We had the good fortune of connecting with Jess Schmidt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jess, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I think especially at the very beginning of owning my own business I thought that in order to be successful I was supposed to work and not really have a life outside of grinding to make as big an impact as I could. That very quickly led to a pretty serious bout of burnout, which made me take a step back and really think about why I wanted to work for myself in the first place – so that I had the freedom to create what I really wanted to be making, on a schedule that works for me. Since then I’ve put a lot more effort into finding some balance, and making sure I’m taking care of myself as a person and not just trying to work as hard as possible…because I’m actually more effective (and definitely more creative!) when I’m able to find that balance.

What should our readers know about your business?
I think something that sets me apart from the other amazing podcast producers out there making work right now is the focus that I try to give to accessibility in podcasting. I started my very first career as a closed captioner for TV, and was totally enchanted by this whole world that existed just behind the text at the bottom of the screen – there is so much effort and consideration that goes into ensuring that television and film is accessible, and I think podcasts deserve the same due. Just because podcasts are a help to those listeners who are visually impaired (most of the time, anyways – don’t even get me started about how inaccessible some podcast websites are!) doesn’t mean that their job is done. There’s a whole world of “listeners” who would love to access your content, but they need a transcript to help them do that. The problem of discoverability is also a huge hurdle that in particular indie podcasts really struggle with, and things like transcripts can be an enormous help in juicing up SEO to overcome that. I’d say accessibility still sort of sits on the edges of podcasting, but it’s moving more and more into mainstream and I’m confident that some day soon it’ll be normalized and encouraged across the board.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I LOVE the mountains and am an avid hiker – and Denver has over 20 hikes that are just 30 minutes away! My favourite is Bear Creek Trail at Lair ‘O the Bear, and Bergen Peak is gorgeous if you’re up for a challenge. If you’re staying closer to the city, though, check out Little Owl coffee for a nice cuppa!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout goes out to my mentor and MA supervisor, Lori Beckstead. Lori is the first person who really encouraged me to work on my own terms, and to use my creativity in every task that I undertake (even arduously academic ones, like my master’s degree final project.) I aspire to be as patient, kind, and talented as Lori!

Website: jessdoespodcasting.com

Instagram: jessicaschmidty

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicakschmidt/

Twitter: @jesskschmidty

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