? And most importantly — can Gen Z avoid the mistakes their predecessors made, or are they destined to repeat them? 

Listen For

3:04 The Weight on Gen Z’s Shoulders

5:15 Communicating Across Generations in a Fragmented Media Landscape

8:08 Polarization as a Business Model

12:02 The Death of Corporate Purpose?

17:56 Answer to Last Episode’s Question From Guest Ayeni Samuels

Guest: Fred Cook, Director USC Center for Public Relations

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Mind the Gap Study

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Ayeni Adekunle Samuel argues that Africa is often misunderstood or reduced to oversimplified stereotypes by global brands, agencies, and even tech platforms.  

Despite Africa’s complexity, diversity, and economic importance, key decisions — including PR, marketing, and tech strategies — are still shaped in places like New York and London, often without African expertise or context. 

Ayeni shares his personal journey as a Nigerian entrepreneur building a pan-African and international PR firm, highlighting both the structural barriers (like bias, access to capital, lack of representation) and the opportunities (especially in areas like AI and local innovation).

Listen For

4:15 The Africa Strategy Mistake Global Brands Keep Making

7:41 The Case for Local Advisors

12:36 PR Prejudice: The Hidden Hurdles African Firms Face Abroad

16:30 Africa Has Talent, But Not Opportunity

17:10 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest David Gallagher

Guest: Ayeni Adekunle Samuel

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Why is the PR industry still having the same tired conversation? Year after year, event after event… while the world moves on without us? 

We talk about getting a seat at the table, then sit quietly when we do. 

We debate metrics like we haven’t had decades to solve them. 

We celebrate awards for campaigns that often say nothing and change even less.

We hold events that are same panel conversations… different year.

Somewhere along the way, the industry built for cultural leadership got stuck in a cycle of repetition, imposter syndrome, and comfort. 

David Gallagher of Folgate Advisors is a veteran voice who’s seen the industry from the inside and isn’t afraid to say what others won’t. It’s time to stop outsourcing our thinking and start redefining what this industry is actually for.

 Listen For

4:58 Are We Really as Dynamic as We Claim?
10:22 Why PR Avoids True Innovation
11:34 How PR Lost Its Science-Driven Edge
17:43 Following the Wrong Model: PR as Advertising’s Shadow
19:30 Answer to Last Episode’s Question from Guest Bill Welser 

Guest: David Gallagher, Folgate Advisors

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