Bridging Art and Strategy: Redefining internal comms in a growing company, with Sarah Kaplan

In this inspiring episode of the Cohesion Podcast, Carolyn Clark (VP of Employee Experience Strategy & Transformation at Simpplr) sits down with Sarah Kaplan, Director of Internal Communications at Smarsh. With a unique background in opera performance and a keen instinct for people-first storytelling, Sarah has led major internal transformation at Smarsh—starting from scratch just before a company acquisition and CEO transition. Sarah shares how she evolved the internal comms function from a team of one to a strategic partner to executive leadership. From ruthless prioritization to launching a global employee event across time zones, Sarah’s story is full of practical insights and human depth. If you’re building a comms team, navigating rapid organizational change, or just curious how opera can shape a corporate career—this one’s for you. Topics Covered: Building an internal comms function from zeroBecoming a strategic partner to leadershipBalancing trust with clarity during acquisitions and CEO changeLeading hybrid transitions and global engagement eventsHow performance arts skills translate to leadership and empathy Connect with Sarah Kaplan: LinkedIn Subscribe to get the latest conversations on employee experience, change leadership, and internal communications.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 24, 2025

Embed this episode

Attribution link and audio player

Ready to play

Bridging Art and Strategy: Redefining internal comms in a growing company, with Sarah Kaplan

0:00 34:56

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

No similar episodes found.

Similar Podcasts

Team Success with Gary Covert Gary Covert This podcast is for leaders who want to build better teams and become better leaders.Hosted by executive coach Gary Covert, each episode delivers practical tools for leadership development and team building—designed for busy CEOs, business owners, and high-performing managers.You’ll learn:• Team building strategies that actually improve team performance• How to build a high-performing team, even in remote environments• Communication as a leader and how to earn trust• How to lead a team through change or dysfunction• Emotional intelligence, decision-making skills, and how to lead by example• Ways to develop team motivation, accountability, and cohesionWhether you're focused on transformational leadership, managing team conflict, or just becoming a more confident, effective leader—Team Success is your go-to resource. Alternative Convos with Charles Kojo Vandyck Charles Kojo Vandyck Alternative Convos is a discussion show at the intersection between social cohesion and social change in Africa. It is an alternative platform, a safe space for alternative views. Psychology of You with Dr. Crawford Dr. Shannan Crawford Psychologist, Dr. Shannan Crawford, innovator of the Restoring-Self-Cohesion model, uses her experience and passion so you understand and resolve the unconscious dynamics that have been sabotaging your best efforts, so you can consistently enjoy being you, experience deeper connection in your relationships, and streamline your efforts toward reaching your goals and dreams.Follow Dr. Crawford on social @drshannancrawford and visit drshannancrawford.com for more resources and updates. Boardroom Breakthroughs: Executive Leadership Skills for CEOs to Align the C-Suite & Eliminate Boardroom Friction Anagha Deshmukh What would your business look like if you were able to create better cohesion and synergy across your C-Suite?Boardroom Breakthroughs helps CEOs unlock high-performance executive leadership across the C-Suite to finally resolve boardroom friction and make trusted, aligned decisions.Host Anagha Deshmukh worked in the corporate world and saw the stresses caused at the C Suite level. These stressors created business slowdown, tension in families of employees, and even health issues in all the executives' lives. Every Monday & Thursday, you can tune in to bitesize episodes breaking down the underlying causes of inefficient boards and how to fix them at the root.If you're ready to learn which levers you can pull today to create massive positive change that trickles down your entire company, start with Episode 3: 3 Signs You're Missing Strategic Alignment With Your C-Suite & How To Fix It

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Cohesion?

This episode is 34 minutes long.

When was this Cohesion episode published?

This episode was published on June 24, 2025.

Can I download this Cohesion episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.

URL copied to clipboard!