If you run in podcasting circles long enough, it's easy to discover people in the industry who virtually everyone respects. A few have developed a gigantic following. Some have perfectly cornered their niche. Others have simply been podcasting since the very beginning. For me, several names always seem to come up: John Lee Dumas, Jeff Brown, Daniel J Lewis, and...Glenn the Geek. For those of us still trying to learn where we fit into the podcasting universe, Glenn is a role model. Not only has h...
Apr 25, 2017•17 min
Some people notice things. Other people do things. Some people talk. Other people act. Some people complain. Other people create. Our guest today is other people. After noticing discrepancies between what's true in Washington and what's reported about Washington--and a severe lack of transparency within Congress--Jen Briney decided to do something about it. She created the Congressional Dish podcast, which ultimately became hugely successful, and it's truly making a difference. Not only will you...
Apr 17, 2017•16 min
It seems like nearly every podcaster has a "day job." A job that pays the bills and provides the knowledge and/or expertise a host needs for his show. Over the course of this podcast, one of my favorite parts has been learning my guests' wide variety of "day jobs." Accountants, consultants, developers, radio hosts. Today, I talk with Buck Ballard who--in real life--is a truck driver. And he managed to turn his knowledge of the road into a successful podcast with his son. His story is fascinating...
Apr 12, 2017•15 min
As much as I don't want to admit it, I can be an "excuses guy." Miss an appointment with a client? Blame it on not enough sleep or a congested calendar. Bad night playing volleyball? Perhaps I ate too much or didn't stretch. It often feels like the last thing I want to do is admit that I'm the issue rather than my circumstances. Today's guest on My Worst Interview Ever apparently doesn't struggle with that same issue. He's blind...and yet most people would never know it. In fact, for years, his ...
Apr 10, 2017•18 min
Just like Los Angeles is filled with actors masquerading as waiters, Nashville is packed to the rafters with musicians waiting tables as well. The competition for available gigs is extremely steep and the odds for making a living are extremely long. Several decades ago, Nashville-born David Hooper realized that his skill set made him less of a candidate for playing music and more of a candidate for marketing it. So, that's what he chose to do. And he did so extremely successfully. Today, however...
Mar 24, 2017•18 min
They say there are two things you should never talk about at work: politics and religion. (Unless you work at FoxNews or CNN, I suppose.) There are just certain topics that divide people, start fights, and ultimately cause more problems than they solve. But don't tell that to Kenn Blanchard. Kenn adds race to the political and spiritual mix, and then talks about all three issues all the time. And, remarkably, he does it with great clarity and success. His background is something movies are made ...
Mar 22, 2017•14 min
Since starting RINGR, I learned of a phrase called "first to market." Entrepreneurs and investors particularly like it because the concept is seen as a major advantage in the business world. It stands to reason that--if you can be the first company to present X product to market--then you'll have a better chance of getting and retaining a majority of the consumers who have been looking for X. Even if others come along later and try to copy what you're doing. I'm not sure I've ever heard a more c...
Mar 20, 2017•16 min
I first met Matt at an investor meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio. A mutual friend introduced us, knowing that we had each spent significant amounts of time in the audio space. Matt on the technical side. Me on the creative side. Also, Matt was carrying a large rubber ducky which made it nearly impossible to not strike up a conversation. Anyway, as it turns out, Matt is a really cool (and smart) dude...and he and his rubber ducky stand on the edge of an interactive children's toy gold mine. Matt is al...
Mar 17, 2017•11 min
Ana Marie Cox is a political columnist and culture critic and is the Senior Political Correspondent for MTV News. She writes about politics and policy, and hosts the “Talk” interviews featured in The New York Times magazine. She lives in Minneapolis, MN and—despite frequently tweeting about cats—has more than 1.3 million followers on Twitter. SHOW NOTES: 0:36 - How did Ana get so many freaking followers on Twitter? She says it's because she "cheated." We say it's because she's awesome. 2:58 - Of...
Mar 15, 2017•16 min
There are things in life we wish we could do. And then there are things in life we're willing to do. For example, I really wish I could speak Spanish. However, after taking two years of Spanish in high school, going on four extended trips to Peru, and owning a timeshare in Mexico, it's apparently not going to happen. If those things aren't going to motivate me to learn a new language, I'm not sure anything will. At this point, I'm simply not willing to put the time in to turn my wish into a real...
Mar 13, 2017•16 min
Since the day that I met her, the voice on my wife's phone has been that of a burly Australian man, rather than Siri. I don't know that he has a name, but I've always been kind of jealous of him...speaking all sultry-like to Noel as she drives. Anyway, Joshua C. Liston has a super-cool Australian accent that makes me jealous too. But Joshua also has an unbelievable worst interview that you just have to hear to believe. Truly, it's fantastic. Joshua C. Liston calls himself a Terminator fan, a wan...
Mar 10, 2017•17 min
I never really started to feel like I was old until recently. I'm rapidly approaching 40, which is the age I remember my parents being when I thought they were old. College students call me "sir" now. And my joints hurt for days after playing volleyball. Our guest today didn't help matters when he told me that--as a kid--he used to listen to me on the radio. One one hand, that's awesome. On the other hand, seriously?! How ancient must I be to have grown adults now telling me stuff like that? Ugh...
Mar 08, 2017•16 min
When I lived in Chicago, I became friends with a guy named Manny who operated a halfway house of sorts for men who had just been released from prison. Manny was from South America, and he frequently would say to people, "I went to Yale." However, in the Spanish language, the letter J is often pronounced like a Y. So, what Manny was really saying was, "I went to jail." Which he did. Our guest today, Vasavi Kumar, doesn't need a linguistic trick in order to tell people she's an Ivy Leaguer. Primar...
Mar 06, 2017•14 min
"People are like teabags. You find out what's really inside them when you put them in hot water." I have no idea who first said that, but it's one of my all-time favorite sayings. When life is going well, it's easy to appear calm, cool and collected. However, when things begin to fall apart, that task is infinitely more difficult. In a nutshell: how we handle the bad stuff in our past directly impacts the quality of our future. Heather Ann Havenwood is the kind of person who makes lemonade out o...
Mar 03, 2017•16 min
Back in 2014, at the very first Podcast Movement, I met Daniel J Lewis. I was new to the podcast world, new to my business, and standing alone at the RINGR booth trying to meet as many people as possible. Daniel asked a ton of technical questions about RINGR that I didn't really know the answers to. Partly because I'm not a technical guy. Partly because we didn't have an actual product at the time...just an idea for one. It wasn't until after our initial conversation that I learned just how infl...
Mar 01, 2017•15 min
From the time I was in high school, I have loved creative job titles. In fact, while I was drawing floor plans for home builders in our area (at 17 years old), I called myself a Custom Residential Designer. (Apparently, calling yourself an architect without the degree or license is illegal!) But, I digress. Apple uses "Genius." Quicken Loans has a "VP of Misc. Stuff." Matrix Group calls its CEO the "Chief Troublemaker." Our guest today, Holly Worton, has a pretty cool title too...and a fun "wors...
Feb 27, 2017•14 min
As a kid, before I ever dreamed of being in broadcasting, I love listening to my grandpa tell stories of his days in radio. He worked overnights in Detroit for a time and, every morning before signing off at 5 or 6am, he would play my grandma a love song. It sounded super romantic. However, knowing how much my grandma enjoyed sleep, I'd be surprised if she was ever awake to hear the dedications. But, regardless, the stories were fantastic. Though not nearly old enough to be my grandfather (or ma...
Feb 24, 2017•14 min
The say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Which in some cases is absolutely true. Unfortunately, imitation can also be plagiarism, copyright or patent infringement, or just plain old laziness. It's two sides of the same coin, I suppose. Having been in the space since the beginning, Dave Jackson knows a lot of podcasts. He knows a lot of podcasters. And he knows--pretty much instantly--when a podcasting legend is being blatantly ripped off by someone else. That realization during an in...
Feb 22, 2017•14 min
I spent 17 years working in, primarily, Christian radio. I had a lot of fun and probably pushed the envelope more than most do on these types of stations, though we admittedly had to operate in a much smaller "box" than most. From topics to language to attitudes, my shows lived in a uber-conservative landscape. Dave Kirby and I met while working at one of these stations during a fundraiser to help feed and educate needy kids in Africa. So, when I asked Dave to be on the podcast, I (foolishly) ex...
Feb 20, 2017•15 min
From the time I was in junior high, I had a "side hustle," though that term hadn't been invented yet. First it was a paper route. Then a job at a shoe store. Then I turned my love for architecture into a drafting business. My high school actually paid me to skip study hall to go draw floor plans of the various buildings in our district. In college, I picked up radio...and then voiceover and production gigs...and, most recently, public address jobs at sporting events. It's actually a pretty sweet...
Feb 17, 2017•16 min
Every single morning, my grandpa would get up and begin cutting up grapefruit for he and my grandma. She would make oatmeal on the stove, and he would meticulously pick out the seeds and delicately slice each and every triangle-shaped piece. Once the food was ready, they would sit down, eat, and grandpa would pull out the morning paper and do the crossword puzzle. While I enjoyed the breakfast, I was fascinated by the puzzles. Only being in elementary school at the time, I couldn't help much...b...
Feb 15, 2017•15 min
There are certain people you meet in this life who always seem to be doing something. Not talking about it. Not planning for it. Actually doing it. In the podcasting space, Chris Krimitsos is one of those people. From leading an industry conference to producing a ground-breaking documentary about the space, Chris is neck-deep in the podcasting world. And he makes it seem like business as usual. But the story of how he got there? It's anything but usual. Chris Krimitsos is the Chief Creative Offi...
Feb 13, 2017•15 min
In late 1988, my dad began looking for a new job. It wasn't the he didn't like his job as a high school teacher and counselor, but since he also was involved with the music at our church and as a marriage and family counselor at a private practice, he was stretched thin. I was in 5th grade at the time, but I remember him saying that he was searching for a job that combined all the things he loved about his current jobs (music and counseling and teaching), but in one job. That's why, in the Summe...
Feb 10, 2017•15 min
Shortly after my family moved to Illinois, I remember my dad mentioning that "the new guy on the radio" had started going to our church. His name was Doug Hannah. In Jr. High at the time (early 90's), I had no interest in radio as a career yet...but I could still tell that this guy was going places. And a few years later, he did. To Chicago. And then Houston. And then Nashville. A decade later--and in radio myself--Doug called and offered me a job, giving us the chance to work together at WAY-FM...
Feb 08, 2017•13 min
Some people find it extremely hard to focus. I know this because 1) it's fairly common knowledge and 2) I'm one of them. (Hey look, a duck!) Todd Uterstaedt, however, is not one of those people. As you'll hear, Todd is laser-focused on a very specific audience, and he does it both well and unapologetically. Todd doesn't talk to startup founders. He doesn't talk to CEOs. He only sits down with current CEOs who founded the company and had to make the transition from creating a company to maintaini...
Feb 06, 2017•15 min
Before "My Worst Interview Ever" began, I put a list of people together who were "dream guests." Essentially, they were leaders in the industry who I didn't expect to get on the show, but I sure hoped to. Each had to fulfill all of the following requirements: A thought leader in the business, entrepreneurship, podcast and/or broadcast spaces Having done (or been a guest on) a ton of interviews Have a great/painful "worst interview" story to share Lead a passionate tribe of people who would natur...
Feb 02, 2017•15 min
Many years ago (though not too many, 'cuz she is super young), Elsie Escobar and her family emigrated to the United States from El Salvador. As you might imagine, it changed her life. Not only was she in a new country with a new language and new customs...but she was presented with new opportunities that simply didn't exist in her home country. To say Elsie has made the most of those opportunities would be a massive understatement. She turned her love for yoga into a podcast and that podcast int...
Feb 01, 2017•15 min
In early 2015, mere months after starting RINGR, I moved to Cincinnati, Ohio for six months to join a business accelerator called OCEAN. Being somewhat new to the podcast industry, I had heard Cliff Ravenscraft's name...but I didn't fully grasp how influential he was, nor did I realize that he lived about 10 miles from Cincinnati. However, I quickly learned about both and proceeded to send Cliff a completely unsolicited and unabashedly selfish email. Long story short, the guy known as "The Podca...
Jan 30, 2017•16 min
Several years ago I emceed a fundraising event that was being headlined by a well-known, well-respected public speaker. Since we were both seated at the head table, I had the chance to chat with him for a bit during dinner. To say I was surprised (and disappointed) by his demeanor would be a gross understatement. From stage, this man was articulate, passionate, and a pillar of kindness and grace and selflessness. In person, um...not so much. As best I could tell, this man played a role when he g...
Jan 27, 2017•15 min
There is no shortage of inspiring quotes about dealing with setbacks in life: "Make lemonade out of lemons." "It's not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get back up again." "Losers quit when they fail. Winners fail until they succeed." "When a door is closed, a window is opened." And I could list hundreds more... But far more powerful than any quote is the story of someone who has actually proven these proverbs to be true. Someone who has squeezed every last drop of jui...
Jan 25, 2017•15 min
