My focus at Podcaster News is to bring news about women who podcast. In this blog, I share the interview I did with Jennifer Navarrete, a woman who not only inspired me to start my own solo podcast, but also made me want to push the boundaries and learn more about the medium.

* Can you give us a brief history of your experiences in podcasting? When did you get started?

It was through podcasting that my journey of online content creation began. My first podcast, the Morning BrewCast went live in September of 2005 and from that moment that first show was recorded and uploaded on the web I was hooked.

Back in the early days of podcasting the tools were limited. It took much more technical and editing ability to record, edit and upload a show. Today I have apps on my phone which take the long hours of post-production out of the equation.

Of course with no post-production this means no editing out the ums, ahs and speech flubs. Personally, I don’t mind. I enjoy the human and authentic sound of live. I am sure part of that is all the years of practice I’ve had over the last 9 years to improve my podcasting interview style. Nowadays you are more likely to find me recording podcasts on my iPhone or iPad using either the Griffin iTalk or Soundcloud apps or using the BlogTalkRadio platform. Even though these live shows will never be as finessed as a edited show with intro and outro music, no 3am post-production editing sessions are a very nice thing.

* What was it that made you decide to become a podcaster?

I first heard about podcasting back in July of 2005 when iTunes began making podcasts available for subscription. When I discovered that I could record anything I wanted, upload it to the web and no one could stop me I said, “Sign me up!”

I was sharing this with my sister who said she was interested in becoming a podcaster as well. However, she also said whatever we did it would need to be easy in order for us to stick with it. We were drinking coffee as we discussed this which is when I said, “Then we should just do this” as I pointed back and forth between us. It was in that moment, The Morning BrewCast was born.

The tagline to our show (which has since podfaded) was: “Two coffee-loving, java-jumping, caffeine crazy sisters who love to chit chat after a cup or two or three of their favorite morning brew.” Which was exactly what the show was all about. We shared coffee news, coffee gadgets, did live tastings and shared the random things that were happening in our world. Imagine our surprise when we began receiving feedback from people in Brazil in Malaysia who told us we truly understood what coffee was all about. I think it was just our love of coffee and talking that made the show fun.

Since then I have launched several different podcasts including a 5 year run on Tech in Twenty.

* You and I first met through NaPodPoMo.  Can you explain a bit about what that was?  What inspired you to create it?

NaPodPoMo or National Podcast Post Month was something I created back in 2007. Many folks have heard of NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month which is a 30 day marathon of writing. I was looking around and noticed there was also a NaBloPoMo National Blog Post Month (write a blog post everyday for the 30 days of November). I had even seen a NaVloPoMo National Vlog Post Month (post a video everyday for 30 days). I liked the idea of being part of a larger creative group and thought, “I’m going to join the podcasting version.”

As I searched around I was shocked to discover no such animal existed. I sat there pondering the fact that in a month of novels, blogs and video blogs creation happening worldwide that podcasting was unrepresented. So, I decided to create a group and set about inviting folks to join the 30 days of podcasting. With only 3 days to spread the word, I had no idea how successful it would be, but I should have known my fellow podcasters would not disappoint. When it was all said and done we had 50 podcasters who were part of podcasting history.

* What words of wisdom would you share with women who are thinking of doing a podcast?

To women specifically I would say, “Let your voice be heard.” The one thing I have always liked about online and social media is our ability to play on a level field. We all have the same space and platforms as the big corporate giants. Embrace the platform’s ability to give your message the opportunity to be heard far and wide.

On a last note, don’t worry If someone else is doing a show that is along the same topic/theme as you are thinking of launching. The fact is we all have our own unique flavor. For example, why do we watch one particular news station over another? There are three major news channels and yet we each chose one in particular to watch. Why? For one reason or another we are attracted the news anchors personalities or the way they read the news. So too will your audience find you.

Whatever you decide to do, just have fun and be open to the community. Podcasters are a creative and fun bunch. Many of the people I am close friends with are people I met through podcasting. If you’re thinking of dipping your toe into the podcasting stream, my advice is to dive into the deep end of the pool. I promise, the water truly is fine. Happy Podcasting!

P.S. If you are looking for permission to do a podcast, stand in front of the mirror and say, “Yes!”

Posted by Jen Thorpe