Post Status Podcasts

In this podcast episode, host Michelle Frechette chats with developer Mark Westguard about the new Image Roulette plugin, which randomizes images on WordPress sites while keeping alt text and captions for accessibility. The plugin was inspired by Michelle’s need to display randomized Speed Networking conversation cards.

They demonstrate how it works, discuss potential eCommerce uses, and share experiences using AI tools like Claude to speed up development. The episode also highlights collaboration, creativity, and fun within the WordPress community.

• Image Roulette Plugin: Michelle’s accessibility challenge inspired Mark to create a plugin that randomizes images while preserving alt text and captions. Within hours, he developed a fully functional prototype that later became a public WordPress plugin.
• Accessibility at the Core: The plugin automatically uses each image’s existing media library fields (alt text, title, caption), ensuring accessibility is built-in rather than an afterthought — aligning with WordPress’s broader emphasis on inclusive design.
• Simplicity and Versatility: Image Roulette works via both a Gutenberg block and a shortcode, making it compatible with different site builders. It’s ideal not only for random prompts but also for creative and commercial applications, such as eCommerce product showcases.

• Moo
• Image Roulette
• Insta WP
• Claude
• Cursor
• Angie
• WP World

A2 Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be used on ANY Web Hosting plan from A2.  You can deploy WordPress easily on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting plans. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!

• Mark Westguard (Founder, WS Form)
• Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode of Cache Up, host Michelle Frechette chats with Joe Dawson, co-founder of WordPress Accessibility Day. They discuss the event’s origins, its 24-hour global online format, and the importance of accessibility in web design for people with disabilities and aging users. Joe explains the logistics behind providing live captions, ASL interpretation, and paying speakers. The conversation highlights the volunteer-driven nature of the event, the need for sponsorship, and ongoing efforts to improve both digital and physical accessibility in the WordPress community and beyond.

• The Origins and Growth of WP Accessibility Day: WP Accessibility Day started in 2020 as an online accessibility-focused event and was significantly shaped by the pandemic, which allowed the team to attract international speakers. Founders Joe Dolson, Amber Hinds, and Bet Hannon built a volunteer-run organization that has grown into an annual, fully online 24-hour event, enabling global participation.
• Commitment to Accessibility for All: The event emphasizes true accessibility, not just compliance. It includes live ASL interpretation, live captions, and translated content (currently in Spanish, French, and other languages), ensuring participants with various disabilities and language backgrounds can fully engage. Accessibility is seen as a benefit for everyone, including those with temporary or situational disabilities.
• Valuing Contributors and Maintaining a Sustainable Model: WP Accessibility Day pays its speakers and translators to honor their time and expertise, despite being a volunteer-led nonprofit. Sponsorships and donations fund professional captioning, sign language interpreters, Zoom infrastructure, and post-production, balancing high-quality accessibility services with organizational sustainability.
• Real-World Impact and Awareness: The conversation highlights how accessibility challenges extend beyond the web to physical spaces and everyday life. Joe and Michelle emphasize the importance of listening to feedback from people with disabilities, including temporary ones, and addressing barriers proactively. The event and its materials serve as both an educational resource and a demonstration of inclusive design practices in action.

• WP accessibility day
• id24
• Bet Hannon
• Amber Hinds
• Vitaly Friedman
• Smashing Magazine
• Joe A Simpson Jr

A2 Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be used on ANY Web Hosting plan from A2.  You can deploy WordPress easily on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting plans. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!

• Joe Dawson (Co-Founder, WordPress Accessibility Day)
• Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this podcast episode, host Michelle Frechette interviews Adam Preiser and Andre Gagnon, co-founders of SureCart, a managed e-commerce platform for WordPress. They discuss SureCart’s user-friendly features, flexible pricing, robust subscription management, and seamless integrations. The conversation highlights how SureCart simplifies online selling for merchants and agencies, offers transparent pricing, and supports both digital and physical products. Listeners ask questions about selling digital goods, reporting, and payment options. The episode concludes with community engagement details and upcoming events, showcasing SureCart’s commitment to merchant success and innovation.

• Accessibility and Customizability Are Core Priorities: SureCart places a strong emphasis on accessibility, including keyboard navigation, screen readers, and focus management. Every new feature undergoes extensive accessibility testing. At the same time, the platform is highly customizable, allowing users to modify templates for products, carts, checkouts, and even customer areas. This is particularly valuable for agencies building stores for clients with specific design requirements.
• Flexibility and Seamless Integration Simplify E-Commerce: SureCart supports multiple pricing options—including one-time payments, subscriptions, and installment plans—and integrates seamlessly with page builders like Elementor and Bricks. It eliminates the need for multiple third-party plugins, offering built-in shipping, taxes, upsells, affiliates, and abandoned cart recovery. Merchants can manage both digital products (like photography) and services, including instant checkout pages for streamlined selling.
• Advanced Reporting and Subscription Management: The platform provides detailed reporting dashboards with KPIs and subscription analytics, making it easy to track sales, refunds, churn, and growth. Subscription management is automated, including failed payment recovery and options to retain customers through discounts or pauses. Integrations with tools like Zapier allow merchants to trigger automated actions and workflows, enhancing customer retention and operational efficiency.
• Transparent Pricing, Scalable Plans, and Upcoming Features: SureCart offers a simple pricing model: free plan with a 1.9% transaction fee, or paid annual plans ($179/year for a single store) with all features included and no transaction fees. Plans scale from one store to unlimited stores, ideal for agencies. Upcoming features include starter templates, product reviews, automated fees and discounts, custom report builders, and integration with Razor Pay for international payments. The team maintains a customer-focused, approachable philosophy, prioritizing feedback and ongoing improvements.

• SureCart
• WP Crafter
• CartFlows
• Elementor
• Bricks Builder
• Otto Kit
• Zapier

Build and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on WordPress.com. Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts. 

• Adam Preiser (Co-founder, SureCart)
• Andre Gagnon (Co-founder, SureCart)
• Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this podcast episode, host Michelle Frechette interviews Remco Nieuwenhuis, a WordPress professional from the Netherlands and founder of WPSupporters and WPoptic. Remco shares his journey from military and police service to tech entrepreneurship, discusses the creation of WP Optic—a fast, accurate browser extension for detecting WordPress themes and plugins—and demonstrates its features live. The conversation covers challenges, future plans, and community involvement, ending with the host encouraging listeners to try WP Optic and announcing a brief podcast break for WordCamp US.

• WPoptic is a fast, WordPress-focused browser extension: Remco Nieuwenhuizen developed WPoptic to quickly detect if a site is built with WordPress, along with its themes and plugins. Unlike broader tools like BuiltWith or Wappalyzer, WPoptic focuses specifically on WordPress and boasts near-instant detection speeds, currently identifying around 17,000 plugins with plans to expand to over 50,000.
• Development involved overcoming early challenges: The first version of WPoptic was built by an overseas developer but lacked scalability, security, and depth in plugin detection. After receiving feedback from a competitor-turned-collaborator, Remco decided to rebuild the tool from scratch, prioritizing speed, security, and accuracy. This pivot confirmed market demand and improved the product’s professional quality.
• Growth and monetization plans center on data and community: WPoptic has around 800 Chrome users and aims to monetize through features like an export function, AI-assisted plugin detection, and potentially dashboards for plugin developers to track installations and competition. Remco emphasizes organic growth, user feedback, and avoiding heavy reliance on advertising, preferring to fund development through his other business, WPSupporters.

• WPoptic
• Wave
• Built With
• WPSupporters
• Wappalyzer
• WPfounders article about Remco Nieuwenhuizen
• Elementor
• WPBakery
• Divi

A2 Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be used on ANY Web Hosting plan from A2.  You can deploy WordPress easily on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting plans. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!

• Remco Nieuwenhuizen (Founder, WPoptic)
• Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode of Cache Up, host Michelle Frechette chats with Miriam Schwab, Head of WordPress at Elementor, about the company’s latest innovations. They discuss new products like the Image Optimizer, Site Mailer, Ally accessibility plugin, and Angie, Elementor’s AI assistant. Miriam shares insights on Elementor’s codebase revamp for better performance, the company’s commitment to accessibility, and the growing role of AI in WordPress. The conversation also highlights Elementor’s community involvement, especially at WordCamp US, and the expanding availability of their tools beyond just Elementor users.

• Elementor Expands Beyond Page Building: Elementor is rapidly evolving beyond its roots as a page builder, expanding into a full suite of standalone tools that serve broader WordPress needs. These include utilities like Site Mailer for email deliverability, Image Optimizer for performance, Ally for accessibility, and the soon-to-launch AI assistant Angie. Importantly, many of these tools work independently of Elementor, making them accessible to all WordPress users regardless of their chosen builder.
• AI Integration is Shaping the Future of Elementor: A major focus for Elementor is integrating AI to streamline website creation and management. From Site Planner, which generates a full website structure from a prompt, to Ally’s AI-powered accessibility fixes, and Angie’s promise of automating time-consuming tasks, Elementor is positioning AI as a core part of the WordPress user experience. This not only increases efficiency but helps WordPress remain competitive and user-friendly in an AI-driven era.
• Performance and Speed Take Center Stage with Version 4: Elementor is addressing long-standing concerns about performance by refactoring its aging codebase. Version 4 (V4) of the page builder brings improvements in speed, cleaner code, and better development workflows. This overhaul is designed to benefit both end users, who will see faster websites, and developers, who will gain the ability to deploy new features more quickly and cleanly.

• Elementor
• W3Techs
• Image Optimizer
• Ally
• Site Planner 
• Angie
• WP Accessibility Day
• Underrepresented in Tech

Build and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on WordPress.com. Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts. 

• Miriam Schwab (Head of WordPress, Elementor)
• Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode of Get It Seen: The Simplest Way to Accessible Design host Michelle Frechette and typography expert Piccia Neri discuss the vital role of typography in web accessibility. They explore how factors like font choice, size, alignment, kerning, and style impact readability and legibility for all users, including those with visual or neurological differences. The conversation highlights common pitfalls—such as using all caps, centered text, or decorative fonts—and offers practical tips for creating accessible, user-friendly content. Real-world examples underscore how thoughtful typography can improve user experience and even boost website conversions. The episode concludes with a preview of next week’s focus on color and contrast.

• Typography Is More Than Just Fonts — It's a Core Element of Accessibility: Typography includes not only font choices but also layout, spacing, alignment, font weight, size, line height, tracking, and visual hierarchy. These elements together shape how readable and legible text is, directly affecting accessibility and user experience.
• Readability and Legibility Are Different, and Both Matter: Legibility is about how easily individual letters can be distinguished (e.g., clear letterforms, avoiding imposter letters like I/l/1). Readability refers to how easily blocks of text can be read and understood (e.g., proper line length, avoiding full justification, using appropriate spacing). Both need to be considered when designing for diverse users, including those with dyslexia or visual impairments.
• Alignment Strongly Impacts Usability and Conversion: Left-aligned text is significantly easier to read, especially online. Centered or poorly aligned text disrupts the reader's visual flow and can make content inaccessible.
• There Are No Universally "Perfect" Accessible Typefaces: Recommendations like "use sans-serif fonts" or “Arial is accessible” are oversimplified. Accessibility depends on how the typeface is used, whether it distinguishes similar characters clearly (e.g., capital I vs. lowercase L), and whether it's appropriate for your audience. Typefaces like Atkinson Hyperlegible are designed with accessibility in mind, but even these aren’t universally preferred.

• Don't Make Me Think Book By Steve Krug
• Atkinson Hyperlegible
• Söhne Klim Type Foundry 
• National Klim Type Foundry
• Josef Albers
• Accessible typeface checklist – free resource
• Accessible Typography 101 course – 30% discount code: PODCAST30
• Better Accessibility Through Typography Masterclass – 30% discount code: PODCAST30

Build and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on WordPress.com. Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts. 

• Piccia Neri (Accessible Design Lead, Aligned Consulting Group)
• Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode of Cache Up, host Michelle Frechette chats with Clem Omotoso and Mary Baum about WordCamp Canada 2025. Clem, a newcomer to WordPress, shares his journey from student to event volunteer, while Mary, an experienced organizer, discusses the event’s programming, community spirit, and accessibility. The conversation highlights the excitement around meeting fellow WordPress enthusiasts, the value of informal networking, and the unique features of the Ottawa venue. Listeners are encouraged to attend, volunteer, or sponsor, making WordCamp Canada 2025 a welcoming and memorable experience for all.

• WordCamp Canada Fosters Community and Welcomes Newcomers: Clem Omotosho’s journey from student to WordCamp Canada volunteer highlights how welcoming and accessible the WordPress community is. With encouragement from experienced community members like Michelle and Mary, newcomers are not only embraced but quickly integrated into organizing teams and events. The spirit of connection, support, and shared learning was a central theme throughout the conversation.
• Hosting WordCamp on a College Campus Enhances Accessibility and Atmosphere: Returning to Carleton University in Ottawa, WordCamp Canada 2025 will benefit from a venue that naturally supports learning, accessibility, and social interaction. College campuses offer built-in amenities like classrooms, accessible pathways, and communal spaces, making them ideal for events focused on knowledge-sharing and community building.
• A Dual-Track Program Highlights WordPress’s Future and Foundations: The 2025 event will feature two main speaker tracks: one focused on practical sessions for users, developers, and business owners, and another forward-looking track exploring topics like AI, the fediverse, and the future of the open web. With keynote speakers like Dave Winer and Evan (surname TBD), the program aims to engage both seasoned professionals and curious newcomers alike.

• WordCamp Canada

A2 Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be used on ANY Web Hosting plan from A2.  You can deploy WordPress easily on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting plans. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!

• Clem Omotosho (Technical Solutions Specialist/ Engineer, StackAdapt)
• Mary Baum (Owner, RacquetPress)
• Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this podcast episode, host Michelle Frechette is interviewed by Macus Burnette to introduce "WP Trail Buddies," Michelle’s initiative to help newcomers at large WordCamp events feel welcome and connected. The program pairs first-time attendees with experienced veterans for mentorship and support, easing anxiety and fostering community. Michelle shares her own WordCamp experiences, explains how the free, volunteer-driven project works, and discusses the broader importance of mentorship in the WordPress community. The conversation highlights the value of inclusion, friendship, and support, encouraging listeners to join and help make WordCamps more accessible for everyone.

• WP Trail Buddies Is a Volunteer-Led Mentorship Program: Michelle Frechette created WP Trail Buddies as a free, volunteer-based initiative to pair WordCamp veterans with newcomers to help them feel more comfortable at large flagship events like WordCamp US. The program is powered by free tools like Google Forms and WordPress.com, and even includes GDPR-compliant data practices. Although unsponsored, some organizations like Newfold have volunteered to provide swag like stickers and pins.
• The Focus Is on Flagship and Large WordCamps—for Now: Due to Michelle managing the project solo, WP Trail Buddies is currently limited to larger WordCamps (typically 250+ attendees). While open to expanding to other events in the future—like WordCamp Canada—the priority is on keeping things manageable and scalable. She’s open to conversations with other camps that may want to adopt the model.
• WordCamps Are About Community and Belonging: Michelle emphasized how transformative WordCamps have been for her personally—from knowing no one at her first WordCamp Buffalo to attending nearly 100 events and mentoring others. She and Marcus both stressed that the true value of WordCamps lies in the friendships, mentorship, and support network built over time. Programs like Trail Buddies help foster this sense of inclusion from the start.

• WP Trail Buddies
• WPIncludes.me
• The WP World

Build and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on WordPress.com. Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts. 

• Marcus Burnette (Founder, The WP World)
• Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this podcast episode, Michelle Frechette interviews Natalie MacLee and Nathan Tyler, co-founders of NSquared. They discuss their journey from developing popular WordPress plugins to launching SaaS products like Aaardvark, an accessibility platform, and Blink Metrics, a data management tool for small businesses. The conversation covers the challenges of fragmented business data, the importance of web accessibility, and the differences between WordPress plugins and SaaS solutions, highlighting N Squared’s commitment to innovation and supporting both the WordPress community and broader digital needs.

• From WordPress Roots to SaaS Expansion: Natalie MacLees and Nathan Tyler started with successful WordPress plugins like Simply Schedule Appointments and Draw Attention. Realizing some challenges couldn’t be solved within WordPress alone, they expanded into SaaS to build scalable tools that work both inside and outside the WordPress ecosystem.
• Introducing Aaardvark and Blink Metrics: Their new tools—Aaardvark and Blink Metrics—tackle accessibility and data overwhelm. Aaardvark offers automated and manual accessibility testing, with WordPress integration. Blink Metrics pulls data from multiple sources into a centralized, easy-to-read dashboard for small businesses, simplifying decision-making.
• Prioritizing Accessibility and Innovation:Accessibility is a major focus. Aaardvark is developing an AI tool to check color contrast in complex designs and supports multilingual websites. They’re also launching Aaardvark Circle, a community to help professionals improve accessibility in their work.
• The Marketing Challenge of SaaS vs. WordPress: Marketing SaaS is harder than WordPress plugins, which get exposure through WordPress.org. SaaS tools require outreach and education to build awareness. Natalie and Nathan are leaning into this challenge to grow beyond the WordPress bubble.
• Coexistence of Platforms and a Broader Mission: Though they’re expanding into SaaS, Natalie and Nathan still actively support their WordPress products. They believe in building tools that work across platforms, aiming to improve accessibility and usability for the entire web—not just WordPress users.

• N Squared
• Draw Attention
• Simply Schedule Appointments
• Calendly
• AAArdvark
• Blink Metrics
• Simple Client Dashboard

A2 Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be used on ANY Web Hosting plan from A2.  You can deploy WordPress easily on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting plans. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!

• Natalie MacLees (Co-Founder of NSquared)
• Nathan Tyler (Co-Founder of NSquared)
• Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this podcast episode, host Michelle Frechette  and guest Sam Waines from Barn 2 Plugins dive into the world of video content creation within the WordPress community. They discuss practical tips on equipment, editing software, and the importance of audio quality. Both share personal experiences, challenges, and lessons learned, emphasizing storytelling and authenticity as keys to audience engagement. The conversation also covers adapting to trends like short-form video and balancing technical skills with creativity. The episode offers actionable advice and inspiration for aspiring content creators looking to improve their video production and connect with viewers.

• Content Is King—Even with Imperfect Production: Across the discussion, Michelle and Sam stress that storytelling, relevance, and usefulness matter more than having flawless lighting, audio, or editing. Viewers are drawn to authentic, valuable stories, not just polished visuals. Imperfection is not a deal-breaker if the message resonates.
• You Don’t Need Expensive Gear to Get Started: Michelle began her podcast with just her built-in Mac mic; Sam started with a $12 lav mic. Both reinforced that starting with what you have—whether it’s free software like Audacity, basic webcams, or a phone—is more than enough. You can upgrade incrementally as your content and skills grow.
• Audio Setup and Environment Make a Big Difference: Simple adjustments like mic placement, soundproofing with rugs or curtains, and checking input levels (especially after software updates) can dramatically improve audio quality. Sam recommends keeping recording levels around 25–50% and watching for clipping using tools like OBS or native Mac settings.

• Barn 2 Plugins
• Nomad With Us
• DaVinci Resolve
• Blue Yeti
• Sony a6400
• WordPress.org
• Elementor
• StreamYard
• Zoom 
• Adobe Rush
• Audacity
• Descript 
• GarageBand 
• iMovie 
• Screen Studio
• Mira teleprompter software

Build and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on WordPress.com. Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts. 

• Sam Waines (Video Editor & Content Producer, Barn 2 Plugins)
• Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧