Janet Blair is the host of the Two Girls and a Bottle of Wine podcast. She is joined by an alternating group of co-host guests (some of whom make repeat appearances). Her show is an opportunity for girlfriends to chat about whatever they would like to over a glass of wine.

When did you start podcasting?  What’s your experience in podcasting from then to now?

I started Two Girls and a Bottle of Wine about two and half years ago with my girlfriend, Ashley. When we started we were doing a video podcast in a studio in downtown Denver. When the studio closed, we wanted to continue the podcast so, with the help of my boyfriend, we set up a studio in our basement and continued the podcast in our basement. We found that working outside of a studio and outside of the supervision of others allowed us to have so much more fun and reach a larger audience. As life does, it got busy and Ashley and I found it difficult to make time to record each week. About a year ago, I opened the podcast up to other females in the area that wanted to sit and chat with me each week for the podcast. Surprisingly I had several Facebook friends that were interested. For the last year I have been alternating co-hosts each week and the variety has helped grow the audience and I think each woman has a special story to share. I believe that women feed off each other and sharing our experience can help us each grow and learn as women. A couple of months ago I started having co-hosts that were from outside of the Denver area. I have now recorded two podcasts via Skype and that has opened up our reach.

What inspired you to become a podcaster?

My boyfriend, Steve McGrew, had a career in radio for over ten years. When he left radio he started his own podcast, Remasculate. I had dabbled in radio and worked part time at a few stations. I would sit in on his podcast as his news girls but I decided I wanted more. I think that podcasting is a fun hobby that allows me to step outside of my cubicle job each week and tap into the creative parts of who I am. I also love the opportunity to sit down with my girlfriends and chat about whatever over a glass of wine.

How do you do interviews for Two Girls and a Bottle of Wine?  What types of wine do you enjoy?

I refer to each of my guests as co-hosts. Many of them are re-occurring. Most of my co-hosts come to my house and record with me. Skype has opened up the possibility of me having co-hosts that aren’t in the area. I have had Petra from Hillbilly Nerd Talk on as a co-host and Kim Eden, the Tornado Queen from Oklahoma, on as my co-hosts via Skype. I was able to participate in a panel interview Amy Schumer recently and that was a lot of fun. I brought my computer and a travel microphone with me and recorded the entire interview. I am still working on the sound to make it podcast quality.

Wine – I prefer wines that are less than $15 a bottle. Some of my favs are Relax Wines (Riesling, Pinot Grigio) and Cupcake Wines (Moscato and Red Velvet).

What words of wisdom do you have for women who are thinking of starting their own podcast?

Have fun with it. It’s so easy with technology now to just stop and record a podcast. Each of us are experts about different things. There is likely to be someone that is interested in the knowledge you have, so when starting share the expertise that you have about whatever your passion may be and build on that. Passion can be infectious. Also, consistency is key. If you want to build an audience, record new podcasts regularly.