Podcast Junkies

Harry welcomes to the show Agnes Kozera, SVP and co-head of PodCorn, the largest podcast platform, connecting podcasters with advertisers for native sponsorships. Agnes is passionate about building tools that empower and support the growth of brands and content creators across different mediums.

In this episode, Harry and Agnes talk about the traits and characteristics that make successful entrepreneurs and why immigrants tend to have a strong work ethic that aligns well with entrepreneurship. Agnes speaks to her passion for content creation and what inspired her to launch Podcorn. She reflects on the journey from start-up to being acquired by Google and the challenges and opportunities that arose from the acquisition. Finally, Agnes talks about why she identifies herself as a champion for content creators everywhere.

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06:36 – Harry welcomes to the show Agnes Kozera, who speaks to her entrepreneurial origin story and the work she’s doing at Podcorn

14:15 – Traits and characteristics of a great entrepreneur

16:19 – The work ethic of immigrants and entrepreneurship

19:16 – Early inspirations and mentors that helped Agnes

21:56 – Lessons learned and mistakes made in building a successful business

25:21 – What it was like to be acquired by Google and the shift in mindset from founder to employee

29:25 – The origin story of Podcorn

37:10 – Trends Agnes has observed in the content creation space

44:35 – A champion for content creators

46:06 – How Agnes would describe the marketplace she’s created

52:38 – Self-help podcasts that Agnes would recommend

53:18 – Something Agnes has changed her mind about recently and the most misunderstood thing about her

58:16 – Harry thanks Agnes for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with her

“You have to be a little nutty. I think you have to have self-belief, more so than everyone else, and not get discouraged. But you also have to take criticism and you have to be open to it. You have to take feedback and know when to stop.” (13:57) (Agnes)

“I like to think of it as jumping out of a plane and then building your parachute on the way down. But that’s kinda really what entrepreneurship is. You just figure it out. You think outside the box. You try a lot of things and try again.” (19:01) (Agnes)

“Also, I think we’re in a time where a lot of brands now understand the value of influencer marketing. They understand the power of creators.” (33:31) (Agnes)

“I definitely think I am very much a champion for creators. Even in the company I really bucket myself to be more on the creator side. I love the creator space. I believe in the power of the right match and what it can do.” (44:53) (Agnes)

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Link to Podfest Expo Virtual Summit

Agnes’ LinkedIn

Agnes’ Email

Podcorn Twitter 

Podcorn Website

Podcasts Mentioned:

Jay Shetty

The Happiness Podcast

In the Dark

Sword & Scale

How I Built This

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Harry welcomes to the show, entrepreneur, podcaster and proponent of social impact and sustainability, Corinna Bellizzi. Corinna is the host of Care More Be Better: A Social Impact + Sustainability Podcast, a show that shares the stories of inspired people that are committed to social good.

In this episode, Harry and Corinna engage in a meaningful examination of social impact and the growing need for positive change. Corinna opens up about her podcast journey, how she formats her episodes and how she identifies which guests to interview. They go on to talk about Corinna’s passion for cars, something she’s changed her mind about recently and the ethos of her podcast.

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06:36 – Harry welcomes to the show Corinna Bellizzi, who speaks to the impact the global pandemic had on her and the work she’s doing with her podcast

14:00 – Motherhood, work, graduate school and power outages

16:54 – Lessons Corinna has learned from the Care More Be Better Podcast

19:53 – The inspiration to launch A Growing Need and Corinna’s passion for social impact and sustainability

30:30 – The ethos of Corinna’s podcast and how she identifies potential interviewees

39:27 – Corinna reflects on her early days of podcasting

46:40 – Corinna’s dream car

50:27 – Something Corinna has changed her mind about recently and the most misunderstood thing about her

56:05 – Harry thanks Corinna for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with her

“Being able to expand on that through podcasting and through making deeper connections with people around the globe really helped me. And I didn’t realize how close to depression I was when I started this thing.” (09:31) (Corinna)

“I really look for people that can help me cover topics that are really near and dear to my heart, but also just that are rooted in making the world a better place and improving awareness around particular issues. Because it’s my firm belief that, as we improve awareness, we’re going to create a more just and equal world.” (18:30) (Corinna)

“I really just have this simple metric I look for. And that’s just, ‘Are they making a social impact about a particular issue or are they driving something that is really focused on sustainability?’ And if either of those aren’t met, I don’t interview them.” (30:53) (Corinna)

“Even if I’m only reaching a small audience, I’m reaching an audience that cares.” (43:34) (Corinna)

“Having a healthy environment to live and breathe in should be the concern of everybody. These are things that should be the rights of each of us. It shouldn’t be politicized.” (54:01) (Corinna)

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Link to Podfest Expo Virtual Summit

Corinna’s LinkedIn

Corinna’s Website

Corinna’s Twitter

Corinna’s Facebook

Corinna’s Instagram

Corinna’s Email

Corinna’s Podcast:

Care More Be Better: A Social Impact + Sustainability Podcast

Link to Trash to Treasure

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Harry welcomes to the show, teachers and podcast hosts, Mealey & Tudsicso. Mealey and Tudisco are the hosts of Unprofessional Development, a show that showcases real teachers telling real stories and sharing their wisdom, insights and experience from the world of education. In this episode, Mealey & Tudisco share the story of how they met and what inspired them to bring their unique perspective on education to a podcast. They talk about their own real-life stories from the classroom and reflect on their growth as podcast hosts. Finally, they discuss how the global pandemic impacted their podcast and regale the audience with the backstory of how they attained an unbelievable guest for their show.

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06:36 – Harry welcomes to the show Mealey & Tudisco, hosts of Unprofessional Development, who share their background as teachers and the story of how they met

17:32 – Bringing a different perspective to education

20:37 – Planning a show with curiosity and hosting Edupodlooza

24:10 – Mealey & Tudisco reflect on their growth as podcast hosts and how it’s impacted their friendship

32:31 – A global pandemic, two teachers and Tony Danza

42:40 – Peeking behind the teacher curtain with stories from Mealey & Tudisco

51:12 – Surprising revelations Mealey & Tudisco discovered about each other

53:42 – Something Mealey & Tudisco have changed their minds about recently

57:50 – Harry thanks Mealey & Tudisco for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with them

“Educational podcasts do for podcasts what educational games do for games.” (12:08) (Tudisco)

“I think what’s made us very aware of our audience is a little bit of the fear of being fired. So, that consciousness is always there. And I think partially being teachers also makes us aware of that.” (19:43) (Mealey)

“I think honestly we had just really good chemistry on it from the get-go. We rarely if ever had any long or awkward pauses.” (24:30) (Tudisco)

“One of the weirder things to me that was funny is that Tony [Danza] still uses an AOL email.” (38:21) (Mealey)

“If you’re good at it, teaching is about relationships and building relationships with people who are struggling.” (45:38) (Tudisco)

“I care less and less about grades all the time.” (53:56) (Mealey)

FullCast Website

Podcast Junkies Junkies Facebook Group

Link to Podfest Expo Virtual Summit

Unprofessional Development Twitter

Mealey & Tudisco’s Podcast:

Unprofessional Development

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06:36 – Harry welcomes to the show Lauren Popish, who speaks to her background ininterior design and her passion for helping women create their own unique, niche podcasts

22:28 – Creating the perfect listening environment for podcasting

25:29 – A panic attack and a unique podcast origin story

31:38 – Early struggles and big shifts of entrepreneurship

34:49 – How allies and mentors aided in Lauren’s success

38:54 – The importance Lauren places on forging relationships in the podcasting space

43:05 – The Book Wine Club and Podcast Like A Girl podcasts

51:35 – Lauren reflects on her passion for empowering women

57:05 – Something Lauren has changed her mind about recently and the most misunderstood thing about her

1:02:55 – Harry thanks Lauren for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with her

“When something lands and resonates on such a universal human level it just multiplies and takes off.” (11:04) (Lauren)

“The best podcast listening environment is on-the-go for me. I am someone who just has to feel like I’m being productive all the time, for better or for worse.” (22:51) (Lauren)

“Podcasting felt like this really great, safe way for me to flex a muscle that was weak and build a brand that was based on authenticity.” (30:25) (Lauren)

“I would just have friends and family come into my at-home studio, drink a bottle of wine on like a Tuesday, get really drunk and then talk about books. And it was so fun. It was the first time that I was having conversations that were so intimate.” (47:39) (Lauren)

“I don’t claim to be an original feminist who always knew that she would work with women. I am a feminist, of course. But, I just stumbled into supporting women because I am a woman who was struggling and wanted to help people who were in the same position.” (55:23) (Lauren)

FullCast Website

Podcast Junkies Junkies Facebook Group

Link to Podfest Expo Virtual Summit

Lauren’s Website

Lauren’s LinkedIn

Lauren’s Podcast:

Book (Wine) Club

Lauren’s Instagram

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06:36 – Harry welcomes to the show, Ever Gonzalez, who tells the story of how he met Harry, his background and the origin story of Outlier

14:21 – Ever talks about how he got his start in logistics

18:09 – How Ever got involved in podcasting

23:46 – Ever speaks to transitioning to hosting events and teases some upcoming events

35:22 – Ever expounds on the impact COVID-19 had on his personal and professional lives and tells the unique story about a podcaster he was able to help

53:06 – Harry and Ever speculate on what the next year will bring to the podcasting industry

1:00:22 – Harry and Ever discuss Podcasting 2.0

1:06:04 – Harry thanks Ever for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can learn more about Outlier and connect with him

“You and I and others that have platforms, we’re adding value to them [podcast guests] because people get to hear about them.” (22:31)

“I don’t ever want to look out into the crowd and see people tuning out or sleeping. That would be the worst. And thirty minutes keeps it fast and loose.” (34:23)

“I think with the not having friends in-person because of COVID was offset because we have so much interaction still with our online and podcast friends.” (41:51)

“Even if nobody was listening to the show, I would still do the show because I get much more out of it than anything else. So, it’s cool that people are downloading it and listening to it and interacting with us. But it’s the conversations that I have with truly interesting people from all over the world that a lot of them I become friends with.” (42:09)

“I love new podcasters. I want to make podcasting as easy as possible.” (47:39)

FullCast Website

Podcast Junkies Junkies Facebook Group

Link to Podfest Expo Virtual Summit

Link to Podcasting 2.0

Ever’s LinkedIn

Ever’s Podcast:

Outlier On Air

Outlier Website

Outlier Twitter

Outlier Facebook

Outlier Instagram

Books Mentioned:

Never Lose a Customer Again

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06:36 – Harry welcomes back to the show the very first guest in Podcast Junkies history, Espree Devora, who shares her background as a professional podcaster and her passion for spotting the latest trends

20:25 – Espree talks about what excites her the most about the still growing podcast industry

26:29 – Why Espree considers herself an artist, first and foremost, and her aspiration to become a writer

34:40 – Espree talks about being vulnerable

48:25 – Espree opens up about her childhood and how her experiences impact her today as an adult

57:31 – Espree shares the inspirational story of Call Her Daddy and its creator, Alex Cooper

1:04:51 – Espree encourages frustrated podcasters to continue on your own unique journeys

1:12:04 – Harry thanks Espree for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with her

“This is a little trivia, ‘Where was the first interview on Podcast Junkies recorded?’ In my car, at night in Silver Lake. This sounds so sketch by the way. Across the street from a restaurant. Why did we do it that way?” (10:10) (Harry & Espree)

“I’m gonna say something that I probably shouldn’t say out loud but eff it. I feel like now that everybody’s in podcasting I kinda want to move on to the new.” (18:22)

“We have those same opportunities now to create what the business models are as podcasters. And that’s extremely exciting to me.” (22:17)

“I consider myself an artist. I’ve always described podcasting as painting audio.” (26:33)

“I’m interested in guiding people how to create deep, meaningful relationships and helping others to do so, to make it more of a viral effect and scale human connectivity.” (31:55)

“The skills that we developed by having the personality types that surrounded us ended up creating skills within us as adults that we maybe weren’t aware of.” (48:45)

“If I could embrace the journey rather than be attached to my idea of the outcome and just embrace that my whole life is a story and I don’t know how it’s gonna unfold, maybe I would feel a lot more peace.” (1:03:42)

FullCast Website

Podcast Junkies Junkies Facebook Group 

Link to Podfest Expo Virtual Summit

Espree’s Website

Espree’s LinkedIn

Espree’s Podcasts:

WeAreLATech

Women in Tech

Link to Colin and Samir’s Website

Link to Espree’s Twitter 

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06:00 – Harry welcomes to the show, Daniel B. French, who shares his background growing up in Kentucky and talks about the modern version of rhetoric

16:12 – Dan discusses the awakening he underwent during his education and tells the story of the four academics who came to speak at his school

21:24 – Dan talks about the power of persuasion and shares why he wrote his book, The 21 Coliseums of Persuasion

30:27 – Dan and Harry talk about navigating through conversations without ‘triggering’ people and expounds on other Coliseums of Persuasion

37:22 – Dan shares the story of how he got involved in comedy

43:20 – How Dan’s eclectic background in comedy and rhetoric has impacted his parenting

50:58 – Dan chronicles his growth as a podcast host

59:25 – What is something that Dan has changed his mind about recently and the most misunderstood thing about Dan

1:03:09 – Dan speculates on the future of our society

1:06:52 – Harry thanks Dan for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with him

“The simplest definition of rhetoric is that it’s the study of hyper-designed messages.”(12:20)

“I always have that orientation, but it’s that working class orientation. If you’re going to teach me something, I need to have a use for it.” (19:11)

“Everybody on the left who thinks that they’re being rational are not being rational. They are, at best, partially rational or pseudo-rational. So, the project I’m working on now is a logic primer for people to train people in actual logic so they can clean up their own act and use it better.” (28:13)

“There’s so many things in a comedy club environment that are made technologically for people to laugh. All you have to do is say something kinda funny and they want to laugh. If you can actually hit funny, it just explodes.” (42:01)

“I love great conversations. For me, when I’m the podcast interviewer, I like to get into the space of ‘what am I really interested in here?’” (52:46)

*FullCast Website *

Podcast Junkies Junkies Facebook Group

Link to Podfest Expo Virtual Summit

Dan’s Book

Dan’s YouTube Channel

Dan’s LinkedIn

Dan’s Instagram

Dan’s Facebook

Dan’s Twitter

Dan’s Podcast

Rhetoric Warriors Website

Link to Robb Wolf’s Website

06:00 – Harry welcomes to the show, Brett Allan, who speaks to his podcast origin story and the decisions he’s made along the way, including making it an interview show

17:46 – Brett details his approach to the interview process and describes the ideal listener of his podcast

25:21 – Brett reflects on the inspiration and motivation to get involved in podcasting

30:51 – Brett expounds on his strategy for growing his recently rebranded podcast

36:30 – How Brett differentiates his podcast from other celebrity interview shows

39:24 – Brett speaks to the growth he hopes to see in the future for his show

43:13 – What this podcast means to Brett and why legacy is important to him

46:46 – What is something that Brett has changed his mind about recently and the most misunderstood thing about Brett

57:10 – Brett’s biggest takeaway from today’s conversation

57:51 – Harry thanks Brett for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with him

“When the pandemic hit is when I really decided that, since I was unemployed and had nothing but time, I would focus on trying to put out a good show.” (13:57)

“My goal is to not just get a name on, but to have somebody come on and have a good, honest conversation.” (18:38)

“I’ve always had an attraction to talking to people. I’m a people person.” (26:08)

“I’m talking about just being able to do this as a show, have advertisers and make it a stable show. Will it ever be that way? I don’t know. But, what drives me is just the collaboration with other podcasters. I want to be involved in the podcasting community as much as I can.” (31:51)

“I love talking to people. It’s literally a creative outlet for me and I just love doing it. I love talking to all these people. It’s so much more than just getting somebody famous on. If it wasn’t for that show, I probably would not be having these kinds of conversations with these people ever. So, for me, it’s about creating an experience and creating something that I can be proud of.” (43:15)

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*FullCast Website *

Podcast Junkies Junkies Facebook Group

Link to Podfest Expo Virtual Summit

Brett’s LinkedIn

Brett’s Instagram

Brett’s Facebook

Brett’s Twitter

Brett’s Podcast

Brett’s Website

Other Books Mentioned:

Stop Chasing Influencers

Make Noise

06:00 – Harry welcomes back to the show, Scott Miller, who speaks to how the global pandemic impacted him and what motivated him to write a second book

17:37 – How Scott handled educating his children on preparedness amidst this pandemic

20:28 – Scott speaks to the ten-part Mess to Success Series he’s currently working on

31:19 – Scott talks about the concept of finding the smallest viable market

33:43 – How Scott gets the most value out of his podcast guests

36:23 – The importance of friending your competition and hiring people who are smarter than you

41:20 – Scott recalls some of the best advice he’s received from his team and how he handles controversial guests

48:23 – Scott and Harry talk about the value of engaging in civil discussions with those you don’t necessarily agree with

51:22 – Scott stresses why it’s vital to develop your storytelling craft

58:14 – Scott reflects on where he is currently in the story of Scott Miller

1:01:00 – Harry thanks Scott for joining the show

“I worked twenty-five years inside of a corporate giant. But I think the pandemic, like for all of us, changed everybody’s values. So, I want to spend the next half of my career teaching people the lessons that I’ve learned.” (11:27)

“All that matters is our relationships and helping each other. That’s all that matters.” (19:51)

“Instead of net fishing, you should be spear fishing. How do you create the most successful podcast with the fewest number of listeners?” (31:59)

“Leadership is a broad category. Leadership is culture. Leadership is sales. Leadership is profit. Leadership is customers. Leadership is marketing. Leadership is brand.” (34:27)

“I also just think there’s two types of mindsets, a scarce mindset and an abundance mindset. I just do not believe that the podcast I host is smaller because you host your podcast.” (37:57)

“I do not like to kick people when they’re down. If someone deserves to be kicked, I’ll call them up and kick them. And I won’t tell you that I kicked them. Or I won’t vote for them. But I generally believe that if someone is coming on my podcast, my job is to give them a platform where they can share what it is they’re talking about. I’m not a journalist, I’m a podcast host.” (47:10)

“You learn, as a podcast host, bruise hard, heal fast. You cannot serve all people all the time.” (50:41)

“Storytelling is such a valuable skill for CEOs, for CFOs. What is our story? Where are we going? How are you part of that? What is the antagonist? How can you be part of the solution? What does success look like? What does it feel like? Same as a podcast guest.” (54:24)

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*FullCast Website *

Podcast Junkies Junkies Facebook Group

Link to Podfest Expo Virtual Summit

Scott’s LinkedIn

Scott’s Podcasts

Scott’s Website

Scott’s Books:

Management Mess to Leadership Success

Marketing Mess to Brand Succes

Other Books Mentioned:

Antifragile

Black Swan

Good to Great

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06:00 – Harry welcomes to the show, Alban Brooke who shares the origin story of his company, Buzzsprout

11:21 – How Alban got involved in podcasting and marketing

24:25 – Feedback Alban has gotten on Buzzsprout’s offerings

29:14 – What companies like Spotify, Google and Facebook are doing in the podcasting space

36:58 – How Alban came across Podcasting Index and the work he’s doing at Buzzsprout

46:51 – Alban shares why podcasting is much harder to grow than any other media

53:53 – Something Alban has changed his mind about recently

56:15 – Harry thanks Alban for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with him

“If I ever got to an Internet café, I’d download podcasts because that was media that I loved. And that was when it started clicking with me the connection you could still feel with a podcast audience if you are listening. Then when the opportunity came up for a podcasting company I thought this is something that would be really interesting.” (11:54)

“There was a period where we [Buzzsprout] outranked Spotify for how to get a podcast on Spotify.” (18:17)

“Almost everything we’ve ever done is we want to make it easier for people who are starting because the bet we were putting on podcasting was that it was gonna grow.” (20:46)

“That’s what the Podcasting Index is trying to do now is help bring multiple hosts together, multiple apps together, listeners, everybody in the ecosystem.” (41:09)

“Podcasts are much, much, much harder to grow than any other media type that I’ve ever engaged with.” (46:51)

“Over the past seven years of being involved in this space, I’m becoming more and more optimistic that the content creators will prevail.” (54:49)

Focusrite

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*FullCast Website *

Podcast Junkies Junkies Facebook Group

Link to Podfest Expo Virtual Summit

Alban’s LinkedIn

Buzzsprout Website

Link to Podclock

Alban’s Twitter

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