Post Status Podcasts

In this podcast episode, host Michelle Frechette welcomes Carrie Dils, Mika Epstein, and Ryan McCue to discuss their roles in the WordPress community and the new FAIR project. The group explores FAIR’s mission to create a federated independent repository system for WordPress plugins and themes, focusing on decentralization, community-driven moderation, inclusive governance, and privacy. They address challenges like supporting premium plugins, reducing environmental impact, and fostering global participation. The episode highlights FAIR’s collaborative, open-source approach and invites listeners to get involved through GitHub and community meetings, aiming to shape a more innovative and inclusive WordPress ecosystem.Top Takeaways:FAIR Is Reimagining Plugin Discovery and Trust for WordPress: FAIR is building a more open, decentralized ecosystem for WordPress plugin discovery—empowering both end users and developers. By enabling verified directories and authenticated plugin listings (via methods like DNS verification), FAIR provides an alternative to the limitations of the WordPress.org repo, while increasing transparency, user safety, and trust.Community Participation Is Central to FAIR’s Success: The FAIR initiative is deeply community-driven. Contributors are encouraged to get involved through GitHub Discussions, introduce themselves, offer help, or join working groups. The leadership team is intentionally building these groups based on people’s skills and availability, rather than predefined roles—making FAIR flexible, inclusive, and open to evolving needs.FAIR Encourages Innovation Outside Traditional WordPress Constraints: The project provides an alternative path for plugin creators who may not want to follow the traditional WordPress.org model (e.g., having to release a free version first). With FAIR, creators can request to be listed in aggregator directories that are more flexible, values-aligned, or niche-focused—fostering innovation and lowering barriers to entry.FAIR Is Still in Early Development—and Actively Growing: While the FAIR plugin and protocol are live (accessible via fair.pm), the ecosystem is in its formative stages. The team is prioritizing essential needs (the “MVP”) and building infrastructure to support future growth in documentation, marketing, design, development, and user testing. They welcome feedback on plugin issues, conflicts, and ideas, encouraging broad experimentation and iteration.Mentioned in the Show:FAIRLinkedIn LearningAwesome MotiveLez Watch TVHuman MadeAspire PressGravatarLinux Foundation ProjectBlueskyWPCCBlack PressMastodon DrupalCourtney RobertsonAutomatticMediaWikiMonster InsightsGravity FormsFastly🙏 Sponsor: A2HostingA2 Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be used on ANY Web Hosting plan from A2.  You can deploy WordPress easily on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting plans. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on socials:Carrie Dils (Independent Consultant & Web Instructor, Carrie Dils Consulting)Mika Epstein (Senior Developer, Awesome Motive)Ryan McCue (Director of Product, Human Made)Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette and Darian Lusk share their journey launching and managing the official WordPress.org TikTok account. They discuss overcoming initial nerves, embracing influencer marketing, and collaborating across generations to create daily, authentic, and engaging videos. The duo highlights their creative process, community-driven content, and the importance of spontaneity over corporate polish. They also reveal behind-the-scenes stories from WordCamp events, tease upcoming collaborations, and encourage audience participation, all while emphasizing the fun and connection at the heart of their WordPress TikTok adventure.Top Takeaways:TikTok is Being Used to Energize and Expand the WordPress Community: Michelle and Darian are using TikTok as a playful, engaging platform to showcase the global WordPress community. Their content captures behind-the-scenes moments at events like WordCamp Europe and aims to connect with younger, more diverse audiences in an authentic, unscripted way. The vibe is intentionally fun, personal, and accessible—not overly polished or corporate.Community and Team Collaboration are Key to Real-Time Content Success: The success of the TikTok initiative was made possible by the fast support of the Automattic team across time zones. From helping Michelle access the TikTok account while traveling, to teammates assisting with content ideas, the distributed team model enabled agile, in-the-moment content creation and reinforced the value of strong internal collaboration.Personal Joy, Humor, and Relationships Fuel the Project: Michelle and Darian’s enthusiasm and personal connection shine throughout the project. Their humor, openness (including joking about stunts and family involvement), and genuine love for the WordPress community create a sense of fun that draws people in. They prioritize joy and connection as central to their content and outreach.Mentioned In The Show:TikTokAutomattic WordPress.orgAdobe PremierVid CapCap CutWP Community Collective🙏 Sponsor: A2HostingA2 Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be used on ANY Web Hosting plan from A2.  You can deploy WordPress easily on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting plans. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests online:Darian Lusk (Social Media Manager, Automattic)Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette interviews Zach Hendershot, creator of Miruni, a tool designed to streamline client feedback and project management for web developers, especially within the WordPress ecosystem. Zach explaining how Miruni automates mundane tasks, allowing developers to focus on strategic work. The episode highlights Miruni's features, such as capturing client requests and automating edits, and touches on future enhancements like automated SEO optimization and advanced client communication. The discussion underscores Miruni's potential to enhance efficiency and client satisfaction.Top Takeaways:Miruni is Built to Streamline Client Feedback for Agencies: Miruni enables clients to leave feedback directly on live websites by clicking and commenting, which then creates a structured request in the agency’s dashboard. This direct, contextual input eliminates miscommunication, reduces friction, and speeds up the revision cycle.Transparency and Communication Are Core to Its Value Proposition: One of the standout benefits is accountability: Miruni provides a record of what clients requested. Agencies get a traceable history of requests, improving trust and transparency.The Platform Is Actively Evolving Based on Real-World Use and Community Feedback: Miruni is addressing practical challenges like mismatched image formats, file size optimization, and the need for better reporting. The team is responsive to feature requests—like client change logs and multi-user identification—and is working to enhance collaboration tools, user roles, and automation without sacrificing human oversight or quality.The Miruni Team Is Approachable and Focused on Helping Agencies Succeed: Zach emphasized their openness to demos, direct support, and ongoing learning from users. Their hands-on, collaborative approach makes them a valuable partner for agencies navigating complex client relationships and content workflows.Mentioned In The Show:MiruniElementorBreakdanceBricksDiviBeaver BuilderHubspot🙏 Sponsor: WordPress.comBuild and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on WordPress.com. Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts. 🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Zach Hendershot (CEO, Miruni)Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette chats with Adam Warner, GoDaddy's Director of Field Marketing. Adam discusses GoDaddy's latest tools, including the Site Optimizer for enhancing SEO and the AI-powered market research tool for client management. The conversation highlights GoDaddy's commitment to the WordPress community and upcoming developments.Top Takeaways:GoDaddy Airo is an AI-Powered Productivity Boost for Web Professionals: GoDaddy Airo offers a suite of tools designed to help web designers and developers (a.k.a. “web dnds”) save time and improve quality. It helps with tasks like writing copy, generating SEO meta descriptions, creating alt text for images, and performing overall site optimization.The Site Optimizer Ensures Strong SEO and Accessibility Foundations: The Site Optimizer tool scans pages for SEO opportunities and accessibility issues—like missing alt text—and provides automatic or manual suggestions to improve them. It covers headline hierarchy, content structure, social sharing cards, and more.Client Management is Streamlined with Built-In Tools and AI-Generated Market Research: Each client entry includes a simplified project/task list covering everything from discovery to site launch and maintenance. The standout feature is AI-powered market research, which generates useful client-specific data like industry demographics and SEO opportunities—great for discovery calls and proposal prep.Mentioned In The Show:WordPress.orgGoDaddy GoDaddy AiroManaged WP🙏 Sponsor: A2HostingA2 Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be used on ANY Web Hosting plan from A2.  You can deploy WordPress easily on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting plans. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests online:Adam W. Warner (Director Of Field Marketing, GoDaddy)Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this podcast episode, host Michelle Frechette interviews Ryan Bracey, co-organizer of WordPress Accessibility Day and director of web development at Second Melody, discusses the upcoming event with Michelle. Ryan, who has been involved with the event for four years, shares insights on the speaker application process, event format, and accessibility features. The event, a 24-hour global virtual conference, aims to feature diverse speakers and will include pre-recorded talks followed by live Q&A sessions. The host and Ryan emphasize the importance of accessibility in web development and encourage listeners to apply as speakers.Top Takeaways:Call for Speakers Now Open: WP Accessibility Day 2025 is currently accepting speaker submissions for its global, 24-hour virtual conference, scheduled for October 15th, 2025. The event focuses on accessibility within the WordPress ecosystem and is seeking approximately 75 proposals to fill 23 speaker slots plus one keynote. Submissions are open through May 26th. Organizers are especially encouraging talks from individuals with lived experiences of disability and welcome a wide range of accessibility-related topics.New Format: Pre-Recorded Talks with Live Q&A: This year, the event introduces a new structure featuring pre-recorded presentations followed by live Q&A sessions. This format offers greater flexibility for speakers while ensuring a more stable and inclusive experience for attendees. In appreciation of their time and expertise, speakers will receive a $300 honorarium.Commitment to Accessibility and Inclusion: Accessibility is at the core of WP Accessibility Day. The event will include live captioning and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation to ensure it is accessible to a global audience. To support diversity and fairness, speaker applications are reviewed anonymously. The organizers are especially encouraging submissions from individuals in underrepresented regions and communities. Proposals promoting overlays or superficial fixes that do not adhere to true accessibility standards will not be considered.Mentioned in the Show:WordPress Accessibility DaySecond Melody🙏 Sponsor: A2HostingA2 Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be used on ANY Web Hosting plan from A2.  You can deploy WordPress easily on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting plans. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on socials:Ryan Bracey (Organizer, WordPress Accessibility Day)Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this podcast episode, host Michelle Frechette interviews Amadeu Arderiu, an industrial engineer from Barcelona and co-owner of Sirvelia. Company specializing in custom WordPress plugins. They discuss Amadeo's innovative project, Ploogins, an AI-driven search engine that enhances plugin discovery through natural language queries. Amadeu demonstrates how users can find both free and premium plugins by describing their needs conversationally. The episode also covers the project's potential to fill gaps in the current plugin ecosystem. Amadeu invites feedback to refine the tool further, aiming to benefit the WordPress community.Top TakeawaysPloogins Aims to Be a Comprehensive, AI-Powered Plugin Discovery Tool: Ploogins is designed to help users—especially WordPress newcomers—discover relevant plugins using natural language search, not just keyword matching. It fills a significant gap by indexing both free and premium plugins (like Gravity Forms and LearnDash), which are often missing from the official repository or difficult to find via general search.Submission and Visibility for Developers Are Central: Plugin developers can submit their premium plugins for free. The team is currently indexing submissions manually but plans to build a developer dashboard with search analytics and performance metrics. This could eventually evolve into semantic-based analytics, giving plugin creators deeper insights into how users find and interact with their plugins.Community Involvement and Feedback Are Critical: Amadeu emphasizes that they need real-world usage and feedback from both novice users and veteran developers to refine the tool. Michelle suggests the importance of finding and showcasing lesser-known or premium plugins, and both agree on the value of making plugin discovery more inclusive and efficient for the broader WordPress ecosystem.Mentioned in the Show:PlooginsWP SpeakersWordPress.orgSirvelia🙏 Sponsor: WordPress.comBuild and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on WordPress.com. Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts. 🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Amadeu Arderiu (Co-Owner, Sirvelia)Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette welcomes Brad Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Web Dev Studios, to discuss the new Theme Switcher Pro plugin. Brad introduces Theme Switcher Pro, a plugin designed to help WordPress users transition from the classic editor to the block editor (Gutenberg) without a complete site rebuild. They discuss the plugin's features, including its ability to switch themes for specific posts or pages, and its benefits for businesses and developers. The episode concludes with a focus on community support and upcoming WordPress events.Top TakeawaysTheme Switcher Pro Simplifies Testing and Switching Between WordPress Themes: Theme Switcher Pro is positioned as a powerful utility for developers and agencies to easily preview, switch, and test multiple WordPress themes on a live site without affecting the frontend user experience. It removes the friction from theme testing, making it safer and faster to compare themes, especially during redesigns or audits.Built Specifically for Agencies, Developers, and High-Volume Users: Brad Williams emphasized that Theme Switcher Pro is not just a hobby plugin—it's designed for professional workflows. Agencies managing many client sites or developers constantly evaluating new themes are the target audience. Features are built with this high-usage context in mind, including the ability to bookmark themes, preview them privately, and manage theme stacks.Theme Switcher Pro Reflects Real-World Workflow Pain Points: The product emerged from Brad’s direct experience at WebDevStudios and feedback from others facing the same problem: managing and previewing themes across many sites was a repetitive, manual, and risky process. Theme Switcher Pro directly addresses these workflow inefficiencies and turns them into a smooth, controlled experience.Mentioned In The Show:Web Dev StudiosTheme Switcher ProOllieAsterGit Commit🙏 Sponsor: WordPress.comBuild and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on WordPress.com. Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts. 🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Brad Williams (CEO, Web Dev Studios)Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette discusses the upcoming Page Builder Summit with guests Dan Maby and Nathan Wrigley. Scheduled for May 12-16, 2025, the summit aims to unite the WordPress community. Michele highlights the collaborative spirit and the importance of community engagement. Dan and Nathan share insights into the planning process, the diverse range of sessions, and the evolution of page builders. They emphasize the summit's role in fostering learning and connections.\Top TakeawaysThe Summit Is Exceptionally Accessible and Flexible: The Page Builder Summit is designed to be easy and low-pressure for attendees. With free access to pre-recorded sessions for 48 hours, viewers can tune in when it's convenient for them. The optional Power Pack gives extended access and extra bonuses.Visibility for Lesser-Known Creators and Speakers: One of the summit’s highlights is giving a platform to a diverse lineup of speakers, many of whom aren’t regularly featured at large in-person WordCamps or other conferences. It’s a space for new voices and fresh perspectives to shine.Sponsorships Make the Event Possible—and Deserve Support: Nathan highlighted that without sponsor support, the summit wouldn’t happen. Sponsors like GoDaddy, WS Form, BigScoots, and many others contribute more than just funds—they provide energy, tools, and community-building support.Mentioned In The Show:WPLDNPageBuilderSummit.com MagentoDrupalAnchen le RouxKadenceElementorDiviBeaver BuilderGoDaddyKinstaMelapressBlackwallPress Forward podcastBig Orange HeartWP Coffee Talk podcastBig ScootsWeb Designer ProYour Moxie MavenWeb Designer AcademyZainatain Dynamic.oooAB Split TestBS-Free BusinessWP MavensCroco BlockWS FormsCheck ViewDroip🙏 Sponsor: A2HostingA2 Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be used on ANY Web Hosting plan from A2.  You can deploy WordPress easily on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting plans. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests online:Dan Maby (Founder / Executive Director, Big Orange Heart)Nathan Wrigley (Founder, WP Builds)Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this podcast episode, host Michelle Frechette interviews Kyle Van Deusen, who runs a small web agency in Richmond, Virginia, and founded "The Admin Bar," a community for freelancers and agency owners. They discuss the 2025 WordPress Professional Survey, which Kyle conducted to gather insights from web professionals. The survey, which received 1,233 responses, highlights the experiences and challenges faced by freelancers and agency owners.Top TakeawaysMany Agency Owners Lack Business Fundamentals: A lot of agency owners start by accident, not with a business plan. As a result, many undercharge and lack confidence in setting prices. Kyle pointed out that few are reaching their income goals—not due to market limits, but because they don’t know what’s possible. This shows a big need for basic business education around pricing, value, and financial planning.Marketing and Networking Are Largely Overlooked: Nearly 60% of respondents aren’t doing in-person networking, and many aren’t investing in marketing. Too many rely on being found organically, which isn’t enough anymore. Kyle and Michelle highlighted that growth requires showing up, building relationships, and actively promoting your services.Community Helps Build Confidence and Clarity: Talking with peers can shift your mindset and pricing strategy. Kyle shared how learning what others charged helped him raise his rates confidently. Community support helps agency owners avoid mistakes, learn faster, and feel less alone in their journey.The Survey Is a Valuable, Underused Resource: Kyle stressed that the real power of the survey lies in how people use it. By digging into the data, agency owners can find paths others have taken to success. The more participation it gets, the more valuable and representative it becomes for the whole community.Mentioned in the Show:https://theadminbar.com/2025-survey/https://theadminbar.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/2147806538801573🙏 Sponsor: A2HostingA2 Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be used on ANY Web Hosting plan from A2.  You can deploy WordPress easily on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting plans. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on socials:Kyle Van Deusen (Founder, The Admin Bar)Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette interviews Neel Schivdasani a product manager in the AI division at Automattic, about the integration of AI into WordPress.com. Neil discusses his background and the development of an AI website builder designed to simplify website creation for users without technical expertise. The conversation covers the evolution of AI in web development, the challenges faced, and future enhancements. A live demonstration showcases the tool's user-friendly features, emphasizing its potential to democratize web publishing. The episode concludes with a discussion on user feedback and the collaborative spirit of the WordPress community.Top TakeawaysThe AI Website Builder Lowers Barriers for Non-Technical Users: The builder is specifically designed for people who don’t know what WordPress is, or who feel overwhelmed by traditional website tools. It's aimed at helping individuals quickly create a professional-looking site without needing to learn plugins, themes, or complex design tools. The assistant guides users through content creation, layout choices, and even image sourcing.A Major Intelligence Upgrade is Coming: Neel teased an upcoming “step function” increase in intelligence for the assistant. This includes improved reasoning, contextual awareness, and the ability to understand abstract commands. Future iterations will allow users to describe desired layouts or functionality in natural language, and the assistant will generate the appropriate code or configuration—bridging the gap between vision and execution.Commerce and Custom Layouts Are on the Roadmap:The team is working to support broader use cases, especially eCommerce. The assistant will eventually be able to understand what a user is trying to sell, recommend necessary plugins (like for payment or shipping), and configure stores accordingly. Users will also soon be able to generate specific layouts (e.g., “2x2 image grid with a CTA button”) just by describing them.It’s Not Replacing Developers—It’s Growing the Ecosystem: There’s pushback from some developers, but Neel emphasized this tool isn't meant to replace them. Instead, it's about helping people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford or access web development. It gives them a starting point, and ideally, they’ll grow into more advanced needs—eventually hiring developers or agencies.Mentioned In The Show:AutomatticWordPress.com/AIMailchimpCursorLovable🙏 Sponsor: WordPress.comBuild and manage professional sites with secure managed hosting on WordPress.com. Beautiful themes, built-in SEO, and payment tools, and access to over 50,000 plugins. Everything you need for your business, plus 24/7 support from WordPress experts. 🐦 You can follow Post Status and our guests on Twitter:Neel Schivdasani (Product Manager, Automattic)Michelle Frechette (Director of Community Relations, Post Status)Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)The Post Status  podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧