The Crux of the Story

Hosted by Gary Sheffer and Mike Fernandez

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174

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Hosted by one of the world's top communicators, currently SVP & Chief Communications Officer at Enbridge, the show tackles relevant and controversial topics in the field of communications that are shaping business, politics, and our lives. Prominent guests from PR, journalism, business, and academia discuss how communications can inspire, persuade, deepen one’s understanding, or move an audience - or even a nation - to action.

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60 recent

November 7, 202644 min

Episode 175: PR, Reputation and AI: How a Fast-Growing Agency Is Navigating Communications at the Speed of Change

As GroundFloor Media marks its 25th year, the Denver-based firm has grown from its PR roots into an integrated communications agency combining public relations, digital capabilities, crisis counsel, creative execution and an expanding suite of AI-powered tools. On Episode 175 of The Crux of the Story, we talk with partners Jim Licko and Jeremy Story about the firm's growth, the merger of GroundFloor Media and CenterTable, and what they see happening to the communications business as the boundaries between PR, digital, search and reputation increasingly disappear. We explore how the firm is leveraging AI and why today credibility may be becoming more valuable as content becomes more abundant, and how crisis management is changing in a world of viral content, misinformation, deepfakes and instantaneous judgment. Jeremy and host Mike Fernandez also revisit their days together at US WEST (former telecommunications company in midwestern and western states) in the late 1990s to consider one particularly intriguing question: With almost everything about the communications environment having changed, what principles haven't changed at all?

October 27, 202652 min

Episode 174: Alethea’s CEO on Digital Deception, Disinformation and the Related Business Risks

What happens when online conversation about a company, an industry or even an election isn’t quite what it seems? In this episode we sit down with Lisa Kaplan, founder and CEO of Alethea, to explore the rapidly evolving world of disinformation and coordinated influence operations. Among the topics discussed: how foreign actors are exploiting public concerns, why data centers and critical infrastructure have become targets, how generative AI is changing the threat landscape, and what CEOs and communications leaders can do to distinguish authentic public sentiment from deliberate manipulation – and how they might better manage the reputations of their brands and companies. It’s a timely conversation about business risk, trust and the increasingly difficult challenge of determining what’s real online – and, when it’s not, what can be done about it.

October 9, 202655 min

Episode 173 - Sol Trujillo on America’s New Mainstream Economy, Latinos and Leadership

Few business leaders have had a career quite like Sol Trujillo’s. A technology pioneer and executive trailblazer, Sol was the youngest executive officer in AT&T history at just 32, he went on to lead major companies in the United States, Europe and Australia, and became the first U.S.-born Latino CEO of a Fortune 150 company. Today, his attention is focused on the future and on an economic story he believes American business leaders cannot afford to misunderstand: the growing influence of U.S. Latinos and what he calls America’s “New Mainstream Economy.” He is a co-founder of the Latino Donor Collaborative, L’ATTITUDE Ventures and Velocity, initiatives focused in different ways on Latino economic opportunity, entrepreneurship and growth. In this episode, Mike Fernandez sits down with his former boss, mentor and longtime friend for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership and breaking barriers; diversity and opportunity; immigration and economic growth; CEOs as communicators; representation and storytelling; and whether AI represents the beginning of another industrial revolution. We explore experiences that shaped Sol’s leadership, what he thinks CEOs still misunderstand about Latino consumers, workers and entrepreneurs, what he is learning from building Velocity with his daughter Andrea, and the legacy he hopes to leave for the generations that follow. It’s an unusually personal conversation between two people who have known one another for more than 30 years, and a provocative discussion about leadership, economic growth and what America may look like next.

October 2, 202653 min

Episode 172: Congressman Clyburn Discusses the Importance of Communication in Advancing New Ideas and Political Change

Congressman James Clyburn reflects on the lessons of his early years in South Carolina, the civil rights movement, building coalitions across differences, communicating in a divided America, and making consequential decisions. He also discusses the historical lessons behind his book The First Eight and what today’s leaders can learn from those who came before them. In part it’s a conversation about politics, but even more, about the enduring power of credibility, courage and communication to create change.

September 22, 202654 min

Episode 171: What happens when companies stop renting AI capabilities and start building their own?

Defyner co-founder, Will Fernandez, discusses the rise of agentic AI and how it will fundamentally reshape marketing and corporate communications. He sees AI integration as the next industrial revolution (which historically combined electricity with a rethinking of industrial engineering} – only the speed at which this one comes together may be faster, and the efficiency gains may be greater. We explore with him multi-agent systems, the future of agencies, AI governance and sovereignty, and what CMOs and CCOs should be doing now to prepare for a rapidly changing future.

September 10, 202645 min

Episode 170: Revolutionary Spin: How Public Relations Shaped America with Julie Hall

Julie Hall, veteran public relations executive and author of Revolutionary Spin: How Public Relations Shaped America, joins The Crux of the Story to explore a provocative question: When it comes to the American Revolution was the pen mightier than the sword? Drawing on extensive historical research, Julie reveals how many of America's founders were master communicators who understood the power of narrative, persuasion, symbolism, and public engagement long before the profession of public relations formally existed. From the Boston Tea Party to the Federalist Papers and the Constitution’s ratification debate, she examines how strategic communication helped mobilize public opinion and shape a new nation. We discuss the lessons modern communicators can take from the Revolutionary era and why understanding the history of public relations offers important insights for leaders navigating today's fragmented media environment. A fascinating conversation about history, storytelling, influence, and the enduring power of communication to shape events, institutions, and societies.

September 1, 202650 min

Episode 169: Trust, Truth, and Leadership Under Fire with Helio Fred Garcia

Helio Fred Garcia, one of the world's foremost experts on crisis management and leadership communication, joins The Crux of the Story to discuss what it takes to lead when trust is fragile, scrutiny is relentless, and stakes are high – as we discuss his most recent book. Influencing Leaders: The Seven Disciplines of the Trusted Strategic that he co-authored with James Lukaszewski. Drawing on decades of advising CEOs, boards, public officials, and global organizations through high-profile crises, Fred explores how communicators can help leaders and their organizations navigate uncertainty, and what separates leaders who emerge stronger from adversity from those who undermine their own legitimacy. We discuss the accelerating challenges facing institutions in an era of misinformation, polarization, and declining trust; the importance of values-based leadership; and lessons from Fred's work over the last four decades. A thoughtful and timely conversation about trust, character, communication, and the enduring responsibility of leadership when everything is on the line.

May 5, 202627 min

Episode 168 - When the Enterprise and Society Are in Constant Motion: How Leaders Can Communicate Change That Lasts

Stacey Jones, Honeywell’s Chief Communicator, joins The Crux of the Story to discuss CEO transitions, enterprise transformation, executive visibility, and the growing role of data and AI in communications. We explore the communications challenges facing C-suites and boards amid societal disruption, what separates successful CEO transitions from the ones that stumble, and how to build an executive narrative that remains credible over time. We also discuss Honeywell’s ongoing transformation and what it demands from communications internally and externally – at a moment when Honeywell has publicly described plans that would create three independent companies through the separation of its Automation and Aerospace businesses and the spin of its Advanced Materials business.

April 22, 202653 min

#167: Achievement Addiction, Loss, and the Gift of “Embracing Your Own Purgatory”

Geoff Curtis, founder of Marshall Curtis Communications and former EVP of Corporate Affairs and Chief Communications Officer at Horizon Therapeutics, joins The Crux of the Story to discuss his new book Embracing Your Own Purgatory – a candid, research-informed exploration of what happens when achievement becomes identity and how the “in‑between” spaces of life can become catalysts for growth. Drawing on nearly 30 years in healthcare communications and deeply personal experiences – including the loss of his father and the abrupt end of a defining corporate role – Geoff unpacks the traps of achievement addiction, the emotional and strategic challenges of career transitions, and the rituals that help leaders navigate uncertainty with clarity and humility. A powerful conversation for communicators, executives, and anyone confronting change, reinvention, or the uncomfortable work of redefining who they are.

April 8, 202653 min

#166 – What does it really take for PR and communications teams to adopt AI with intention?

In this episode we sit down with Samantha (Sam) Stark, Founder and Chief Strategist of Phyusion, a consultancy helping communications teams work with generative AI. With more than 25 years of agency experience including at Endeavor’s 160over90, Ketchum, Burson-Marsteller and Rubenstein PR. Sam has become one of the most influential voices shaping how communicators build and work with AI systems. She was recently named to PRWeek’s AI 25, recognizing leaders redefining the future of the profession. In this conversation, Sam breaks down the four stages of AI maturity – exploring, building, scaling, and leading – and explains where most PR teams sit today. She demystifies AI agents, describing how “smart interns” and “highly skilled junior team members” can reshape workflows, reduce bottlenecks, and elevate the craft of communication. We explore topics of human judgment, where AI can accelerate work, how AI can help manage and assess reputational risk, and what can be done to prepare teams for the cultural shifts ahead. Whether you’re a CCO, agency leader, strategist, or practitioner navigating the AI transition, this episode offers a clear, grounded framework for becoming a part of AI’s evolution in communications.