Why I’m starting a podcast

I can’t exactly remember when the idea for this podcast was born, but it was at my parents’ house several years ago. I was visiting them and helping out by power cooking over long weekends. My Mom had dementia and had lost her cooking skills, and my Dad was always going to Taco Bell. My sister and I knew we needed to do something, so I regularly flew home to make freezer meals for Dad to prepare for the two of them.

My childhood home was in the country, and my folks didn’t have internet after dial-up disappeared. So I was left with my thoughts and started listening to podcasts on my phone. I should start a podcast, I thought.

My parents continued to age and moved to assisted living, and my cooking skills were no longer needed. I was now visiting them and staying in the comfort of my sister’s house, with great wifi. I listened to podcasts on walks in her neighborhood and again pondered my own.

Mom died in January 2022. Nothing will make you realize you need to act on your dreams more than watching the death of a loved one. I ordered a Yeti mic that January, and it sat in the box it came in for months. Dad was still with us, but very sad after losing his wife of 71 years. I made many trips home to be with him and to be with my sister as we prepared to lose both of our parents in a short time.

Dad made his exit over Thanksgiving weekend in 2022. I was grief-stricken, having been a Daddy’s girl my entire life. I also felt the loss of my Mom hit me. I had been distracted worrying about Dad after Mom died. Now they were both gone. And it hurt.

After weeks of mourning, I felt like I was coming out the other side when Spring arrived. I had distracted myself by applying to speak at WordCamp Phoenix. Prepping for my talk took hours of my time, mainly after work. But this had also been a dream I had since 2018. It felt good to challenge myself and face my fear of public speaking. And I spoke of my parents in my talk. In a way, I was honoring their memory. For me, the passing of my parents is a turning point in my life. I had been putting off speaking at WordCamps and starting a podcast for a long time, and I now realize that life is short and I need to pursue my passions.

The podcast format that I chose is unique. It’s a blog post podcast where I read blog posts about WordPress, web design, being a solopreneur, and running a web design business out loud like an audiobook. I decided to take this approach because I believe that audio content can be more accessible and easier to consume than written content, and it allows listeners to multitask while still learning valuable information. For now, I will start with a weekly episode, but this may because more frequent as I learn how to record, edit and produce a show!

The posts I read will mostly be my own as I get started, but I intend to share blog posts from others with their permission. I plan to start with my own posts first to gain confidence as a narrator and share my own story. Then, since most blog posts will be short and take only a few minutes to read, I will follow each episode with my thoughts on the topic at hand—Cami’s Commentary. I’m still working on the details. These thoughts might be why I wanted to share the blog post with listeners in the first place or how someone else’s blog made an impression on me.

I believe that building a community of like-minded people is essential for personal growth and professional development. It is my hope that the WebCami Podcast can help you grow your knowledge of WordPress and learn tips for running a WordPress business while introducing you to members of the WordPress community you may not have discovered yet.

And with that, my first podcast episode is in the books!

Transcript of Cami’s Commentary:

I have so much respect for the podcasters in my life. I’ve seen all the equipment my friend Bob Dunn has amassed over the years, and I’m sitting here with a mic and Audacity and fumbling my way through the process. I have clicks to remove and need to watch more videos on how to edit. However, if I waited until I had it all figured out, I would not be sharing this episode with you right now.

Sometimes diving in is the best way to learn. Like when your dad threw you in the pool for the first time, It’s sink or swim. I may look back on this episode and cringe on how it sounds. But I will always be glad I didn’t wait for perfection and got the ball rolling now. I hope you tune in each week.

Also, you can find my blog posts about running my web design business on ⁠webcamicafe.com⁠, along with a link to my ⁠Facebook Group for web designers⁠. All this information can be found in my show notes. Well, will be found in my show notes when I write them!

Tune in next week for another episode of the WebCami Podcast.