Earning your accreditation in public relations is a milestone. Maintaining it is where the real growth happens. 

In this episode of "Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey," host Krystyna Baumgartner, APR, sits down with Tove Tupper, APR and Emily F. Popek, APR, NSPRA's representives to the Universal Accreditation Board. Together, they unpack what it actually looks like to sustain your APR over time, and why it’s far more than a renewal requirement. From demystifying CEUs to sharing unexpected ways to earn credit (yes, even outside your day job), this conversation reveals how maintaining your APR naturally aligns with the work you’re already doing. More importantly, it explores how the process keeps you connected, curious and continuously evolving in your role. You’ll hear:

• Why earning renewal credits is easier (and more meaningful) than many expect
• How to build simple habits that keep you on track (without last-minute stress)
• The difference between “checking a box” and truly staying engaged in your profession
• Practical ways to align your APR renewal with your long-term career goals

Whether you’re newly accredited, years into your APR or simply curious about what comes next, this episode offers a grounded, real-world look at how professional growth doesn’t stop at certification: it deepens because of it.



https://www.nspra.org/

Earning your accreditation in public relations is a milestone. Maintaining it is where the real growth happens. 

In this episode of "Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey," host Krystyna Baumgartner, APR, sits down with Tove Tupper, APR and Emily F. Popek, APR, NSPRA's representives to the Universal Accreditation Board. Together, they unpack what it actually looks like to sustain your APR over time, and why it’s far more than a renewal requirement. From demystifying CEUs to sharing unexpected ways to earn credit (yes, even outside your day job), this conversation reveals how maintaining your APR naturally aligns with the work you’re already doing. More importantly, it explores how the process keeps you connected, curious and continuously evolving in your role. You’ll hear:

• Why earning renewal credits is easier (and more meaningful) than many expect
• How to build simple habits that keep you on track (without last-minute stress)
• The difference between “checking a box” and truly staying engaged in your profession
• Practical ways to align your APR renewal with your long-term career goals

Whether you’re newly accredited, years into your APR or simply curious about what comes next, this episode offers a grounded, real-world look at how professional growth doesn’t stop at certification: it deepens because of it.


https://www.nspra.org/

Failure isn’t the opposite of progress. Sometimes it’s part of the process.

This powerful episode of Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey features Jessica Duff, APR, and Christy McGee, APR, in a refreshingly honest conversation about persistence, professional growth and what happens when the APR journey doesn’t go according to plan.

With candor, humor and hard-earned perspective, they unpack why setbacks can sharpen strategy, strengthen confidence and ultimately make the destination more meaningful.

Encouraging, vulnerable and deeply relatable, this episode is a reminder that growth rarely follows a straight line.


https://www.nspra.org/

What changes when you stop seeing communication as a series of tactics and start approaching it as strategy?

In this episode of Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey, host Krystyna Baumgartner, APR, is joined by Lesley Bruinton, APR, and Dirk Tedmon, APR, for a conversation about the lasting impact of APR and why many describe it as a turning point in their professional growth.

From building a shared language for strategy to earning greater trust as counsel and leader, this episode explores how APR can sharpen how communicators think, influence decisions and show up in the room.

Together, Lesley and Dirk unpack why strategic communication is about far more than tactics, how the APR mindset can transform professional practice and why its value extends well beyond school PR.

Whether you’re pursuing accreditation, considering it or simply curious about how strategic communicators grow their impact, this episode offers powerful perspective on the “APR effect” and what it can unlock in your work.


https://www.nspra.org/

What happens after you earn your APR? In this episode of "Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey," host Krystyna Baumgartner, APR, talks with Kristyn Cathey, APR, about what accreditation looks like in practice long after the pinning ceremony.

Kristyn takes listeners inside the twists, breakthroughs and big lessons of her journey to accreditation, then explores how those three letters continue to show up in leadership decisions, major campaigns and career growth. Hear how Krystyn:

• Navigated her seven-year journey to accreditation marked by life changes, setbacks and breakthrough moments
• Balanced the APR process with motherhood, major career moves and Covid-era disruptions
• Carried lessons from accreditation into high-stakes campaigns and everyday leadership
• Found the journey to APR transformed more than her résumé; it shaped how she leads

There are lessons, laughs and even a possum story along the way.


https://www.nspra.org/

The APR exam can feel like one of the most intimidating parts of the accreditation journey, but it doesn’t have to be.

In this episode of "Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey," host Krystyna Baumgartner, APR, explores what to expect from the exam and how to approach it with greater confidence. Hear from Jessica McCartney, APR, and Mandy LeCompte, APR, as they share practical strategies that helped them prepare, including: 

• How study groups, accountability partners and mentors can strengthen your preparation
• Why practicing strategic thinking matters more than memorizing every detail
• How Jessica used a custom AI-powered study guide to simulate exam questions and reinforce key concepts
• Tips for building a realistic study timeline and knowing when you’re ready to take the test 

Then, 2024 Missouri School Counselor of the Year Rachel Reeves Hagelin joins the conversation with practical advice for managing test anxiety, including grounding techniques, positive self-talk and mindset strategies you can use before and during the exam — tools that can also support managing anxiety in everyday professional and personal situations well beyond the APR journey.

Whether the APR exam feels daunting or you’re simply wondering what to expect, this episode offers reassurance, preparation tips and a reminder that you may be more ready than you think.



Show notes and resources from the episode:

"APR SIDEKICK" GPT:
 https://chatgpt.com/g/g-aCmNuCOgz-apr-sidekick
Note: This guest-created GPT study tool is shared as an optional supplemental resource and is not part of official NSPRA preparation materials


TEST ANXIETY:
Test anxiety tips and notes from Rachel Reeves Hagelin, shared as an optional supplemental tool.

Motivational Interviewing

• What would be good about taking the test?
  • How might their professional lives look differently in 5 years after taking the certification?
• What worries you if you don’t get the certification?
• What gives you confidence to take the test?
  • What have you succeeded at in the past that shows that you can succeed in things in the future?
• How committed are you to taking the test?

Test Anxiety in Adults

• Utilize the resources for the test above (be well-prepared)
• Utilize the motivation to help with your why

Recognize that anxiety is the amygdala taking over and that you are truly safe.  Here are strategies to do that

• What are you doing right now?
  • I’m sitting and I’m safe
  • I’m typing and I’m safe
  • I’m walking and I’m safe
• Label thoughts
  • Thinking/future/unpleasant
  • Thinking/past/unpleasant
  • Thinking/future/neutral etc.
• If you catastrophize the test (this will be horrible, and that will be terrible), take a deep breath and reframe
  • Imagine what it would be like to look at your score in a couple of weeks when it comes back, and it is one you are satisfied with it.
• Utilize positive self-talk
  • I have trained for this exam
  • I have gotten through hard tests in the past and have been successful
  • I have confidence for this exam because of all of the successes I have had in the past like…my daughter being born, landing a job, running a 5K
  • This is just a test.  I can take it again if I need to
• Do meditation before the test
  • Utilize “Headspace” or “Calm” or 
    • Headspace Exam Exercise
    • Exam Success Meditation
• Breathing Exercises
  • Box Breathing
• Importance of sleep
  • Sleep is crucial for memory and focus. Build a consistent sleep schedule leading up to your exam, aiming for 7-9 hours a night.  (https://www.cmich.edu/blog/all-things-higher-ed/15-strategies-for-overcoming-test-anxiety)
• Importance of food
• Lean in to the anxiety
  • Most strong emotions last for only 3 minutes
• Strong distractions
  • Hold ice
  • Eat a very sour candy
    • These shock you out of the rumination
• Seek therapy
• Exercise
  • Walk, Dance, yoga, lift weights, play a sport
    • Releases stress and increases endorphins
• Brain dump before the test
  • Take 5 minutes to write everything that you are worried about down.  
    • It moves the anxiety from inside the body to on the paper.

https://www.nspra.org/

In this episode of "Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey," host Krystyna Baumgartner, APR, sits down with Kevin Christian, CPRC, APR, and Jordan Ziemer, PhD, APR, to unpack how different learning paths, from academia to industry certifications, shape stronger, more strategic communicators.

You’ll hear how APR transforms day-to-day work from task-driven to strategic, why ethics and evaluation are foundational to the profession, and how additional credentials can expand both confidence and credibility at the leadership table.

Plus, Megan Overman, CPC, APR, shares a behind-the-scenes look at the Certified Public Communicator  program and how it builds practical, real-world planning skills that pair powerfully with APR.


https://www.nspra.org/

What difference does a mentor really make in the APR journey, and why does it matter just as much after you earn it?

In this episode of Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey, host Krystyna Baumgartner, APR, sits down with Cindy Warner, APR, 2025 National School Communicator of the Year, and Danielle Clark, APR, 2025 NSPRA Barry Gaskins Mentor Legacy Award recipient, to explore the power of mentorship in accreditation and beyond.

Drawing from their own experiences navigating the APR process—often without formal mentors—and their work today mentoring others, Cindy and Danielle share candid insights on what it’s like to go it alone, why mentorship can change everything, and how supporting others has become a central part of their professional practice.

Together, they discuss:

• Why mentorship simplifies and strengthens the APR process
• How mentors help candidates move from tactics to strategy
• The balance between guiding and empowering mentees
• What actually makes a great mentor (hint: perfection isn’t required)
• How mentorship fuels professional growth—and the future of the field

Whether you’re considering pursuing your APR, currently in the process or thinking about mentoring someone else, this conversation highlights why mentorship isn’t just helpful; it’s essential to sustaining and advancing the profession.


https://www.nspra.org/

What really happens during the APR panel and how can you walk in ready?

In this episode of "Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey," host Krystyna Baumgartner, APR, is joined by accredited professionals Eric Hagemann, APR and Tracy Jentz, APR, to break down one of the most talked-about steps in the accreditation process: the panel presentation.

From choosing the right project to refining your narrative and preparing for panelist questions, Eric and Tracy share candid insights from both sides of the table. They discuss how to demonstrate strategic thinking (not just memorization), what panelists are truly looking for and how to approach the experience with confidence and a growth mindset. You’ll hear practical tips on:

• Selecting and shaping a strong panel project, even if it’s not “perfect”
• Using feedback, mock panels and mentors to prepare effectively
• Understanding the competencies panelists assess and how to show them in action
• Communicating what you’d do differently now to highlight your growth as a strategist
• Avoiding common pitfalls and managing nerves on presentation day

Whether you’re actively preparing for your panel or still deciding if the APR is right for you, you’ll find clarity, reassurance and practical guidance to help you take the next step.












https://www.nspra.org/

Collaboration is at the heart of the APR journey, and the NSPRA APR Cohort brings that to life.

In this episode, we explore how the cohort creates a space for communicators to learn together, share experiences and support one another through every stage of accreditation.

Host Kristina Baumgartner, APR, is joined by NSPRA Member Engagement and Professional Development Manager Melissa McConnell and NSPRA North Central Region Vice President 
Terri McHugh, APR, to break down how the cohort works, who it’s for and why it’s making such an impact. 

You’ll also hear why the cohort isn’t just for those ready to pursue their APR right now. Whether you’re simply curious about accreditation or looking to strengthen your approach to communication, the experience is designed to build a stronger foundation in strategy, planning and evaluation—skills that show up immediately in your day-to-day work.

From peer-to-peer learning and mentorship to structured guidance and real-time feedback, this episode highlights how collaboration can elevate your thinking, expand your network and help you grow as a communicator, no matter where you are in your journey.









https://www.nspra.org/