March 8th, 2024,
Happy International Women’s Day. I’ll start by thanking you for being here. This network was born out of a confusing and challenging time in my life and I didn’t really plan to be on this path. As Maya Angelou once said, "you may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."
Back in March 2021, I was four years into my favourite job ever. I was managing the Canadian music department at SiriusXM, overseeing the music and content for several channels and working closely with our American counterparts on feature programming and content launches. I had a weekly satellite radio show and I had the honour of hosting and interviewing artists everywhere from music festivals to awards shows. I loved my job. But, I was miserable and unfulfilled, and I had definitely hit whatever ceiling there was for me.
The Women in Media Podcast launched on International Women’s Day in 2021 while we were all working from the comforts of home. It was a way for me to process my experience while hearing about what other women in the media were facing. It’s only natural that I had a critical eye on the media; I graduated from Western University with a bachelor’s degree in Media, Information & Technoculture (MIT) and a diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Fanshawe College. I was always conflicted between entertainment and journalism and constantly looking for a way to combine my love for both.
By the way, I’ve also got a new solo episode of the podcast out today, you can click play below or HERE.
A couple of themes emerged over the first year of the Women in Media podcast; a resistance to celebrating too hard, imposter syndrome, and the comfort of silence over speaking up. But then, my guests started speaking up, and so did I. That fueled my mission.
For months, my body had found mysterious ways to tell me that it was time to make a career change. I was experiencing burnout and was unable to find separation between home and work for most of the pandemic, working out of my one-bedroom condo, often forgetting to eat or take breaks until it was time for bed. If my health wasn’t enough, many other factors fast-tracked my decision to quit the job that I loved. I was often belittled, undervalued, and underpaid for the level of work I was doing. I handed in my resignation with not much of a plan.
Over the next two years, I took several freelance jobs to buy myself some time to figure out who I was without this giant media brand, and what my purpose was in this world. My therapist had me do this exercise where I wrote ‘future me’ a letter, as she encouraged me that I’d figure out my ‘why’ eventually. I knew that my love for storytelling was the common thread between all my jobs in music, broadcasting, and content creation. I also knew I loved leading a team and I had barely scratched the surface of managing a small team at SiriusXM. I was still stumped, though. In fact, in some spring 2022 journal entries which I recently revisited, my goal was to, “use my podcast skills to get a new job.” HA!
One podcast at a time, I became a freelance producer. Country musician Don Amero was the first call. A chance to work with Canadian icon Jann Arden through Orbyt Media was next. Renowned television personalities Debbie Travis and Tommy Smythe followed with many short-lived freelance opportunities along the way. Over the last three years, I’ve learned about podcasting at every level – from big corporate operations to scrappy independent creators and networks. Many people in powerful positions dangled carrots about roles I’d be great for within their organizations. Those conversations were exciting when they would happen, but I can see now that they were just distractions. My real purpose started to take shape. I began to understand that I held a unique perspective with a lot of knowledge from different corners of the media industry.
So many creators were approaching me for advice and guidance on starting their own podcasts. One day a lightbulb went off; I didn’t need to find a new job, I had to create it.
Six months after my therapist had asked me to write that letter to myself, she made me read it. My ‘why’ showed up and I was excited to tell her that instead of looking for a new job, I was going to dream up my own and start a podcasting network! I said it aloud to a few trusted colleagues and friends last summer which made it real. At a podcasting conference, I started introducing myself as the founder of the Women in Media Network, although I had no idea how to build a podcast network. I did know I would figure it out!
According to the Canadian Podcast Listener 2023 Calibration Study (Signal Hill, with support from The Podcast Exchange), we know that nearly half of all podcast listeners in Canada are now women. As the podcast industry grows, I’m excited about the data we’re seeing that will support monetization. Women are more likely than men to connect with, and trust ads read by the host, and there are many clear opportunities to target women within certain podcasting genres. One thing I loved that came out of this study, was, “Women are particularly inclined to see podcasts as a clutter-free ad environment, seeing that most podcasts have fewer ads than radio or TV.” The opportunities are endless, and this is just the beginning.
So, three years to the day that my podcast launched, the Women in Media Network came to be in celebration of another International Women’s Day. This is just the beginning.
WIMN is proud to amplify charitable initiatives in support of organizations that provide support to women and girls who have been subjected to violence, trafficking and/or homelessness. In honour of Women’s History Month, I will be donating proceeds from WIMN merchandise to The London Abused Women Centre, in the community where I not only studied media, but became a media personality. Stay tuned for an announcement about merchandise, but for now, you can donate to the London Abused Women’s Centre HERE, and also to the Assaulted Women’s Helpline, a free, anonymous telephone line for women in Ontario experiencing any form of abuse.
Whether you are looking for consultation, education, production, hosting or podcast marketing services, please book a meeting if you’re interested in hearing more about the network offerings. I must take a moment to thank Matt Cundill of the SoundOff Network for all his help navigating independent podcasting. Working closely, we’ve come up with some best practices for independent creators that have become fundamental for both of our networks. And besides, I’m going to send you to him if the WIMN isn’t a perfect fit. Not all men in the media industry are terrible...ha ha. I've been lucky to work with some of the best.
Through my new newsletter, I’ll update you on new episodes from the creators, highlight stories of interest in the media industry, and let you know about new initiatives and programs we are working on as a collective.
Can I ask you a small favour to help spread the word about the Women in Media Network?
- Can you send this to a friend or colleague who you think needs to know about the Women in Media Network? If you’re not subscribed to the newsletter yet, CLICK HERE.
- Please follow the creators and their podcasts on social media and your favourite podcast apps; they are brilliant and all have something unique to offer your ears.
- Can you share a post? We’re small and mighty and would love the chance to grow with a little help from our friends.
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Thanks so much for reading,
Sarah Burke
Founder & CEO, Women In Media Network
