Who's This For

It’s probably not a secret by now that I do this show as an excuse to chat with people I find fascinating. So, thanks for indulging me.Chatting with Ryan James Quinn was a chance to share our love for radio, music, community, and just being genuine in this crazy world. We also talk about Dirty Chai Radio, his streaming station, which I think you should check out when you want some good music in your life.We get into our relationship with the audience and even wade into the tricky waters of gatekeeping and tastemaking. At the end of the day, I think we're both trying to use our microphones to bring a little more love into the world.I really hope you enjoy this conversation about craft, community, and place.

“Michael Perry is the kind of author who makes you scrap your lead sentence five times when you write about him. His prose is so full of poignant adjectives it’s like a silage-stuffed silo at the end of autumn – warm, pungent, and ready to nourish.”

Me - 2014

Catching up with Michael Perry is a true joy. He’s someone I’ve been honored to know for a little over 15 years and I respect the good gracious out of him.

In our discussion we chat about noticing things and interacting with society, finding our own joy and journeys, and beautiful mentors we have met along the way.

We also talk about rural and urban life in a way people don’t very often in my opinion and that’s the community you find in them. That community oftentimes doesn’t look like you or may not even believe things you do, but they are dear and have lessons they teach along the way.

I’m beyond thrilled for you to hear this chat, so give yourself an hour and enjoy.

As this podcast has evolved, I’ve realized I’m interested in talking to people who are helping make sense of this journey through life, including the shit we're scared to death of.That’s what made this conversation with Steve Slocum and Megan from Green Bay Oncology so compelling to me.Throughout our chat, we explore rural cancer care in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula, communicating difficult information with empathy, and the challenge of making large healthcare systems feel personal and approachable.We also discuss the Cancer Covered podcast, how patients process fear and uncertainty, and why communication matters so much when people are making life altering decisions.It’s a conversation about trust, humanity, and the people working to make sure no one feels alone during the hardest moments of their life and I’m glad to welcome you in.

When I decided to focus on this podcast and invite guests who have intrigued me throughout my life, Robyne Robinson was at the top of that list.

Not only was she a news anchor I admired on KMSP, she’s also someone I knew was fostering the art scene in my early 20s through her galleries.

So this discussion wasn’t just a treat, it was the full meal. Throughout our chat, we explore art scenes in Minnesota and New Mexico, Robyne’s remarkable career in news and art, and a concept she defines as “emotional equity.”

This is the buy-in we all feel when we see something beautiful in public that we identify with when a place becomes part of who we are. It’s not just a philosophical idea, it’s the foundation behind placemaking in architecture and urban design.

It’s a conversation about how we see ourselves in the places we live and I’m glad to welcome you in.

It’s not often I get to talk with someone that helped shape mediums I genuinely love.

So my chat with Matty Staudt was a thrill.

Matty co-founded Stitcher before the iPhone era, helped launch the iHeartRadio Podcast Network, and now works with creators through Creator X helping connect smaller shows with brands that actually fit their audiences. He’s someone who has seen podcasting from the very beginning and is still thinking carefully about where it’s going.

I’d especially encourage you to listen to this one if you’ve ever thought about starting a podcast yourself, or if you just want to hear how someone who’s spent a career in radio and podcasting thinks about connecting with an audience in a real way.

For nearly forty years Jim McGuinn has been a familiar voice, playing amazing music on the radio. He has introduced countless bands, programmed stations that shape entire music scenes, and carried a name that is not the one he was born with.

In this conversation for Who’s This For we sit down to talk about what it means to be yourself when a microphone is always in front of you. Jim tells the story of how a first boss suggested his real last name was “too ethnic,” and how choosing McGuinn set the stage for a lifetime of radio. From there we move into the craft of being on air as he explains how to speak naturally when every second is planned, how to keep your excitement honest, and why good radio is like telling a story at a party.

Jim shares his approach to programming, the balance of surprise and comfort that keeps a station alive, and the philosophy he calls the “spoke and wheel.” We also look ahead at the future of broadcasting, talking about artificial intelligence as a tool that can help but should never replace the human connection that draws people to music in the first place.

This episode is for anyone who creates music, podcasts, brands, or experiences and wonders how to stay true to themselves while still performing for an audience. Jim’s insight is a reminder that authenticity is not an accident. It is a skill and a choice, and it can make a voice on the radio feel like a friend in the room.

Find Jim: xpn.org/

Find this Podcast: linktr.ee/WhoIsThisFor

In my interview with Marsha Hovey, we send it into a discussion about how a place like Trollhaugen develops a Troll’s brand voice that’s become beloved nationwide.

Marsha’s work as the marketing director at Trollhaugen is a great example of what authentic regional storytelling can look like. She’s someone thinking carefully about how to communicate with people rather than just sell to them.

Her approach grows out of a deep connection to action sports culture and a belief that outdoor spaces are places where friendships, identity, and creativity come together.

Our discussion moves between Midwest ski culture, the character of Trollhaugen’s Troll, and the importance of representation in outdoor sports, especially as more women see themselves reflected in spaces that haven’t always pointed the camera their direction.

It’s a great conversation about how authenticity still matters in an era when capital is trying to own more and more outdoor enjoyment.

My conversation with Simon Adler was exactly why I love doing this show. For forty or so minutes we got to really dive into what keeps us creating.

Simon’s work with Radiolab is exquisite, and it’s inspiring to see him bring that same creativity to his work for Johns Hopkins and his multidimensional collaboration, Windstar Enterprises.

His creativity grows out of early roots in music and international freelance journalism. He’s the type of person who independently crafted stories and then found those stories homes.

Our discussion delightfully lilts between Eau Claire music, iteration, and creative process and then touches on the dystopia we see ahead (hint: it’s AI).

I hope you enjoy our discussion because you are who this is for.

Who’s This For? is the communicator’s podcast. A place where we try to sneak a peek behind Oz’s booth.

To kick off Season 2, I couldn’t think of anyone better than recording artist, memoirist, and the artist-in-residence at Georgetown University, Dessa.

Her knack for intertextuality has impressed me ever since her days as a poet and MC, through her solo career starting with the mind-blowingly personal Badly Broken Code and continuing across a host of stunning releases, collaborations, and her work as an author.

In this conversation we talk about intertextuality, grind, and the long arc of building a voice, along with some reflections on the state of the music scene and how, while the communication channels have changed, the programming we put out is the same.

It’s a great episode. I’m really glad to share it with you.

Ever feel like marketing is just shouting into a void? Or that your message gets lost in a sea of spam and self promotion? My guest this week, the brilliant Erin Trowbridge, is here to flip the script.

Erin is a marketing strategist with decades of experience, from economic development to higher education, and shes a co founder of Four Peas Consulting. Shes built her career on one powerful, simple idea: all great marketing is a one on one conversation. Its about talking with people, not at them.

In this chat, we get into the nitty gritty of how to actually do that. We talk about her first step for any project its all about the goal, why sales and marketing should be best friends, and how her unique, contractor based team model is built for flexibility and collaboration. We also dive into how she builds strong local marketing communities and the real world value of bringing professionals together.

And of course, we tackle the big one: AI. Erin shares how she uses tools like ChatGPT and Fathom not to replace human connection, but to handle the mundane tasks so we can focus on the creative, human centered work that really matters.

This is a conversation for anyone who communicates for a living marketers, founders, writers, salespeople or anyone who just wants to get better at connecting with another person. Because no matter the size of the audience, it always comes down to answering one question: Whos this for?

Find Erin and Four Peas: https://www.fourpeas.co/about