Seriously, BUD?

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An unexpected conversation with a man who makes a lasting difference with everything he does. 

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In this episode of *Seriously, Bud*, host Bud Kraus talks with WordPress educator and YouTube creator Imran Siddiq about the experiences and values that have shaped his life and career. Imran shares stories about growing up in England, meeting his wife by chance at a bus stop, and his disciplined approach to time management and productivity. He reflects on how a heart attack at age 42 prompted him to leave a successful 20-year career with the UK's National Health Service and pursue his passion for web design, teaching, and creating educational content full time. Throughout the conversation, Imran emphasizes that his greatest motivation is not financial success but making a meaningful difference in people's lives through education, while Bud highlights Imran's exceptional communication skills and ability to inspire others. The interview closes with a discussion of travel, British culture, WordPress events, and the importance of building a lasting legacy through helping others.

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An unexpected conversation with a guy who rode his bike every day in the shadows of the Acropolis while he was growing up. 

Gerasimos (Makis) Mourelatos is a self-taught entrepreneur, cybersecurity professional, and WordPress advocate whose journey from Montreal to Athens has been defined by curiosity, resilience, and a passion for lifelong learning. Choosing practical experience over a traditional academic path, he built a successful career in technology while contributing to open-source projects and launching initiatives such as SudoWP. Guided by a philosophy of observing people, cultures, and problems before taking action, he has applied this mindset to cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Alongside overcoming personal challenges, including divorce and raising his daughter, he has continued to reinvent himself with a focus on purpose rather than titles or financial success. His perspectives on travel, Greece, artificial intelligence, WordPress, and knowledge sharing reflect a commitment to continuous growth, meaningful experiences, and creating lasting value for the technology community.

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An unexpected conversation with a woman who manages to smile and laugh in the middle of a war and inspires us all. 

Lana Miro (Svitlana Miroshnychenko), a content marketer from Mykolaiv, Ukraine, shares her experiences of living through the ongoing war while continuing to build a successful career in the WordPress community. She discusses her role at MelaPress, her passion for books, history, and lifelong learning, and how attending WordCamps has helped her grow professionally despite struggles with anxiety. Lana also reflects on meeting her husband in a bookstore, her commitment to health and honesty, and her decision to remain in Ukraine, where she and her husband support their country while maintaining hope and resilience. Throughout the conversation, she highlights the importance of authenticity, meaningful relationships, and community, leaving a powerful impression of courage, integrity, and optimism in the face of adversity.

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An unexpected conversation with a woman whose husband suggested she give WordPress a try, and a new career was born. 

Lumi Ciobanu shares her remarkable journey from Romania's world of classical music to a career in WordPress. After spending more than two decades as a pianist, musicologist, university professor, and earning a PhD in musicology, she made the difficult decision to leave that life behind and start over in web design. Encouraged by her husband, she discovered WordPress, built websites for musicians, and eventually found her place at Automattic as a Do-It-For-Me Solutions Architect. Along the way, she reflects on overcoming imposter syndrome, identifying her strengths as a visual thinker, and embracing lifelong learning. The conversation also explores her family's own career changes, her daughter's passion for archaeology, life outside Bucharest, and the WordPress community that helped make her career transition possible and remains one of the most meaningful parts of her professional life.

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An unexpected conversation with a guy who might just be the only organizer at WordCamp US 2026 who speaks fluent Gujarati.

Arpit G. Shah shares an unexpected conversation that goes far beyond WordPress, reflecting on the loss of his father, the meaning behind the "G" in his name, his childhood in Gujarat, India's love of cricket, and the country's rich cultural diversity. Along the way, he talks about international travel, his love-plus-arranged marriage, raising two children, and a 17-year career in WordPress that has led him from volunteering at WordCamp Asia to helping organize WordCamp US 2026. More than a discussion about technology, it's a warm and engaging look at family, friendship, community, and the experiences that have shaped the person behind the profession.

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An unexpected conversation with a guy who fortunately wore the green sticker at his college's Kissmass party. 

Chris Reynolds reflects on a life shaped by curiosity, family, and a passion for technology. He recounts growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, meeting his wife Erin in college, and building a lasting marriage rooted in a chance encounter that became a lifelong partnership. The conversation explores his family's decision to homeschool their children, his largely self-taught path into web development, and the role WordPress played in launching his career. From early struggles in retail and tech support to leadership roles at Human Made and Pantheon, Chris emphasizes the importance of meaningful work, continuous learning, and staying true to one's values. Along the way, he shares stories of travel, creativity, and community, revealing that the most important parts of his journey have been the relationships he has built and the curiosity that continues to guide him.

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I'm taking a 3-week break as my wife Arlene and I are traveling to Prague, Krakow, Paris, and Portugal. WOW. That is enough.

And I need a break. Europe, here we come! 

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An unexpected conversation with a man who has 20,000 connections on LinkedIn and knows what to do with them.

In this episode of Seriously, BUD?, Bud talks with Jagadish “Jaggy” Tulagapu from India – an international recruiter for WPMU DEV who has built a global network of more than 20,000 LinkedIn connections and actually knows how to use them. The conversation moves from India’s rapidly growing AI and tech scene to cricket, WordCamps, arranged marriages, remote work, Bollywood movies, and raising a family while working from home. Along the way, Jaggi reveals himself to be one of Seriously, BUD?’s biggest fans, leading to a funny, warm, and unexpectedly personal conversation about community, relationships, and why the people behind WordPress matter more than the software itself.

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An unexpected conversation with a woman who wants to be a rabbit farmer, should she decide to grow up. 

In this episode of Seriously, BUD?, Bud talks with AmyJune Hineline about her unusual journey from growing up on a rural Northern California farm to working in engineering, nursing, open-source technology, and the Linux Foundation. The conversation explores hearing loss and accessibility, homeschooling, punk rock music, AI, WordPress and Drupal communities, and how technology is reshaping communication and learning. AmyJune shares how losing much of her hearing changed the way she experiences conferences and conversations, while Bud reflects on aging, assistive technology, and the evolving role of AI in daily life. Along the way, they discuss homeschooling through hands-on experiences, life in Oregon and California, open-source culture, and AmyJune’s surprisingly practical dream of someday becoming a sustainable rabbit farmer. The episode blends humor, honesty, technology, and personal storytelling into a thoughtful conversation about resilience, curiosity, and the many unexpected directions life can take.

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An unexpected conversation with a guy who reads 75 books a year and enjoys the window seat on an airplane. 

In this episode of Seriously, BUD?, Bud talks with Kevin McGillivray from Pressable about books, music, travel, AI, WordPress, and life on Vancouver Island. Kevin shares how Goodreads helped fuel his goal of reading about 75 books a year, leading into a larger conversation about history, biographies, audiobooks, and how AI tools like NotebookLM may transform the way people interact with books and information. The two also bond over music, concerts, geography, flying, and travel, with stories ranging from Tunisia and the Philippines to Bud’s upcoming trip tied to WordCamp Europe 2026. Kevin discusses his career path from telecommunications to Shopify and eventually becoming CMO at Pressable, where he explains the company’s rapid growth and its focus on balancing AI-powered tools with real human support. The episode closes with an uplifting discussion about the strength of the WordPress community and why the relationships formed through open source matter more than technology alone.

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