Hello there!
October is shaping up to be an excellent month.
On the 1st, I interviewed podcast host and creator, Bridget Todd, about her audiobook Love at First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy. The recording for that conversation will be up on Thursday.
And coming up, we have two—that’s right, two!—conversations. One with Kathryn Dugal from Tradeoffs, a health policy focused news outlet, and the other with Jason Moon from New Hampshire Public Radio. You can read on to see what we will be discussing.
Before I “sign off” here, I just want to give myself a little shoutout. This year, I joined New York Women in Film and Television, and I was recently featured on their blog. I’m excited to be in my filmmaker era, and I can’t wait to share more about those projects soon. You can read the profile here or access it from LinkedIn.
-Ayo Oti
Publisher Sounds Like Impact & Host of #AudioForAction Live
🗓️ Wednesday, October 14
Wednesday, October 14th, from 3:00-3:45 pm ET / 2:00-2:45 pm CT / 12:00 - 12:45pm PT, I will be in conversation with Kathryn Dugal, the Director of Marketing & Audience at Tradeoffs. Tradeoffs has an excellent podcast, and their reporting has had an incredible impact, which you can read about in their 2025 Impact Report. We’ll discuss that report, and the challenges and benefits of being a nonprofit newsroom.
About Tradeoffs
Founded in 2019, Tradeoffs is an independent nonprofit newsroom focused on helping America have smarter, more honest conversations about health policy. Our journalism combines rigorous data and evidence with compelling human stories to make complex health policy issues accessible and relevant to policymakers and the public. Tradeoffs’ reporting has been cited by policymakers at every level of government, incorporated into coursework at more than 70 colleges and universities, and recognized with an Edward R. Murrow Award. Guided by values of transparency, accessibility and rigor, Tradeoffs produces trustworthy, evidence-based journalism that informs critical debates about the future of the U.S. health care system. Learn more at tradeoffs.org.
🗓️ Thursday, October 22
Thursday, October 22nd, from 1:00-1:45 pm ET / 10:00-10:45 am PT I will be in conversation with Jason Moon, this season’s host of Bear Brook podcast from New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR). We will discuss the latest season of the show, which has themes such as working with the police around disappearances, dementia, and familial relationships.
A couple of years ago, Jason submitted a guest curation based on the series he hosted, The Youth Development Center. You can check out that show and find the curation here.
About Bear Brook
Named one of TIME’s “100 Best Podcasts of All Time” and downloaded more than 40 million times, Bear Brook is the critically-acclaimed true crime podcast from New Hampshire Public Radio’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated Document team. This October, Bear Brook returns for its long-awaited third season, A Private Matter.
In season three, host and award-winning journalist Jason Moon investigates another New Hampshire mystery: A Christmas tree farmer with dementia goes missing. His wife never reports him missing — and it turns out, that’s not necessarily a crime. As the season unravels, Jason explores what happens when family estrangement and the growing dementia crisis conspire to create an epic tragedy of humble proportions, spawning a criminal investigation and a search for answers.
Bear Brook: A Private Matter debuts on October 21, 2026
We look forward to you joining us for these sessions! But if you can’t make it live, no problem. Lives are recorded and available for watching afterward. However, if you would like to ask questions—whether for the live or because you can’t attend—please submit in advance by commenting.
📢 Community Announcements
Podcasthon 2027: registration is open!
Podcasthon is the world’s largest charity event in podcasting. During the same week, podcasters around the world each dedicate one episode to a charity of their choice, to raise its profile and bring it new supporters. No fundraising is involved: all it takes is an episode. Last March, 2,800 podcasters from 65 countries took part, in English, French, Spanish and German.
The fifth edition runs from March 13 to 19, 2027. Pre-registration is now open, and this year the goal is to get close to 5,000 podcasts. Any show, whatever its size or topic, can sign up at www.podcasthon.org/register. Registration is free for podcasters and charities alike.New podcast series! Narratives of Care: Puerto Rico
Narratives of Care: Puerto Rico is a new 12-part narrative audio series hosted by Charlotte Bayala, a Puerto Rican podcaster and longtime family caregiver. The series is built from oral histories she recorded with caregivers, families, and experts in Puerto Rico.
The goal is not to offer caregiving advice. It is to make the work of caregiving more visible by letting listeners hear what families are actually being asked to carry. Across the reporting, themes of migration, distance, family responsibility, home, and belonging surface—especially what happens when the person who needs care and the relatives trying to support them no longer live in the same place.
In Honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (September)
Thanks to Gi Silva for sharing the following episode with me, “Facing the Unthinkable: A Mother’s Fight for Her Son’s Life & Healing Through Art” from the video podcast Sweet and Savre with Danielle Savre.
Did you know that September was Childhood Cancer Awareness Month? I didn’t, but I’m glad that the podcast medium allows for people to share their stories and experiences so that we may be more informed. Check out the episode mentioned above, with actress Karen Macarah, by clicking below.
