Episode 29: Raise the Tide – The Women Communications Leadership Community and More
Communications Business Advisor
Release Date: 05/19/2025
Communications Business Advisor
Welcome to the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with host Tara McDonagh. In this episode, Tara sits down with , a seasoned global communications leader whose career spans journalism, government, and corporate communications at the highest levels. Anthony currently leads Corporate Communications for Fujifilm in the Americas and previously served as Chief Communications Officer at CSL, where he built a global communications function from the ground up. Together, Tara and Anthony explore what it really takes to grow into senior leadership in communications — not just in title, but in...
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Welcome to the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with host Tara McDonagh. In this episode, Tara opens the new season with a declaration — not a trend forecast or resolution — naming the official word for communications professionals in 2026: authority. Building on last year’s word, no, Tara explains why the moment has shifted. While boundaries and discernment remain critical, communicators are facing a deeper challenge: being held accountable for outcomes without being empowered early enough to influence them. This episode unpacks why burnout, frustration, and stagnation persist...
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Welcome to the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with host Tara McDonagh. In this bonus episode, Tara sits down with Raise the Tide™ members (and life admin evangelists) and to talk about something most senior communicators quietly struggle with: the invisible workload of running a life, a home, and a career all at once. Instead of another conversation about “doing it all,” they get honest about why it’s not sustainable, how they’ve built support systems like house managers, family assistants, and concierge services, and why getting help isn’t laziness or entitlement —...
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Welcome to the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with host Tara McDonagh. In this episode, Tara steps back to reflect on the biggest insights emerging from her ongoing Path to the CCO+ conversations — and speaks directly to communications professionals who may feel that the CCO seat, or even strategic influence, still feels out of reach. Drawing from her interviews with Judy Rader, Stephanie Roberts, Libby May, and Bianca Olson, Tara distills the common threads that define today’s most successful communications leaders. She explores how communicators can elevate their roles from...
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Welcome to the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with host Tara McDonagh. In this episode, Tara sits down with Bianca Olson, Chief Communications Officer at HMH (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)—a learning company focused on the K–12 market—where she reports directly to the CEO. Bianca traces her path from agency PR during the dot-com era to leading a modern communications function inside a complex, mission-driven organization. She shares how she broadened from external PR to a full corporate scope (internal, external, CSR, and more), why relationship-building is the cornerstone of...
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Welcome to the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with host Tara McDonagh. In this episode, Tara sits down with , Chief Communications Officer at Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems, a global company within the Hitachi Ltd. family. Joining from Japan, Stephanie shares how she leads a 25+ person global function spanning Japan, the U.S., Europe, China, and Southeast Asia—and why Communications now reports directly to the CEO. Stephanie walks through how she evolved Communications from a department nested under “sustainability” into a centralized, C-suite–level function that...
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Welcome to the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with host Tara McDonagh. In this episode, Tara sits down with Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Chief Communications Officer at Constellation, the nation’s largest producer of clean energy. Judy shares what it takes to lead a 60-person corporate affairs function at a Fortune 200 company, why she holds both the CCO and SVP of Corporate Affairs titles, and how her team secured and maintains its critical seat at the executive table. For anyone aspiring to a leadership role in communications, this conversation is...
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Welcome to the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with host Tara McDonagh. In this episode, Tara kicks off a new season by tackling one of the most pressing questions for senior communications professionals: what does a clear career path look like in a field that often feels misunderstood, oversimplified, and muddy? The Reality of Q4 for Comms Teams Tara opens with a candid look at the fall and winter season—when benefit enrollments, IT security pushes, engagement surveys, and town halls collide with corporate restructuring, financial reporting, and external events. It’s a...
info_outlineEpisode 29 of the Communications Business Advisor™ podcast with host, Tara McDonagh, dives into Raise the Tide™, a program for women leaders and emerging leaders in the communications field working in a corporate (or related) environment. Tara unpacks exactly what Raise the Tide™ is, why it was created, and how it works.
Raise the Tide™ is a complete program for women in the Communications field that involves community, coaching, mentorship, counsel, and professional development specifically for women in corporate communications roles. Unlike other programs,, Raise the Tide™is created specifically for women in this field working in corporate and does not seek to change women, but rather creates space for them to grow.
Built on Tara’s vast experience in communications and her academic study of gender differences, this program is uniquely equipped to address the challenges and celebrate the strengths of women communicators.
Crew members are placed in small groups where they engage in monthly meetings, stay connected through active group messaging, and benefit from one-on-one coaching sessions for personalized goal setting and progress. From strategic mentorship matches to a curated retreat experience, Raise the Tide™ offers everything women need to advance their careers with confidence, clarity, and camaraderie.
Visit RaiseTheTide.com to learn more and fill out the interest form. Many participants get company sponsorships for the program while others invest in the program themselves. Both options can lead to a highly rewarding and in some cases “life changing” experience (as stated by some women).
If today’s insights resonated with you, please rate and review this episode—it helps spread the message and supports the growth of our profession.