The NSPRA Podcast

Earning your accreditation in public relations is a milestone. Maintaining it is where the real growth happens. In this episode of "Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey," host Krystyna Baumgartner, APR, sits down with Tove Tupper, APR and Emily F. Popek, APR, NSPRA's representives to the Universal Accreditation Board. Together, they unpack what it actually looks like to sustain your APR over time, and why it’s far more than a renewal requirement. From demystifying CEUs to sharing unexpected ways to earn credit (yes, even outside your day job), this conversation reveals how maintaining your APR naturally aligns with the work you’re already doing. More importantly, it explores how the process keeps you connected, curious and continuously evolving in your role. You’ll hear:Why earning renewal credits is easier (and more meaningful) than many expectHow to build simple habits that keep you on track (without last-minute stress)The difference between “checking a box” and truly staying engaged in your professionPractical ways to align your APR renewal with your long-term career goalsWhether you’re newly accredited, years into your APR or simply curious about what comes next, this episode offers a grounded, real-world look at how professional growth doesn’t stop at certification: it deepens because of it.https://www.nspra.org/

Failure isn’t the opposite of progress. Sometimes it’s part of the process.This powerful episode of Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey features Jessica Duff, APR, and Christy McGee, APR, in a refreshingly honest conversation about persistence, professional growth and what happens when the APR journey doesn’t go according to plan.With candor, humor and hard-earned perspective, they unpack why setbacks can sharpen strategy, strengthen confidence and ultimately make the destination more meaningful.Encouraging, vulnerable and deeply relatable, this episode is a reminder that growth rarely follows a straight line.https://www.nspra.org/

What changes when you stop seeing communication as a series of tactics and start approaching it as strategy?In this episode of Shaping Strategy: The APR Journey, host Krystyna Baumgartner, APR, is joined by Lesley Bruinton, APR, and Dirk Tedmon, APR, for a conversation about the lasting impact of APR and why many describe it as a turning point in their professional growth.From building a shared language for strategy to earning greater trust as counsel and leader, this episode explores how APR can sharpen how communicators think, influence decisions and show up in the room.Together, Lesley and Dirk unpack why strategic communication is about far more than tactics, how the APR mindset can transform professional practice and why its value extends well beyond school PR.Whether you’re pursuing accreditation, considering it or simply curious about how strategic communicators grow their impact, this episode offers powerful perspective on the “APR effect” and what it can unlock in your work.https://www.nspra.org/