438. What Podfest 2026 Taught Us About Community

0:04 Good morning podcasting Morning Chat. Today is Tuesday, January 20th, 2026, and today we're recapping Pod Fest 2026 through shared experiences, honest reflections, and lessons learned as the group brings you into the room whether you attended or not. So if you're listening live on Clubhouse, hit the share button, bottom left hand, side of the screen and share it. However, Clubhouse lets you. And if you're catching us via podcast, YouTube, LinkedIn, please share this with a fellow podcaster Now give us about 30 seconds and we'll get things rolling. Thanks for being here. Good morning again, podcasting Morning Chat. Thank you so much for being here. I am your host, Mark Ronick, and currently on stage with me. I hesitated because, as I sometimes say, we have a full house and we really have a full

1:35 house. Aside from the regulars that I share with you in the morning, we've got a lot of people here from Pod Fest who want to share and discuss their experiences, swap stories, etcetera. So first let me introduce the team we have Jonathan Howard, Ralph Estep, BC Babbles, Dr. Fey, Producer Ashley Feller, Sid Meadows, and Alex Baelish. And just to give you a little idea of today, this isn't going to be my Pod Fest recap. This is ours. And of course, I'm going to share. I have plenty I want to share, but it's not just about me here today. We're going to pull stories and experiences. We're not going to sit here and just list out all the sessions, although I think it's important and interesting to share some of the more memorable sessions that some of you experienced at Podfest.

2:32 The first thing I think I brought back with me from Podfest is a potential cold. I got a little scratchy throat, little congestion, not doing terribly. Although I will say the insomnia is back. Thankfully, that didn't happen while Rich Perry, who's here on stage, my roommate at Pod Fest, that didn't, that didn't occur while I was there. Although Rich, I will tell you now, you were snoring a bit. Have I told you that before? That you, you snore? I didn't know that. No, I know that. Yes, you are a snorer and you know, I mean, you also had a couple drinks at the end of the night. So, you know, sometimes when we drink a little bit, sometimes we can snore at times, sure, But it was no big deal. I was able to fall right back asleep. But for whatever reason, once the work day is upon me, my sleep gets screwed up.

3:23 So anyway, let's do it. I want to hear from you. What's the first moment from Pod Fest that pops into your head right now when I ask that question? A moment from your Pod Fest that you would like to share. You going to make me go first? OK, I'll go first. Probably the first moment from Pod Fest that pops into my head right now is that award that I won and probably jumping ahead because I think I'm going to also ask about unexpected moments later. And this was this is definitely a memorable moment for me. I had no idea it was going to happen. All I knew was Chris Kremitsos had texted me probably two or three times throughout the Pod Fest week telling me he'd really like me to be at the closing ceremonies. He wanted to give me a shout out, was how he put it. So of course I'm going to show up for for that, not just because they're shouting me out, but if the man who founded Pod Fest asked me to be there, I'm going to be there. And I really had no idea what to expect. But once they started, they handed out a couple of awards and there was an award, I forget which award it was, but there was one award.

4:41 And then I said to myself, Oh my gosh, he's not going to give me an award, is he? But I received the Glen Herbert Community Hero Award. Glenn the geek is what he goes by Glenn the geek community Hero award. And this was because I believe of several things. Mainly the first one was just that as I've shared with you before, I've been leading the speaker community in networking calls to help build community there. And of course, I was also helping out as a volunteer at Podfest as well. I am Seed, one of the tracks for beginners, and I was very grateful, appreciative, little humble for that. And it really did feel full circle for me because I've shared before, I mean, look, empowered podcasting was inspired by Pod Fest and for multiple reasons. One of the reasons being that for the first couple years, I never really felt like I fit in there. And I recognize that was probably more my own stuff, not the fact that Pod Fest wasn't welcoming, but I just felt like I had a hard time finding my way there. And then Fast forward to my fifth Pod Fest. I'm speaking on a stage for the first time. They're talking about community.

6:02 And then full circle, winning an award for community. That was a great moment for me. Anyone else want to share? Go ahead. Who just came off Mike? It's me. Hi Cliff. So I just want to say this was my very first Pod Fest experience, and I will say what I said at the gratitude ceremony. When I started podcasting in 2005, for the first few years, it was a very lonely thing to be a podcaster because there weren't that many of us in the world and we only knew each other through online connections. And then eventually there were these things called pod camps, these conferences for folks to gather together in local communities, and those were the best. Eventually there were some podcast conference in the early days from the Berkwyn brothers, and then there was New Media Expo with the podcasting track and then eventually Podcast Movement.

6:59 And then the early days of all of those events, there was this family feel, all of us together, all all of us who were so passionate a podcast about podcasting. We travel anywhere to be in the room with other podcasters who loved it as much as us. And somewhere along the way, a lot of that feel had gotten lost in big events that cater towards more of the NPR and the corporate conglomerates that are taking a lot of attention share for in in the podcasting space. And so when I came to Pod Fest, I'd heard people call it Pod Fam, but now I understand why. It is a family gathering of over 1000 podcasters and it felt like family.

7:50 It felt like those early days. And yet it's still a very large venue with a large crowd. But it was my people and it was so amazing I that that that was what stood out to me. Thank you, Cliff. Yeah. And the really interesting thing about that is the fact that I, I believe what I heard was there was something like 80% were first time Pod Fest people there. And I say that the interesting part about that is the fact that it still felt like family. It felt like a reunion, even though there are people that we didn't meet there until this very time here at Pod Fest. Yeah. And another thing that I found very interesting, somebody else had mentioned this, but I definitely concur with what they said. And that is no matter where you went in the entire hotel, if you saw somebody that had a Pod Fest badge, just walking up and having a conversation was the most natural thing. And I'm not the type who typically will go up and just introduce myself to people that I don't already know. But I found myself just gravitating towards that because I had never had any experience where I wasn't fully welcomed into whatever conversation was already taking place. And so the most friendliest crowd and the most easiest networking experience and meeting new piece people that I've had at a conference in years. Thank you, Cliff.

9:18 That's Cliff Ravenscraft. I was glad that I got to sit next to him during Alex Sanfilippo session. I was glad we got a picture right before we left. I was terrible with pictures this time last year. I think I did a great job this year. I did not go in with any intention about taking pictures and that cost me. We talked about this when we were leading up to Pod Fest last week about setting intentions. That was one that I forgot to set and I paid. But it's OK because I got pictures from other people as well. But yeah, Cliff is right. There was this real sense of family and very easy to talk to people. Let's go to Shay and then we'll check in with Deb. Good morning, Shay.

10:00 Good morning. Thanks for having me. Sorry I missed you, Cliff. I have no idea you were there. So thanks for showing up here and welcome to the family, as they say. I'm going to bounce off what you what you said and also what Mark said. The thing about Pod Fest is literally like a reunion, whether you have there the first time or you met somebody on Wednesday night at an opening and then you saw him again on Thursday and Saturday. It's like, Oh my gosh, tell me everything that you've learned so far. And it's just such a welcoming environment, which is why this is they had been my sixth time of attending Pod Fest, third time as a speaker. And a full circle moment, if I may share, was 2020. The first day they had micro cons and they had a military crater con and I was sitting in the audience and met lots of people and military creator con.

10:59 But one particular gentleman I ended up hiring as my podcast producer. And jump ahead to now. We started a business together, a mastermind for podcasters and entrepreneurs. And this year, we then spoke on stage together at Pod Fest on Saturday. So it was just such a full circle moment. Here we are, you know, hanging out in the hallways, just laughing it up and sharing and collaborating 6 years ago and now being able to present on stage, which Rich did an amazing job. I'll give a shout out to Rich. Amazing job for emceeing our room and so thankful for his presence there. So it's just such, so great to see all of you. Thank you, Shay.

11:43 Yeah, Rich is a real pro at MC ING a track. He's taught me the ropes around that. And I've done that now the past couple of years. And I got to say, if you're ever interested in participating more than just attending at Pod Fest or at any conference for that matter, including Empowered Podcasting, if you don't feel up to the challenge of speaking, emceeing is a great way that you can really connect with a lot of people, especially if you do it. I was going to say do it the right way, but that feel doesn't feel good to me to say. But if you do it with good intention, you can really make a big impression. Thank you, Shay. It's so cool.

12:24 Yeah. You and Adam to see the two of you and what you've started to do over the past couple of years. I know you guys have been working together since you guys started your journey together at Pod Fest, But over the past year or two, seeing what you guys are up to is really cool to see. And that's just, that's what's so great about these conferences is that. Yeah, you walk away with stuff for your personal podcast, but you also walk away with so much more partnerships, collaborations, business opportunities, etcetera. It's super cool. All right, I'm going to go to Deb who's on stage. Deb, good morning to you. Did you want to share something from your Pod Fest, either your a moment that comes to mind or maybe even something you expected Pod Fest to give you and what you actually got from it? Because sometimes what you expect doesn't always come to fruition and something else surprises you. Oh yeah, that is so true.

13:23 The first thing I want to say is as a newbie, as one of the 80% who'd never been to Pod Fest before, getting to be made to feel like I belong there made a huge difference. To walk in not knowing what to expect and then being greeted by a friend and a hug. So that was lovely. The thing that surprised me the most was probably all of the connections that I was able to make, all the new people that I was able to meet and learn from. And Shay had told me the magic is in the hallways, and that was really true. The sessions were great, but the collaborative energy in the hallway and the encouragement was the best thing.

14:03 I think that's so true. Thank you for sharing that, Deb. I think that's so true, especially I think for newer attendees. I think when, if you can roam the the hallways, get to know people there, there's so much value in that. Of course, there is too with this speaker sessions, but I feel like that's really a good thing for the newer podcasters attending to take advantage of. I think for me at this point, I almost do better attending sessions because I think what I like to do is listen to people's questions when there's time for Q&A at the end of the sessions. Because there's usually something that I can go and follow up with them afterwards. Like maybe I have more I could add to the answer that they were given.

14:48 Maybe they just said something really interesting or inspiring and I want to talk to them. It just it gave me permission to connect with them in a different way. Absolutely. That makes sense. The way you get to know them in the sessions, you get to hear what their goals are, what they're interested in, and then it creates a better connection. That's very true. Was there a session Deb that in particular that that really stuck out to you that you walked away with with maybe a ton of value? Yes. And you're going to think I'm just saying this, but it was honestly your session and that's you're. You are just saying that. No, I promise. It's because that's my focus is community, and that's also where I need to to grow in building connections with my community.

15:33 It's so important. And what you had to offer in your session was incredibly valuable to me going forward. And I've already got all sorts of ideas rolling around up in that head of mine. Thank you, Deb. I appreciate you saying that. I only paid Deb 100 bucks for that. So if anybody's looking for a good value, talk to Deb. She'll talk you up. No, I really didn't, but thank you, Deb. Yeah, the talk. I guess I should just briefly share about that because I've shared with this community the struggle leading up to it. I wouldn't say it was a home run, but I would say it was pretty darn close. Maybe it was an in the park home run. How's that? I mean, there were moments that I did lose my place. And if you read my social media posts, I lost my place, but for with really good reason, because I found that I was just in the moment, in flow, sharing from the heart. And yes, it was all the material was prepared, but I realized in those moments that I really didn't need the little note cards that I had on my podium just in case. But what ended up happening was, is that I'd get in such a rhythm, such a flow, that when I stopped that flow, sometimes I would say, wait, now what?

16:47 Now where do I go? But only a couple moments like that. And overall, I was really proud of myself. I think I, for the first time really on a Pod Fest stage doing a 30 minute presentation, which I really haven't done something like that before. I think it went really well and I just got some video from our friend Jana Swan. She took video of the whole thing and I started watching it and I was really proud. I was like, wow, that dude knows what he's doing up there. So yeah, I'm glad you got something out of that, Deb. I did get a lot of positive feedback about it too, so it all worked out and now that I have gone through it once, I feel much better about doing this more often.

17:32 So I'm super excited about that. Let's check in with Janae if you have a minute. Did you want to share anything from your Pod Fest experience? This was a great experience. Like you said, Mark, this was your first 50 year. Mine was 50 as well. And what happens with these events is even though there's 80% of your people, you still men manage to find the people that have been coming from past years and you build that relationship, you build that friendship and family. And I felt really loved and cared for and recognize, right? We you get that recognition as you keep coming back. So I felt at home like a lot of us said, you know, it's kind of like a homecoming, kind of like a family reunion. I felt a lot of that myself.

18:21 So getting to speak up on stage again was an excellent experience and overall a very well. Done event. I didn't get to spend as much time at the exhibits like you I usually do over the past, but overall it was really good. Thank you. You're welcome. Yeah, Podfest's exhibit hall is always, well, has always been in my experiences smaller than some of the other conferences I've been to podcast movement and non podcast related conferences. Theirs is a little smaller, but that's not a knock or anything. It's just it is a little bit smaller. And I found that, yeah, I really, I think I walked around one time the entire time I was there. But overall, I mean, it was cool to see some of the the regulars like Buzz Sprout and Libsyn.

19:11 And there were some new ones as well that I'm looking forward to sharing more with you as I have more conversations with them. I think there are a few vendors that I met that may want to be a part of Empowered Podcasting and part of the podcasting morning chat. So more to come there. I'm going to go to Jason, Sir Cone and then I'll go back down the line. Jason, good morning. Jason was one of my one of my pals throughout the weekend. Me, Jason and Rich hung out quite a bit there. Jason, any takeaways? Any anything you want to share from your experience at Pod Fest? Yeah, man, I was just hanging out with you trying to get the rub. What do you mean? Well, I mean, being around Mark Roddick and the thing that you've built from everything that you got to lay out at Pod Fest, everybody, I want to feel a little bit of that.

20:01 So made it a point to be in your presence, Sir. But I will echo what people have said about your presentation. That was a great moment for Pod Fest this year. You really did a lot to spread the good word about community and it showed that people really care about that because you had a packed house for that call. For that presentation, people hanging from the rafters to hear what you had to say and it was a you did a great job of it. I, like you, told everybody the stress leading up to it all paid off in the end. So for me, I will say that that this was my first Pod Fest experience as well. And when I got into the groove and started seeing people and making connections and doing everything you do in an event like this, I questioned myself, why did I wait? Why did it wait?

20:48 Why did it take me so long to get down to Orlando to be a part of this? But now that I'm here, I'm going to make the absolute most of it. Something I learned, and I think it really shows what we're building with Empowered Podcasting. As we've said, events like Pod Fest, they're larger, they're great, There's so many things you can accomplish. But I think about what we're building with Empowered Podcasting and keeping things more small and intimate. One of my favorite moments of the week was the agency breakfast that you and I attended Mark, that Seth Silver's put on. And that was a very small group. But in that 2 hour period that we all sat there and shared ideas and talked about our gains and our our struggles from the past year and what we were looking to build. I was just blown away by some of the insight that was shared at that table.

21:39 And it made me change a couple thoughts in my mind about where I'm going with my business. But ultimately it made me realize there's so much that can happen in this smaller setting because everybody has a voice. Everybody gets an opportunity to learn from one another. And I think that's just a true testament to what Empowered podcasting has become and what it's going to be as we continue to build on it. So that was just one moment for me. That was absolutely huge. Another one, I'll say that I know Mark, you and I kind of talked about this privately. I actually, I don't think I brought it up to you in the moment, but I remember when we were sitting in the restaurant on Saturday night and I glanced to my left and I saw that high top table with all of these podcasting legends and all these people that have accomplished so much.

22:27 And I just remember in my head, I just said, that's a table I want to be sitting at someday. And I think if we all keep doing what we're doing at this table and that table being me, you and Rich, we're going to do something great and and have an opportunity to be at that table. And I mentioned that my little LinkedIn recap, your comment was great, Mark. Like, no, they're going to be at our table either way. Just to think that we're on a course that someday maybe at Pod Fest 2047, people are looking at us at that high top table going, yeah, that that looks like the place to be. But overall is a tremendous experience and I'm looking forward to what next year brings. I hope it's not 2047, maybe 20-30.

23:10 Yeah, that's a, that's a, that's a much better idea. I'm just trying to match the age range of the people that we saw there. Jason, you were one of the smart people. What maybe depending on your the size of your wallet, the smart people that chose a different hotel to stay at because it was a little pricey. That's why Rich and I room together. It's one reason why is to save a little bit of money on the hotel. That hotel is a little pricey, huh? Well I will say this two things I would like to get a roommate next year but I will warn you I'm probably a worse snore than Rich. But I learned oh man it ended up just being more of a running joke because I just thought it had to be told.

23:53 I can't remember which day it was. Yes, stayed in a different hotel so I had to Uber back and forth. Fortunately I had some friends that were in town that had a car and they were able to drive me a couple times but overall just did the Uber thing back and forth. But well the one day I had my contacts in and they dried out just because I I would say just because of the air in that place. It just finally got to me. So I had to go to the little shop and buy a little bottle of eye drops. 18 dollars, $18.00 for eye drops. So wow, right, And this is the thing I want to say like yes, it became a running joke and I just we all just laughed about it. But I don't want that to be something that turns you off to going to pod fest. Yes, that hotel and resort is a little bit pricey, but there are alternatives that will help you save money. And I know that I was the only one that didn't have any problems flying home between you and Rich, but I did have a little bit of a delay.

24:52 And I say that because I got a great deal on a hotel and flight combo. And yes, the hotel was a couple miles down the road, but I don't feel like I really missed anything. I was able to get there on time and be a part of everyday's festivities. So yeah, it is a little bit sticker shock. That's some kidding items there. But overall, I wouldn't let that deter me or deter you from choosing to come to a great event like POD. Fest agreed. The bottled water there I was getting right. Yeah. I mean, that in itself, just a regular sized bottle of life. Life water. Is that what they call it? That was like 10 bucks. It was like akin to being at the airport still or being at a stadium and you're where you're spending $25 on a big beer.

25:38 I get it. They've got you. When she said $18.00 to me for the eye drops, I just kind of stared at her for a minute and I was like, is this thing going to edit my podcast too? What are you? What are you selling me here? Ashley in the chat says are they gold plated eye drops? They might be actually you'd. Think I'm going to cherish that bottle is and use it as sparingly as possible. Thank you, Jason. I'm going to go to Ralph because Ralph said he had a question for the attendees of Pod Fest. So go for it Ralph. Good morning to you and Ralph. But actually before you go on, thank you for holding down the Fort on Thursday and Friday and leading those conversations. I did get a chance to listen to a little bit of both and what I heard you did a fantastic job leading the charge, especially being the newer, A newer member of the team. You just took the reins and ran with it. And I thank you.

26:30 So great job, Mark. I appreciate you saying that. And the team really made me look good. So that's the whole part of that. But I have to be totally honest with you, the whole time I was doing that, I had a huge, I just felt like I missed Pod Fest. And so I was watching the pictures coming back and I got to watch the Hall of Fame awards ceremony. What an amazing time for that was. But I had a practical question. Oh, by the way, Jason and everybody else, if you spent money at Pod Fest, keep those receipts. Those are tax write offs. Even if you paid $18.00 for eye drops just put on the receipt then this is the only place you could buy them because where you work. So at this little practical advice but. My question for those who attended what's 1 surprise take away from your attendance? I know before Podfest we had a discussion about how to prepare, how to be ready for it. What's 1 surprise thing that each of you might have, you know, discovered while you were there too? Weren't expecting ahead of time.

27:21 I love this question. I saw some baza, wanted to share. So some baza. I'll see. We'll put you on the spot and then you can share whatever else you'd like to share. But yeah, Ralph is asking. Any surprising moments for you at Pod Fest? Good morning to you. Good. Morning, Mark. My surprising moment was the new people that were some people were brand new, but the way they dove into the sessions and were willing to hang out was so different. That was to me, I think, my great moment. You were doing a great job Sambaza of grabbing new people and introducing them to everyone. You are such a friendly face there and it is so cool to see how you just embrace these new people and really make them feel like they're in the right place. I commend you for that.

28:12 That was really a nice touch. I thought that you made a big impression. Oh, thank you, Mark. When you get to Pod Fest, there's so many things that are happening at the same time. And I've felt that before. And I think if you could have a buddy that you can hang on to that can show you the ropes, who's been there, I think you would have a better time and enjoy yourself much better. And then kind of like have a whole new understanding from the app. I started off with the Hoover app. I got engagements with the people from there. So when I meet you and I look at your card and I'm like, oh, wait a minute, I talked to you and some people who we had conversations with on the app, we turned it into conversations at the Pod Fest.

28:55 It was just great to kind of take what was there from the app right down to being personal one-on-one. And the app is a great thing to do to to use first. What I would also like to say is volunteer. If you volunteer, it takes you to a session. They'll assign you a session. You'll be there for two to three hours, just two to three hours. And in that time it'll be random. However, when you sit there, you will actually take your time. It'll be like your moments to chill and view things and listen to a session. You may never get to see other sessions, but that could be the only session you'll see and you probably get something out of that particular session that you're volunteering at.

29:37 I think the love that I experienced around there from everyone, I got to meet new people and like you said, Mark, we were busy like connecting here and saying hey, somebody needs something here. I'd be like, hey, Mark, I think I know somebody who may need help in that, or this is somebody who you'll need. So there was those, there were those interactions. And I think I met people from Texas. One of the greatest things also. OK, I'll add this surprise moment. I come from a small town called Phony and it was a surprise to me that I actually met somebody who was from 40 and doesn't live too far away from me and we got to connect.

30:17 The last thing I'm going to say is going into the second year from the first year, I think it becomes a bit easier. You kind of know your way around adding small things here and there and which is the thing about Pod Pod Fest, you start off at, I'll say zero and then you just keep adding stuff one at a time. This year what I added was I sat down with people for 5 minutes with flash cards. I made a session, a meet up and people came up and we did talks and I asked them, you know, about their podcast. And then we did some flash cards. Great thing to do to get to know people. And I'm hoping that these conversations will be coming further and further and hopefully I'll do it next year.

30:57 And that was what I wanted to add about my Pod Fest experience this year. And thank you all for whoever was there. Thank you all for making me comfortable and give me a hug if you got a chance to give me a hug. I definitely had a few chances and got a few hugs from some baza. Yeah, it was great seeing you there. Some baza. And I'm going to keep things going. Cliff, I have a question for you. And then I, there are other people on stage as well, like Clancy. If you wanted to share anything, I'm going to come to you as well. But Cliff, I wanted to come to you because, you know, I went to Alex's session and pleasantly surprised to see you there and came and sat right down next to you. And I saw and I kept looking over at you every so often anyway, And I saw you taking lots of notes. And I said to myself, wow, this is interesting. Like Cliff is here is Cliff is such a long time veteran of podcasting, been doing it just as long, if not longer than I have.

31:53 I mean, I when I was in my early days, I found Cliff's website and I used to get advice from Cliff's website all the time. So I kept saying to myself, wow, is he like I would never expect that he would be learning stuff at this point, but it certainly looked like you did. So did you get a lot out of Pod Fest Cliff? Absolutely. So when I started Podcast Answer Man in 2006, the very first episode I said, listen, I am launching this with the name Podcast Answer Man, not because I have all of the answers. I certainly have lots of experience. I have thousands of hours in podcasting, but I don't have all of the answers. And then what I said next is you'll be hard pressed to find somebody who's more passionate about podcasting than I am. And any question you have, I know where to get the answers. And so when I was at Pod Fest, I was sitting in the front row of each of the sessions I attended and I was taking notes because I wanted to know what is the area of expertise of each of these peers, each of these speakers, each of these people who are also out there sharing their knowledge, sharing their experiences.

33:04 And so for me, yes, I'm learning things that I didn't know. There's way too many things to explore these days, way too many technologies and services and ways AI can be implemented in all of that stuff. But at the same time, even the stuff I already know, I like the people who specialize and go even further to serve at a deeper level in a niche specific way. So I'm sitting there taking notes not only on the new things I'm picking up, but I'm also making notes of the nuances of who can I refer people that I talked to in the future to go to them for the additional deeper layer on a specific topic. Anything specifically Cliff that you walked away with? Maybe like an aha moment or wow, I'd never thought about it that way.

33:52 There were plenty, and I think a lot of it had to do with tools related to AII. My eyes were opened to some of the things that I have just automatically discounted because I like to have my fingers on all of the things and not necessarily form out any of the decisions when it comes to editing. But there were a few tools that were mentioned and specifically even you had highlighted this once I put a, a short video out not too long ago and I said something, one of my greatest pet peeves or one of my biggest things that I really hate is actually doing an editing on a podcast where for an entire hour the guest went and it's like, you know, you could use AI to do that.

34:38 And so I've known those tools that have been out there. I've just never used them because I have been cautious of the fact that maybe it's too aggressive on its edits. So I actually heard people say what the tools they're using. I'm going to actually go apply those tools, play with them, see if I can get the results that are preferable. It's just little nuances like that. Yeah, thank you, Cliff. And I think for me, one session that really stood out as you shared as far as a lot of good info on AI, Annika Jackson, she put on such a great presentation. She did something similar at our conference at Empowered Podcasting, really showing all of the different tools that she's using, specifically AI tools to help her from pre production to post production to promoting her podcast. And the reason why, you know, some of you maybe think, but Mark, you talk about using AI all the time. I and I do use it, but the way that she's using it, she's really figured out how to use these various tools, whether it's ChatGPT, clawed perplexity and more specific AI tools to podcasting.

35:50 She's figured out a way to really work all of them together into real, what the best way to put it is a a well oiled machine. And that's one area that I haven't really explored with all the different AI tools is how do I really make these all work together? And she just blew my mind because I didn't get to see her presentation at Empowered Podcasting. If you're interested in really taking your AI experience to another level, I would say, look, Anika Jackson U. I'll make sure that I give Ashley a link to connect with her, and we'll put that in the show notes for you. Clancy, good morning to you. Clancy from the podcast The Loud Client, the client, I was mixing 2 sentences in one.

36:39 She is a client and her podcast is the loud quiet and that's a podcast for empty nesters. Her and her husband Rick, they do that show together and now they've put out a book or it's coming out all based on their experiences as empty nesters and of course, experiences from their podcast, Clancy. Good morning. Do you want to share any experience from your Pod Fest? Good morning. Yes and I have the conference called so sorry my voice is does not sound great. Last year was our first year and we really got invited because of Rick's business podcast. So we hadn't been doing ours, but maybe a little over a year together. So I kind of went in with a little bit. I've talked about this on our podcast of imposter syndrome. I didn't really feel like I was supposed to be there. I wasn't sure.

37:34 We just decided to do a podcast to stay connected after our youngest left for college. But we met Mark and we met Tina, who is a publisher of our book. And I mean, completely changed the trajectory of our podcast. So going back this year, I went in with a little more confidence. We were actually, you know, on a speaker's panel. And it was just a great experience. Last year, I felt like I had to fill my time with sessions and be in every session because we knew no one there. And so this year it was so nice to be able to.

38:15 I did a lot more hallway talking than I did going to sessions and that was just so great. And it was so great to see you, some of you guys in our speaking event and then, you know, going to y'all's. It was just the I love the support. The support was just amazing this year. And again, we met someone this year that we are probably going to start working with marketing our book. And so you just never know who you're going to meet that will change the, you know, your business completely. So I would just encourage everyone to just, yeah, go if you can and just make some great connections. I love that Clancy, what advice would you give to somebody who is, you know, thinking about going to a podcast conference brand new, never been before.

39:08 And you know, because like, I feel like it's you're a good person to ask, considering when, like you said, your first time, you knew no one. What advice would you give to somebody who's on the fence about going to a conference? I would say hop over the fence. Just do it now. It was nice for us because yes, I haven't built. I have a built in buddy. So I do agree with some, Maza, if you can bring someone with you, even if they're not in the podcasting world, bring them with you because it is nice if you don't know anyone to have someone that is there for you. I was not all in on it last year, but now I am. And I'd also say start with some of the smaller ones, Like you're smart. You know, we told several people about your event. And so I would say, yeah, find some smaller, you know, try to connect.

39:56 We're trying to grow our North Texas podcasters and start events here. I would just say just do it. Yeah, Thank you. Yeah, just do it. That's I think the best bet. And like you said, I think that I think a lot of people, like some Baza was another person who shared this, right? Like, yeah, you go the first time and it is overwhelming and you don't know what to expect. And once you get over that hump, though, first of all, by the end of the conference, I think you probably feel a lot different than the start. But then once you just start going back for the second, the third time, it gets much easier. And as we keep saying here, it does feel like family. So I I would say the same thing. Get a jump over the fence and come join. And I think you'll get a lot out of these conferences. Absolutely.

40:41 Let me go to Christina. Christina, also a buddy at Pod Fest of mine, hung out a lot. Me and her and Jason and Rich and Karen, and we had a little crew of our own that we hung out with. Shay was part of that as well. Christina, good morning to you. Would you be open to sharing any of your experience? Maybe a memorable moment or something maybe that surprised you when you were at Pod Fest? Thank you for that and good morning. Yes, Oh my goodness, this being Pod fest #2 just blew my mind. And I have to second everything that you just spoke about because December 2020 fifth and Powered Podcasting meet up in Rockville and I'd never stepped away from my screen before.

41:30 It's 10 minutes from my house. I have to do this. I have to go meet some people because, well, I'm a podcaster now. And you, Jonnade, Adam Bird met the three of you. And I said, what is this pod fest thing? What can you tell me about it? And you all said you have to go, followed by your words, Mark of saying you're going to meet the most friendly people in the room. You're going to be welcomed with new friends. And I'm like, OK, I'm going to try this thing out. And I went and I had no idea that I was already walking in with friends from the A-Team. And. Just like, wow, I felt celebrated and just, you know, I've told you this before and anybody I share and point at Mark, I'm going, he's the guy.

42:16 He's the man. You have to know Mark, not only he's the incredible podcaster, he's a friendly guy and encouraging. And it's the reason I walked in the door. And I remember speaking it to you last year and saying, thank you, I'm here. And then coming back this year, seeing my own own trajectory over the last year and meeting new faces. I had a little bit of agenda of going, OK, now I know what this thing's about and I have new friends to make this time around. And it was just an incredible experience. And I'm just floating from all of this. It's just so good. And one of my pieces of advice, Use that app, get to meet people, set those meetups because I set up a meet up and I had 62 people reserved for my visibility meet up.

43:00 Wow. Incredible. That's awesome. I'm so glad that you decided to do it, Christina. And yeah, another. She's another example of somebody who took the plunge, decided to give it a try, and now is reaping a lot of the benefits of doing so. So kudos to you, Christine. I'm so glad you were there. Thank you, Mark. Thank you. You're welcome. Does anyone from the team, the PMC team have any questions for either in any individuals here on stage or for all of us? Yeah, Sid, go for it. Good morning again. I love hearing all of. The E takeaways. But like, what's an area for improvement that could be besides moving it from Orlando to someplace else?

43:42 What's an area? For. Improvement that we could take away, Mark, if you're planning or just in general like what could they have done different or better? I added this in my feedback when podcast said hey you know fill out the the feedback form. The thing is, I don't know how necessarily. To do it there. Were a couple presenters that their title didn't necessarily align with what they were saying on stage or maybe fell? Short. Of delivering the value that some of the attendees were hoping for. And I saw that in in 2 presentations and excuse me, sorry.

44:23 Someone else who's caught the pod fest bug, yes, yeah. Maybe that was the maybe that was why I was snoring, because I was all suggested being an MC for multiple sessions and having people come to me to express that frustration. I felt it was my duty to put that in the feedback form. And I don't know how necessarily to vet some of the speakers, especially if they're a first time speaker, you know, without creating more of a workload, like, hey, can you send us a video of yourself on stage at another event or something along those lines? I don't know how the easiest way to remedy that solution is, but I do know that there were a few attendees that expressed that frustration that they felt that the presenter didn't deliver properly.

45:17 And being the emcee, I saw it like I there were two presentations I can think of where I was like, you know, what's this cat talking about? Like what, what's going on up there on stage? You know what I'm saying, better way of vetting people. That might be something to look forward, look to, and that might be something that we include with EPC, like especially if it's a newer presenter that isn't part of the community that people can vouch for. I heard some of that as well, Rich. And I mean, a lot of the talks I sat in, maybe it's because I made it a point to sit in a lot of talks of the people that I already know. But all the talks I sat in, people delivered what they said they would.

45:57 But I did hear that same feedback that you're sharing. And actually I'll share. I had a conversation actually about that with Chris on the last night at Podfest when everyone does cigar club outside at the end of the night and they all do it till the wee hours of the morning. But yeah, Chris and I talked about that. And that is something I think Podfest is very aware of. I think they want to do an even better job of vetting the different speakers. And I think that's something that he's even asked me to be a part of going into next year to help keep, to help improve the speakers. Not that there were, they were all bad, but there were certainly some that I think maybe slipped through the cracks and they want to they want to avoid that moving forward.

46:45 Anyone else have anything they want to share about their Pod Fest experience? And maybe Jason, maybe let me go to you before I change the subject or wrap up, depending how much time we take. But Jason, you were a big part this past year at Empowered Podcasting, vetting the different speakers. And I know that me, you, and Rich all weighed in on that, but you really LED that charge. A, did you feel the same as Rich did? And B, did you feel that the way that you helped find empowered podcasting speakers, do you think that there could be something that you did that Pod fest could apply? I did experience that in a couple of the presentations that I went to as well. And what I discovered really for me that it was more of the ones that I wasn't intentional with.

47:33 There were ones that. Okay, yeah, I'm, I'm wandering the halls and then seeing something. OK, I'm going to wander in here and see what happens. And that was just like, OK, This is why I didn't write this one down because this person is not talking about what they said they were going to talk about. But anybody that I was intentional that I knew personally or they told me, hey, I'm going to be talking about this, I would go to that and that's what I got. So I would probably say on the larger scale, it was, it was delivered. What was going, what they said they were going to deliver. I think from a vetting perspective, it's so hard to compare because we're so much smaller. I mean, you think like what I what I was looking for, our lineup for EPC two, what we did over the course of a weekend is what they're doing before lunch, you know, because and, and then multiply that by three because they've got three days worth to fill. So I think that, you know, I'll, I'll make reference to my feeling a little bit snubbed about not getting chosen to speak.

48:39 However, now learning that it's probably because I never really took the time to attend Now that I have, I'm hoping that that's going to be remedied. But I would say that there's probably so many entries to choose from. I think I somebody had told me, or I heard it in passing that they received over 1000 requests or 1000 submissions. I think it was like 6 to 700 and it was a record for speaker submissions at Pod Fest. That's a lot to go through. I remember I, like I said, like the first, the very first, I know I told somebody I was talking to this week and the very first night that I sat down to go through our list of all the submissions, we got lit a cigar, poured a glass of bourbon and just come through each one one by one.

49:29 And that was I was able to get that done in an evening. That's probably not something that they were able to do in this just from the sheer quantity. So I think it's going to be just one of the unfortunate happenings of that process. It's some things are going to slip through the cracks. Of course, you want people to deliver on what they're saying they're going to bring to the stage, but it's probably hard to get a 100% quality check in place. So I think I know one thing we're talking about and we'll get into this more as we get into our serious planning in the upcoming weeks of doing video submissions. And I know Rich just made a mention to that. It's got some merit to it.

50:16 You can hear a little bit about what's going to actually be said. And you know, I still, I still wonder even if, you know, the weighing the pros and cons of that, I wonder if some people would still say, yeah, I'm going to talk about this and that. But then when they get on stage, they go a different path. Hopefully it's something that we can manage and keep it as above board as possible. But overall, I think it's going to be and I just like I said, when you project it out to that grand scale of speakers, they have to try to choose, it's probably going to be hard to catch everybody and and get the mother age. Back. Thank you, Jason. All right, listen close to wrapping up here, I want to share just a couple of things. One is I do want to share that, you know, Alex has shared this before when he spoke on the Petcha Cucha stage at Pod Fest, the five minute presentations that goes on all the first day, or at least a big chunk of the first day. I've got to just echo the fact that that's got to be, in my opinion, I think harder to do those than to do a 30 minute presentation.

51:24 It is the pressure to do something like that, have a whole and, and here's the real thing that I think would completely throw me off is the fact that the slides are just rotating. You don't have a clicker, you can't Click to the next slide. You just have to make sure you say everything you're supposed to say regarding that first slide before the second one pops up. And I that would drive me nuts. So I applaud every single one of those Pechacucha speakers and I hope that those that some of those speakers are hearing me, the ones that maybe think I just got a 5 minute presentation. No, you got the hardest kind of presentation and you did it and I applaud you for it.

52:12 I don't think I ever want to do a Petcha Cucha talk. Ever. That was a lot of fun. It was like on ice skates with ice. Well, that would make sense. No, I'm sorry, roller skates on ice. Oh, there it is. OK, I was saying a few things, but anyway. Yeah, it I was just super impressed. And I'll just share a final moment that really hit me personally. You know, look, I went into Pod Fest with one of the intentions to make a lot of contacts and quite frankly, hoping that I'd come away with new clients. You know, Clancy and I and and her husband, Rick, we started working together as a direct result from Podfest.

52:56 We sat down and did our discovery call, quote, UN quote, at Podfest last year, and now we've been working together ever since. And so, yeah, I want to create those kinds of relationships, have those kinds of clients that I can really have a personal connection with right out of the gate. There's something special about that. And I'll say that I didn't have any big moments like that. I have, I'll say, some warm leads, but I'm not disappointed because I recognized that this experience for me at Pod Fest was more for me. It was more about me acknowledging and embracing my worth in this industry and in that community.

53:36 The fact that I went from really never feeling like I belonged there to now feeling like one of the faces. It's a little bit of a mind blowing experience and specific to my talk I shared, which you guys know I am very open, maybe maybe too much when I talk about my ADHD, just meaning I know I talk a lot about it and I did that at my presentation to open. I've acknowledged first that Podfest can be overwhelming because of all the choices. And I shared with this ADHD brain, I acknowledge that I, I've experienced that overwhelmed first hand and I shared that yeah, this and I, I just put it out there. I've got these note cards here to help me stay on track because I know my, that the ADHD will will probably get the best of me at some point.

54:31 I'm sharing this with you because later, I think the next day, I was walking the hallways, I think heading into another talk and there was a volunteer standing at the doorway that was greeting people that to, you know, let people in. And she stopped me and said, you did the talk on community, right? You know, she gave me compliments about the talk itself. And then she started focusing on the ADHD and she said, I really want to thank you for being vulnerable, for sharing that you experienced ADHD and you got on that stage anyway. And you delivered a fantastic presentation.

55:13 And I'm not saying that to get kudos again about my presentation. My point is, well, her point was I gave her permission to do this. She said I've been coming to Podfest, I want to speak and I've not applied to do so because I'm terrified that my ADHD is going to get the best of me and I feel like I'm not capable. And you up there gave me permission to do that. That was a huge moment for for me that honestly felt bigger to me than landing my next client. It's amazing how when you're authentic, when you just share who you are and unapologetically, it's amazing how you can touch people. It's amazing how people can then see themselves in you. So whether you want to be on a physical stage or a stronger podcaster, just embrace who you are unapologetically unashamed. That was a huge take away from for me, and I just can't thank Podfest enough for all that they did. They certainly inspired Jason and Rich and I Jason and Rich, a part of the executive team now of Empowered Podcasting. They gave us a lot of things to think about for the next event in August.

56:33 And by the way, if you want tickets to that, go to empoweredpodcasting.com. Hey, Mark. Yes. Should we mention the podcast special? The Pod Fest. Special. Yeah, absolutely. Will you share? I'd love to. So we this is, it's funny how things work out. We were trying to come up with a special that we can offer to folks that we ran into at Pod Fest if they'd like to attend EPC 3, get a jump on the tickets. And we wanted to do something that would not be as low as the offer that we gave to our community for attending our event back on the holiday season, but still be significant. And when we did the discount code, it came out $25 was just a touch over 200.

57:25 Once you had the fees, we dialed it back to 26 and it made it $199.96. So we can officially say if you take advantage using the code Podfest 26 from now until I think we were going to do it till Thursday, I can't remember the exact day, but do it now. Get it this week. Get it this week, it will be the last time that the ticket for EPC 3 August 21st through 23rd is under $200. Thank you, Jason. And I'm going to make sure we put the correct coupon code because I'm not sure. I just want. I'm not. Is that and are you certain that that's the code?

58:06 I am very sure. All right then, there you go. We'll make sure to put that code in the show notes for you as well if you want to be a part of the Empowered Podcasting conference coming the weekend of August 21st. Thank you all for sharing your experiences at Podfest. Thank you to Podfest for putting on such an amazing event. We are back tomorrow. We're going to be covering all the headlines around the world of podcasting, including some pod fest news, I'm sure. But come join us and share. And if it's something that you've got that's new to you that you want to share with us, come bring that tomorrow too. Maybe it's a new tool, maybe it's something you heard in the news. We want to hear from you as well. So come join us 7:00 AM Eastern live on all the different streaming platforms that you can learn about at Podcasting Morning chat.com.

58:55 So until tomorrow, make it a great day everybody take care.