It’s time for another In the Spotlight interview! This time around, I had the incredible opportunity to chat to podcasting pro, Stephanie Fuccio.
Stephanie is a Media Strategist who helps community leaders and small business owners make genuine connection with their online projects.
How does she accomplish this task? Through podcasts, YouTube, and Substack currently. But Steph is INCREDIBLY versatile, who knows what frontier she’ll conquer tomorrow!
So make sure you’re checking out all the services Steph offers on her website and that you’re subscribed to her Substack so you don’t miss out on all Steph is offering!
Now, let’s step back into the spotlight…
Steph has worked on all kinds of podcasts, and she also hosts a whole bunch of her own! (Which we get into in the interview, of course!) But one of her newest ventures is AI and Podcasting!
And, FUN FACT! I had the immense privilege of being her first guest! I had so much fun learning new ways to utilize AI in my content creation process. You can check out the episode here:
During our conversation, Steph shares how she came to the podcasting space, what podcasting has done for her both personally and professionally, as well as how podcasting helps her satisfy her curiosity!
And of course, some top podcast recommendations!
So, let’s dive right in and step In The Spotlight with Stephanie Fuccio.
In the Spotlight: An Interview with Stephanie Fuccio
Jennay: Hello, Steph! So lovely to have you join me In The Spotlight! I’m really excited for all you have to share with us today.
But first. We love an origin story here at The Podcast Digest, can you tell us a little about your journey in audio and how you have now come to the podcasting space?
Steph: I started out as a podcast listener from the beginning. I was that person that drag and dropped MP3 files from my computer to an MP3 player (before Apple Podcasts and other players).
In 2017, after leaving (not finishing) a PhD program, I needed a creative outlet that had nothing to do with my Communications Educational work. My best friend and I used to sit on the phone for hours sharing podcasts we loved. During one of these sessions she asked the crucial question: “Why don’t you have a podcast?”
I didn’t know the answer. So I researched how to start one, did it, joined a bunch of virtual podcasting communities, and have not looked back.
Then in 2020, when podcasts exploded in popularity, online acquaintances that knew I had podcasts (because by then I had a few of them), asked me to edit theirs. I had just moved from China to Germany and was job hunting, so I thought this could be a good side hustle until I got a “real job.” Instead it became my real job fast!
Inevitably, clients started seeking my advice on growing their audiences, and that’s how I added podcast strategy to my service offerings.
Now I primarily focus on podcast strategy and analysis. A couple of examples are for business podcasts that could be lead generation or expert positioning and for community podcasts it can be community building. We use a combination of quantitative (downloads) and qualitative (emails, DMs, comments, etc) to shape the podcast content and messaging to reach that podcast why. It’s super fun to see a few small changes make such a big difference!
Jennay: That’s quiet journey! I love how your side hustle didn’t stay on the side for very long! And it’s incredible to see how you’ve found a great niche in the podcasting space. I’m going to ask you more about that shortly, but first, one of my favorite questions…What are your top three podcast recommendations?
Steph: First up, Hi Nay. It’s a supernatural Canadian-Filipino audio drama that has phenomenal writing and really good acting and editing, and it’s a really engrossing and interesting story that I’ve never heard before.
Next up, I really like Vergecast because it’s like the ultimate geekiness. It’s a newer favorite of mine. I’ve listened to it for just a couple of months and I’ve heard everything from the future of noise canceling headphones to AI and more. It’s the kind of geeky deep dives that takes the listener on a story, not just info dumps on them.
And then finally, I highly recommend Ladies, We Need to Talk, a podcast focused on menopause. It’s NOT just for women because everyone has women in their lives that are or will be in menopause at some point. We all need to know this stuff. The episodes are down-to-earth, practical, personable and are short yet packed with easily digestible information, making it accessible and non-intimidating.
Jennay: These are great picks! I’m adding them to my To Listen To List immediately!
Now, let’s get into your podcasts.
You have an impressive fleet of podcasts, covering a variety of topics. Can you tell us a little bit more about them and how they came to be?
Steph: All of my podcasts/projects come from my own curiosity. There’s also often a teaching and learning component because I was an English Language Instructor for nearly 20 years. You can’t shake the teacher out of me if you try, lol.
So working backwards from my most recent projects, I started with the question: “How do I connect to others better, specifically through my podcast?” And I ended with up with two podcasts to address this one question. Podcast to Connect and AI and Podcasting, which both focus on innovative podcast marketing strategies, one from a mindset viewpoint and one from a technical one.
To answer the question: “How do I make a sane living from podcast editing?” I created, hosted, and produced Global Podcast Editors, which were live panels discussing the challenges of podcast editing.
And trying to sort out how to feel more connected to the countries I lived in for many years outside my passport country, I created Geopats. This was my first interview podcast and the longest running. It was going strong for over 5 or 6 years and then slowly faded in importance because I moved to Europe and didn’t need to have those conversations as much as I did when I lived in Asia.
Jennay: That’s super impressive, Steph! I love the concept of podcasting to satisfy curiosity!
Now, let’s talk about your business, Coffeelike Media. Can you share more about your vision and mission?
Steph: Sometimes we like to think that events have a clean, linear plan, right? But in reality, I was doing things within and outside of the business that eventually led it to where it is now. And many times it was how others told me about what they thought I was doing versus what I thought I was trying to do that helped me clarify my mission and vision the most.
In short, Coffeelike Media exists to help connect people to each other, like in a relaxed coffee shop. And to do that, we create clearly defined goals including downloads AND engagement metrics, track them, and massage the content and messaging until the goals are reached. And repeat with new goals.
This connection can be business owner-potential clients, community leaders-potential community members or geeky hobby podcasters-other geeks in that content space. Just a few examples from my own clients.
Going back to the coffee shop analogy, we use organic marketing strategies like, gasp, making one-on-one connections with people instead of mass messaging or over automating things. There’s nothing wrong with those techniques if they fit your podcast and podcast why. It’s just not what I like, want to, or can help doing. But helping people to sound like themselves in audio, text and on the socials, that’s my skillset!
The services are always changing because podcasting is an etch-a-sketch industry, but right now they include podcast coaching and consulting, audits, and monthly management.
Jennay: That gift of connecting, and helping people “be themselves” is really special! Now, out of all the services you offer, do you have a secret favorite one you just love doing?
Steph: I do! The 3 month tandem podcast marketing coaching program is my fav for sure. I found that most people don’t do the things recommended in podcast audits, even with checklists and check ins. So this service was born. Instead of getting a long list of things to work on, I basically hawk a client and suggest one change at a time.
Mostly with a “what if…” mindset. They ultimately need to decide if they want to make that change. I watch them on social media and send some marketing experiments to try. I also listen to their episodes and suggest small changes to the intro, outro especially CTAs! And then also audio quality and content, especially storytelling. But again, focusing on small changes. The impact of “one change at a time personal coaching” is such a game changer.
But for folks who are motivated enough to work from an audit, we’re also doing a Free Podcast Audit Giveaway for the month of July. It’s free to enter and even if they don’t win, I’ll be sending them something special when the month is over.
You can find the full details in the middle of this page!
Jennay: That’s amazing! I love that you’ve really zeroed in on helping people make big long-term changes through small changes! I really admire that!
Speaking of admiration…who are some people you admire from a professional standpoint?
There are so many people I could mention but I’ll stick to two. One is Regina Larko. I admire Regina Larko from Podcasting with Impact and her podcast, #Impact, because she combines community, authenticity, and business in a very delicate, effective, and personable way. And I know that might sound strange, but I really admire how the human side of everything is a huge factor in everything that she does.
Second is Lee Uehara. I really admire not just her podcasting skills, I mean, she knows her stuff, obviously, but she’s got that something extra. It’s how she is very, very bold with how she talks to people about things. She doesn’t mince words, is very upfront, enthusiastic, and honest. Also, she doesn’t just do things to do things how they’ve been done. I once went to a virtual conference she hosted and they had dance breaks built into the schedule. I mean, it’s a virtual conference, you’re stuck on a screen and they had dance breaks where they played funky music and you could get up and dance and get out of your seat during these scheduled breaks. The conference wasn’t just about distributing information. It was about connecting people, inspiring people and doing all of that in a one-on-one interaction style. That’s not an easy thing to do. And I really admire that. She also instigated the Asian American Podcasters Association, which is such a fantastic group.
Jennay: I agree! They both truly embody what it means to be “inspirations”! Now, changing pace a bit, what has been the most surprising thing you’ve experienced in the podcasting space?
Steph: You know, the biggest thing that surprised me was how healing podcasting is. I even wrote about this for The Podcast Host back in 2021. Because, I don’t know if it’s just because we’re typically restricted to audio, or because the way the medium started – that casual connection between the host and the listeners – I’m not exactly sure why, but I know that there’s something about podcasting that really kind of strips away the bulls*** of daily life and gets to the core of what we’re talking about. And in creating and being on and listening to other podcasts, there’s just been such a gigantic healing moment about different things I didn’t even know I needed to heal.
Jennay: So true! And jumping off of that, what would you say has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned on your podcasting journey?
Steph: Here’s the thing, I grew up really struggling with communicating, and I still have a lot of times when I find it very difficult. I am most likely autistic, although I have not been officially tested. I grew up with bilingual parents, so I think my teachers thought that my learning and communication difficulties were from navigating two languages. But neither my siblings nor myself were bilingual!
Honestly, I grew up embarrassed of how I spoke, how I wrote, how I communicated, because even though I didn’t speak the other language that my parents spoke, I had remnants of their English language mistakes in my language. I got over a lot of that before I started podcasting because I, ironically, taught language for about 20 years in a handful of Asian countries. So, I had gotten over some of those, but when it came to talking to people one-on-one, I still felt very self-conscious. I felt like I couldn’t talk to people that were more accomplished or who were able to communicate better than I could.
What podcasting has done for me personally and professionally is convince me that I can talk to anyone about anything. That’s been a very powerful lesson from someone who was embarrassed about their communication abilities for a large part of their early life.
Jennay: That is so beautiful, Steph! There really is all kinds of magic brought about through this special medium.
So to date, what are some of your major highlights that stand out throughout your podcasting journey?
Steph: I have a few! But always #1 is meeting the people who are into things I love geeking out about! Since I’ve never podcasted inside my passport country, virtual events and virtual recordings are the main way I’ve met folks. And every now and then I get to in person meet people like I did at The Podcast Show back in May. Pure joy that is! Connections are my jam!
Number 2, the first time I got interviewed on someone else’s podcast in 2017. Thanks James Thomas of Four Seas One Family.
3, being a Judge for the International Women’s Podcast Awards, like you were Jennay. Wasn’t it fantastic?
Jennay: Yes! It was an incredible experience!
(Back to Steph!)
In at number 4, the moment when Adam Curry, “The Podfather”, mentioned my name and article that I wrote about Podcasting 2.0 on his podcast.
And Number 5 happened recently when Mike Russell of Radio Music Creative interviewed me for his new podcast, Creator Magic about using AI for podcasts.
Jennay: So cool!! Those are some amazing highlights! Now, we’re coming in for landing. To finish up, what are your goals for the next couple of months with regards to your podcasts or other projects?
Steph: I’ve got 2 big ones and they both involve refining private, paid services AND their free version for those who don’t have the time or funds to work one-on-one with us. It’s important to me to keep sharing information in the community so that everyone can benefit.
With that in mind, the two goals I’m working on are:
- Refining the previously mentioned tandem coaching program.
- Streamlining my ChatGPT for podcasting training sessions.
Jennay: Amazing, Steph! We look so forward to seeing all that you’re going to accomplish in this space! Thank you for stepping Into The Spotlight with me!
Who Will Be in the Spotlight Next?
Are you a podcaster? Or do you work in the podcasting space? Do you want the chance to be In The Spotlight? I’d love to connect with you! Reach out to me at jennay@weeditpodcasts.com.
Who knows! You could be In The Spotlight next!
