Compiled by Tess Connery
“Can be a tough market”: Behind LiSTNR’s parenting podcasts
Whether you’re a new parent or raising older kids, LiSTNR has a parenting podcast for you.
Parenting is a massive podcast genre, and for those on the other end fo the mic, a space that comes with its own unique challenges for creators.
Podcast Week’s Tess Connery spoke with Shevonne Hunt, executive producer of Dr Golly and The Experts, Birth Baby and Beyond and The Good Enough Dad.
2023 was a big year for the LiSTNR parenting podcast team, but there was one highlight that stood out for Hunt.
“Getting Maggie Dent on board to do The Good Enough Dad was a huge coup. I used to host a podcast called Feed Play Love, and that’s where I met Maggie – I had interviewed her on and off over 9 or 10 years. During that period, I had come to learn who are the best educators.”
When it comes to the sort of content that the LiSTNR parenting team create, Hunt said that the North Star has always been making sure parents feel supported – even after they switch the podcast off.
“We all have different definitions of what we consider to be good advice in the parenting sphere, but for me, it was always someone who had the science and someone who, when parents listened, they walked away feeling better about themselves. When I moved across to the EP role at LiSTNR, that’s the type of content I wanted to produce.
“Parenting podcasts can be a tough market – people come to parenting for different reasons, mostly for support. So it can be a little bit harder than if you have someone like Abbie Chatfield and her appeal. That’s a very different kind of podcast.”
Shevonne Hunt
When asked what it is that keeps people coming back to the content, Hunt said that the answer comes down to “pain points.”
“Parenting is without a doubt one of the most challenging things anyone will do, so on a very practical level, parents come to podcasts to solve problems. For example, with Birth Baby And Beyond with Midwife Cath there are simple things about the first six months. We did a podcast last year that was all about fatherhood, so new dads just wanting to know the very basics might go to it for that.
“The other part of the equation is that parents come to those podcasts for a sense of community, and to know they’re not alone. We are really connected in lots of ways, but parenting can still be very lonely. You are, especially at the very beginning, stuck at home in four walls trying to learn this new job in a very short period of time. Podcasting, more than any other medium is such an intimate, friendly experience.”
With 2023 behind them, Hunt jokes that she has “no idea” what’s in store for the team in 2024.
“What we are definitely focused on now is moving with the audience in terms of where they’re listening, and making sure we engage with them. The audio industry has changed dramatically in the last 10 years, and we’re trying to make sure that we’re meeting new parents where they’re coming to get information, or where they’re coming to get support and a sense of community.
“2024 is about expanding those audiences so that we can really go deeper into the idea of creating a parenting community. I think that’s really exciting – because one thing is for certain, and that is that parenting is so much easier when you’re doing it with others as opposed to doing it alone.”
[Listen to LiSTNR’s parenting slate here]
Season eight of A Life Of Greatness With Sarah Grynberg launches on LiSTNR
What do actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, author Deepak Chopra, actor Matthew McConaughey, Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo, singer Mel C and actress Geena Davis have in common? They have all spoken with writer, wellbeing expert, mindset coach and podcast host Sarah Grynberg to share and discover how to achieve greatness in life.
LiSTNR podcast A Life of Greatness with Sarah Grynberg returns today for an eighth season. The podcast has resonated with listeners, earning praise for its interviews and storytelling. Hosted by Sarah Grynberg, the new season will delve even deeper into the lives of exceptional guests, providing audiences with a front-row seat to the insights, challenges, and triumphs that have defined their remarkable journeys.
Joining Grynberg for the first episode of 2024 is personal development, habits, and performance thought leader, James Clear, who is the author of number-one New York Times bestselling book, Atomic Habits. During their conversation, Grynberg and Clear discuss how a person can actively design and direct their habits and how small habits can have a profound impact on a person’s life, making it the perfect conversation for the beginning of a new year and season.
[Listen to A Life of Greatness here]
Couples dish goss for the very first time on new season of Married At First Sight podcast
Nine‘s official Married At First Sight Podcast is back; this season featuring exclusive chats with participants where nothing is off the table.
Each week following the dinner parties, podcast host Shelly Horton will break down the week’s romance, passion, emotion and drama with the MAFS experts – including regular chats with MAFS expert, John Aiken – as well as the singles.
Host Shelly Horton, said: “Each episode is a rollercoaster of emotions. I love that everyone in Australia has an opinion about MAFS but I’ll get first access to grill the brides and grooms.”
The Official Married at First Sight Podcast launched on Monday February 5, with episodes released each week straight after the explosive and unpredictable dinner parties.
[Listen to The Official Married at First Sight Podcast here]
Neil Mitchell returns with season two of Neil Mitchell Asks Why
Broadcaster Neil Mitchell is back with the new season of the Neil Mitchell Asks Why podcast, boasting a new format and line-up of guests.
Each new episode delivers conversations ranging from personal revelations from one of Australia’s gold medal contenders at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, to the Australian doctor facing his death and what it’s teaching him, and the woman who broke a world record but wanted to give up every step of the way.
On the return of Neil Mitchell Asks Why, Mitchell said: “I don’t know how many times on radio over the years I have said ‘we’re out of time but we could talk for an hour about this’. Now we can. And I’m hungry; this is the longest I have been away from a microphone in more than 35 years. I’ve got things to say, news to analyse and fascinating people I want to talk to at length.”
[Listen to Neil Mitchell Asks Why here]
My Millennial Money podcast rebrands as This Is Money
Australian finance podcast, My Millennial Money, is embarking on a new direction as it rebrands to become This Is Money. Recognising the evolving landscape of financial needs, this change reflects the growing demand for finance, property and career advice for people of all ages and stages of life.
Hosted by Glen James, author, commentator, and former financial advisor, This Is Money, and spin-off podcasts This Is Property and This Is Work, will continue to deliver the same content, in a practical format. In addition, the podcasts will now have a broader scope that addresses the diverse financial, career and property needs of its expanding audience.
Having provided financial advice for over a decade, James found that rather than requiring a financial planner in the first instance, all people needed was a good spending plan and budget to get out of debt. This fundamental principle has not changed and is not unique to a particular demographic.
[Listen to This Is Money here]
