Podcast & YouTube Creators: Podcast Mistakes We Made & How We Fixed Them

What have we learned about podcasting over the years? Join us as we describe our podcasting ups and downs, dos and don'ts, and everything in between. Do you have a plan for your podcast for 2026? Join us to hear what we're doing and to get the inside scoop on Podfest 2026!

About our panelists:

Elizabeth Gearhart, Host and Panelist
Founder of Gear Media Studios | Podcast Consultant | Passage to Profit co-host | Gearhart Law Chief Marketing Officer.
Elizabeth is an entrepreneur and a podcast and radio show host. She helped her husband Richard build Gearhart Law, an Intellectual Property law firm founded in 2006, by focusing on marketing for the firm. She and Richard started the Passage to Profit Show about entrepreneurship on iHeart radio in Manhattan in 2018; the show became nationally syndicated 4 years later. The show is now on about 40 radio stations nationwide, and is also a podcast, ranked in the top 3% of podcasts globally per Listen Notes and as a Top 10 Entrepreneur Podcast to be Interviewed On by Feedspot.

Sonia Satra, Host and Moderator
CEO of Moticise | Keynote Speaker
With over 10,000 hours of onscreen and stage acting, the former star of Guiding Light and One Life to Live and has recently guest-starred in an upcoming Netflix Mini-Series, Gretzky’s Office, American Dynasty, and the Emmy-winning The Men Who Built America. A certified coach and NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) Practitioner, Sonia is also a holistic health coach and certified fitness instructor. Formerly, the president of the National Speakers Association NYC, Sonia also founded Women's Empowerment Adventures, a company that combines a coaching workshop with a physical challenge such as kayaking, trapeze, and rock-climbing. She continues to offer Adventures through Moticise, as well as keynotes, break-out sessions, and corporate presentations.

Cait Donovan, Guest Panelist
Chief BurnBOLD Officer | The Burnout Speaker Who Blames No One (Not Individuals. Not Leaders.) | 99% Satisfaction: 3,560 Reviews | Founder BurnBOLD™ | Top 1%: FRIED The Burnout Podcast | Author I Dark Chocaholic
Cait Donovan is one of the leading voices on burnout recovery and burnout-informed leadership. She is the author of The Bouncebackability Factor and the creator/host of FRIED: The Burnout Podcast, a global, top-1% show with listeners in 100+ countries. With a background in biobehavioral science and Chinese medicine, Cait blends evidence-based strategies with accessible, stigma-free tools that help audiences recover energy, set boundaries, and build cultures where people can thrive.Cait lives in Little Falls, NJ, serves as President of NSA NYC (2025), and is on a mission to #EndBurnoutCulture.

Wendy Brant, Guest Panelist
Director Podfest Expo, Podcast Strategist & Producer, Podcaster, Speaker, Emcee, Moderator
Wendy Brant is a podcast and video podcast consultant, strategist, and producer who helps companies, communities, and non-profits design and launch content that serves their mission, vision, and customers. As the Director of Podfest Expo, she curates education, supports speakers, and leads one of the podcast industry's most engaged event communities. Wendy's own show has consistently ranked in the top 150 of Relationship & Family podcasts and surpassed 1.2 million downloads, giving her tested, real-world insight into how to create, grow and monetize a podcast or YouTube channel. A seasoned emcee and moderator for both virtual and in-person events, Wendy frequently speaks to businesses, associations, and groups about using podcasts and video podcasts as powerful tools for connection, education, and influence.