Podcaster Stories will be taking a hiatus for the foreseeable future. After 50 plus episodes, with some very personal stories being shared, I've come to the point where I need to take a break for my own mental wellness.

Contact me: danny@podcasterstories.com

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so audiogram creator

Enjoy Podcaster Stories? Leave a review or rating on your preferred app and show the world you care!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Review on Podchaser

If you enjoy Podcaster Stories and you want to support the show, you can do that right here. You'll get a shout on the show, as well as a Producer Credit on the Podcaster Stories website - sweet!

• Become a supporter

Drew Toynbee is one of the co-hosts of Sequel Pitch, a show that takes a movie that never received a sequel, and has the co-hosts pitch their own, often with a special guest to judge the efforts.

Drew talks about how the idea came about, who the biggest movie fan is on the show, how a happy accident led to a new section of the show, and how the podcast community can better help support mental health of podcasters.

While Drew had a spell as an actor, it didn't pan out and he found himself in a variety of mundane corporate jobs. However, his dreams of being able to work in a creative space never left, and this came to fruition while playing video games with university friends online. From there, Sequel Pitch was born.

When the show first started, while the numbers were okay the boys from Sequel Pitch wondered if the idea for the show was sound. However, while they were considering a rethink, the podcast started to get traction thanks to influential supporters in the space promoting the show. This showed the merit of the idea, and how it could grown.

When I asked Drew who the biggest movie fan is out of the four co-hosts, he was clear that it was him. Listen in to his recollection of special edition DVDs, and why trailers don't spoil movies for him.

As part of the growth of Sequel Pitch, the boys now have bonus episodes that are akin to the Director's Cut that movies receive. Drew shares how that came about by a happy accident, but how it's now an integral part of the show.

Drew shares how he suffers from anxiety and impostor syndrome, and he talks about Sequel Pitch's positive impact on his mental health, both through the show itself and how it's forced him to reach out and talk about issues he might be going through.

We talked about how podcasters can fall victim to anxiety, through the pressure that can come with running a podcast. Worries about numbers, how to find sponsors, are people enjoying, etc, and how the podcast industry in general can help podcasters through this.

Connect with Drew:

• Sequel Pitch
• Drew on Twitter

Contact me: danny@podcasterstories.com

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so...

As Season 5 of Podcaster Stories gets close, learn more about what's coming your way in just a few weeks.

Additionally, find out more about Pod Chat, Danny's new show that focuses on the tech, tools, and people driving the podcasting space forward.

Contact me: danny@podcasterstories.com

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so audiogram creator

Enjoy Podcaster Stories? Leave a review or rating on your preferred app and show the world you care!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Review on Podchaser

If you enjoy Podcaster Stories and you want to support the show, you can do that right here. You'll get a shout on the show, as well as a Producer Credit on the Podcaster Stories website - sweet!

• Become a supporter

Mentioned in this episode:

Learn more about Pod Chat

Learn about Danny's new show, Pod Chat, and hear about the latest tech news and cool innovations in the industry, as well as the people driving it forward.

This week, I sit down with Matt Medeiros, host of many shows including the WP Minute and the Matt Report, where he talks tech, podcasting, WordPress, and more.

Matt's journey from "computer guy" to podcaster is an interesting and varied one, and in this week's episode Matt talks about that, as well as the legacy he's looking to build.

Matt has a lot of shows under his belt, both personal podcasts and professional podcasts. Starting out in the WordPress world, and utilizing that with his marketing agency, Matt knew he needed something different to win clients. Enter podcasting. Since then, he's built a great reputation as both a podcaster, and someone in the podcasting space.

Matt spoke about the legacy he wants to leave (even though he cringes when he hears that word!), and it's not the kind of legacy that you might originally think of when you hear the word.

While Matt is heavily ensconced in the tech world through his love of WordPress and podcasting, his father was the one that helped get him there. As Matt says, his dad had a beast of a product that would be the equivalent of a laptop today, and that's what stoked his interests and led him on the path he's on today.

As podcasting continues to grow in popularity, so has the amount of podcast experts and gurus that have suddenly appeared to share their wisdom on how to get a ,illion downloads and huge sponsorship deals in the first month of your show. Matt shares how he has a love/hate relationship with these "experts".

With his background in car sales and agency life, Matt's used to asking people for money, and how to handle rejection. One of the biggest things to avoid that rejection is to build trust - trust in you, trust in your product, and trust (from a podcaster's point of view) in your content. This can help even the smallest podcasters succeed and earn serious revenue.

Matt's super grateful for what the podcasting industry has done for him, and as part of the legacy that he spoke about earlier in the episode, he wants to pass on that gratitude, and the lessons that have come with that, to his children. This includes the art of storytelling and confidence in who you are and what you stand for.

Matt's incredibly passionate about bringing more voices to the podcasting space, especially underrepresented and minority voices. He shares an interesting experiment he's running on his WP Minute podcast to help make this happen.

In an incredibly raw and emotional moment, Matt talked about his involvement with Big Orange Heart, and why he supports it. It was a sobering reminder that we all need to look out for each other's mental health, and make it normal to speak up when you're suffering.

Connect with Matt:

• Crafted By Matt
• Matt on Twitter

Contact me: danny@podcasterstories.com

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320

This week, I sit down with Tony Doe, host of The Tony Doe Podcast, where he chats with radio broadcasters who answer questions fans are curious about.

This audio series is about people from different backgrounds who share their radio stories, and how they feel about the medium's present and future.

Tony's background is in radio, and his show reflects that, with his guests coming from the medium and sharing why they chose radio, and what they're using it for to share their messages or art.

This is also true for Tony, who has used the pandemic to share his knowledge with younger people, and help them get their break in radio and the audio medium.

Because of his background in radio, Tony is well-versed in what can and can't be said on public radio. This changes drastically when it comes to podcasting, and he shares some great insights on what he feels are the biggest differences, and how we can bridge them.

Tony firmly believes that 2022 is the year that the indie podcaster can shine. While mega-million dollars continue to shape who's who in the industry, this leaves a gap for the indie podcaster to be truly contextual for their listener, and deliver a more custom listening experience.

We spoke about the recent controversy around Joe Rogan, and what that might mean for both podcasters and platforms when it comes to what can be said on a podcast. Tony's a believer that the audience needs to make an informed choice - but the podcaster also has a big part to play.

Connect with Tony:

• The Tony Doe Podcast
• Tony on Twitter

Contact me: danny@podcasterstories.com

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Denon DJ HP-1100 Over Ear Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Accusonus audio plugins
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so audiogram creator

Season 4 of Podcaster Stories is sponsored by Accusonus. Make okay audio sound great...

This week, I sit down with Becca Atkinson, host of The Unashamed Alcoholic, where she talks with sober people using their platforms to speak openly about their journey with addiction.

This includes sports stars, media celebrities, and more, and who inspired Becca to openly talk about her own journey as a recovering alcoholic.

Becca shares how she didn't do anything by halves when it came to opening up about her journey as an alcoholic. Indeed, it was on a national radio station that she first got the courage to speak up, and she never looked back from there.

When Bobby Ryan of NHL hockey team Ottawa Senators shared his own story of addiction, Becca wrote a letter to her local newspaper stating her unequivocal support for the player, and thanking him for his bravery in talking out This, in turn, enabled her own bravery.

Despite more people opening up and talking about their own journeys with alcohol and addiction, it's still a very taboo subject for many. Becca feels this can come down to how we've normalized drinking - we're simply expected to start drinking at legal age - but we haven't yet normalized talking about addiction.

When Becca was going through her journey, it led to conversations with her family about what she had been going through, and the lengths she'd gone at times to hide that journey. It was interesting to hear how the different parts of the journey she was on led to very different conversations with her family, especially her two young children.

Recently, Becca posted a tweet about receiving an email from her ex-husband, and how she read the first line and deleted it, knowing she didn't need that negativity in her life anymore. As she says, this is a part of the recovery process, and a good indicator of how far she's come.

Connect with Becca:

• The Unashamed Alcoholic
• Becca on Twitter

Contact me: danny@podcasterstories.com

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Denon DJ HP-1100 Over Ear Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Accusonus audio plugins
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews

This week, I sit down with Kevin Steinberg, host of the Frankly Kev podcast, where he talks to everyday heroes who have experienced one or more of life's many challenges.

No experts giving you a checklist of how to perfectly do things. Or spokespeople and gurus to sell you products with pitch-perfect phrases. No celebrities to gawk at or fawn over. Just real people telling you real life stories.

When Kevin first started his show, he used to do a quick intro about his guest and then get straight to the "meat" of the topic they were talking about. But then he had an epiphany - you wouldn't talk like this away from podcasting, so why do it now? This led to a much different, and more valued, approach to his show.

Kevin's background is in acting, and he feels this is a key part of him being able to make guests feel comfortable when it comes to talking about very difficult topics. He tries to put himself in their shoes, to see what feels right and what shouldn't be asked, and that helps him really empathize with his guests.

Despite the topics on the show being dark, Kevin shares how he and his guests often laugh while recording, because sometimes that's the best defence - and offence - against the horrors that life can throw at us.

Kevin takes his inspiration in life from other people. Whether that's people whose views he agrees with, or those who differ greatly - just taking the time to talk, listen, and learn. Because at the end of the day, we're all we've got.

While Kevin's podcast is about everyday heroes and what they've overcome, his goal for the second season and beyond is an interesting take on the people behind the heroes.

Connect with Kevin:

• Frankly Kev Podcast
• Frankly Kev About page (check it out, it's awesome!)

Contact me: danny@podcasterstories.com

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Denon DJ HP-1100 Over Ear Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Accusonus audio plugins
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so audiogram creator

Season 4 of Podcaster Stories is sponsored by Accusonus. Make okay audio sound great...

This week, I sit down with Suzanne Falter, host of the Self-Care for Extremely Busy Women podcast, a show about the importance of self-care and building healthy self-care habits for women everywhere.

She's also the author of several books and continues the legacy of her daughter Teal, who passed in 2012 ,through helping other women be who they were meant to be.

Suzanne shares the importance of taking care of ourselves. She had never done that her whole life, and it was only when she lost her daughter that she made the time to truly focus on her and her wellness.

As we enter the third year of the global pandemic that is Covid, Suzanne makes an important point about the toll it's taken on us as human beings, beyond the obvious physical loss of life.

Suzanne's show has a multitude of guests on a variety of topics, and she shares the example of one who talked about the rise in verbal abuse, and how we may not treat that the same as we do with physical abuse. 

This then results in tragic circumstances as we see the fallout of silence and inaction. She hopes social justice movements like #MeToo will drive more conversations and awareness.

With Suzanne's podcast and books geared towards empowering women to live the life they want and deserve, she talks about how cultural conditioning is stopping women from meeting that goal. Often they feel guilty for wanting more, and this line of thinking has been instilled almost from birth.

As her daughter Teal lay in her hospital bed, Suzanne realized she knew she was going to die, and this realization made her determined to be the kind of person her daughter would have wanted her to be. 

Connect with Suzanne:

• Suzanne's website
• The Self-Care for Extremely Busy Women Podcast
• The Self-Care Group for Extremely Busy Women

Contact me: danny@podcasterstories.com

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Denon DJ HP-1100 Over Ear Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Accusonus audio plugins
• Boomcaster remote interviewing