512 - Community, Belonging, and the Value of Smaller In-Person Podcast Events

Podcasting can be a surprisingly lonely activity.

You can spend hours sitting alone behind a microphone, creating something that reaches hundreds or thousands of people, while having very few people in your everyday life who actually understand what you do.

I remember what that felt like during the early years of podcasting. Before there were large industry conferences, some of my favorite experiences were the smaller PodCamp events happening in cities around the country. You could drive a few hours, walk into a room filled with people who understood podcasting, and immediately feel like you had found your people.

I miss that.

In this episode, I talk with my friend Brad Miller about podcasting, community, and the value of bringing people together in smaller, more intimate environments.

Brad has been podcasting since 2012, but his first show had a very personal purpose. His son was playing on a new high school lacrosse team, and Brad started a podcast where he interviewed the players and coaches. It gave him a way to become more involved in something that mattered to his son while building relationships throughout the team.

That theme of connection has continued throughout Brad's podcasting journey.

We talk about his background in radio and ministry, the different podcasts he has created over the years, how podcasting helped expand his relationships far beyond his existing circles, and why attending podcasting conferences became so important to him.

Eventually, those experiences led Brad to create PodINDY, a one-day regional podcasting event in the Indianapolis area.

Brad saw enormous value in major events such as Podcast Movement and Podfest, but he also saw room for something smaller, affordable, accessible, and intentionally relational.

That led us into a conversation about something I believe is easy to overlook.

Podcasters need community.

There is something different about sitting across the table from another creator, sharing what you're working on, hearing what they're learning, and spending enough time together that real relationships can develop.

Brad talks about the people who return to PodINDY year after year because they want to reconnect with the community that has formed there. We also talk about the sense of belonging that can happen much more naturally in a room of 25, 50, or 100 people than in an event with several thousand attendees.

That conversation brought back a lot of memories for me from the early PodCamp days.

I'll be speaking at PodINDY this year on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Stephanie will also be speaking, and Dave Jackson will be there as well. John Lee Dumas is contributing a video presentation.

If you're within reasonable driving or flying distance of Indianapolis and you've never experienced a smaller podcast-focused event, this could be a great opportunity to experience one.

Links Mentioned

PodINDY - https://podindy.com

Use promo code CLIFF for $5 off your PodINDY ticket.

Brad Miller's Cancer and Comedy Podcast - https://cancerandcomedy.com

Brad's Daily Bible Refresh Podcast. - https://voiceofgoddaily.com

Contact Brad Miller - [email protected]