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By the time Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables came together to launch a parenting podcast in 2016, both had already achieved some mainstream success in traditional Hollywood. Amy landed multiple roles in TV sitcoms and Margaret had worked for several years as a senior writer at Nickelodeon. They teamed up on the podcast, which is called What Fresh Hell, because it offered them more creative freedom and ownership over their work. Within years, advertisers were beating down their door to reach their enormous audience, which mostly consists of moms. In 2022, they leveraged that success to launch Adalyst Media, a podcast network that sells ads for other shows targeting female audiences.

In a recent interview, Amy walked me through why she left traditional Hollywood, their decision to launch a network, and how she thinks the podcast industry will evolve in the coming years.