Name: Molly McPherson: Navigating Crises & Walking the Irish Soil
Uploaded: 2026-11-09T05:21:35+00:00
Description: When you are in the middle of a crisis and the media comes knocking, who you gonna call? Molly McPherson, according to leading companies, brands, and celebrities. E…

When you are in the middle of a crisis and the media comes knocking, who you gonna call?

Molly McPherson, according to leading companies, brands, and celebrities. Even the media calls on her to breakdown trending crises, including the New York Times, NPR, NBC News, and the Wall Street Journal…

…and now the Irish Stew podcast, too, because Molly is one proud Irish American.

"There are people who are Irish, and then there are people who are IRISH. They live it, and it's a part of their being. I'm the latter." Molly says of her upbringing in Minnesota where for one golden teenage year, Molly got to wear a green cape and a crown

"I was St. Paul's Miss Shamrock, which is one of the best princesses you can be out there. You're in the St. Patrick's Parade, you're going to all the bars, you're singing all the songs,” she recalls fondly.

A self-described ‘newsie” from an early age, Molly says, "I was always drawn to crime and that mayhem and trying to untangle who did what and why…I don't think I'm drawn to the chaos. I'm drawn to seeing through the chaos."

She had to see through the chaos of multiple crises in early job postings in the cruise industry and FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where she anticipated the trend towards storytelling through the kind of short form, online video that now dominates TikTok and Instagram.

Today she shares her hard-earned crisis management insights as a consultant, keynote speaker, and social media thought leader, focused on building her Substack community.

“Own it, explain it, promise it--that’s my mantra and I live by it. The mistake people make is they don't own it, and they just come up with excuses. They do step two first, and that's when things go sideways," Molly tells Irish Stew

She proudly owns her Global Irish identity.

"When we went to Ireland recently, I needed to walk the soil, if you will… I don't even call them ancestors…to me they're family. I wanted to see the church where they were baptized, where they lived," she recollects from their time in County Laois. “I just felt that tether back to this woman who had a five-year-old and had to go to America. It was a moment for me, and for my kids."

She made sure that the itinerary included Derry and Belfast, saying “Being there brought up really good conversations with my kids that I'm so happy I had.”

Before she sprinted off to a speaking engagement in Times Square, Molly reflects on the past and looks to the future.

"People who work in crisis usually live a crisis. My career kind of mirrors what I needed to do myself in life. I've just been hustling to raise four kids. That's really what I've been doing,” she says. "I'm at the stage of my career where I have boundaries where I can slowly move out of the client work and sit in the work in my head. I don't want to be a tinkerer. I want to be a thinker. And I want to write a book."

LINKS

• Irish Stew Newsletter Signup (https://www.irishstewpodcast.com/newsletter/?utm_source=shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=molly-mcpherson&utm_content=newslettersignup)

MOLLY MCPHERSON

• Substack (https://mollymcpherson.substack.com/)
• TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson)
• Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/)
• YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson)
• LinkedIn
• Podcast: The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson (https://www.prbreakdownpodcast.com/)
• Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pr-breakdown-with-molly-mcpherson/id1441897190)
• Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/53jOIfJuu00dsZhQMgI1Id)
• Website (https://www.mollymcpherson.com/)
• Speaking inquiries: APB Speakers (https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/molly-mcpherson/)