The Leading in a Crisis Podcast
What really happens when a crisis hits an organization—and how technology is influencing decisions and reputation impacts. Come hear what happened when experienced leaders were actually in the middle of a crisis—and capture the lessons before it happens to you. Email the show at Tom@leadinginacrisis.com.
Your host, Tom Mueller, is a veteran crisis manager and trainer with more than 30 years in the corporate communications and crisis fields. Tom currently works as an executive coach and crisis trainer with WPNT Communications, and as a contract public information officer and trainer through his personal company, Tom Mueller Communications LLC.
Our goal is to help you grow your knowledge and awareness so you can be better prepared to lead should a major crisis threaten your organization.
Music credit: Special thanks to Nick Longoria from Austin, Texas for creating the theme music for the podcast.
#crisis #crisismanagement #crisiscomms #crisiscommunications
#BusinessContinuity #LeadingThroughCrisis
#CrisisResponse #management #leadership
Episodes
101 episodes
EP75 The day Columbia disappeared: inside NASA's crisis communications
The most frightening part of a space flight crisis is how fast it rewrites reality. One minute the plan is a routine landing and a little live education for viewers. The next, you’re choosing words that millions will remember forever.We...
From the archive: Bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in England - lessons learned from the police response
On today's episode we're revisiting the story of the terrorist bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England in 2017. A suicide bomber detonated a backpack bomb loaded with nails just after the concert ended, killing 22 concertgoe...
EP74 Managing social media in a crisis and building a capable team, with Lee Caraher
One rushed reply can turn a small complaint into a full-blown brand reputation crisis, and social media makes that mistake painfully easy. We sit down with Lee Caraher, president of DoubleForte PR and author of two management books, to talk abo...
EP73 Hot take on Air Canada plane crash communications, with Lee Caraher
A late-night plane crash is tragic on its own, but it also triggers a second crisis that unfolds at the speed of phones, headlines, and social feeds. We step through the early communications around the Air Canada Express crash at LaGuardia Airp...
EP72 The Stryker cyber attack and executive readiness, with Susan D. Nelson
Your crisis plan looks great on paper until the day you can’t use email, chat, or even your own devices. That’s where this conversation goes: into the messy, human reality of executive communication when the normal playbook disappears. I’m join...
EP71 Reporter turned public affairs pro - stories over a career in oil and gas, with Ruth Rendon
Alarms don’t announce themselves politely. They scream into your day and force you to decide who speaks, what’s true, and how to steady a room full of worried people. That’s where Ruth Rendon has spent her career—first as a Houston Chronicle re...
EP70 How Crisis Leadership Shaped A Black Swan Sci-Fi Trilogy
Sirens fade, but the lessons shouldn’t. On this episode, we sit down with Helen Hynson Vettori—former paramedic, federal emergency planner, and now the mind behind the Black Swan thriller series—to explore how real-world crises become page-turn...
EP69 Dealing with rage farming and manufactured outrage, with Phil Borremans
Outrage online isn’t always organic—and when it’s engineered, it can hit hard. We sit down with crisis and risk consultant Phil Borremans to expose the mechanics of rage farming: coordinated attacks that use psychology, algorithms, and incentiv...
EP68 What the pros are saying about deepfakes, AI integration, and the trust deficit, with Phil Borremans
In this episode, Philippe Borremans joins the podcast to explore key crisis preparedness and response strategies, including the growing challenges of deepfake videos, the widening trust deficit, and persistent cap...
EP67 Adding AI to your crisis strategy with Albie.ai
Imagine walking into a crisis room with a complete first-draft playbook—roles, spans of control, holding lines, and a 48-hour plan—ready in minutes. That’s the promise we explore with Chris Hamilton and Peter Heneghan, veterans of 10 Downing St...
EP66 Tools for preparing and leading in a crisis, with author Michele Ehrhart
Crises don’t wait for perfect plans, which is why Michelle Ehrhart’s mantra—practice makes permanent—hits so hard. Michelle, former VP of global communications at FedEx and now CMO at the University of Memphis, joins us to share the field‑teste...
EP65 Quick take - UPS plane crash in Louisville, KY, with guest Michele Ehrhart
A deadly crash at UPS’s Louisville hub put crisis leadership under a microscope—and the first 24 hours told a powerful story about timing, empathy, and restraint. We invited Michele Ehrhart, former VP of Global Communications at FedEx and autho...
EP 64 The Mormon church attack - using press conferences to build trust, reassure communities
The first words after a mass casualty event can steady a community—or shake it further. We break down the opening press conferences following the Grand Blanc, Michigan church attack to show how leaders earn trust when stakes are highest: the co...
EP 63 Erica Kirk's Grace Under Fire
Charlie Kirk built his reputation through campus debates, setting up tents where he'd engage students with his signature challenge: "prove me wrong." When a sniper's bullet ended his life at a Utah university, it threatened to become another fl...
EP 62 Tracy Nolan VP at Humana shares her experience with crisis and developing new leaders
What does it take to lead through chaos? Tracy Nolan knows firsthand. This remarkable Fortune 100 executive has repeatedly stepped into roles most would consider overwhelming - from transforming struggling retail operations to merging telecom g...
EP 61 Building Brand Resilience Before Crisis Hits, with Tiffany Muehlbauer
What happens when crisis hits your business and the only information people can find about you online is that negative event? In our conversation with communications expert Tiffany Muehlbauer, we dive deep into her innovative "Pool Theory" conc...
EP 60 The Hidden Patterns Behind Effective Crisis Communications with Jeff Hahn
Behind every crisis response lies hidden patterns that determine success or failure. In this illuminating conversation, crisis communications expert Jeff Hahn pulls back the curtain on these patterns, sharing insights from his book "Breaking Ba...
EP 59 Which CEO did it better, Round 2 - the Air India plagiarizing scandal
When does crisis preparation cross the line into inauthentic communication? The recent Air India crash that claimed 270 lives sparked a fascinating controversy when their CEO's statement appeared virtually identical to American Airlines' earlie...
EP 58 Kerrville, Texas July 4 flood - crisis communications review
A wall of water 40 feet high. Spotty cell service. A holiday weekend. These factors converged to create one of the deadliest flooding disasters in Texas history this July 4th weekend, claiming over 100 lives along the Guadalupe River, many of t...
EP 57 Which CEO did it better - American Air or India Air?
When disaster strikes, every word matters. The recent Air India crash that claimed 270 lives has revealed a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at crisis communications - their CEO's statement was virtually identical to one previously delivered ...
EP 56 When The Power Grid Fails - The Art of Municipal Crisis Planning
What does it take to prepare a community for disaster? In this revealing conversation with municipal crisis planning expert Alicia Johnson, we explore the critical differences between organizational readiness and community resilience—and why bo...
EP 55 Frontline Decisions: How Wildfire Leaders Navigate Life and Death
Leadership under pressure doesn't get much more intense than directing wildland firefighting operations when lives hang in the balance. Kelly Martin, former Chief of Fire and Aviation for Yosemite National Park, brings us into the heart-stoppin...
EP 54 Earthquake Aftermath: Crisis Leadership in Christchurch
When a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch in February 2011, crisis manager Brendan Winder faced the ultimate test of leadership. The devastation was immense - 185 lives lost, 8,000 properties abandoned, and a city center that would ne...
EP 53 CEO risks: from podcasts to crisis response, with Janie Jordan
The rise of long-form interviews has created a new challenge for executives trying to balance authenticity with strategic messaging. Communications expert Janie Jordan joins us to unpack why these seemingly relaxed conversations can actually be...
EP 52 Are you crisis-ready in an age of influencers? With Janie Jordan
The media landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, and crisis communications must evolve alongside it. Communications expert Janie Jordan joins us from Australia to explore how influencers and alternative media are reshaping political discourse...