Inside Influence: The Evolution of Corporate Affairs

In the modern, Trump-dominated media environment, a key to success is figuring out how to tune out the “noise” – and maintaining the discipline to stay on course.
That was the message that David Castagnetti and I received during a terrific interview with John Murray of Monument Advocacy this week.
“Find your North Star,” Murray told us, “and follow it.”
Get more fascinating insights from Murray by listening to Inside Influence on Apple Podcasts or watching it on YouTube.

Cristina Antelo has spent more than two decades helping Fortune 500 CEOs and innovators navigate policy, politics, and crisis. She moved from Wall Street to the Senate to leading one of Washington’s most respected boutique lobbying firms, Ferox Strategies. Her clients include Disney, Microsoft, Walmart, and Eli Lilly, and she’s been recognized as one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists.
In this episode of Inside Influence, Brody Mullins and I were eager to hear about Cristina's jump from Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan to K Street, what most companies get wrong about Washington, and the philosophy that's shaped her lobbying firm from day one.
If you work in public affairs, government relations, or executive communications, or you're just curious how influence really works in this town, this one's for you.

Catlin O’Neil joins us to discuss her work at LinkedIn, where she leverages cutting-edge data to track trends in hiring and the future skills needed for workforce success. Her insights—shared with policymakers—help shape how leaders think about the evolving job market.
As part of a team that includes LinkedIn’s Chief Economist and VP of Communications, Catlin plays a key role in developing and applying the company’s Economic Graph to better understand global workforce dynamics.
She also shared a few striking data points: 66% of leaders say they wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills, and 70% of the skills used in most jobs are expected to change by 2030.
Her career advice? Seek out the roles others avoid—those opportunities can position you to grow and move within an organization.

We talk a lot on Inside Influence about the evolution from the inside game to the outside game – how effective advocacy is moving from direct lobbying to grassroots and public affairs.
But we often forget about the continued value of lobbyists.
Austin O’Boyle reminds us of the importance of direct advocacy on this week’s edition of Inside Influence.
As the vice president of advocacy at Aristotle, O’Boyle talks about how his firm recently added direct lobbying to its portfolio and how that has benefited his clients and causes.
Among other gems, O’Boyle says a key element in any successful campaign is proving to lawmakers that taking action is in their best political interests.

Chris Morton, the president and CEO of the American Land and Title Association, joins us to talk about how he is transforming his association from a traditional, behind-the-scenes operator – into a more public and aggressive force in advocacy. These days, it’s critical for industry to tell their own story, he tells us.
Morton says a key to effective advocacy these days in putting members companies and business owners front and center. Morton walks us through the steps for taking busy and reluctant member companies and teaching them that their voice matters in Washington.
He also tells us about his industry’s new message: Fraud is unaffordable. Morton says the American Land and Title Association is on the front links of protecting consumers from financial fraud and scams.

Mary Beth Donahue, President and CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance, joined Brody Mullins and me for a thoughtful conversation on building and managing an effective coalition. 
Drawing on her deep understanding of both policy and politics, Mary Beth shared how rigorous research and authentic storytelling are essential when engaging policymakers.
She emphasized the power of elevating seniors’ voices—ensuring they can speak directly to both seasoned healthcare leaders and newly elected officials about the importance of Medicare Advantage to their coverage and quality of life. As constituents, their perspectives carry real weight.
Beyond her leadership, Mary Beth is also a proud mother of two daughters who are headed to compete in Division I college athletics.

Jeff Farrah leads the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, where he works across international, federal, state and local policy arenas. The issues range from Chinese competition to the practical challenge of getting autonomous vehicles on U.S. streets -- with states handling vehicle licensing while  the federal government focuses on design standards.
Our conversation centered on the need to build public trust in autonomous vehicles.
We also talked a lot about safety. Jeff said that autonomous vehicles are the safest on the road -- autonomous vehicles have logged 360 million miles, underscoring how much real-world experience the industry has accumulated.
On the personal side, Jeff is a Little League coach and big baseball fan.

Penny Lee, the CEO of the Financial Technology Association, talks about building an industry association from the ground up. She shares valuable insights on the complexities of defining policy issues that many lawmakers are still getting up to speed on, and the ongoing challenge of ensuring those issues are clearly understood in Washington and beyond.
Penny also emphasizes how dramatically communication strategies are evolving—highlighting the need to engage across every platform, from blogs and panels to traditional and social media.
On a personal note, she shared that her father was a minister in Alaska, an experience that helped shape her deep appreciation for public service.

Jonathan Martin, better known as JMart, is a Politico columnist whose work shapes the perspectives of policymakers and political insiders.
Through the lens of elections, JMart tells the broader story of our nation—capturing its shifting dynamics and underlying mood. His columns reflect a distinctive voice, written with both authority and passion, complemented by his podcast On the Road, where he brings listeners directly into the political conversations shaping the country.
In his role, he explores the evolving media landscape and the rise of the reporter as a personal brand. Driven by an enduring curiosity, JMart brings intellectual rigor and a deep thirst for understanding to his writing every day.
For public affairs professionals, this conversation offers an insider’s view of how political narratives take shape—and why understanding the media’s influence is essential to effective policy and communications strategy.

Corporate strategist Ashley Davis tells us how a chance encounter at a wedding in Pennsylvania led to a job inside the White House – and her first fateful “pivot” on September 11, 2001.
Instead of joining scores of her White House colleagues fleeing the building, Ashley chose to return to her office and join a small team working inside the White House who risked their lives to keep the Executive Branch functioning that day.
It was a snap decision – made in the blink of an eye – that changed Ashley’s career.
She later became the first employee of the newly formed Department of Homeland Security, the founder of her own successful consulting firm and CNN commentator.
On Inside Influence, Ashley talks about her new book – The Power Pivot – about the important decisions that individuals and companies need to make to be successful.
“Small pivots, repeated with intention, become the building blocks of our lives,” she writes.