Phoebe and I wanted to put a newsletter out each month with updates, and goings on. It sounded like a great idea. Another way to keep in contact with our listeners, and a direct-to-email ability instead of the passive Twitter and Instagram approach. With our Costa Rica takeover this coming June it seemed like a natural fit.
I looked around and MailChimp seemed to be the best way to go. They had a free account, and it seems to be the industry standard for direct mail marketing these days. I signed up and added the plugin to our site. I even figured out how to add the MailChimp tags into the contact form and turned on their banner widget.
Then I started discovering the darker side of the free account. Yes, you can build a template, but no you can’t use their templates or free templates off the web. Also setting up a monthly mailing seemed to be either a huge pain or not available in the free account. Either way, I got frustrated and quit trying.
Fast forward to today… I start assembling a template and ta-da, I notice the Mailing address at the bottom of the template. Uh-oh. Turns out to meet the spam requirements we have to provide a physical address in the email footer. So if we wanted to send all our listeners our home address we’d be golden. Otherwise, we would have to rent a PO box… phooey. No more mail chimp.
Ed brings extensive expertise in user experience, website design and development, and professional audio/video production. With a background in voice-over work and professional speaking, he ensures every episode meets broadcast-quality standards. Ed executes all technical aspects of production: recording in a dedicated studio designed for optimal sound quality, filming with three Insta360 4K cameras, professional audio processing (noise reduction, EQ, compression, loudness management), and editing in DaVinci Resolve. He’s programmed custom OBS macros that provide professional camera direction without a traditional technical director. Ed’s strength is turning complex technical requirements into seamless, professional execution that makes audience experience effortless.
Phoebe holds a BA in Communications with a minor in Small Group and Personal Dynamics. She brings deep expertise in sexual health, relationship dynamics, and non-monogamous relationship structures. As a researcher, she meticulously curates each podcast episode, drawing from medical journals, expert interviews, and her 10+ years of lifestyle research and lived experience. Her communication background allows her to synthesize complex topics and present them accessibly across platforms. She creates marketing collateral, publishes across 8+ social media platforms, manages all SEO optimization, and moderates 3 active community forums where listeners actively seek guidance on lifestyle topics. Phoebe’s strength is taking research and experience, then making it both digestible and actionable for the community.
