She Podcast Live is coming! From October 14-17, members of the She Podcasts community will be hanging out in Scottsdale, AZ for a weekend of learning, networking, and building podcast friendships and collaborations.

On today’s episode of Between Two Mics, SquadCast co-founders Zach and Rock chat with the founders of She Podcasts (and now She Podcasts Live), Jess Kupferman and Elsie Escobar!

Here’s some of what they discuss:

  • How She Podcasts came to be!
  • Did you know Elsie was reluctant to put on a live event at first but supported her friend and business partner?
  • What can be improved in the podcast space
  • What to look forward to at She Podcast Live 2021!

Extras

Our podcast stack

  • ATR 2100 Mics
  • Apple AirPods Max Headphones
  • Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Audio Interfaces
  • Adobe Audition
  • Buzzsprout

Episode Transcriptions

Yulia: [00:00:00] Hey friends, hope you’re having a great day. Before we get to this week’s episode of Between Two Mics, I want to tell you about another show that I think you’ll love. And it’s recorded on SquadCast as well. I’m Yulia and I’m the host of Dream Nation Love. This podcast is really about diversity and social impact and woman empowerment. And the way I can describe the show is if you love Tim Ferriss, if you love Girl Boss, if you love Oprah, put everything into one big blender. You’ll get Dream Nation Love. My latest guest was Peevey Sebert, she is Ke$ha’s mom. OK, let’s get to this week’s episode of the SquadCast podcast Between Two Mics. [00:00:36][35.9]

Zach Moreno: [00:00:44] Welcome to Between Two Mics, the podcast that brings you remote recording resources from SquadCast Dot FM. [00:00:51][6.5]

Rock Felder: [00:00:52] I’m Rock Felder, co-founder and CFO of SquadCast. [00:00:55][2.8]

Zach Moreno: [00:00:56] And I’m Zack Moreno, co-founder and CEO. [00:00:58][2.2]

Rock Felder: [00:01:00] On Between Two Mics, we bring you interviews with podcasters, experts in the field of remote recording. We discuss current events in podcasting and so much more. [00:01:09][8.6]

Zach Moreno: [00:01:09] Twice a month you’ll hear a Founders’ episode. That’s just the two of us chatting about all things remote recording updates to SquadCast, what we’re up to, and what we’re listening to. [00:01:20][10.9]

Rock Felder: [00:01:21] The other two weeks of the month, we’ll bring you interview episodes. Zach and I will sit down with experts in the podcast Space to discuss their companies, their podcasts, their thoughts on podcasting, creating content and more. [00:01:33][12.2]

Zach Moreno: [00:01:34] The most exciting part? We’re recording all of this on SquadCast, the best place to record remote audio and video interviews in studio quality. [00:01:44][9.2]

Rock Felder: [00:01:44] So let’s get between two mics. [00:01:47][2.8]

Zach Moreno: [00:01:49] Hey, what’s up? It’s me, Zach. And in this episode, we’re talking to Jess and Elsie about founding the She Podcast Community, growing She Podcast to host their conferences, She Podcast Live and what we’re all excited for at this year’s She Podcast Live Twenty twenty one. It’s in Scottsdale, Arizona, on October 14th through the 17th. And we’re proud to be sponsors. Jess and Elsie, welcome to Between Two Mics. [00:02:15][26.3]

Zach Moreno: [00:02:16] So let’s jump right in. Jessica, you started she podcast in 2014 with a big vision, to support and nurture as many female led podcasts as possible. [00:02:27][11.1]

Jess Kupferman: [00:02:28] I actually started it in 2014 because I needed a group of women who could answer my questions in a logical and rational manner. There were lots and lots of gurus, podcasting gurus back then, and they had lots of technical answers to questions. And those answers were not things that were viable for me, like having a basement studio, etc.. So I went to a conference where Elsie was and a couple of other women. And when I came home from that conference that put them all in a group and then it just sort of has grown and grown like I didn’t really have an intention of helping anyone except myself, which, you know, is my M.O. kind of but like it was I wouldn’t say that helping others is. Yeah, I guess I was totally accidental, not on purpose in any way, shape or form, but it has worked out very, very well. It is like at the time I had another business and I was trying to grow that business. And podcasting has become a business podcast, She Podcasts has become a business and one that I’m really, really proud of. So it all worked out for a reason, I guess. [00:03:32][64.0]

Rock Felder: [00:03:33] Yeah. You should be totally proud of it. I mean, you got the She Podcasts podcast. You have the Facebook group with like, what, over twenty thousand members. You also got she podcast live, the live event. So is there anything else in this media empire that you too are creating with she podcast? And if so, like and also like, where does most of the focus go to? [00:03:53][20.2]

Jess Kupferman: [00:03:54] So we are also creating. [00:03:55][1.6]

Elsie: [00:03:56] Super squad. We have the Super Squad. [00:03:57][0.9]

Jess Kupferman: [00:03:59] Go ahead, Els. [00:03:59][0.3]

Elsie Escobar: [00:04:00] The she podcast super squad is the other aspect of our empire, which is one that is more of the it’s kind of like a private behind a paywall type of experience that is a little more access to Jessica and myself. That includes not only a little bit of community, but also education and coaching and mentorship and things that we feel needed to happen in order for us to continue the relationships within that we started to build within the community itself, the larger community, the larger community was always there as a kind of like it grew. So it really did grow a lot. It grew very, very fast. And what it felt like at the beginning was just what Jessica alluded to or actually shared is that she created it for herself. And I can guarantee you that every one of us felt like that, like this is the group for us, like it was our group and we went in there so that we can find answers for ourselves. And then it started to get so big that all of a sudden our positioning changed a little bit and it no longer was. I mean, it is our group, but it no longer was a place we could go ask questions. It ended up being the place we helped other people find answers. And then it became, how do we help them continue podcasting? And it’s sort of like grew out of that. And we felt that we didn’t have any more of that one to one type of conversation with folks anymore, because the volume of folks coming in there that we didn’t know became bigger. I think that was probably the nexus when the volume of people joining the group became people we didn’t know versus people we knew. At first we knew everyone. Now, I would say we know I don’t know what the percentage is like, 20 percente maybe. [00:05:48][108.6]

Zach Moreno: [00:05:50] As many as you can. [00:05:50][0.2]

Jess Kupferman: [00:05:50] I mean, yeah, yeah, I would say I was I comfortably knew most of the members until around five thousand. And then once you hit 5000 and started to get smaller and smaller and smaller, I mean, that’s not to say like I know five thousand people like Facebook has shown us that we know way more than five thousand people. It’s just that around that time we had also started going to conferences. We had also started doing like workshops and stuff. So we were starting to meet our members at meet ups and things like that. So yeah. Twenty thousand is not. We started the membership because we really not necessarily wanted to get back to how it was at the beginning, but wanted to make sure that those who wanted access to us got it. [00:06:29][39.0]

Zach Moreno: [00:06:29] Yeah, I often, you know, have seen similar stories. I think our our stories kind of similar where you find these challenges and you find a way to to have an attempt at a solution. And the beautiful thing is that other people have those same challenges and that’s really where, you know, organic community can form. And yeah, the picture you painted of the the evolution of how you can deepen these relationships for folks that you’re serving is really, really awesome. And, you know, I know that community is a really big topic these days, especially in tech and and and absolutely within podcasting. But, you know, it’s definitely not easy and doesn’t just happen, like, I think a lot of us would hope that it does. So how did you foster such a thriving community? [00:07:11][41.9]

Elsie Escobar: [00:07:12] I was in there all the time, that’s how that we we fostered it by engagement. I was always in there because it was my I’ve always loved to help folks, you know? And I think that at the beginning, the fostering of that community was really high touch. It was high touch answering questions, you know, engaging with conversations, helping people. Being of service was really big at the beginning. But it didn’t come from a perspective of, oh, I want to be altruistic. It is just an obsession that I have to just be present and to be tapped in and to know all the things and to help people. It just I can’t not do it. And then it just it kind of like came from that. And Jess has always, had I feel I don’t want to speak for you Jess. But her personality is unique and very powerful and vibrant and it makes you feel warm and it makes you laugh and it makes you it just makes you think about things from a different perspective. And it just allows for that. And I feel at the beginning both of those, you know, our personalities together within that really nurtured the right space. It’s like you knew you were coming into the into a different place, a different experience, and then it started to grow from there. And I have to say, you know, Facebook has a lot to do with that because they’re optimized for that growth, just the group itself. [00:08:35][82.6]

Jess Kupferman: [00:08:35] Yeah. I was wondering when you’re going to get to that part. Like I like I don’t think that if I had started this group on my own and left it as just my own, it would be what it is because Elsie and I like we would come into I don’t want to say like snafu, but things would happen, issues would arise, and we would have to, like, bat it back and forth. What do we do about this? Well, I want to kick them out. Well, we can’t kick them out because X, Y and Z. OK, well then how do we what kind of rule what do we need to say in order to make sure that this type of thing doesn’t happen going forward? Or what kind of restriction do we put together that makes people feel safe, doesn’t feel, you know, exclusive. But still, we still also have to be kind about it. Like we phrased things five times. I mean, it was kind of painstakingly detailed to build. And I mean, not to say that, like, I could write a blueprint for it because I can’t. But I was just very lucky to have someone who speaks much more diplomatically than me, who does community management for a huge company and therefore knows how to say things in a way that doesn’t offend people. I don’t always have that skill. But but, you know, but the skill that I did have is I’m not putting up with that. And I think that’s something that like Elsie agreed with but didn’t know how to like. I would say to her, we’re not putting up with this. Here’s what I want to say. Then you go, OK, let’s change it to be this. And then this word could be a little softer and then it would happen and then something would happen again. The same thing. I mean, not that I always want to kick people out, but like I’m I was the first to to make sure that people weren’t infiltrating mentally or physically into our space. If that makes sense. [00:10:18][102.4]

Rock Felder: [00:10:18] That absolutely makes sense. And it’s so fascinating to hear the dynamic between you two, because it does not just the origin story of like the classic scratch your own itch type of situation that, you know, spawned this idea. But also just, you know, it’s kind of makes sense why it works the way that you two are. You know, it’s like one heart, the same heart, but two different minds. And that’s how I feel similar to Zach, like we are very different people bring a lot of different experience and skill sets to the equation, but at the same point, like we have this, you know, love for podcasting and podcast creators, and I think that’s that’s hard to replicate. So I get why you why you say that there’s probably no blueprint, Jess. But where did things like kind of just, you know, adapt and evolve in ways that I guess were unexpected when you originally started building this she podcast brand? [00:11:06][47.6]

Jess Kupferman: [00:11:07] Well, actually, I can I don’t know when exactly, but there have been very specific and distinct moments where she and I have had to go, OK, I guess we’re going to have to be a leader in this situation, because at first I think the group itself was very good at like running itself, monitoring itself, like all the women in there were professional and experienced and nonjudgmental and supportive. And then as it grew, you know, Elsie and I couldn’t really be hands off anymore. And I mean, like I said, I don’t know at what point this happened. Maybe I should have wrote it down. But I do remember she and I were on a call together going, we can’t just we have to we have got to be leaders of this group. And then the other person was like, all right, I guess we have to like it was I don’t want to say it was reluctant, but at first I did feel like a reluctant leader, that I wanted the group to sort of do something that a large group can’t do, which is which is lead itself. And so there’s been three or four times like that where we’ve had to go, OK, we’re either going to be the leader here or it’s going to become chaos. And then we would sort of sweep the other person into. So that’s the kind of thing that I think was at least unexpected for me first, because I always see myself as a leader and I don’t see myself as reluctant about it in any way, shape or form. But apparently, I you know, I also have expectations of other people that I think might be unrealistic. You know, just because I want people to act a certain way and be mature does not mean that they’re capable of doing that. So I think leadership in that situation is inevitable. And I think we’ve helped each other. It’s like sort of like, you know, I don’t want to say like climbing a mountain, but let’s just say, like a lot of stairs, there’s been times when we’ve had to link arms and and schlep up those stairs together, even though both of us were tired or might not have wanted to work. Sure, we could make it to the top or wasn’t sure the staircase was even going to end. But here, let’s just link elbows and then together we can lean on each other a little bit and go up one more and then up one more and then up one more. [00:13:16][128.6]

Elsie Escobar: [00:13:16] Absolutely. I think that there was something you know, there’s so much truth to what she said about that. And another aspect when it comes to building something kind of. But I can’t say like just random, like we didn’t really think this was going to happen. Right. We didn’t plan it from the beginning. [00:13:32][16.1]

Jess Kupferman: [00:13:33] Anyway. [00:13:33][0.0]

Elsie Escobar: [00:13:33] Evolved into all these places. And another aspect that folks don’t really look at is that there is yet another person in this relationship that is not Jessica and myself, but it’s the entity of the community itself. Right. And the community itself often demands that you do things. And yes, there are times when they demand it and you’re like, oh, whatever, I’m not going to do that. I’m going to do my own thing. That’s not what we started doing. And then after a while, there is one bit of information or one bit of feedback or one bit of demand that you hear over and over and over again. And then you sort of have to be OK. I’ve got it. I finally got it. And one of those demands was that folks were really looking for conference. Right. And that’s where it came from. But it also came from Jess. She had wanted, I believe just I mean, please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you wanted to have a conference from essentially the beginning. [00:14:33][60.0]

Jess Kupferman: [00:14:34] Yes. The very first day. [00:14:34][0.7]

Elsie Escobar: [00:14:36] You know, when it was a little dream. Yes. [00:14:38][2.3]

Jess Kupferman: [00:14:39] From the very first day, I was like, you know, we could do we could eventually have events and go all over the country. And she was like, great. Tori Johnson was doing this thing where she would go to a city and whoever was in that city would pay for a booth like, you know, entrepreneurs, et cetera. She would speak, she would let them pay to speak. And then, you know, she was doing like six cities a year and I’ve never been anywhere. So when we started she podcast, I was like, maybe we could have, like, she podcaster events all over the country. And then in my head, I’m like, then I’ll get to see, like, all these cool cities. But yeah, she was not really excited about that as I was. She was like, we’ll see. [00:15:21][41.7]

Elsie Escobar: [00:15:21] Yeah. The like in terms of that aspect of it, it was really interesting to see how I resisted that. I mean, I’m not sure. I’ve just never been one of those folks that really likes to. Again, we are completely opposite when it comes to a lot of different things. So I this was something that I often as soon as she gave me that idea, I was like, nope. As soon as anybody asked in the group, I was like, nope, I was literally, I was a dictator when it came to that. And there came a point, though, when it really was Jessica’s heart. It was what it was really what filled her. It was her wish. Her desire. It was I knew there came up there actually came that in terms of inflection points, there came a point where I in I knew it inside of me, that she needed it, that she needed it. And at that point I was like, I can no, I can no longer stop this. And in really if I love her and I respect her as both my friend and my partner, this needs to be something I need to get on board with. And I cannot continue to stop this beautiful, beautiful, like desire that’s coming from her that she really needed. And therefore, I kind of stepped away and I was like, OK, go go ahead. I take it. I’ll I’ll come. I promise I will. My mindset will catch up with with all that needs to happen. [00:16:47][85.2]

Jess Kupferman: [00:16:47] I asked her permission. I knew she didn’t want to be involved, that we had talked about it many times at this point and I knew exactly why she didn’t want to do it. I knew exactly what stressed her out about it. I still came to her and said, I’m going to do this whether you’re in or out. So I just need to know from you, should it be a she podcast event? Because I was perfectly happy to name it something else if Elsie was like, this is not happening. Nope, I can’t do it. I mean, I’m actually kind of amazed she said yes. But I probably it was because like I, I want to have these conferences, I, I just didn’t part of me just didn’t want to go to any more conferences that weren’t that didn’t belong to us in the same way that we have all the Facebook groups, we’re in all the Facebook groups, but we also have one that belongs to us. And that’s just I just wanted that too I felt like I was missing, so I was determined to do it, whether she was in or out. And luckily, she was in Inish, she was Inish, but it happened anyway. [00:17:44][56.5]

Zach Moreno: [00:17:45] It’s a really big vision and, you know, inspiring to see how you both collaborate with with each other as leaders for for the community that you’re you’re growing and fostering. And, you know, at some point it does seem like it was it was an opportunity that, you know, was definitely worth doing and couldn’t be ignored and sometimes, like good ideas or are a little scary. So I totally respect you for taking on something as massive as, you know, multi day in person event. So I definitely applaud that. And and it’s great to see that that you all are doing it again, you know, the later this year. And we’re proud to be a part of that. To zoom out for a second, like, how do you think we’re progressing as a as an industry, as a as a broader podcast community? What do you think’s going right with that and the reverse of that? Like, what do you think you’d like to see change or improve? [00:18:38][52.7]

Elsie Escobar: [00:18:38] Yeah. So I think that one of the things that is going great is the fact that everybody is not everybody, but a lot more people are are being inspired by the potential of this medium because it is a really incredible place to work as an industry. It can and continues to give us so much, regardless of the inner workings, meaning it really for the for the for those that are the audience, the audience side of things, it gives so much. I mean, it can be anybody who is maybe listening for the very first time, somebody that is looking for an answer to a question, somebody that’s looking to connect, feeling that is feeling disconnected. You know, there’s that aspect of it that I feel is still really powerful. And then there’s also the other aspect of it, which is that it has really empowered people to be able to acquire skill sets that maybe they would have never been they would have never done right. Because they wouldn’t have learned them in school or they wouldn’t have known how to use certain products like the one that we’re using right now that you you all are showing us, which is like SquadCast, is something that didn’t exist before. But and at the same time, there’s a lot of folks now that are coming into the scene that are aware that there is this thing that you can record voices remotely that is just insane. And it’s given all of these people the skill sets. And I think that this is so inspiring. The thing that really bothers me a little bit and has me a little wary is that the more money comes into a place, the more it starts to dictate how things go. And my hope is that that this story doesn’t get played again, as it has in other media aspects historically, you know, movies or TV or anything like that, even places like Netflix and stuff like that. There’s so much money coming into the space that at times the culture is the thing that loses out, it’s the thing that folks aren’t paying attention to as much, and it becomes a conversation that is once again about the same conversations that the rest of the media is having when they those are not the conversations that used to be had in private rooms, if you will, conferences. It was a different conversation. So that’s my worry. [00:21:12][153.3]

Rock Felder: [00:21:13] Yeah, same here. I think we share a lot of the same concerns. However, I’m pretty optimistic and I’m just I’m really glad that, like, more and more folks are not only aware of podcasting, but but yeah. Know creating shows as well. And that’s something that all four of us have a unique perspective on. But I’m curious for you two you know, a lot of podcasters kind of ask the same questions or the same topics come up. You know what mic should I use? You know what what platform should a record on? How where should I host my podcast? All those things? But I’m curious for, you know, given your two unique insight and perspective with the She podcast brand, is there anything that comes up in your community that’s a little unique versus what is brought up, generally speaking, when it comes to podcasting questions or topics specifically for women or non binary individuals? [00:21:59][47.0]

Elsie Escobar: [00:22:01] You know, what’s really interesting for us is that I feel we have a lot more folks that come in with a really clear vision of what they are creating is meaning I want to reach these people. That’s why I’m really inspired by that. Like they already know that, like there’s no problems with coming up with concepts or ideas or being passionate about a specific topic, whatever that might be. And that’s really great. I think where they fall off is one of those things where they’ll plan their entire show, they’ll do their whole thing, and they’re like, oh my gosh, I’m ready to get started. And then it’s the first one, like, OK, so how do I record, you know, like, oh my God. So, you know, in terms of the brainstorming aspect of it, they get it. It’s all ready to go. They get the whole thing, but they don’t think about some of the details or else you’ll get like I you know, I have a line up, like they line up guests to interview. They do all the things and then they come in and they go, how do you record that person if you’re in one place and they’re in another place? And I’m like, wait a minute, you have like that? Oh, and I’m recording with them at six. Yeah. And you’re like, oh. [00:23:15][74.9]

Rock Felder: [00:23:17] oh that’s fine. It’s 5pm. [00:23:18][1.0]

Jess Kupferman: [00:23:22] Yeah. That’s just not happening today, honey. Just reschedule. [00:23:22][0.1]

Elsie Escobar: [00:23:23] Yea, and I’m astounded by some of that stuff because you see how passionate they are. So I’m not sure what that’s all about sometimes because it’s less planning, whereas I’ve seen in other groups there’s there’s actually sometimes the opposite comes into play where they have their microphone, they know what the levels are. They figure it out where they’re going to record. They know where they’re hosting their stuff. And then they’re like, OK, now what’s what should I top what should I podcast about? [00:23:53][30.0]

Zach Moreno: [00:23:54] Maybe there’s room these people to collaborate and be co-hosts and complements each other skills there. [00:23:59][4.9]

Elsie Escobar: [00:24:00] Right? I’m always like. Wait a minute, you have all of your gear and you don’t know what you’re doing? [00:24:06][6.9]

Jess Kupferman: [00:24:09] That is funny. It is funny. And that does happen a lot in the other groups. I wonder, though, if of the things that you’re being bothered by aren’t just a percentage of the whole right, because like there’s going to be in any group, a percentage of people that don’t know enough to think ahead or I mean, although to be fair, like when I first heard my podcast, like I thought I had, I read everything I possibly could about it before. I mean, it was up in two weeks, let’s be honest. But like I thought I knew enough in order to do it. I didn’t come into a group and go, we’re recording in five minutes. Like, what else do I need? Guys like can Amazon bring it to me in the next five minutes? Oh, no, you’re kidding. But I feel like that’s just people in general are just sort of like that. I think where our group is unique is the amount of doubt, self-doubt, what am I doing wrong? Why is this not working? How do I set it up perfectly? How do you make sure it’s going to be successful? From the moment I open my mic, how do I know that it’s going to be right versus wrong? I feel like I see that so much more in our group and other groups like. And maybe that’s because it could be two reasons. It could be the members of our group just naturally have more self-doubt. It could also be that they’re afraid to express that self-doubt in other groups because they’ll be shunned for it or sold about it or, you know, like told what to do and how to do it. I mean, maybe those other places don’t feel safe, because if you say I’m just not sure about Wednesday, is Wednesday really the best day? Like, you know, you’re going to have twelve people go, like, who the. Who cares if it’s Wednesday, just do it, you know, like and I don’t think these people want to hear that. They want to hear don’t worry, you can do it any day you pick is going to be the best day for you. Like, that’s kind of like what they get in Wednesday’s great. But Friday’s also good. And I do mine on Monday. They don’t want to hear like I’ll manage your podcast every week if you want to for 40 bucks a week. Here’s my email and I feel like that’s that’s more what they’re going to get. So the self-doubt is more prevalent. But I hate to think it’s because women and non binary individuals are more self doubting. I’d like to think that it’s because it’s a more safe place to express that. [00:26:21][133.0]

Arielle Nissenblatt: [00:26:24] Hey, this is Arielle, SquadCast’s community manager and host of Feedback with EarBuds, the podcast, recorded on SquadCast. We’re going to take a quick break, but we’ll be back with more from Between Two Mics. [00:26:34][9.9]

Rock Felder: [00:26:36] Hey, SquadCasters, Rock poppin here to let you know about SquadCast v4.8. It’s the latest software update of SquadCast, and we’re super pumped to tell you about it. So if you’re listening to this podcast, you already know that SquadCast is the best way to record your podcast remotely in studio quality. Well, now it just got even better. So v4.8 Comes with an improved green room experience, a Dropbox integration and audio mastery, plus improvements to the already existing SquadCast that you know and love, if you’re already a SquadCaster, then V4.8 Has been automatically updated in your account. If you’re not a SquadCaster, you want to become one, you can grab your seven day free trial at SquadCast.fm. You can choose an audio only plan or spring for audio and video to really create some professional level content. Again, head over to SquadCast.fm To grab that free trial for newbies. It’s seven days. And if you’re already subscribing to SquadCast, try out v4.8 and let us know what you think. We’re super grateful to our wonderful engineers for their hard work on the latest iteration of SquadCast we hope you enjoy. Now let’s get back to the interview. [00:27:48][72.4]

Zach Moreno: [00:27:49] To kind of tell the the origin story of how you got that first year’s event off the ground and in hindsight, was a major success. So, like, how did you approach something that monementous? What was the story there with getting the first year together? And then we’ll we’ll talk about what’s coming for this year. [00:28:07][17.6]

Jess Kupferman: [00:28:07] So I really needed something to do. I had a podcast ad agency, and I sold it because I really wanted my agency to help independent podcasters make money. And it turned out that I could not make money selling ads on independent podcasts shows I needed to teach them how to do it themselves. So I sold my agency and I was sort of like, I don’t want, say, flailing, but I was doing jobs that I could do, but didn’t mean that I should be doing it like I was working for other people and sort of like figuring out what I wanted to do next. And I was somewhere I don’t remember where and and ran into Chris Krimitsos, a very good friend of mine. And he was like, you know, if you ever wanted to do an event, I’ll help you. And I just looked at him and was like, Really? He was like, Yeah, I’ll help you, wouldn’t you? You know, I think it would be great. I think you’d make a great event. I can help you make it great. I think people would be really popular and everyone would love it. And I was like, huh, all right. And then maybe the next time I saw him, he said it again. And I said, well, all right. He was I said, but I don’t have the money to do that. And he said, well, you should do like an Indiegogo Kickstarter, because that’s what Dan and Jared did when they started podcast movement. They had a Kickstarter. So I was like, I’m going to go ahead and take their lead and just see if this was something the community wants. And I was very transparent about the fact that, like, hey, if you guys want this, I’m going to need you to help pay for it because I can’t go broke on your behalf. So buy tickets now. Here’s where you can buy them. I just added some tiers for sponsorship and let’s see what happens. And I mean, to my you know, to to speak to my giant ego, I thought I’ve had two weddings because I’m divorced once and I’ve had to bar and bat mitzvahs. So this should be a piece of cake. I’ve already done four events. I know everything about events will be any problem, but that was dumb. Super dumb. So we sold 200 tickets without a vendor, without a speaker, without one sponsor. We already had it like a good amount of attendees. So we started doing the event. And Chris, to his credit, you know, he was you know, we had weekly stand ups where he would ask me how the ticket sales going, how the sponsorships going, and he would tell me where to focus, what kind of like specials I could do to, like, get more attendees. He was constantly clocking the numbers by this month. You should have this amount. By this month, you should have this amount. And I sort of like juggled the rest of the stuff. Like he was sort of a really good guide for me to be able to, you know, sort of like figure it out the rest. And, you know, when it came time for the event, lots of people were volunteering to help. And, you know, and we had a nice chunk of change from the Kickstarter. So it felt really comfortable to be able to do it. I mean, to be honest with you, it was pure chaos in the background. There were things that happened that you couldn’t see. For example, we had no name badges until like the morning of the event because the order just never went through for not like the credit card didn’t go through, but like I approved it. And then they didn’t say so. They didn’t see the email. So like, not one name badge was printed until the morning of the thing. And and I was sweating about that like I had a brand new checking account, She Podcasts wasn’t a business until we had this event. So I had a brand new business account in Delaware and I was trying to pay for hotel in Georgia. So you can imagine. The bank was like, what kind of money transfer down here, I don’t think so. And so I was on the phone with the bank for like three days trying to figure out how to pay. It was it was chaos. Chaos. But all I got was really good feedback back. Everyone had a great time. No one saw that stuff. It was hard for me to enjoy as a result of those things. I will say that. But like no one saw that stuff, what they saw was like a scrappy event where tons of people came together to teach each other and learn from one another and have fun with one another. And that is the exact thing that I wanted. That’s all that I wanted. That’s all I want for this year. I have bigger goals I would like for you know, I would like for it to have a different esthetic. I wanted it to be in more of a resort atmosphere. I want the attendees to feel very nurtured and inspired. I have tracks and sessions that aren’t podcasting related, like, you know, revolve around self care and going getting through the pandemic and fear and happiness and all kinds of other things, in addition to how to do all the things or which mic, and and and those things. Because I think that when you go to a podcast conference and you get all of it is podcasting. Every sponsor, every session, every meal is podcasting, podcasting, podcasting. And you leave exhausted. And like as much as you love your podcast, it’s sort of like, you know, it’s sort of like opening. I don’t know. I’m usually good analogies, but I can’t think of a good it’s like a firehose of information. And I kind of I don’t want if I want to fill people’s cup and let them drink and then fill people’s cup and let them drink. I don’t necessarily want to be another fire hose of information, because when I have that, I go home and I go, I don’t even look at my know. I can even look at my notes. It’s so overwhelming. I never even open the notebook. I just spent four days writing in because it’s too much. So I don’t want that this time. I really want it to be a good experience for everyone, including us. Now, I would also say that the pandemic has made that very tricky and it will probably be tricky down to the very last second because of fear, because people are scared. And I understand that. Then you kind of have to talk yourself through it. Like even going to Nashville for podcasts movement. I’m reading about, you know, how many people are vaccinated in Tennessee. And then I have to talk. But, you know, it doesn’t I’m vaccinated. But you kind of have to, like, keep telling yourself, like, oh, I’m not at risk anymore. I can’t give it to my kid or, you know, the people that I’m going to come in contact with at home. But, you know, I think that when you are running a company, you do sponsorships and you’re speaking. It can be a little the questions I think people are asking is not do I want to go, but is it worth a risk and is anything worth the risk of someone’s life or of your you know, of your safety or, you know, and a lot of those answers are I don’t know, that’s what we’re sort of dealing with now. But I mean, originally I was completely bowled over with enthusiasm and excitement. And actually, we’ve just announced all our speakers. Every speaker is enthusiastic and excited. I have a team this year, so I don’t talk to every speaker. I don’t talk to every attendee necessarily where it’s like when I was doing everything, everyone was interacting with me. Everyone was asking me questions. Everyone was telling me how excited they were. I’m slightly removed from that this time. So all I know is when people go, what’s going to happen? What’s going to happen? Is everything going to be OK? Are you guys taking you know, I hear that stuff, but not necessarily the. Wow, I can’t wait to do it. So I’m hoping that’s still a part of this experience and I’ll probably just be bowled over with it a little bit later on. [00:35:15][427.2]

Rock Felder: [00:35:15] That makes a lot of sense. It’s really interesting. But I guess like having podcast movement come first may be a benefit for you all that you can kind of see what get a temperature check, I guess, on the way folks are kind of coming back to the conference. [00:35:28][12.8]

Jess Kupferman: [00:35:29] Think we’re super excited. Everything is a go. This year more than any other year. They’re going to have a lot of last minute. All right. I’ll just do it, you know, because you don’t we never did that before. No one ever questioned whether they could go unless it was a money issue or a time issue. Now, it’s a totally different issue that people were like, I’m just going to bite the bullet and do it. But it’s like skydiving. [00:35:47][18.5]

Rock Felder: [00:35:48] It is. It’s kind of a shame that, you know, the first event went so well. But then, of course, year two was put on hold because of the darn pandemic. So I’m really glad that you’re keeping it going. How are things going from your perspective in regards to the event, Elsie? [00:36:03][14.5]

Elsie Escobar: [00:36:03] I, you know, I’m feeling a lot more excited this time around. [00:36:08][5.4]

Jess Kupferman: [00:36:09] YAY! [00:36:09][0.0]

Elsie Escobar: [00:36:09] Because before, again, it was I was sort of pulled into it. No, you know, but I was I’m a worrier. I’m like a professional, irrespective of, like, being wound up all the time, even though I’m a professional worrier. Yes. Everything’s like, you know, my God. And there was there was always a sense I didn’t understand because I’ve never been part of the organization of anything this big. I didn’t understand. How it worked and when I don’t know how things work, then it’s just scary because it’s completely the unknown. I didn’t know what I was walking into, whereas this time I feel a lot more involved with the visioning, with the ideas around it, with the way that I’ve you know, I’ve in one of the things that I’ve really wanted to do for she podcast live as well. And I feel that it’s going really well. Is that intent? Like, I’m such a intention, big thinker, lots of intuition and lots of things like that that are really connected and knowing that the venue is so beautiful and so open, knowing that we’ve been intentional in every step of the way, even when, you know, at the beginning of the year when we’ve started to to make decisions, we were really clear about how people would be taken care of. And we were putting them in front of everything and making sure that the emphasis was in the experience versus let’s get as many people as possible to just get damn packed and more and more. More right. It wasn’t that. It was about the experience, about being able to provide an opportunity for folks to have the space to reconnect with themselves. And that’s why, you know, one of the overarching themes of the conference is together we rebuild, you know, and whatever that might mean for you. And there’s many of us that are feeling a little broken, you know, that our feeling like, oh, my God, I don’t even know what to do here. So for me, traveling to like it was, it’s it’s like even if this wasn’t like our event, this would be where I would go, because I feel like regardless of what’s happening in the world, this can be an opportunity for me to reconnect with why I podcast or why my voice matters or why I need to connect with some folks that are talking my language and that I feel comfortable with and that I don’t have to explain myself to. It’s also going to, at least for me, coming. I know that not all women and not all non binary folks have families or babies, but it would be for me, it’s it’s a little bit of an escape to be able to go somewhere and disconnect from that flow from the flow that I’ve been stuck in. And to be able to go in there and refuel myself, rejuvenate myself, reconnect with myself and feel like I can rebuild myself with like minded people around me. And that’s why I’m championing it. And that’s why I was really also adamant that I didn’t want to feel ever in a position where I would sell something that I felt might not be a good choice for somebody. I don’t I’m not a seller of things that I don’t believe in. I just can’t. And Jessica knows this. It’s just that no person no, I don’t want to do that. But with this, I really feel comfortable in me that the our intention and the way that we’re approaching this is for the benefit of all of us. And it’s really done in service of something greater, particularly as we for those of us that often aren’t in the room, you know, we don’t really get access to so much. This is an opportunity for us to be in a place where we can feel ourselves so that we can serve our people better or ourselves. [00:40:00][230.7]

Jess Kupferman: [00:40:01] She touched on something so interesting, right? Which is like what’s special about a podcasting event because because like up until now and even now, when you tell people you have a podcast, they kind of look at you funny. And especially if you do something like that for a living, like there’s only a small circle of people that will be able to understand and articulate what you do. Everyone else is sort of in the dark, no matter how many times you explain it. So it is not just refreshing, but sort of validating to be in a room full of people that know what you do for a living, how hard it is, how hard you work, you know, what works for you, what works for them. Like it’s like a weird little secret club that I mean, if you if you haven’t had that experience, it’s it feels it can be very lonely. I mean, this is like the one time when I don’t feel lonely and and like you said, like you’re comfortable with those people. But it spills over into other things. Right. You’re comfortable sharing what you do, which also means you’re comfortable sharing about your family and about your struggles and about your, you know, whatever else is going on, like you you build these relationships that I think are extra close, which actually kind of mirrors the relationships that the audience builds with the host of a podcast. Right. Because we feel like we’re listening to a show they’re in our ears. They’re kind of like talking into our soul. Right? So we’re those hosts. We’re those people. We’re used to people attaching and being attached to, you know, to us and sharing things that they wouldn’t share elsewhere. So it’s really special. And I don’t want to say I forgot that. But I do remember that that feeling at the very, very first podcasting conference that. That I felt understood by strangers and it was beautiful, it was a beautiful thing. [00:41:40][99.1]

Zach Moreno: [00:41:40] It caught me off guard with my first podcast event. And I’m glad you shared the reminder because I think it is something that was forgotten by me. I’ll be I’ll speak for myself here, but is a is a good refresher as to kind of the magic of getting in the same room and why these events are are valuable and special beyond, you know, the learning and the knowledge and the the bonds that we form are just really, really powerful. And yeah, podcasting being a lonely effort is a recurring topic that comes up across all of the episodes that that we have. And I’m grateful that you shared that this is the event that you all are throwing and all of the community efforts and podcasting are kind of a good source of an antidote to to the loneliness of it. Looking forward, what can the people in your community, podcasters, expect to come from this upcoming she podcast event that that you all are working so hard on? How does that message of rebuilding together, how is that going to come to life in this event? [00:42:39][59.5]

Elsie Escobar: [00:42:40] In the way that we’ve chosen our speakers. There was always a way in which we communicated with them that we kind of dropped that theme in in some of the stuff, you know, in some of this when they pitched their stuff and submitted to speak. And also we looked at it a lot from that lens where we were going is this conversation, is this workshop, is this, you know, presentation speaking into a quality of what that means. And I think that is really what started to guide all of it. And it’s not necessarily that it’s something that is going to be hitting over the head. But I feel it is one of those things where you, like, drop the seed with the team, you drop the seed with our speakers. And, you know, I was just telling just that it’s now time for me to start to kind of have conversations with our speakers, because one of the things that really worked for podcast for she podcast in 2019 was that ability for us to collectively have an intention so that folks would have the benefit of feeling a specific way whenever they walked into the space. And it’s not something that you lead with and you’re like, hey, together we rebuild. You know, it’s like you feel what that might be. And it’s just a drop of consciousness. It’s like, you know, why you’re there. And I mean, as far as I know, we’re having a pajama party. Yes. So that’s fun. It’s just exciting. It’s just great. And it’s goofy. And it’s like how that feeling to me is also a quality of rebuilding because we need to rebuild those good juices inside of ourselves as well. And that’s how it’s going to manifest itself through it. [00:44:20][100.1]

Zach Moreno: [00:44:21] Well, so that’s certainly how we look at events, is that I’m constantly reminding myself and the people that I connect with, like companies, are just people and relationships are what matter between the people that we serve. And I think that the events, you know, she podcast live and the others that we’ve mentioned really, really bring that to life in a way that we don’t really have another another way to do. We can talk to people all day. We can connect, async over Facebook groups or discord or slack or any of the ways that we do. But really listening and and getting in the same room with people is something that is, you know, as the as the founder of a platform that is is focused on empowering remote collaboration, we take opportunities to to get together in person when when we can. You know, and I’m really, really grateful that we’re coming full circle as a as a whole community to really make the most of that and get back into the same room together. So definitely looking forward to contributing in a meaningful way and playing our part to help rebuild with the community in the ways that we can. Thank you really for that opportunity. [00:45:30][69.4]

Jess Kupferman: [00:45:31] Thrilled to have you. Yeah. We are thrilled to have you. Thank you. And thank you for having us on today. That was so fun. [00:45:37][5.8]

Zach Moreno: [00:45:38] Our pleasure. It’s been a lot of fun. Yes. I wish you could. A lot of fun. The smile on my face said that there’s some of the conversation that we’ve had today. It’s it’s been been a really great time. And thank you both tremendously for sharing your journey with us. And, you know, also just the tremendous contribution. Right? That’s what this podcast is really about, as people who are moving the industry, the community podcasting forward in one way or another. And I think that you both are really, you know, an embodiment, the community that you’ve done together and work that you’ve put in. It’s just really a tremendous, tremendous contribution. And podcasting is evolving in the way that it is, thanks in large part to to your contribution. So I just wanted to share our gratitude for that contribution. [00:46:21][43.0]

Jess Kupferman: [00:46:22] Thank you. That’s so sweet. [00:46:22][0.9]

Elsie Escobar: [00:46:23] Thank you. [00:46:23][0.2]

Rock Felder: [00:46:24] See you two in Phoenix. [00:46:24][0.6]

Elsie Escobar: [00:46:27] Yes! Yes! Amazing. [00:46:27][0.0]

Jess Kupferman: [00:46:27] We will see you there. No question about it. [00:46:28][0.8]

Rock Felder: [00:46:32] Thanks for tuning in to this week’s episode of Between Two Mics. [00:46:35][2.8]

Zach Moreno: [00:46:36] We hope you enjoyed our conversation. If you learn something or we intrigued you a bit, let us know on social media. [00:46:42][5.9]

Rock Felder: [00:46:43] You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn by searching for Squad Cast FM. [00:46:48][5.5]

Zach Moreno: [00:46:49] And if you want to show the podcast some love, you can leave us a rating or review wherever it is you’re listening right now. [00:46:55][5.6]

Rock Felder: [00:46:56] This show is put together by us, Zach and Rock. It’s mixed and produced by Vince Moreno with help from Arielle Nissenblatt. Our logo is designed by Alex Whedbee. [00:47:05][9.3]

Zach Moreno: [00:47:06] Since we’re a podcast about a podcasts, we want to shout out the brands and products that we trust. We’re recording using SquadCast dot FM and here’s our current stack for recording. We’re using ATR2100 Mics, Apple AirPods Max headphones and focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interfaces. [00:47:25][19.6]

Rock Felder: [00:47:27] We edit the show on Adobe Audition and our hosting site is simple cast. [00:47:30][3.4]

Rock Felder: [00:47:31] That’s it for us this week. We’re back next week with more from between these mics. [00:47:31][0.0]