Pod-Alization: Yeah, I F***ed That Up; Podcasting just Became Easier; Two Podcasts That Showcase Women

 This week, we have three podcasts that are ear worthy and an update for podcasters that will make remote recording much easier.

 Another episode, another F*** Up

  Interval Presents, Warner Music Group’s (WMG) in-house podcast network, has a new series, Yeah, I F*cked That Up, which challenges the stigma of failure as the podcast highlights stories of defeat from prominent figures in the entertainment industry.

The interview series premiered July 11 with featured guests Kelly Rowland and Steven Van Zandt.

I've listened to these first three episodes and with no need for a spoiler alert, I can tell you that both episodes are so fresh and elegant in their narrative about "what I've would have different."

The maestro here is the podcast's host is Grammy-nominated hitmaker Billy Mann, who has produced and written songs for some of the world’s most well-known musicians over the course of his 25+ year career.

This week’s new episode of Interval Presents’ ‘Yeah, I F***ed That Up,’ with musical duo Aly & AJ Michalka was just released.

In this recent episode, host Billy Mann chats with Aly & AJ about the effects of child stardom, mental health, and their return to touring on their own terms after a decade-long hiatus. 

Check out a clip from the episode HERE.

3:52 - Aly and AJ share background from their early career.

○ AJ - “I think Aly and I, being two kids in the business that started really young as children, I think that there was this idea that answers had to be perfect, an interview you gave had to be really glossy and there was no mistake.”

○ Aly - “It couldn’t be, like, too personal…it was kind of surface. I think that was something that was of that era, and now we’re kind of in the opposite where people are embracing a little bit more of an honest viewpoint when it comes to an artist in the public eye.”

● 6:53 - The sisters discuss the layered pressures on female artists and their relationship with their mom as young artists.

○ Aly - “Our mom was very conscientious of us not being overly sexualized because just knowing that that is something that happens with young female pop stars. I think she was quite aware of that and so she was very hands on with just always being around, always being onset, never just letting people take advantage of moments alone with AJ and I that didn’t seem appropriate for us being underage. I mean she definitely felt like a mom figure, which I think is important.”

○ AJ - “Our mom kind of lost herself in us a little bit, and I would caution parents who are indulging in the idea that their kids want to start something at a really young age, that they would take time to also be their own person.”

● 9:05 - Aly and AJ share what they consider to be their biggest f*** up: taking a really big break from touring. However, it also gave them the break to find their sound again, along with the confidence to make music as young adults and no longer as children.

● 11:00 - They chat about Aly turning down the role of Hannah Montana on Disney Channel and how it was a family decision behind the importance of honoring the band and sisterhood at that time.

● 19:46 - Aly and AJ discuss their joint effort in what they bring to the band and acknowledging both of their strengths and weaknesses, along with managing both of their acting and music careers.

● 22:50 - The duo discusses managing their mental health and how surviving a mass shooting while in their tour bus together put everything into perspective.

Remote recording for podcasters just got easier; Nissenblatt joins Descript App
Descript, the simple video and audio editor, announced the acquisition of remote recording studio SquadCast. As of today, the professional-grade remote recording solution is free as part of Descript. Podcasters and video creators now have a single tool for their entire production workflow, from recording to publishing.

“Remote recording has become an essential part of the podcaster’s workflow. And so far, podcasters have been forced to choose between something like Zoom that records at lower quality and is subject to internet glitches, or a pricey subscription to a dedicated remote recording service,” said Andrew Mason, CEO of Descript. “With our acquisition of SquadCast, podcasters have a battle-tested professional grade remote recording studio integrated right into their editor, for no additional cost.”

“Descript is the best way to make videos and podcasts. Together our users have the most powerful and most affordable tool to do what they love all in one place,” said Rock Felder, Co-Founder and CFO of SquadCast.

Remote recording is a staple in every podcaster's tool stack. Now, creators can record audio and video podcasts from anywhere and when they’re finished, their recordings will be automatically transcribed and ready for editing in Descript.

“As long-time users of both Descript and SquadCast, this is going to be game-changing for our team,” said Pat Flynn, host of the Smart Passive Income podcast. “These two world-class tools coming together will streamline recording with our guests, improve the listening experience for our audience, and save us countless hours of production time behind the scenes.”

Descript customers will get remote recording included immediately in their subscriptions for free. SquadCast customers can choose to switch their subscription to Descript to get its editing capabilities at no additional cost. 

To light the candles on the cake, podcast influencer and marketing expert Arielle Nissenblatt also announced that she has been named Community Marketing Manager on the Descript app. 

Two podcasts about women who challenge the status quo
These two podcasts -- In Her Ellement and Hotter Than Ever make a great combo for a summer listen, sharing women's stories with all their challenges AND wins.

Plus, I think they win an award for their clever titles. After all, duplicate podcast titles are actually a thing. Go to your podcast feed and check it out.

In Her Ellement's hosts, Suchi Srinivasan and Corin Lines, talk to the women at the vanguard of technology and dig into how these leaders got where they are—everything from the joy of projects gone right to the realities of family responsibilities.

They bring on guests like Women Who Code’s CEO Alaina Percival and Verizon’s CPO Debika Bhattacharya.

And crucially, asking: what was that moment you knew you weren't merely getting there...you had arrived? That's when you know you're in your element.

To pair with it, Hotter Than Ever host Erin Keating brings on guests that were brave enough to blow stuff up in the second half of their lives to find their happier, sexier, and more fulfilled selves.

Women over forty have started to realize that our fantasy of "having it all" is both a myth and a trap (how many New York Times articles until it’s just accepted fact?). We've jammed ourselves into someone else's ideas of success and happiness, and while our lives might look pretty and buttoned up from the outside, there's a rebel inside of us yearning to break free.

Hotter Than Ever unearths the unconscious rules that keep us feeling trapped and taking care of everyone other than ourselves. We all have dreams, and fantasies, and grand visions for our lives, and you deserve the chance to make them all come true.

The podcast defines itself as such: "Hear from amazing people about how they broke the rules and reshaped their lives for the better. We’ll talk about career, ambition, reinvention, relationships, divorce, dating, sex (and more sex), aging, body image and more in a frank, irreverent way that also manages to be deep as f*ck."

Now, that's an objective that is hard to resist. 

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This week's podcast recommendations

1. Yeah, I F*cked That Up

2.  In Her Ellement

3.  Hotter Than Ever