Feature
The Allure of the Airwaves
The joys and pitfalls of a podcasting pioneer
Sitting at my desk, I ponder the microphone that for almost seven years has served as my megaphone for speaking to the wider world. Podcasting is like a virus I haven’t been able to shake, but its “symptoms” are extraordinary, from the opportunity to interview amazing nurse innovators to waxing poetic about whatever’s on my mind.
My journey to becoming a nurse podcaster began back in 2005, the year I launched my nursing blog, Digital Doorway. At that time, there were few bloggers — let alone nurse bloggers — and most of us didn’t know what we were doing. It was truly uncharted territory, an unplowed field waiting for us to plant the seeds of our creativity and ambition.
Having mastered the arts of blogging, career coaching and being what we’d now call a social media influencer, the natural progression was to jump into either audio- or video-based engagement with my widening audience. In the end, the allure of the airwaves was too strong to deny.
RNFM Radio
In late 2011, I was hanging out on Twitter, chatting with numerous nurses. Two people came into particular focus: Anna Morrison, RN, BSN, and Kevin Ross, RN, BSN, fellow nurse entrepreneurs. A four-hour conference call led to our forming a business.
We launched RNFM Radio in January 2012, becoming one of the first of a handful of groundbreaking nursing podcasts. We launched RNFM Radio in January 2012, becoming one of the first of a handful of groundbreaking nursing podcasts. Over the next few years, the audio world was our oyster. We interviewed nurse superstars like Donna Cardillo, RN, M.A.; Michelle Podlesni, RN; Candy Campbell, RN, DNP, CNL, FNAP; and Louise Jakubik, RN-BC, Ph.D. Authors, consultants, writers, filmmakers and entrepreneurs joined us in exciting conversations.
