I will admit that when I see someone who decides to take action, I feel a twinge of pride inside. I feel pride because, frankly, it is hard to start something.
Such is the case for Angela Bowman, Tracy, Apps, and Amy Masson. The three set out on a mission to share the voices of women in the WordPress community.
I have noticed it, and I know you have too. Take a look at the regular roundtable of podcasts, and you seem to see the same people.
One of the things I noticed about the Women in WP podcast is that they interview a diverse group of women from across the globe. They have purposely stepped outside their own contacts.
I reached out, and Bowman, Apps, and Masson agreed to answer some questions. The three collaborated to answer my questions. I appreciate the time they took out of their busy schedules to share a little more about their podcast.
How has the podcast been different than you expected?
We weren’t sure what direction the podcast would take both from a topic standpoint and having three hosts. We’ve found it delightful that it’s been a spotlight on women in the industry and what they are doing, both in and out of WordPress. The global aspect has also been surprising.
Most of the WordCamps we have attended have been in North America, and we haven’t had much awareness of the WordPress community in other parts of the world. It’s been a pleasant surprise to not know most of the people who have signed up to be guests and hear what they are doing around the world.
Having three hosts have also made the podcast dynamic and fun as we each bring our own perspective to the types of questions we ask.
Having three hosts has also made the podcast dynamic and fun as we each bring our own perspective to the types of questions we ask.
Have you three worked together previously or is your first project?
This is our first project together. Amy and Tracy have known each other for a few years from various WordCamps, and Angela and Tracy met at the first LoopConf in 2015. We’ve all known each other online for awhile.
We bring a nice combination of skills to the table which has made the podcast possible. Amy is very organized and task oriented. She makes sure everything is scheduled and automated as much as possible.
Tracy is tremendously creative and has done a great job at creating all the graphics and taking care of the production aspects of the podcast.
Angela creates show notes, manages the website, and pitches in wherever is needed.
What do you hope the greater WordPress community takes from your podcast?
We hope to acknowledge the amazing work that women are doing for the WordPress community behind the scenes and the contributions they are making on all levels.
We feel it’s important for the WordPress community to know that there are a lot of women doing some kick-ass stuff, and yet imposter syndrome is real and often coexisting within a person who is doing amazing work.
So perhaps our podcast can help them feel not so alone and validated in all that they do.
We also hope that this can encourage people to network more–especially outside of their immediate circles–and find great mentors, be a mentor, and help change the face of what can be a very isolating career (especially if you are freelance or a solopreneur) into a much more empathetic community that supports each other on a deeper level.
We hope to acknowledge the amazing work that women are doing for the WordPress community behind the scenes and the contributions they are making on all levels.
What kind of feedback from the WordPress community (and elsewhere) have you had thus far?
The participants on the show tell us how much fun they had and that it was the most fun podcast they have been on. Overall, the feedback has been positive and enthusiastic.
We haven’t received any criticism, though we would welcome any feedback on ways we can improve. Women keep asking to be on the show, so we are guessing people like it.
Our most-listened-to podcast was the one with Mary Job from Nigeria, so perhaps there is a real desire out there for people to connect globally.
Where are you looking for your podcast guests? Have you had any problems finding guests?
So far, we haven’t had trouble finding guests. The only problem is finding time to interview them all. We have been pleased that women have found us from around the world, so we aren’t a US-only podcast.
We have had guests from Australia, Nigeria, Greece, Israel, the UK, Canada, and many states within the US. We have had many women who are quite active in their local WordPress communities, either as WordCamp or Meetup organizers, working for a business that is involved in the WordPress community or teaching online.
Since most guests on other WordPress podcasts tend to be men, we had wondered whether women in WordPress didn’t want to be recorded or if there were just not that many of them.
It turns out neither is the case. They just needed to be asked. For many of our guests, this was the first podcast they had ever been on.
For many of our guests, this was the first podcast they had ever been on.
What kind of feedback have you had from other women in the WordPress community?
It feels like a good ‘women supporting women’ vibe happening. People do seem to be retweeting and liking our posts. The participants’ followers like that the person whom they’ve really admired or worked with is getting some recognition through the podcast.
Overall, it’s helped increase the visibility of what these women are doing locally to a larger audience.
Overall, it’s helped increase the visibility of what these women are doing locally to a larger audience.
What does the future look like for Women in WP?
One of our goals is that when these lists of the “top 100 influencers in WordPress” roll out, they’ll have more than five women on them. We are here; we are making great contributions, and we want women to be recognized more for it.
Through our Show Notes and interviews, we hope to educate women and men on possibilities with WordPress they may not have known about.
Overall, we hope the trend towards women feeling more empowered to take their place in the tech sector continues to grow and that businesses, organizations, and groups help them do that.
And we definitely want t-shirts in our future. T-shirts, sponsors, coffee mugs, hats, and more!
Tracy was at WordCamp Europe this past week and interviewed 11 women for the show. We will be publishing that special episode this week and are excited to see how people like it!
Through our Show Notes and interviews, we hope to educate women and men on possibilities with WordPress they may not have known about.
What is one thing about you that people might not expect to know?
This is all new to us. We are flying by the seat of our pants and hoping for the best. We are taking great pleasure in just meeting these women and having a conversation with them.
Amy is always on mute because she has two dogs who randomly walk in and out of the episode and bark from time to time. Tracy’s secret mission is to bring visibility to a wider image of what a woman can look like, AND hopefully make the show feel like a welcoming, inviting and safe place for other queer women, transwomen, and my genderqueer friends.
Oh, also, we ask each guest what their favorite color is when they sign up, and that dictates Tracy’s bowtie for their episode. 🙂
Angela had wanted to do a podcast for years but got hung up on creating an intro and outro, which now seems quite silly since Tracy managed to make that happen with the snap of the finger.
For us, it’s all a lot of fun, and we hope others enjoy listening as much as we enjoy chatting it up.
Oh, also, we ask each guest what their favorite color is when they sign up, and that dictates Tracy’s bowtie for their episode. 🙂
Wrapping it up
You can catch the Women in WP podcasts on Youtube, Stitcher, iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify.
If you haven’t yet, go check out the Women in WP podcast! It’s a great chance to learn about new people from various parts of the world and the influence they have on their own WordPress communities.
