Invisible CEOs Lose Millions in Deals and Talent | Katie Radel | EP.25

Katie Radel grew up above a funeral home. Third generation family business. I love stories like that because it explains a lot about why she never questioned whether entrepreneurship was even on the table for her. She spent the next several years in the corporate world (banking, healthcare, finance) before she got close to 40, had just had her son, and realized the version of herself showing up to that job every day wasn't the healthiest one. Six months before the pandemic hit, she quit and started Ripple Consulting Group. I brought Katie on because I wanted to argue this out loud, the whole earned, owned, and paid media thing. She lives in earned media (PR, pitching journalists, getting executives quoted). I live in owned media (building the content and community side). Neither of us thinks the other one wins by itself. Where we landed by the end of this conversation is way more interesting than the debate, honestly. There's an actual number on what it costs a company when its executives stay invisible, and AI just made earned media matter more, not less. What you'll learn Why 84% of AI citations trace back to earned media, and why that means PR isn't optional anymore if you care how AI talks about you The stat Katie leads with in every pitch meeting: visible executives carry an 80% higher average share price than the ones who stay invisible How to tell if a founder saying "I don't have time for this" actually means that, or means they don't want to be the one taking the risk The one question I stole from Katie that gets someone to their actual zone of genius, because asking "what's your expertise" gets you nothing useful The most overrated PR tactic there is: sending a press release out on the wire with zero strategy behind it The one line to fix on your LinkedIn headline today (hint: it's not your job title) Why even the executives with the most credentials still deal with imposter syndrome, and how Katie gets them talking before she ever shows them a talking point Why video is winning right now. In a feed full of AI slop, showing up live and unscripted is the one thing that's hard to fake Why reframing "personal brand" as "service media" turns the fear of self promotion into the reason you actually post TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Meet Katie Radel 00:48 Her Midlife Career Pivot 03:43 First Business and Hospital PR 05:41 Why She Leaped Again at 40 06:46 Funeral Home Entrepreneur Roots 08:34 Earned vs Owned vs Paid Media 10:36 When to Start Your PR Push 12:49 Finding Your Point of View 14:59 Prepping Executives for Press 15:53 Fear and Imposter Syndrome 17:58 Why Earned Media Builds Trust 20:20 AI Is Fueling PR's Rise 21:09 PR Strategy Before Tactics 23:26 Why Executive Brands Win 25:22 Building Camera Confidence 25:57 The Earned Owned Paid Mix 27:01 Finding Your Zone of Genius 29:23 Video in the Trust Economy 31:49 Coaching Camera Shy Executives 34:35 The Cost of Invisibility 38:28 The Real Time Commitment 40:45 Visibility Without the Humblebrag 43:26 Rapid Fire Questions Guest: Katie Radel, founder of Ripple Consulting Group, executive visibility and PR strategist. Find her on LinkedIn.   / katieradel   Host: Justin Obey, founder of Obey Creative. Obey Creative builds personal brands and communities for founder-led companies through brand strategy, video-first social media, content creation, and podcasting.   / justinobey   Show: Return on Reputation. Reputation drives everything. Without trust, building a strong business is close to impossible. The companies that lean hardest into the personal brands of their founders and their people will outperform the ones that don't.