Episode 22: Love (& Hate) for Communications

Episode 22: Love (& Hate) for Communications Welcome to Episode 22 of the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with your host, Tara McDonagh. This week, Tara explores the love and frustration many communications professionals feel for their field. She candidly discusses challenges like small teams, underfunded departments, and underappreciation, while also talking about the emotional highs […]
Episode 21: “How Important Is It?”

Episode 21: “How Important Is It?” Welcome back to the Communications Business Advisor Podcast! This episode dives into a fundamental question every communications leader should ask: “How Important Is It?” Tara McDonagh shares insights from a recent strategic planning session with a comms team, where the question revealed surprising opportunities for efficiency, clarity, and advocacy. If you’re […]
Episode 20: New Year. New Mindset.

Episode 20: New Year. New Mindset. Welcome back to the Communications Business Advisor Podcast! It’s 2025, and with a new year comes the chance to adopt a new mindset – because mindset can change everything. Today, Tara McDonagh challenges communications leaders to rethink the way they prioritize their time and energy in their organizations. If […]
Episode 19: Communicators’ Word of 2025

Episode 19: Communicators’ Word of 2025 Welcome to the final episode in 2024 of the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with your host, Tara McDonagh. In this episode, Tara addresses a specific challenge faced by communications leaders looking to elevate their strategic role in corporate environments. In this episode, we explore… No: the professional communicators’ word of […]
Episode 18: You’re (Probably) Not Crazy

Episode 18: You’re (Probably) Not Crazy Welcome to Episode 18 of the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast, your go-to for advancing in corporate communications as a strategic business advisor. Today, we’re diving into that all-too-familiar feeling—wondering if you’re losing your mind from handling off-the-wall requests, lazy requests, and “I don’t want to admit I don’t know how to […]
Episode 17: How to Work with Tara

Episode 17: How to Work with Tara Welcome to another episode of the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with your host, Tara McDonagh. In this episode, Tara delves into the ways Communications leaders and their teams in Corporate environments work with her and her company, Tara McDonagh Communications (TMC). TMC Consulting Tara provides a glimpse into the […]
Episode 16: I Have a Comms Strategy — Now What?

Episode 16: I Have a Comms Strategy — Now What? Welcome to another episode of the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with your host, Tara McDonagh. This episode is all about taking that shiny new Communications Strategy off the shelf and turning it into something operational. You’ve finally crafted that amazing Communications Strategic Plan. Congratulations! What […]
Episode 15: Does Reporting Structure Matter?

Episode 15: Does Reporting Structure Matter? In this episode of the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast, Tara McDonagh explores the complexities of Communications (PR, Internal Comm. etc) reporting structures within organizations and answers the important question: Does it matter who Comms. reports to? . Dive into the debate about where communications should fit within a company’s hierarchy […]
Episode 14: From Communications Waitress to Business Advisor

Episode 14: From Communications Waitress to Business Advisor In this episode of the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast, host Tara McDonagh delves into the evolution of communications professionals from what she calls “communications waitressing” to becoming strategic communications business advisors. Tara takes listeners through the career journey—from starting with tactical tasks to eventually becoming proactive, strategic leaders within […]
Episode 12: The Shadow Communicator

Episode 12: The Shadow Communicator In this episode of the Communications Business Advisor Podcast, Tara McDonagh explores the concept of the “shadow communicator”—individuals hired within specific business areas to handle communications tasks independently of the central communications team. Listeners will hear about: The challenges these shadow communicators pose, such as undermining established communication efforts and spreading […]