She Podcasts LIVE: A Weekend of Learning, Camaraderie and Belonging with Jessica Kupferman

by Danielle Desir

Conferences play a big part in our professional and personal development. As a blogger and podcaster, I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t attend conferences and in-person events. With conference season in full swing, Jessica Kupferman, the co-host of She Podcasts LIVE shares what inspired her to create the event, tips for getting the most out of the conference and ways it is unlike the rest.

She Podcasts LIVE is a women’s conference that caters to all types of women podcasters from maven to newbie. Hosts Jessica Kupferman and Elsie Escobar expect over 500 attendees to attend the conference held in Atlanta, Georgia from October 10-13, 2019.

The conference has a diverse group of speakers and don’t miss my panel discussion with Chrisella Herzog, Casey O’Roarty and Lee Uehara called What’s in My Purse: Tools and Tips to Create and Build a Rock-Solid Community.

Register for She Podcasts LIVE here.

1. What inspired your team to create She Podcasts LIVE? 

Jessica Kupferman: It was really ME, our team had some differing opinions about how to do an event.

I’ve always wanted to do a big ol’ event/party and one day I just woke up and realized I had to do it. My dream since I was young was to travel and see ALL THE THINGS but I had kids so young, at 22 and 23, and I’ve always felt as if I were missing out. Doing an event in different cities is my way of “seeing the world” so to speak.

Elsie was very hesitant even though we’ve had multiple inquiries from both our community members AND potential sponsors asking when we’ll be doing one, but her life is really dependent on her being there, whereas I’ve arranged my life to have tons and tons of backup.

2. How will She Podcasts LIVE stand out from other podcaster conferences? 

JK: Lots of different ways.

I started with the things that I would have changed from the other conferences, semantics and little details like waking up so early. I have a 4-year-old who wakes me up at 6:30-7:00 a.m., so why would I want to go to a conference and not have at least ONE DAY to sleep in?

Secondly, I think other podcast conferences cover a lot of details about the “how” and maybe a little about the “why” but not much. Women in general (ok, ALL PEOPLE in general) are so much more than the how.

We are emotionally complex. And while women of a certain age, myself included, may not have been held back because we are women, (although some definitely have) but that doesn’t really mean we’ve been pushed forward and told we can do EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING.

Our fathers told us we didn’t belong on “guy’s trips.” They told us it didn’t matter what we studied in college as long as we found a nice husband. Our mothers stayed home, cooked, were caregivers with unfulfilled dreams of becoming writers, scientists and astronauts. Maybe I’m projecting. But women and podcasting aren’t always as natural a match as it SHOULD be.

We are afraid we can’t manage the tech. Afraid to be ourselves. Afraid to be heard. Afraid to be judged – by each other! Concerned we can’t fit it into what’s already a super-packed life. Has any podcast conference covered that? Not that I’ve seen.

We have sessions about confidence, fear, meditation, wellness, mindfulness, diversity, allyship, promoting and supporting other women, as well as how to grow, create a content plan and use Instagram. And the best part of all of it: every single person you learn a skill from will be a SUCCESSFUL WOMAN WHO HAS ALREADY DONE IT. Not a man. Not a childless, spouseless, millionaire privileged man (that’s who I learned from).

I created She Podcasts to learn from WOMEN and this is just an in-person extension of that. 

3. We see the speaker list is quite diverse! Can you share a bit about your effort to include underrepresented groups and voices in the upcoming conference as featured speakers, sponsors, or in other (visible) capacities?

JK: Yes, part of the purpose of our conference is to include underrepresented groups. I know a few of our speakers are brilliant and experienced but have never been chosen at another conference. Why? Maybe there was too much competition. We wanted speakers who could talk about doing different, being different, wanting different. Because we never get to see that!

We don’t get to see the 40+ black lesbian who helps teenagers get their high school diplomas. We don’t get to see the nun talk about spiritual podcasts. We don’t get to see the Jewish yoga instructor who does podcast advertising voice overs. We don’t get to see the Latina confidence coach with the pink hair and the contagious, irresistible go-gettem spirit. In our conference, we want that. We went out of our way for that.

We chose women who were both brilliant and different, unique and underrepresented because we want those women in the AUDIENCE to be empowered to go forth and speak!

4. To get the most out of this conference, what milestones should a podcaster have reached by the time they attend?

JK: The She Podcasts LIVE event is for seasoned podcasters as well as those who are still thinking about it. We have 5 tracks: Start, Refine, Grow, Accomplish, and Community.

Clearly, the “Start” track is for those just starting or thinking about it.

“Refining” is for those who need to dig a bit deeper to make their content or show work for them.

“Grow and Accomplish” are self-explanatory, although I will say that Accomplish doesn’t just mean sponsorship. There are so many different types of goals that can be achieved with podcasts! This track focuses on narrowing that down and giving people a road map.

And finally, the “Community” track is about how to make a difference in your listeners’ lives, or the world. These sessions will be about partnering, collaboration, supporting other women as well as helping to make the way for those who want to talk about sensitive things on their podcasts, like mental health or spiritual advice. It runs the gamut!

5. Where can we connect with you and the She Podcasts team?

JK: The website is shepodcastslive.com and my email is jess@shepodcasts.com. We are also @shepodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and don’t forget the free Facebook group – She Podcasts!

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We hope to see you at She Podcasts LIVE, a podcasting conference for women happening in Atlanta, Georgia from October 10-13. Register for the event here.