What Bill Belichick’s Recovery Interview Can Teach Us

Key lessons in timing, preparation, and presentation after a high-profile media stumble Bill Belichick's book tour offers us a chance to go to the film room and outline what plays worked and what didn't.  After former New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick's untidy appearance—and an abrupt interruption from his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson—during

2025-05-29T21:46:19+00:00May 29, 2025|

Low Content Performance? Try These 4 Tactics to Build Connections and Boost Engagement

In today’s fast-paced digital world, the way we connect with audiences online is constantly evolving. As we move further into 2025, short-form videos remain popular and essential to incorporate into your content strategy; however, this is only one piece of the puzzle. Here are four tactics currently making waves and driving real connections with

2025-04-04T00:06:58+00:00April 4, 2025|

Actions Speak Louder

Show. Don’t tell.   Those were the 3 simple words I chose when a savvy entrepreneur and civic leader asked me over lunch about how we’re advising our clients in this volatile political and cultural environment.  He wondered if we were suggesting companies double down on promoting their DEI initiatives, for example, or do they pull

2025-02-21T19:32:03+00:00February 17, 2025|

Lessons from Churchill

“Don’t let a good crisis go to waste.”  Churchill supposedly said it first, and then the phrase was contemporized by Congressman-turned Chief of Staff-turned-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.  Earlier this week, the concept came into full frame with the onset and then the sudden reversal of the Trump “federal freeze.”   Nonprofits, healthcare providers, universities, media outlets all

2025-02-18T22:37:53+00:00January 23, 2025|

From Law & Order to Northwestern Law

I’m not a lawyer, but I could probably play one on TV.  After years working as a hashtag#strategist for the Attorney General and now advising executives in crisis management, I’ve spent enough time partnering with lawyers to maybe pass as an extra on Law & Order.  This week, I had the privilege of meeting some soon-to-be

2024-11-21T18:41:35+00:00November 20, 2024|

Expect the Unexpected: Preparing for the New Political Reality

University presidents. Trade association CEOs. Energy entrepreneurs. Labor leaders. Social service providers. Media executives.   These are just a few of my clients I’ve spoken with since the Nov. 5 election to talk through the implications for the new administration and the GOP takeover.   In my line of work, the mantra is “expect the unexpected.”  I

2024-11-21T00:25:48+00:00November 16, 2024|

Intern Insights: What Sets the CBL Team Apart?

An exciting aspect of working a summer internship is being a sponge: soaking in every opportunity to learn from your surroundings, particularly by having conversations with your mentors. During my internship at CBL, I took time to formally interview members of the team to gauge their knowledge and experience in the world of crisis

2024-07-30T22:41:48+00:00July 30, 2024|

From Nightmare Scenarios to Happy Endings

I’ve been thinking a lot about fairy tales. My son is learning about different kinds of books and narratives in his preschool class. He’s become a fan of fairy tales. Fantastical stories. Enchanting and mythical characters. Improbable events that lead to happy endings. Makes sense for a 4-year-old. But guess who else likes a good

2024-06-17T15:29:51+00:00June 15, 2024|

If you don’t want to read it on the front page, don’t say it

“This is off the record.” The 5 scariest words that will send me sprinting to hang up a client’s phone or shoot over the most aggressive “Mom’s MAD” look possible. (Hey, if it can stop a 4-year-old in his tracks, it certainly can give a CEO some cause for pause.) This rundown in Ragan

2024-05-14T22:00:50+00:00April 23, 2024|
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