Podcast success stories
brating with a couple of beers because I was just excited people were listening … now we’ve had more than 25 million, so it’s been extraordinary.”
Howie said podcasts appealed because they tapped into niche markets.
“If you’re into gardening or snails or tennis, there’s a specific podcast for you to listen to,” he said.
“For people who are inquisitive, a 90-minute car trip is not wasted time any more. You can educate yourself on whatever topic you want.”
Neither Kufe’s The Different Kind of Genius nor Sanzaro’s Plant Based Body podcasts are likely to reach an audience as large as The Howie Games, but they have a loyal following.
Informed by her own physical and mental health battles, Sanzaro, 24, works as a fitness trainer and is studying to be a yoga instructor while exploring those interests on her podcast.
“(Early last year), I was interviewed for a podcast and I was in awe of the possibility and … potential reach it could have,” the former Belmont High School student said.
“It inspired me to see if it was something that I too could bring to the world.
“I speak to incredible individuals in the community about their lives, their experiences and significant things they have been through and overcome. There is always a strong resounding connection to mental health.
“We have spoken about anxiety, depression, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), body image issues, endometriosis awareness, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) awareness, losing loved ones to suicide — things that are very relatable in today’s world.”
As a youth worker, Kufe wants his podcast to inspire people to follow their dreams.
The local creatives he interviews help deliver the message to a wider audience than he was able to reach in his day job.
“I found myself repeating the same conversations over and over again," he said.
“So I just figured, ‘Why don’t I just record it, why not have these conversations with people I consider a different type of genius?’
“What that basically means is people who are living out their purpose. They share their stories about how they got to where they are and all the challenges they faced in getting that far.”
He has recently moved from a makeshift studio at home in Highton to a professional suite in Geelong.
His 37th episode, featuring Waurn Ponds hair stylist Leigh