In this episode, we sit down with Kelly Clarke, a seasoned internal communications leader with experience at Cisco, Meta, and Gong, to explore how endurance and empathy power executive presence in times of transformation. With a foundation in PR and a heart for human-centered leadership, Kelly shares how she’s guided companies through crises, culture shifts, and massive change—always with transparency and trust at the core.

Simpplr’s Carolyn Clark, VP of Employee Experience Strategy & Transformation, joins the conversation to uncover how internal comms can drive clarity, connection, and courage at every level of an organization.

In This Episode, We Cover:

1. Leadership Lessons from Endurance

Kelly draws parallels between her long-distance running journey and her leadership style—revealing how consistency, mental toughness, and recovery fuel her ability to lead through complexity.

2. Building Comms Functions in Times of Change

From high-growth startups to global tech firms, Kelly shares how she’s built and scaled internal communications during reorgs, rebrands, and remote work pivots—always keeping the employee experience front and center.

3. Coaching Leaders to Show Up Authentically

Great comms start with great leadership. Kelly discusses how she partners with executives to cultivate transparency, vulnerability, and intentional messaging—making leaders more relatable and impactful.

4. Life Lessons from Girls on the Run

As a coach for Girls on the Run, Kelly reflects on what mentoring young girls taught her about confidence, community, and purpose—and how those same lessons show up in the workplace.

This episode features an interview with Lisa Colella, Managing Director of Strategic Communications & Leadership Advisory at CRA Admired Leadership. With more than 18 years of professional experience, Lisa has worked with clients across agency, consultancy, and in-house settings. Her portfolio spans multiple industries, including fast-moving consumer goods, financial services, healthcare, and more. Previously, she was the Founder and CEO of a boutique consultancy and Global Head of Talent Communications and Marketing at Philips.

In this episode, Simpplr’s Vice President of Corporate Communications and Employee Experience Strategy, Carolyn Clark, and Lisa discuss balancing formal and informal communication for effective leadership, the challenges and benefits of integrating AI tools into leadership practices, and how behavioral science and creativity can improve communication strategies.

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“ The people that excel at creating meaning, not just transmitting information, they understand that communication isn't about just town halls and emails. But, really how they show up every day and that there is science to say if they show up in a way that is credible, they're highly competent. That they're likable in one way, shape, or form, generally likable and they are consistent. That they have a frequently and predictable drumbeat of presence that people can create what we call parasocial relationships. Which is, everyone feels like they have a relationship with the CEO, even though they might see them in a town hall once a year.” – Lisa Colella

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Episode Timestamps:

*(02:33): Getting to know Lisa

*(07:27): Lisa’s career journey

*(12:42): Balancing informal and formal communication

*(19:12): How psychology influences communication

*(32:24): How CRA is navigating the AI space

*(38:29): Blending science and creativity for better communication strategies

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Links:

Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn

Learn more about CRA Admired Leadership

Subscribe to Admired Leadership Field Notes Newsletter

Try Alex

Subscribe to Confluence Newsletter

Connect with Carolyn on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr

This episode features an interview with Matt Rivera, Chief Marketing Officer at Day & Zimmermann and Gary Sevounts, Chief Marketing Officer at Simpplr. Matt has worked for Day & Zimmermann for 34 years, from payroll administrator to the first person in the marketing department. He leads a diverse team of marketers and communications professionals who contribute to a cohesive, professional and high-performing marketing organization. Gary is a veteran CMO with a track record of building high-growth demand and revenue engines, effective marketing teams, differentiated brands, and establishing categories. Previously, he was CMO at Malwarebytes, Socure, and Equifax’s Identity and Fraud Division.

In this episode, Miriam, Matt, and Gary explore the connection between customer experience and employee experience, the importance of authenticity and transparency in storytelling, and leveraging AI to enhance communication and measurement.

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“ With the automation that we have today for the employee experience, you can do that and then transfer it right over into the external marketing. You're tweaking the message. But it's the same types of messaging. It's the same campaigns. We're looking at the same analytics. All of those things really start connecting a lot. I think, in a lot of cases, the employee experience and what you're doing there, if you're doing it right, it's authentic, can really drive some of the marketing stuff too.” – Matt Rivera

“ Brand starts internally.  It starts with a mission and starts with the employees believing in why. Why did we start the company? Why are we doing what we're doing all day long? Why are we passionate about it? In the companies that I worked with and I dealt with, when there is that connection and it's genuine, employees become ambassadors. In the companies where that connection doesn't exist, people don't believe it and it’s just words, then it can take a negative turn really quickly.” – Gary Sevounts

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Episode Timestamps:

*(02:51): Matt and Gary’s career journeys

*(07:01): Getting to know Matt and Gary

*(08:41): Exploring the connection between CX and EX

*(12:56): The art of great storytelling

*(24:15): Marketing strategies for Internal Communications

*(35:36): Leveraging technology for employee engagement

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Links:

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn

Learn more about Day & Zimmermann

Connect with Gary on LinkedIn

Connect with Miriam on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr