About
About Contact Swag
Membership
AI Tools
All AI Apps Vibe Code Hub GEO Scanner AI Project Builder Exec Voice Builder Crisis Builder Transformation Mindset
Services
Services Event Speaking 1.1 Coaching Team Coaching
Log In
← Back to all posts

The year of the Fire Horse

Feb 20, 2026
Follow Me

Happy Lunar New Year. It's the year of the Fire Horse, representing intense energy and rapid change. And here I was thinking that was already happening since ChatGPT dropped in '23. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Here’s what made it into the group chat 👇️ 

📈 CEO Social → Sales: Kristin van Laren, head of Marketing at Peridio, broke down her CEO's social media success ($970k this quarter). My favorite part? Her CEO still writes and posts himself, but they've established a rhythm. How do you think he's doing?

👶 This Week in Brand Backlash™️: May I present - Frida Baby. I love their snot sucker (daycare germs are real), but turns out their packaging and social have been… suggestive ("how about a quickie?", "I get turned on easily,"). WTAF 🤮 . We’ll give them credit for a lengthly press response, but it lacks any commitments to change in the future. The moms are mad.

🎨 The Vibe Mindset: Lovable's Vibe Code Engineer went on Lenny's Podcast to get us all in the right mindset before next week's session. The key takeaway: taste and judgment reign supreme.(Apple / Spotify / YouTube)

🏅 Olympics + pressure: Heavily hyped US athletes are having uncharacteristic flops. Is the media over-pressuring them, or is it just standard Olympic pressure?

👑 One to go: I purposefully didn't send you that viral AI article last week, but I like this response from queen Anne Helen Peterson more.

Chat soon,
Gab Ferree
Founder & Your Comms BFF, Off the Record

PS: Last week’s most-clicked was Notion’s CEOs go-direct sidebar nav update.

 

 
 

You're reading the Comms Bestie Group Chat, a free weekly drop to 5,000+ comms pros. Off the Record is the membership behind the group chat: 200+ comms leaders getting training, coaching, and community. It’s where the magic happens. ✨

Did a bestie forward you this email? You’ve got good taste in friends. Sign up to join the group chat. 

Responses

Join the conversation
t("newsletters.loading")
Loading...
Your comms AI chief of staff
Hello friends, Happy Masters Week to those who celebrate ⛳️. One thing you might not know about me: I married into a golf family. Both of my in-laws were professional golfers. There's so much hardware in their house that the guest bathroom mouthwash holder is a championship trophy. Normal. Unfortunately, my sports prowess begins and ends with loving to watch. I've never broken 100 on the course...
Big Bestie Energy
Hey besties, Here’s what had my group chats lighting up this week. 🤖 PR for Your AI: I've long been a proponent of "doing PR for your AI" program. Basically meaning, you need to be talking about how you're automating rote work and doing more strategic work with AI. Two things on this stuck out for me this week: One CEO literally said it: “If someone came to me and said ‘hey I...
Delayed accountability, swift action
Hey besties, A departure from our normal links-based newsletter this week. We’ll dive into how two comms teams responded to allegations of harm against children. One acted immediately. The other waited until they had no choice. ✊ First: United Farm Workers and Cesar Chavez The New York Times published a harrowing, explosive account of rape and abuse allegations of minors against Cesar Chavez, t...
Get In the Group Chat

Links I’d drop in our Comms Bestie group chat. Every Friday, straight to your inbox.

Footer Logo
Login Home About Membership Contact Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy

Join Our Free Trial

Get started today before this once in a lifetime opportunity expires.