Let’s be honest for a second.

If you’re leading marketing or communications in a nonprofit, you’re doing a lot.

What stands out about AI right now isn’t the technology.
It’s the lack of clarity around how to use it.

I hear this all the time from my clients: Should we use crowdfunding to raise funds? Is it worth losing a percentage? How do we create a campaign that actually converts new donors?

I’ve noticed something recently.

I started asking around, friends of different ages, with different health concerns, and the answer was the same every time.

There’s a quiet shift happening, and women are at the center of it. Not the kind that makes headlines,

With over 25 years in digital communications, I’ve learned to recognize shifts before they become obvious.

With the introduction of ChatGPT Health—currently in early access—we’re starting to see a clear shift in how people will engage with their health.

In 2020, I was part of the Founder Institute working on a startup idea.

At the time, everyone in the program kept talking about AI for supply chain management.

In politics, voters do not just choose policies, they choose people. Your stance on key issues matters, but it is your identity, how you show up, how you are perceived, and how consistently you project that, that ultimately drives connection and loyalty. This is where brand archetypes become a game changer.

When a PR crisis targets you—your name, your values, your personal brand—it cuts deep. It’s no longer just about reputation management for a company; it’s about your identity. Whether it started with misinformation, a personal attack, or a wave of online backlash, how you respond in the hours and days that follow can shape your long-term credibility.

Here are five smart, grounded steps to take when you’re in the eye of a personal PR storm.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly sophisticated at generating content, writing press releases, and even crafting social media posts, a paradoxical truth emerges: the more AI-generated content floods our information landscape, the more valuable authentic human storytelling becomes. For PR professionals, this represents both a challenge and an unprecedented opportunity to differentiate themselves and their clients through genuine, emotionally resonant narratives that only human insight can create.

Public relations leadership has evolved dramatically from the days when senior PR professionals primarily managed media relationships and wrote press releases. Today's PR leaders must navigate complex stakeholder ecosystems, manage diverse teams across multiple disciplines, and make strategic decisions that impact every aspect of an organization's reputation and growth. The most effective PR leaders understand that their role extends far beyond communications expertise to encompass strategic business thinking, team development, and organizational change management.

The traditional spray-and-pray approach to media outreach—sending generic press releases to massive journalist lists—is not only ineffective in today's media landscape, it's counterproductive. Journalists receive hundreds of pitches daily, and generic outreach has become background noise they actively ignore. The future of media relations lies in precision, personalization, and strategic timing—areas where artificial intelligence is revolutionizing how PR professionals connect with media.

Looking back at my PR education, I realize how much the classroom prepared me for theory but left me unprepared for the realities of modern public relations practice. While foundational courses taught me about media relations, crisis communications, and campaign planning, the day-to-day reality of PR work revealed gaps that only experience could fill. If I could go back and share insights with my student self, these are the five things I wish someone had told me before I entered the professional world.

In the digital age, a crisis can explode across social media in minutes, not hours. Traditional crisis monitoring methods—manual media tracking, delayed reports, and reactive responses—are no longer sufficient when your brand's reputation hangs in the balance. Forward-thinking PR teams are now leveraging artificial intelligence to transform their crisis communications approach, moving from reactive damage control to proactive reputation management.

Going viral on Instagram isn't just about luck anymore—it's a strategic art form that combines psychological triggers, algorithmic understanding, and perfect timing. In 2025, the viral landscape has evolved dramatically, and the brands and creators who understand these new rules are achieving unprecedented reach and engagement.

The entrepreneurial landscape has been fundamentally transformed. What once required teams of specialists, massive budgets, and years of development can now be accomplished by a single motivated individual armed with the right AI tools. We're witnessing the greatest democratization of business capabilities in history, where solo entrepreneurs are competing with—and often outperforming—established corporations.

LinkedIn has transformed from a digital resume platform into a dynamic visual storytelling arena where professionals and businesses compete for attention in an increasingly crowded feed. The visual trends emerging in 2025 are reshaping how we think about professional content, proving that business communication can be both sophisticated and visually compelling.