Learn Copyright Law do's and don'ts of AI from public relations author Melissa Vela-Williamson and media law attorney Alicia Calzada on January 18. Tickets are on sale now!

Enjoy a bonus conversation between Melissa and Shannon Weinstein on the Keep What You Earn! podcast where they discuss creating a conscious public relations strategy. Thanks to Shannon for having Melissa on her show to talk about PR and money matters.

Making the leap from a steady corporate job to the chaos of owning your own business is not easy. In today's episode, Melissa talks to Jennifer R. Hudson, APR about her path to owning her own firm. About Jennifer: Jennifer is a strategic communications advocate, trainer, mentor, consultant and speaker. Her superpowers are helping PR leaders step boldly into their role as a trusted advisor and weeding through the details to ensure an organization’s communications are always focused on the big picture. During her 25-year career in corporate communications, Jennifer has always sought to broaden the role of public relations. She leads trainings and workshops on corporate messaging; strategic communications planning; and core values, vision, and mission.

Social media is a powerful tool every PR professional needs to know how to use. But what happens when that power gets out of your control and creates a crisis? Today, Melissa discusses the importance of understanding crisis communication in every part of your career evolution with crisis comms and TikTok strategist Molly McPherson. About Molly: Public relations expert Molly McPherson knows how to handle a crisis. Molly served in the external affairs office at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) where she introduced the agency's first digital media efforts in response to the public backlash from the Hurricane Katrina response. As Director of Communications for Cruise Line International Association in Arlington, Virginia, Molly handled the official media responses related to maritime security during the 9/11 attacks and the norovirus outbreak on cruise ships in 2002. Molly is the host of the Indestructible PR Podcast bestselling author of the book Indestructible: Reclaim Control and Respond with Confidence in a Media Crisis, and creator of a popular TikTok account that makes PR crises easy to follow and easy to avoid. This year she was Adweek Creative Visionary Award Winner: Careers Creator of the Year.

How do you make a difference when you see a lack of support for your community? In today's episode, Melissa talks to Bernice Chao, an award-winning creative whose career evolution led her to creating Asians in Advertising and writing a book about visibility. About Bernice: Bernice Chao is an award-winning creative who's worked on campaigns for notable brands like HBO, Google, Chime, and Nissan. As one of the few female Asian American creative leaders in the United States, she is helping shape the AANHPI community as the co-founder of the non-profit organization Asians in Advertising and host of the AIA podcast. She has also created mentorship and scholarship programs for the AANHPI community.

It takes a village to build a career you can be proud of. In this episode, Melissa talks to former PR agency pro turned coach Ken Jacobs about the importance of great coaching and consulting in your career evolution. Big thanks to our sponsor Anais Biera Miracle for supporting this season of the podcast! About Ken: Ken Jacobs is one of the few certified executive coaches who had an initial career in PR agency management and leadership. He helps senior communications executives become more inspired, inspiring, and effective leaders. Ken also helps agencies reach their business development goals, manage for profitability, and enhance client service and relationships.

When you start your career, you never know where life will take you. Today's guest, Julie Livingston, embraced the unknown by letting curiosity guide her throughout her career. Listen as she talks with Melissa about her path and how it ultimately led to starting her own firm. Big thanks to our sponsor Anais Biera Miracle for supporting this season of the podcast! About Julie: Julie Livingston is president of WantLeverage Communications, an entrepreneurial PR and LinkedIn marketing consultancy based in New York City. She specializes in turning “under the radar” executives and businesses into authoritative industry leaders through strategic communications counsel, media placement, and elevating leadership visibility on LinkedIn, the world’s biggest business networking platform. A member of LinkedIn Advisors, Julie is a three-time board member of NY Women in Communications. She holds an MS in Communications Management from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications. Her thought leadership has been featured on Morning Brew and in PR News, CommPro.Biz, ASAE, and other industry publications.

Listen as Melissa kicks off Season Six by asking questions to get you thinking about you how to evolve your career. Join us this season as Melissa talks with experts in various disciplines about their career evolution stories. Big thanks to our sponsor Anais Biera Miracle for supporting this season of the podcast!

Enjoy a bonus conversation between Melissa and Gini Dietrich of Spin Sucks about effectively communicating across diverse audiences.

Smart Talk: Public Relations Essentials All Pros Should Know Audiobook is now available!