Campfire: Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Campfires
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2026-01-20 Campfire
2026-01-20 Campfire500×500 68.2 KB

Tuesday, January 20th is our next Campfire Zoom!

At a Campfire you can get reenergized, have a laugh, share a story, noodle a problem in a breakout room, or just bask in the glow of some camaraderie.

Tuesday, Jan 20th - 3pm Eastern US/NYC

The date/time should be 2026-01-20T20:00:00Z in your timezone. :arrow_backward: that auto-conversion to display in your local time works only if you are reading this on the Podtalk Community at https://forum.podcaster.community/.

Takeaways will be posted as replies to this topic. Hope to see you there!

Call link

Zoom link :arrow_down_small:

What’s a campfire?

Generally, campfires are every 3rd Tuesday.

Did you read that correctly? Not "the 3rd Tuesday of each month — every 3rd Tuesday; slightly less often than every other week, slightly more often than once per month.

About the Campfires category has the details— including how to make them appear automatically on your calendar.

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Updates for Jan 10, 2026
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Podtalk Community campfire is later today…

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Campfire Takeaways — January 20, 2026

  • Ending shows gracefully preserves their value — When pausing or stopping a podcast, creating a thoughtful final episode turns the archive into a “museum piece” rather than leaving it trailing off. The content doesn’t disappear; it becomes a complete body of work.

  • Show format can become constricting over time — A podcast built around a specific topic (alpacas, movement, podcasting) may feel limiting compared to what the host really wants to explore. Recognizing when the container no longer fits the conversation is a sign to evolve.

  • AI works best as a thinking partner within constraints — Using AI to organize chaos into outlines proves effective when you provide the raw material and let it help structure your thoughts. Giving AI specific boundaries like “work only from this material” produces better results than open-ended prompts.

  • Weekly publishing cadence demands discipline — Maintaining weekly episodes requires systematic processes and team coordination. Switching to fortnightly or monthly releases can relieve pressure while still sustaining momentum.

  • Field notes extend a show’s life beyond episodes — Writing companion pieces that draw conversational lessons from existing episodes creates ongoing engagement even when new recordings stop. The archive becomes source material for fresh content.

  • Budget determines production sustainability — Outsourcing editing costs roughly what two pounds of coffee beans costs, making it a tangible trade-off. Setting a clear monthly budget for editing transforms production from open-ended labor into a bounded hobby expense.

  • Learning when to stop recording prevents editing nightmares — A three-plus-hour conversation that becomes four separate episodes teaches the value of recognizing natural stopping points. Just because a conversation can continue doesn’t mean it should.

  • The “hill of notoriety” reveals different podcast trajectories — Some hosts climb toward celebrity guests and stay there. Others crest the hill and venture into the “Great Plains” of interesting but lesser-known people, using their platform to surface voices that wouldn’t otherwise be heard.

  • Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda focuses on communication — Now in its 32nd season, Alan Alda’s show combines his interest in helping scientists communicate clearly with conversations featuring people who excel at connecting with others.

  • Inter Views by James Hillman explores conversation itself — This book presents conversations between psychologist James Hillman and Laura Pozzo as a lens into psychotherapy, soul, dreams, and work—serving as a model for how dialogue itself becomes content.

  • Permission to Speak by Samara Bay bridges podcasting and public speaking — Written by a speech coach who also hosted a podcast, this book exemplifies the kind of work that emerges when someone does extensive fieldwork in conversation before drawing out lessons.

  • Marc Maron’s WTF ended after 16 years and nearly 1,700 episodes — The show concluded in October 2025 with Barack Obama as the final guest, returning to where Maron made podcast history by interviewing a sitting president in his garage a decade earlier.

  • Amy Poehler won the first Golden Globe for Best Podcast — Good Hang With Amy Poehler took the inaugural award at the 83rd Golden Globes, beating established shows including SmartLess (co-hosted by her ex-husband Will Arnett) in a category that included Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert, Call Her Daddy, The Mel Robbins Podcast, and NPR’s Up First.

  • Celebrity interviews can feel thin compared to real conversation — High-profile guests don’t automatically produce depth. The “aliveness” in audio comes from genuine engagement, which requires attention and presence—harder to achieve when skimming surface topics.

  • Unpredictable attendance is part of campfire charm — Not knowing who will show up turns community calls into a form of roulette, keeping things fresh rather than scripted.