Episode 251 - Innovation in Resilience with Paula Fontana

You wouldn't call 9-1-1 for a twisted ankle. And you wouldn't casually drive to the hospital if you were having a heart attack. This week's guest says that proper evaluation and severity ratings are crucial to effective crisis response, and that includes communications.   Hello everyone and welcome to episode 252 of the Resilient Journey Podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group!   This week we are joined by Philippe Borremans, a global risk, crisis and emergency communication consultant. Philippe shares his model for crisis response and tells us that the most common mistake he sees companies make is under-estimating the severity of the crisis. He encourages us to follow our operational guidelines when responding to a crisis, but adds that we need to put the same effort and curiosity into our communications.   Philippe encourages us to understand the difference between stakeholders and audiences and how our communications will differ between the two.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Check out the Resilient Journey Hub! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

When we first started talking with this week's guest, Mark asked her a simple question: what did she want to discuss? Her answer came without hesitation and consisted of just a single word. Innovation.   Hello everyone and welcome to episode 251 of the Resilient Journey Podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group!   This week we are joined by Paula Fontana, Chief Marketing Officer at Iluminr. When we think about innovation, we immediately think "AI", but Paula explains the proper use of AI is to move things forward, not to fix things that aren't really wrong. She adds that the real differentiator in the proper use of AI is the human expertise of the person using it.   Paula adds how important it is for us in resilience to be marketers and influencers and to leverage the language of the business to communicate more effectively. And she and Mark talk about what resilience needs to include as we look ahead to 2030.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Check out the Resilient Journey Hub! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

As a resilience professional, where do your responsibilities end? Beyond resilience, are you also accountable for situational awareness, third-party risk, and related functions? And how many tools does it take to manage it all?   Hello everyone and welcome to episode 250 of the Resilient Journey Podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! This week we are joined by our friend Vince Davis, a long time emergency management and resilience professional who is now the Chief Operating Officer for Statera. Vince and Mark use the features of Statera as a case study to demonstrate the various things that we, as resilience professionals, need to manage. Things like, exercise development, IT disaster recovery, business continuity, cyber response, situational awareness and much more. Using Statera as an example, this episode provides insight into everything we should be paying attention to.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Check out the Resilient Journey Hub! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

If you're like us, you love the stories behind hit songs. Our guest this week has taken the back-story behind an iconic hit of the 1970s and turned it into a lesson on leadership, pressure and resilience.   Hello everyone and welcome to episode 249 of the Resilient Journey Podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group!   This week we are joined by Eric Flick who talks about his recent article describing the struggles of songwriter Robert Lamm as he wrote Chicago's hit song 25 or 6 to 4. Eric says that we can also struggle to come up with "the next big thing", particularly after a successful project. But he suggests that maybe we don't have to 'go big'. He says that sometimes, things that seem ordinary in the moment can actually become transformational later. In other words, don't chase the next big hit. Just do your job and trust the next step.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Check out the Resilient Journey Hub! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.   We'd like to thank Eric Flick for being our guest and encouraging us to trust our work and let it build on itself. The Resilient Journey is an Anesis Consulting Group production. We have another great guest lined up next week. So join us won't you as we continue our resilient journey.  

When we think of the term "influencer", we tend to think about YouTubers who promote makeup, skin care or fitness equipment and share their posts with millions of followers. But what does a resilience influencer look like?   Hello everyone and welcome to episode 248 of the Resilient Journey Podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group!   Here's the truth. Like it or not, we all have a brand.   This week, we are thrilled to be joined by Katherine Tuominen as we talk about what it takes for each of us to develop our own personal brand and become influencers of good resilience practices. Leveraging her expertise as founder of Catalyst Brand Strategy, Katherine encourages us to speak in terms that our audience and stakeholders expect.    She says content is critical to our brand development and gives advice on how to properly use AI when developing content. Katherine suggests that we master the art of self promotion by keeping a running thread of our wins and compliments.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Check out the Resilient Journey Hub! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

If you ate at a fast food restaurant in certain U.S. states in June and July, you ran the risk of having...let's say...less than desirable results. Our guest this week had her own stomach turn at one company's response.   Hello everyone and welcome to episode 247 of the Resilient Journey Podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group!   This week, Mark sits down with Gina Clementi, fractional CMO, brand strategist, and founder of Good Story. They explore her recent Substack article about the Cyclospora outbreak. Gina examines how two companies responded very differently when faced with the same crisis. One focused on its own interests, while the other prioritized the needs of consumers.   The conversation also looks at how the current political climate contributed to the situation and Gina warns that communication strategies that may succeed in politics can be damaging during a corporate crisis.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Check out the Resilient Journey Hub! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

This week, Mark says that in 2026 he is surprised that people in our industry still struggle to demonstrate value to their companies. And our guests say our industry has changed and we need to speak the language of our executives.   Hello everyone and welcome to episode 246 of the Resilient Journey Podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group!   This week, we are joined by long-time business continuity and resilience professionals, Mike Janko and Jerome Ryan.   Mike says that BCP professionals need to start thinking more strategically. Jerome says that it's time for us to get out of the traditional "BCP Box" and start using the data we collect to align with the strategic goals of the company.   They felt like there was no forum that was talking about trending, critical events, so they started a YouTube channel called Impact Analysis 2026. their goal is to help business leaders , and operations teams understand the disruption of real-world events.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Check out the Resilient Journey Hub! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

What got you into the resilience industry? Our guest this week says that for her, it was an exploding car bomb as she and her five year old daughter were navigating a European street. She asked the question: Why aren't businesses preparing for this type of thing?   Hello everyone and welcome to episode 245 of the Resilient Journey Podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group!   This week, we are joined by life-long learner, retired Lt. Colonel and resilience professional Michael Redmond. Michael has a wide array of certifications, from emergency management to business continuity and cyber security. But she says the most valuable certification she has, is related to risk management. Listen as she explains why. This is an episode packed full of incredible stories by a great story-teller. And why not? She's lived through so many experiences. Mark calls Michael the 'poster child' for life-long learning. Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Check out the Resilient Journey Hub! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

Our guest this week says if you tell her your job title, she can tell you how you are responsible for your company's resilience. This is an episode that explores resilience from several different points of view.   Hello everyone and welcome to episode 244 of the Resilient Journey Podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group!   This week, we are joined by Faith Newton, CEO of The Resiliency Initiative. Faith is a certified emergency manager, holds the MBCP certification, and is a FEMA Executive Academy Alumnus. She explains how her view of resilience shifted after the unexpected loss of her father. Faith explains that she believes personal loss makes us better resilience professionals. She talks about three things that she looks at to determine if a company is resilient and they talk about what resilience will look like in the next five years.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Check out the Resilient Journey Hub! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn.   Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

If you're a member of a regional or national BCM networking group, you're probably familiar with the model. Pay an annual fee, attend some meetings, get some content. But you might not understand why so many of these groups struggle to survive.   Hello everyone and welcome to episode 243 of the Resilient Journey Podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group!   This week, we are joined by Paul Striedl to discuss: Why BCM Networking groups are failing. Paul says BCM networking groups should thrive because, there is a lack of advanced training for seasoned professionals in our field. Paul suggests their failure has something to do with governing bodies and how they count continuing education units. Paul talks about the business model of these groups, members responsibilities and the role of vendors. Mark gets on his soap box about vendor content. And Paul suggests the fix to the problem is not that complicated.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Check out the Resilient Journey Hub! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.