PR, Modern Communication, & Millennials: A Conversation With Deirdre Breakenridge

with Shane Barker

Join Shane Barker and PR maven Deirdre Breakenridge as they dive into the essence of effective communication on The Marketing Growth Podcast. From unveiling key content pillars to confronting fears on new media platforms, they show how genuine storytelling builds enduring trust. Learn how understanding millennial perspectives, balancing authenticity, and leveraging empathy can strengthen your brand’s connection in a crowded digital landscape.

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Black and white portrait of a woman with long dark hair and bangs, smiling, wearing a dark blazer over a light top, facing forward against a plain background.

Today's guest...

Deirdre Breakenridge

Deirdre Breakenridge is a seasoned marketing and public relations leader, recognized for seamlessly integrating PR, digital media, and brand strategy. As the CEO of Pure Performance Communications, she guides organizations in creating data-driven, customer-centric campaigns that foster meaningful engagement and measurable growth.

An accomplished author, Deirdre has written several books—including Answers for Modern Communicators—and frequently shares her insights as a LinkedIn Learning instructor, keynote speaker, and podcast host. Her expertise has been featured in prominent industry outlets, underscoring her influence as a thought leader and mentor in the evolving world of marketing and communications.

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Episode Show Notes

In this insightful episode of “The Marketing Growth Podcast,” host Shane Barker chats with renowned PR and communications strategist, Deirdre Breakenridge. The conversation explores Deirdre’s background as a writer and consultant, delving into how she helps clients uncover their core thought leadership pillars. She explains why it’s crucial to align content formats with both expertise and genuine passion—whether that’s writing, video, or podcasting.

Deirdre also highlights the importance of stepping outside one’s comfort zone. Drawing on her own experiences, she recalls how an initially nerve-wracking Facebook Live for NASDAQ ultimately opened doors to bigger opportunities. Throughout the discussion, she underscores the value of authenticity in a media environment saturated with branded messaging.

A central theme is understanding how modern communication impacts millennials. Deirdre shares her ongoing project investigating the pressures this demographic faces—especially on social media—and how performance and self-worth can become intertwined. With mounting concerns around anxiety and trust, Deirdre emphasizes that empathy, honesty, and emotional intelligence can bridge the gap between leaders and audiences in today’s digital world.

Tune in to learn how to harness the power of genuine storytelling, adapt your communication strategy, and truly connect with your audience in an era of constant media evolution.

Brands Mentioned

Facebook Live
LinkedIn
lynda.com
Marketwired
NASDAQ
Onclusive
Squawk Box
The World PR Forum
Twitter
Women Worldwide

Speaker 1

00:02-00:40

Welcome to the Marketing Growth Podcast. I’m your host, Shane Barker. In this episode, I’m talking to Deidre Breakenridge about a book writing process. I want to know more about her consulting business and her passion projects. In this episode, we’ll take a closer look at her take on modern communication and PR.

Okay, so obviously your background as a writer is the premise of everything you do. How is content a major piece of that? Not everybody’s a writer or has the same expertise you do, so how do you integrate content as the core of your consulting business and with your clients?

Deidre Breakenridge

Speaker 2

00:40-02:18

So I think it’s about understanding your thought leadership. My clients start by learning their pillars of thought leadership—pillars of content. Once you understand your areas of expertise, it’s really easy to figure out what media to explore for putting your content out, and it’s always based on your audience and what they want. Basically, what I’m finding is that we’re hungry for content. I mean, my goodness, there’s the long tail of publishing now. There was a study that came out by Onclusive—I don’t know if you saw it—it’s the media report, but basically it says that there are so many more third-tier publishers. It’s good in a way because everybody can produce content, and it’s bad in a way because there’s so much out there that attention spans are really saturated. But I think it’s really important just to understand: first, you have to have a compelling story that you want to share. But it really becomes, “How does somebody want to experience what you have to offer? And how are you going to meet their passion?” I call it passion potential because, basically, whatever it is you have to share has to meet their need and want for you to share it. It’s all different—it really depends. Some of my clients are podcasters, some are more the digital correspondent types, and some are writers like me. And it’s always tapping into what you do best so that you’re not so bogged down, so that it doesn’t seem like such a chore as well.

Speaker 1

02:18-03:47

And I think you hit the nail on the head with that. For me, it’s about what you enjoy doing and what you’re good at, and really building something around that. Even if you’re not the best writer, if you can speak and put something into a tape and tell people what the premise of it is, or use video—like we do with Loom—to explain things, you don’t have to be the best writer in the world. With video, it’s a little difficult to clone yourself and have someone else do it, so you probably have to do that work.

But, and if you hate being in front of a video, then maybe that’s not for you. But I think it’s important to figure out what you’re good at, and then also knowing that you don’t have to be everywhere—you don’t have to be on every platform, you don’t have to do every medium. Figure out what you enjoy doing and what kind of content your audience is going to like, and as long as that resonates with what you’re creating, then find that connection. I think that’s always the hard part, because there’s always a new platform, a new this, a new that, right? There’s always something to distract you from it. But I think it’s really about focusing—on exactly what your message is, how you want to put it out, and what you enjoy doing. Because I think people want to say, “Oh, I gotta do video but I hate video…” And I think there’s a difference between hating video and then also getting it to a point where you just haven’t done it a lot so you’re not good at it. Not like where you have anxiety and maybe have to take medicine or something to be able to get on. That’s a whole different level.

Deidre Breakenridge

Speaker 2

03:47-03:48

That’s the point you don’t want to get to.

Speaker 1

03:48-04:14

Yeah, that doesn’t make sense, because drugs are expensive from what I understand, but from what I’ve heard. I think that’s the key: figure out what you like to do and what you’re good at. Then you can build out the other pillars, because there are other people who enjoy things you don’t—like accounting or answering emails. We talk about figuring out what you’re good at, what you want to do, how you spend your day, and, once again, whether you enjoy what you do.

Deidre Breakenridge

Speaker 2

04:15-05:27

But you hit on something really important when you said that sometimes, if you haven’t done video in a long time, you’re a little reticent to do it and you’re nervous, yet still excited about stepping out of your comfort zone instead of having a full-blown panic attack because you think it’s not for you. I think people have to embrace stepping out of their comfort zone when it’s right to do for them. And I think that’s one thing I’ve always tried to do for my brand—starting with my writing and storytelling: from book author to blogger to LinkedIn learner, video instructor. I was a Lynda.com instructor, and then LinkedIn acquired Lynda. I’m an audio podcaster, and we’re actually launching the first video version soon. Each time, I kind of felt excited but thought, “Oh, this feels a little funny,” but that’s okay. You still have to get used to stepping out of your comfort zone, and that’s important today.

Speaker 1

05:27-07:14

And absolutely. I think that’s the thing: my first speaking event, my first podcast, my first video—you don’t jump into it sounding great. I’ll give you an example. I’ve brought this up in past podcasts. I have my first blog post that I wrote on my website, and I show it to my students at UCLA. They always look at it and say, “God, that’s terrible.” And I say, “That’s my point: it’s terrible, but I started.”

So the thing is, with you it’s important to step out of your comfort zone. My writing skills aren’t absolutely phenomenal—I’m not a natural writer—but this is where I started. Now I have people on my team that help me with writing content. You just have to get started. And the video thing and the speaking thing are great examples of that. People often say that speaking is scarier than death, because with speaking you have to think about what you’re did, while with death, it just happens. And it’s like, okay, it’s happening. The crazy part for me is, once again, you touched on it—are we so uncomfortable that we just can’t do it because I get anxiety before I speak? I haven’t told a lot of people that, but when I get up on stage, you just work through it. I kind of forget about all that. In the beginning, it was absolutely terrifying—I’m like, “What am I doing?” But I knew myself that I had to conquer this. I had to go through this. I don’t love it by any means, but I’ll get to a point where I’ll just jump up on stage, grab a microphone, and it’ll all become second nature—that’s where I’m at now. But it takes a while to get there, and you have to ask yourself, “Am I willing to really go through the hard times?” Because it’s not easy. It just won’t be, right?

Deidre Breakenridge

Speaker 2

07:14-09:25

Yeah, I have a perfect example. I had done Facebook Lives for my clients, where I would instruct them on how to do a Facebook Live. I will never forget that I was doing some content marketing for NASDAQ. NASDAQ had acquired MarketWired—it was when they made the acquisition of MarketWired, Newswire, and Digital Media Services. So NASDAQ had this business unit that was also a newswire and digital media service. I used to do videos for them. I was very comfortable being on video, going to trade shows, and interviewing influencers and speakers. And one day, we were in Toronto at the World PR Forum. I will never forget this.

The call comes in from headquarters to the marketing director who was at the show with me, and they said, “Would Deirdre do Facebook Live video with the influencers?” At the time, the marketing director was like, “Oh yeah, I’m sure she would do that. That’s a great idea.” Then they asked me, “Let’s just test it on our Facebook feed. We want you to go and talk for 10 minutes raw. Just go on the NASDAQ Facebook page, do a live video and talk.” I was nervous because it was NASDAQ—the NASDAQ, right? I thought to myself, “I’m going to be kicking myself if I say no. I’m nervous, but I’m going to step out of my comfort zone.” And I did.

And just to show my students that first video, I like to show this clip of me doing my Facebook Live for NASDAQ with their step-and-repeat banner behind me. It was so bad—my leg was moving, the angle was wrong—I could just pick it apart. But guess what I did? It did more for me than if I had said no. I never would have ended up at MarketWired in Times Square, doing a live show in the same studio as Squawk Box, where I got to be their digital correspondent and host of a show that strictly interviewed influencers.

Speaker 1

09:25-11:21

I mean, you just never know where it’s going to take you, and I think that’s what’s exciting about the speaking side of things and workshops. For me, in the beginning, it was uncomfortable, but I knew that once I got through that, great stuff was going to happen. It’s like anything else—the part that sucks, right? Going from here to there because you’re like this and that. But so many good things can happen once you break out of that, assuming you’re not so anxious that you have to heavily medicate yourself to do something.

But even then, this was years ago. I was going on a little speaking event—a keynote in Santa Barbara—and the funny part was this guy who was there. He goes, “How you doing?” I said, “Oh yeah, I’m doing good,” which is always my answer, right? But I was sweating; deep down, my palms were all sweaty. And he goes, “Do you want a shot of tequila?” And I was like, “You want a shot of tequila?” And then I said, “I’m Irish, but that doesn’t mean I like to drink before my keynotes.” And he goes, “I’m always asking.” But I don’t think he even had a bottle of tequila.

His point was, he had other speakers who would drink tequila for a long time before they went on stage. I’m not recommending drinking tequila before a keynote to cure anxiety, but I always thought that was interesting. I’ve never decided to drink before I go on stage because I don’t think I need to. I just go on stage. I thought it was interesting as a way to get rid of the anxiety. He said, “Yeah, I recommend tequila.” And I was like, “Well, there we go.” Who knows? Let me know if you use tequila before your keynote, and how that turns out—or if you even remember it. And if you do, then that’s awesome—let us know how that goes. Oh, how funny when we talk about content. So tell me, what are you really passionate about? If somebody said, “Your name plus a hashtag,” what would that hashtag be regarding what you’re passionate about content-wise? Like, what would be it right now? I know, obviously, of your podcast, Women Worldwide. So I would say that is probably what you’re passionate about right now. But tell us, what are you passionate about right now when it comes to content marketing?

Deidre Breakenridge

Speaker 2

11:21-13:24

Right now, I am working on a project that is all about millennials on social media. I’m building it—it actually comes out of something sad, but it’s meant to be empowering and to help move forward. You know, Shane, we lost our daughter—my stepdaughter Noelle—in September, and it was tragic. She was a millennial, absolutely beautiful and accomplished. And you know, you look at people like Noelle on social media, and it’s a highlight reel. It’s really interesting because I’m finding that millennials, especially, are feeling that their performance is tied to their value. Depression, anxiety, and suicide rates—which is really scary—are up 30% since 2000; it’s the second leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 10 and 34. So after what happened with Noelle, I really started talking to millennials, asking specific questions about how they’re feeling about social media and how leaders are coming across in their content and communication. What I’m finding is that the model I’m developing bridges the gap between what millennials really want, need, and prefer in their content and communication, and what’s actually coming across from business leaders and professionals. It stands for “Face your fears, engage with empathy, use ethics and good judgment, and unleash the love.” That’s where I am in the content space—with my own content and with the people I work with—always making sure you feel first before you communicate. That’s what I’m super passionate about.

Speaker 1

13:24-15:15

I love that. That’s so awesome, and I appreciate you bringing up the thing with Noelle. I knew that was a hard thing for you guys, and it’s interesting how you’re turning it into something that could have a big impact. I hope it will—it absolutely will. And you know, I’ve told you this before, but let me know whatever you need from my side to help get the word out—not only through the podcast, but through anything. I’m a big fan of passion projects, especially if they can make an impact. I think social media is a difficult time for millennials, right?

I think there’s really this need to perform and to be out there, and you’re socially accepted by how many likes and comments you get. I work with influencers a lot—my class at UCLA is literally about personal branding, how to be an influencer. So there’s this need to feel accepted, or to monetize it and stuff like that. But I do think, unfortunately, that if you want to be an influencer and you’re not performing, then they’re gonna go find somebody else. If you’re not out there putting this forward and being honest about what you put out.

And some people, it’s this facade of, “Oh, my life’s great. I have a pink dog, I eat caviar, and I’m on a jet every day.” And it’s like, okay, maybe not every day, but how do you get through that? I think it’s the communication—and there are just so many other avenues to communicate. And it’s, once again, it’s difficult. High school, even college, and even after that, it’s difficult times. And it just is harder.

There’s a lot of moving pieces to it. I think it’s awesome that you’re looking into that—trying to figure out, interviewing people and saying, “Hey, what are the potential issues here?” Especially since we’re dealing with higher suicide rates and stuff like that. Social media has some upsides and good things, but it’s important to address both sides, especially if it’s affecting our youth and the people for whom it’s important.

Deidre Breakenridge

Speaker 2

15:15-17:02

Absolutely. You know what’s coming up a lot in my research is that millennials are saying the way people communicate—everything is, “Don’t trust anything.” You just can’t trust anything; it’s disingenuous. It’s all planned communication, and in most cases when they talk about their business leaders or brands they like, the way they’re being communicated to is planned, and you always have to verify and then you trust. You know, I grew up a long time ago when you could trust first and then verify. But now you just don’t. There is no trust. And I think what I see with millennials is that they’re much more focused on EQ—emotional intelligence—which is really important anyway. In an age of automation and artificial intelligence, the machine can’t take away things like caring, kindness, intuition, and the ability to build a genuine relationship. That’s all EQ, and millennials are very much EQ.

And on the other side, sometimes the communication—because I’ve analyzed it on social media, I’ve used a social media intelligence software platform to look at how leaders communicate emotion and what’s being valued—and it’s really interesting, because the IQ words like “strength,” “professional,” “powerful,” and “experience” are all big words when you do text analytics, but things like “feel,” “real,” “trust,” and “compassion” are all little words that are hardly ever talked about.

Speaker 1

17:02-17:52

Yeah, it’s kind of amazing. That’s crazy. I can’t wait to hear more about what you’ve got going on there because I think you’re touching on something that a lot of people don’t realize is going on. It’s not talked about much. Like I said, there’s the other side of social media—how it can affect you. It can be great, but then there’s the other side where it can really cause issues. I think that’s interesting. Once again, as I’ve told you before, let me know when you come out with that. I would love to support you in any way possible, like put it on my channels and stuff. I just think it’s important to look at both sides of that. I’m excited to see your research—I know how you do research, so I’m excited to see how that thing comes out. There’ll be another book, I can only imagine. Hey, I’ll buy it. I’m ready. I’m ready for number seven. My goal is to come out with my book before you come out with your 15th book. It’s just small goals!

Deidre Breakenridge

Speaker 2

17:52-17:56

Oh, you will! Put out there in the universe, Shane. You’ll do it.

Speaker 1

17:56-18:14

Don’t you worry, folks—I’m gonna get this thing. This thing’s gonna be—she’s only gonna do eight books in the time that I do one—that’s not a problem. Nothing here to judge. We’ll be good.

Now that we got that clear, let’s wrap up this podcast segment. It’s been an insightful conversation on modern communication. We’re going to switch gears in the next episode and cover more ground on content and influencer marketing. Stay tuned.