By Gini Dietrich

As you well know, we all have people come in and out of our lives—sometimes at exactly the right time and others at the worst possible time. Some stay and some go…and then you have the friends who you don’t see or talk to in months—or years even—and you pick right back up where you left off.

The latter perfectly describes the friendship I have with Shonali Burke. Even though, in nearly every other business relationship, she would be considered a competitor, I am constantly inspired by her and love the times I can sit with her, share a bottle of wine, and kibitz about the PR industry.

In today’s Inquisition, I go almost completely off script so we can talk about teaching, the pros and cons of online courses, unsolicited advice, and the expectations people have of you when you’re in the spotlight.

Though there is no wine involved in today’s discussion, you’ll be privy to the types of conversations we have, plus you’ll learn one thing about her that surprises most people. It will make you laugh out loud.

The Spin Sucks Inquisition

I asked Shonali some of the normal questions (which you can find below), but we did go off script a bit:

• Tell us who you are and what you do.
• What is the biggest mistake you’ve made in the past six months?
• What is one of the biggest trends you’ll be using this year?
• What is one thing about yourself that would surprise most people?
• What is the best book you’ve read in the last six months?
• What is your latest Netflix binge?
• The Five Second Rule.
• Where can people find you online?

If you can’t access the video below, you can find it by clicking here.

Where You Can Find Shonali Burke

Now that you’ve met Shonali, it’s time to get your fingers warmed up and start clicking.

You can find her on:

• Twitter;
• LinkedIn;
• Facebook;
• Google+;
• Slideshare;
• Her business website;
• Waxing Unlyrical (the blog); and, of course…
• The Social PR Virtuoso

And now the floor is yours. Say hello to Shonali!