Let's Talk Podcasts from Feminist Podcasters Collective

How to SEO Your Podcast (What Actually Works) with Kandas Rodarte

Feminist Podcasters Collective — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:57:22 -0500

What if the way people find your podcast has nothing to do with the algorithm gods — and everything to do with what they're actually typing into a search bar? Kandas Rodarte, host of Gratitude Geek and a longtime FPC member, has spent two years turning her show into an SEO case study, and she's sharing exactly what's working.

Kandas walks through how she splits her SEO strategy across Apple, Spotify, and YouTube (they're not the same game), why she moved her intro music to the 60-second mark instead of the first 15 seconds, and how running every episode through Auphonic changed her retention. She talks candidly about relaunching Gratitude Geek mid-metastatic breast cancer treatment, why she turned down a "superstar" guest because he didn't fit her niche, and the worst podcasting advice she keeps hearing ("just start" — she disagrees). Plus: the best advice she ever got, from her auto mechanic, about compassion.

Learn more about Kandas and her podcasts at https://kandasrodarte.com/

Join us in the Feminist Podcasters Collective at https://feministpodcasterscollective.com/

Crowdfunding Your Podcast Launch (Without Burning Out) with Nicole Havelka

Feminist Podcasters Collective — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:26:14 -0500

Nicole Havelka almost burned herself out before her podcast, Just Rest, even launched, so she did something most indie podcasters don't: she crowdfunded it. Feminist Podcasters Collective member Nicole breaks down how she raised nearly $5,000 to hire a launch partner, why Kickstarter's all-or-nothing model backfired on her (and how she recovered), and why asking for money turned into one of the best relationship-building things she's ever done. She also gets real about the "messy middle" of a crowdfunding campaign, the 8-10 hours she spent per episode in season one, and why she built her show around sustainable "good enough" instead of burnout-driving perfectionism.

00:00 – Welcome + introducing Nicole Havelka and her podcast, Just Rest
00:22 – One year "live," but two years in development
00:51 – What Just Rest is about: burnout tips for everyday radicals
01:20 – Nicole's reason for podcasting: sparking a "rest revolution"
01:55 – Why podcasting as a medium (auditory learning, the intimacy of being read to)
03:02 – The intimacy of podcasting and building relationships with listeners
05:06 – The rise of AI-generated podcasts — and why human voices matter more
05:44 – Human design and being "built" for podcasting
06:22 – Idea: hosting quarterly gatherings to connect podcast guests with each other
07:14 – Treating podcast guests as long-term relationships, not one-off bookings
07:49 – Why Nicole chose to crowdfund her podcast launch
08:27 – The real cost spectrum of podcasting (free to thousands per episode)
09:34 – Avoiding burnout by budgeting for help from day one
10:14 – What the money was actually for: hiring launch partner Alicia Galati of Galati Media
11:20 – The risk of Kickstarter's all-or-nothing funding model
12:14 – Pivoting to a direct Square donation link after falling short
13:02 – How Alicia produced Nicole's first three episodes soup to nuts
13:47 – Why crowdfunding was about preventing burnout, not just raising cash
14:04 – The final tally: about $5,000 raised
14:28 – Taking over after launch — plus a computer crash that derailed January
16:30 – Templates, systems, and the real time cost of show content (it's not just recording)
16:54 – Time per episode: 8-10 hours early on, versus Becky's ~2 hours now
17:38 – Learning to embrace "good enough"
17:54 – Building a sustainable every-other-week cadence
19:06 – What's next: two seasons a year, more solo episodes, and going nomadic
20:35 – Why Nicole isn't crowdfunding her next season
20:57 – Pro #1: getting comfortable asking for money
21:04 – Surprise benefit: asking for money deepened old relationships
22:43 – Pro #2: months of talking about the launch built awareness before day one
23:53 – The numbers: 17 episodes, almost 900 downloads
24:38 – Cons and cautions: why you need a "quiet phase" before you go public
26:00 – Getting laser-clear on your podcast's purpose and repeating it constantly
27:30 – The "messy middle" — and the workload of running a campaign solo
28:47 – What to do if you don't hit your goal
29:11 – Tip: use Kickstarter's free prep resources even if you don't launch there
30:11 – Right-sizing your funding goal to your actual audience size
31:00 – How the FPC community helped amplify the campaign
32:01 – Rethinking crowdfunding: visibility as the real goal, not just money
32:23 – Where to find Nicole and Just Rest

🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: https://feministpodcastcollective.com/

There Are No Podcasting Rules with SuperKate

Feminist Podcasters Collective — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:36:07 -0500

Podcasting doesn't come with rules other than the ones we make up. In this episode, Becky Mollenkamp talks with SuperKate (Kate Slepicka), host of Connecting with Super Kate, about ditching the "shoulds" of show format, working through fear and perfectionism, and using somatic check-ins to tell the difference between what's aligned and what's just scary.

SuperKate shares how a sound engineering background, a years-old idea, and a podcast accelerator course finally got her show off the ground, and why she now mixes solo episodes, guided meditations, and guest conversations instead of forcing a rigid weekly format. We dig into video vs. audio, YouTube-first podcasting, trauma responses vs. conditioning, and how listening to your body can tell you when fear is protecting you and when it's just holding you back.

🎧 Listen to Connecting with Super Kate: https://www.thesuperkate.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@connectingwithsuperkate

Join the Feminist Podcasters Collective, a community for independent podcasters centering equity and social justice: https://feministpodcasterscollective.com

Relaunching a Podcast After 10 Years with De'Nicea Hilton Harper

Feminist Podcasters Collective — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:32:29 -0500

Becky Mollenkamp sits down with Feminist Podcasters Collective member De'Nicea Hilton Harper to talk about her podcasting comeback. A decade ago, De'Nicea co-created Sisters of Flow, one of the first podcasts to openly discuss menstrual cycles, earning a Podfest award along the way.

Now she's launching Perfect Care Play-Versations, a show exploring the connections between body, environment, and systems in holistic women's health, where evidence-based practice meets practice-based evidence.

They dig into what changed the second time around: letting go of algorithm-chasing and "best practices" noise, building a podcast around joy instead of metrics, and starting a listener community ("Besties") from day one instead of waiting. De'Nicea also opens up about the real vulnerability of talking publicly about health and sovereignty in an age of AI confusion and parasocial risk.

If you're an independent podcaster thinking about relaunching, building community around your show, or podcasting with a social purpose, this one's for you.

Learn more about De'Nicea and her podcast: https://playground.mvt.so/

🎤 Learn more about the Feminist Podcasters Collective: https://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Podcast Burnout, Hiring Help & Growing an Audience with Rachel Duncan

Feminist Podcasters Collective — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:29:59 -0500

Rachel Duncan runs the Money Healing Club, helping people heal their relationship with money — and she's been podcasting about it for almost two years. In this conversation, Rachel gets real about the parts of podcasting nobody warns you about: burning out on a weekly schedule, learning to say "good enough," and finally hiring a producer (and what that actually costs, financially and emotionally, for a solo business owner).

We also dig into how her podcast fits into her marketing ecosystem (hint: it's nurturing, not top-of-funnel), the surprising ways it's deepened client retention, why her solo episodes consistently outperform her interviews, and how one Speakpipe voicemail turned into her most sustainable content habit. Plus: the unexpected PR and networking wins that came from putting her voice out into the world.

If you've ever wondered whether hiring help is "worth it," whether you're posting too much or too little, or how to repurpose two years of episodes instead of letting them disappear into the archive — this one's for you.

Find Rachel and the Money Healing Club podcast: https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/

Learn more about the Feminist Podcasters Collective: https://feministpodcasterscollective.com/

Podcasting While the World's on Fire: Nadine Stille's Story

Feminist Podcasters Collective — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:27:42 -0500

Nadine Stille always had the questions — as a kid, as a journalist-in-training, as a coach. Now she's turning that curiosity into Fangirl Your Life, a podcast built on a simple, radical idea: what if you gave yourself the same devotion you give your favorite artist, book, or sports team?

In this conversation, Nadine and Becky talk about why podcasting feels more intimate than any other platform, the real (steep) learning curve of year one, and how community — both in the Feminist Podcasters Collective and beyond — kept her from flaming out. Nadine also gets honest about workload, systems, and what it actually looks like to let a podcast build your business slowly instead of overnight.

Topics covered:
00:00 – Intro
00:23 – "The reason I podcast is..." — curiosity, advocacy, and connection
02:38 – How Fangirl Your Life started
04:51 – The goal of the show: inspiring people to dream again
07:38 – Why podcasting (over blogging or social) for this message
09:26 – The real talk on podcast workload
13:02 – Systems, planning, and the Podcasting While the World's on Fire workbook
16:16 – Using the podcast as a business tool, one season at a time
19:54 – The unexpected payoff: joy
22:07 – Why community is what keeps her going
23:38 – The worst podcasting advice she's heard
24:22 – The best podcasting advice she's received: plan ahead
26:41 – Where to find Nadine

Guest: Nadine Stille (she/her), host of Fangirl Your Life 🔗 fangirlyourlife.com

About this series: Conversations with members of the Feminist Podcasters Collective about their shows, their why, and what they're learning along the way. Join the community at feministpods.com.

Lindsay Johnson on Going Video-First & Ditching Imposter Syndrome

Feminist Podcasters Collective — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:24:58 -0500

Lindsay Johnson (they/them) won't call themselves a podcaster without an asterisk — and that's exactly why this conversation hits.
In this episode of our Why I Podcast series with members of the Feminist Podcasters Collective, Lindsay — host of The Radical Connector (formerly the Playing Big Podcast) — talks about letting the podcast become an afterthought once video took over, the real difference between "hard work" and being uncomfortable on camera, and why most of the excuses we make about video are imposter syndrome in a trench coat.

We get into:
• Why the podcast took a backseat once video took over
• The mental game of showing up on camera (and why the editing was never the hard part)
• Repurposing old blogs, lives, and YouTube videos into fresh content
• Separating your worth from internet hate comments
• What it means to claim "podcaster" when you're still in the messy middle

Find Lindsay: radicalconnector.com
YouTube: The Radical Connector
Instagram: @radicallens

Want in on a community of equity-centered indie podcasters? Join the Feminist Podcasters Collective at https://feministpodcasterscollective.com

Why Indie Podcasters Don't Need to Play by Big Media's Rules

Feminist Podcasters Collective — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:23:03 -0500

Amy Stone has been a storyteller her whole life, from ferrying tapes between recording studios as a kid to launching The Art of Imperfect Adulting, a top 3% global podcast about women, transformation, and change.

In this conversation, Amy and Becky dig into what it actually takes to build an indie podcast that makes money (hint: it's not CPM), why women creators need to step into the advertising side of media, and how collaboration (not competition) might be the real path forward for independent creators.

They cover:
• Why Amy describes herself as someone who'd "interview the palm trees" on a deserted island, and what that tells you about building a sustainable creative practice
• The journalism-to-podcasting pipeline, and why those skills still matter even when the industry has completely changed
• How the CPM advertising model fails indie podcasters, and what to do instead
• The real gap in podcast sponsorships, and why the dog groomer in Indiana might be your best sponsor prospect
• Why having women in control of their own media isn't just representation, it's a business imperative
• What it means to "know what you're bringing to the table" before you pitch a sponsor

Amy Stone is host of The Art of Imperfect Adulting. Subscribe and watch her show at ‪@imperfectadulting‬ and visit https://imperfectadulting.com/.

🎙️ Learn more about the Feminist Podcasters Collective at https://feministpodcasterscollective.com/

Your Podcast Doesn't Have to Look Like Everyone Else's

Feminist Podcasters Collective — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:20:54 -0500

In this episode of the Feminist Podcasters Collective's live series, host Becky Mollenkamp talks with FPC member Jordan Maney, host of the upcoming podcast The Permission Slip, about what it really looks like to build a podcast on your own terms. They dig into rest, experimentation, and why "consistently inconsistent" might be exactly the right approach for some podcasters.

In This Episode, We Get Into:
• Jordan's podcasting origin story, from a UT journalism class to experimenting her way through the medium
• What "consistently inconsistent" podcasting actually looks like, and why it's more honest than the weekly-grind model
• How Jordan's work around rest and joy directly connects to the way she shows up as a podcaster
• The rebrand from Rest Lab to The Permission Slip—what changed, why it matters, and what Jordan learned from her audience research
• Why format matters as much as content, and how the wrong format can block you from actually serving your listeners
• The difference between designing a podcast for yourself vs. designing it for your audience (and why both are valid, but only one grows)
• The worst podcasting advice floating around (hint: it's podcast bro nonsense about manufactured virality)
• The best advice Jordan received about doubling your promotion with a live-then-episode strategy
• What Jordan wants every marginalized person who's been sitting on a podcast idea to hear
• The permission slip Jordan is giving herself as she moves forward

Resources Mentioned:
• Jordan Maney: @thejordanmaney on Instagram and YouTube; Jordan Maney on LinkedIn
• The Permission Slip podcast, launching fall 2026 on all podcast platforms and YouTube

🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Why Kevin Chung Interviews Authors Nobody's Heard Of (On Purpose)

Feminist Podcasters Collective — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:18:29 -0500

Kevin Chung has been podcasting since 2016 — and he's on his third show, his second country, and his first book. In this conversation, Becky sits down with Kevin, a Feminist Podcasters Collective member and host of Standout Creatives, Standout Authors, and Standout Reinventions, to talk about what keeps him coming back to podcasting, why he deliberately seeks out guests nobody's heard of, and what it looks like to reinvent yourself mid-career.

In this conversation:
• Why he started podcasting to spotlight creative people who don't get the spotlight
• How the 2024 election prompted a move to Costa Rica, and a full creative restart
• The difference between Standout Creatives and Standout Authors (and why niching down changed everything)
• Why he uses Substack as his primary podcast home instead of traditional feeds
• His take on luck, privilege, and why everyone deserves a platform
• The worst podcasting advice he's ever heard (spoiler: it's about social media)
• Why doing less might be the most sustainable podcasting strategy you've never tried

Find Kevin and Standout Creatives at https://newsletter.thestandoutcreatives.com/

🎤 YOUR PODCAST CAN BE PART OF FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE! JOIN US: https://feministpodcasterscollective.com./

Sunsetting a Podcast, Smutty Romance, and Finding Your People with Alesia Galati

Feminist Podcasters Collective — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:16:31 -0500

Becky sits down with Alesia Galati — podcast producer, host of Podcasting Unlocked (nearly 300 episodes and counting), and creator of We Read Smut, a podcast celebrating BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ romance authors — for the first in a series of conversations with Feminist Podcasters Collective members.

They talk about what happens when a podcast you built from scratch stops feeling good, how to know when it's time to sunset a show, and why following a side-project passion might be the best business decision you never planned.

In this conversation:
• Why Alesia's first podcast about cult recovery, made with her sister changed how she thinks about podcasting's power
• The difference between a podcast that serves your business and one that serves your soul (and how to tell which you have)
• What sunsetting a show at 300 episodes looks like in practice, and what her team had to say about it
• How We Read Smut accidentally grew to 15,000 Substack subscribers and what she's building around it
• The rise of "side quest" podcasts, shows with no business case and a lot of heart
• Why she's launching a paid community on Discord (and why she waited until she was ready)
• What community has meant for her longevity as a podcaster and her take on FPC
• The worst podcasting advice she's ever received (and what she'd tell someone starting out instead)

Find Alesia:
• Podcast strategy + production: https://galatimedia.podia.com/help-my...
• Romance podcast + community: https://wereadsmut.com/

🎤 The Feminist Podcasters Collective is a membership community for independent podcasters who center equity and social justice in their work. Learn more and apply at https://feministpodcasterscollective.com/