Being a Team of One: Power & Purpose as an Independent

This session is part of the 3-day Podcast Creator Summit at Apple Austin. Check out the full list of events.

Being an independent or freelance podcaster is thrilling — you get full creative control and the chance to build something uniquely yours. But it’s also daunting. Without a team or network, you're juggling everything: content creation, marketing, business strategy, and finances. How do you stay afloat financially, creatively, and professionally while doing it all on your own? There’s no single formula, but many have found their own pathways to success. This session explores how solo podcasters have made it work — sharing practical strategies, personal lessons, and ways to build a sustainable creative life.

This is an in-person event and will not be livestreamed or recorded.

Skills: podcasting, industry, business development, creative rights, professional development, work life balance

About the Speakers

Stephanie Kuo (mod) is the Vice President of Content at PRX, overseeing the organization's content strategy, broadcast/podcast acquisition and distribution as well as in-house content and production development. She was previously the Director of Training at PRX, leading education initiatives, accelerator programs and creative consultancies for podcasters and organizations around the U.S. and the world.

Ivy Le is a Vietnamese American comedian, writer, and actress based in Austin, Texas. She is the creator of the critically-acclaimed Spotify Studios podcast FOGO: Fear of Going Outside, a nature show by the most reluctant host ever. FOGO is featured on Delta flights and recommended by The Guardian, CBC, Oprah and Outside Magazine. Her directorial debut was recently released: Alone & Afraid, a short film based on FOGO. She frequently hosts for The Moth MainStage shows, was selected for Tribeca Film Festival’s Creators Market, won the pitch party at Resonate 2023, and produces the queer comedy show Tongue in Cheek which was nominated for “Best Comedy Showcase” by Austin Chronicle’s 2024 Readers Choice Awards. She’s a bi mom of two kids, and is on a mission to queer comedy and decolonize everything. Follow her on Instagram @IvyLeWithOneE.

John Spong is the host of One by Willie, a podcast in which he speaks each episode with one notable Willie Nelson fan — think Whoopi Goldberg, Kacey Musgraves, Lyle Lovett, Sheryl Crow, Booker T. Jones, Conor Oberst, etc. — about one Willie song they really love, before running down Willie-related rabbit holes. He created the show with Texas Monthly, where he was a longtime staff writer and three-time National Magazine Award finalist, most recently in 2021 as editor/writer on two large Willie projects: Willie — Now, More than Ever, a nominee for best single-topic issue; and “All Willie Nelson’s Albums, Reviewed and Ranked,” a book-length, online compendium nominated for best digital storytelling.

Ana Worrel is a podcast producer and writer from Austin, Texas. Her documentary podcast "The Problem with Erik," which she pitched to Texas Monthly, co-wrote and produced, premiered in the Apple Podcasts top 25 in July 2024. The story was featured on Bloomberg's 2024 Jealousy List and has been optioned to become a scripted tv series. She's also produced Cadence13's Edward R. Murrow-Award winning documentary podcast 'Gone South', 'About a Boy: The Story of Vladimir Putin' hosted by Julia Ioffe, and Audacy's 'Glitter and Might.' Before working in podcasting, she worked in tv production on shows including HBO's Emmy award-winning 'Euphoria' and Amazon Prime's 'Outer Range.' In her free time she collects vinyl, swims, and listens to more podcasts!