How the real Olivia Pope would have handled the CrowdStrike outage

March 1, 2026
Read it all on Fast Company

Fast Company sought out crisis manager Judy Smith ( the real-world inspiration behind Scandal’s Olivia Pope ) to unpack what the CrowdStrike outage reveals about high-stakes leadership when the world is watching; drawing on decades advising world leaders and Fortune 500 CEOs, Smith highlights the pivotal decisions that shape trust in the first hours, the communication traps that can intensify backlash, and the practical steps organizations should take to restore confidence and reduce future risk; read the full article on Fast Company for her complete analysis and recommendations.

Judy Smith — inspiration for ‘Scandal’ TV series — on her path to the White House
March 3, 2026

From riding past in her father’s taxicab to working inside the Oval Office, crisis management expert Judy Smith tells the little-known story of her path to becoming the first Black woman to brief the White House press corps. Smith, CEO of Smith & Company and the inspiration for Shonda Rhimes’s hit series “Scandal,” tells Yahoo

A Conversation with Stan Mcchrystal & Judy Smith
January 9, 2026

In this one-of-a-kind interview, Stan McChrystal, a retired four-star general and CEO of McChrystal Group, and Judy Smith, a trusted expert in crisis management, explore the critical elements of leading through crisis. These renowned leaders offer guidance for handling high-stakes situations with transparency, integrity, and agility. Their combined experiences provide a powerful framework and perspective

The Board’s Role in Navigating Political Risk
February 26, 2025

Erin Essenmacher argues that political risk has become a defining boardroom challenge, and she spotlights Judy Smith as one of the most credible voices on how leaders should navigate it. Smith’s perspective centers on disciplined situational awareness and a clear-eyed read of culture and stakeholders, the kind of judgment that helps organizations move decisively without