elsieescobar

Elsie Escobar works in the cross-section of technology, digital media, and holistic living with a heavy bias on podcast strategy and creative use of audio. A podcaster since 2006 and was one of the first female Indie podcasters using audio to teach yoga. She’s behind the Elsie Yoga Class that has now been downloaded over 4 million times! She is also the co-host and producer of The Feed, the official Libsyn podcast.

Elsie is co-founder and co-host of She Podcasts. She focuses on podcasts’ impact on society, diversity, and culture as well as their power to drive social change, personal development, and bring a voice to support underrepresented communities & initiatives. But before she discovered her talent in podcasting, she experienced being in different industries that eventually honed her to be a better podcaster.

“I think it was acting... Being on stage in front of lots of people and sharing… possibly my first step was in taking the stage… and at that point, giving voice to other people's words...”

Elsie said that she is already equipped with experience when she started podcasting. Back in her high school days, she is performing theatre arts. It was the first time when she dealt with a huge audience watching her from the stage. She had years to mold her confidence in acting. Then, she also earned money from it after finishing school.

“And then, the next stage was probably … my yoga classes, my physical yoga classes. ”

She handled several students in her class. It was around 50 to 100 students per day. She said that it started in 2002 until it became a podcast in 2006.

“And then when podcasting came around, maybe I could just record my classes and then that way they can get them like I was thinking of my own students, and saying like ‘you guys, well, you can come to my class, but if you can't, if you don't have access, you can take me with you, like you've been asking.’"

“So, I started to study up. I got a book on RSS. It really was a great book. It actually broke things down so well.“

Elsie did the preps — like having a website, recorder, microphone, a host, and set up her social media accounts. Confidence was not a big problem in her podcasting journey and sharing yoga classes lead her to create her own podcast. Then, eventually, She Podcast was created to articulate, voice out, and help women to overcome barriers.

The long journey of Elsie towards podcasting was very inspiring. Her experiences were the initial steps for something bigger.

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https://whyinfluence.com/

Celebration of 4 years of independent podcasting about TV women - those behind the camera as well as in front of it. Cynthia's thanks her team of Jen Edds, Catherine Yang and Elsie Escobar and recaps highlights and changes made to the show's format and outreach.

She also does some deep thinking about social change, social media, feminism and the power of representation as the entertainment industry wrestles with hashtag movements #MeToo and #Times Up. Near the end, Cynthia reveals a big goal.

Audio clip was from June 2019 ESPN's "First Take" show hosted by Molly Qerim with Lavar Ball as a guest.

Advanced TV Herstory's theme music can be found at Free Music Archive,

Music Take Me Higher by Jahzzar

In this debut episode of Season 2, I speak with She Podcasts co-host, Elsie Escobar. Elsie shares her journey of finding her authentic voice, including her struggle to communicate as a young person and the ways in which uncovering her blind spots has informed and improved her communication with others interpersonally and as a podcast host. Tune in for insight into making podcasting not only an inclusive platform for diverse voices, but also in considering how we can make podcasts more accessible to listeners.

• How our blind spots impact how we give voice
• How to unlock your authentic voice
• Why to listen before speaking to build inclusive community

Links Mentioned in Your Episode:

• Elsie's Website   
• Elsie on Twitter
• Elsie on Instagram
• Elsie on Facebook
• Ayurveda of podcasting episode with Cate Stillman 
• Finding Forrester, the movie 

Show Highlights:

01:00-Fearless Self-Love Retreat Details

04:27- Easeful Living Practice

11:08 - Interview with Elsie Escobar begins!

14:30 - The Elsie before podcasting & her key question: “What’s Your throughline?”

16:55 - Elsie talks of finding refuge in giving voice to other characters

19:24 - Podcasting as platform for letting her voice come through

23:05 -Teachers in our life that call us to own up to our bad habits and blind spots

30:45 - Voice, Acting and Yoga influence on podcasting

38:55 - Offering “Elsie’s Yoga Class” as one of Elsie’s biggest learning experiences as a teacher

41;35 -Process to unlocking your authentic voice; singing and acting as a pathway to keep going through the feelings

52:16 - Inclusion in podcasting, who speaks & who listens; mistakes Andrea made that led to separation instead of coming together

Your Favorite Quotes

“Being other people, I was really good at that, but giving voice to myself….I was not able to do that, because I didn’t know how to be myself and speak up.” -Elsie Escobar

“My biggest foundation is always thinking that I am not here for myself, I am here to represent a lot more. With that responsibility I feel powerful. There is no way I am going to let all of these people down, because I am representing.” - Elsie Escobar

“We have so many blind spots that we don’t see. Sometimes parents, sometimes culture, sometimes privilege...is sheltering us. We don’t see the totality of who we are sometimes.” - Elsie Escobar

“When I feel and sound the most at ease there is a lower quality, there’s a less rushed quality [to my voice].” - Andrea Catherine

“How do I cultivate a platform where all voices are welcome and included without disregarding my own privileg?” - Andrea Catherine

“You’ve got to be intentional about the clarity of your message in reaching it out. You’ve got to look at your own stuff and ask, ‘Are all of these conversations the same?... Would I benefit from opening up to other types of people, to other places, to other experiences?’”- Elsie Escobar

“First, always listen.” - Elsie Escobar

 

Meet Elsie:

I am a ten year plus veteran in the industry and inductee to the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame. I know the heart and soul of podcasters and podcasting beyond Apple Podcasts and public media. It is with this primary point of view of the average podcast listener (via thousands of hours of podcast listening) and independent podcast producer that I bring a unique perspective to the podcasting industry.

My passion within the industry is podcasting’s rapidly-changing environment, impact, access, community building, and advocacy.

I welcome the opportunity to elevate existing conversations around podcast consumption and initiate ways to reach new listeners above focusing on metrics, advertising and monetization into social change and using podcasting as a tool for personal growth and transformation.

 

Many years ago (though not too many, 'cuz she is super young), Elsie Escobar and her family emigrated to the United States from El Salvador. As you might imagine, it changed her life. Not only was she in a new country with a new language and new customs...but she was presented with new opportunities that simply didn't exist in her home country.

To say Elsie has made the most of those opportunities would be a massive understatement. She turned her love for yoga into a podcast and that podcast into a career. Today, Elsie is a leader in an industry that is seeing explosive growth...partly due to the trail she blazed all the way from El Salvador.

Elsie Escobar does a little bit of everything. She works as a community manager for Libsyn, hosts her own podcasts—including “She Podcasts” (a podcast about podcasting from the female perspective and FOR women)—and also teaches yoga…which, ironically, is what first got her into the podcasting space to begin with.

SHOW NOTES:

1:32 - Elsie has a lot of podcasts. And is very bendy.

4:00 - A live event (and a very dull guest) set the stage for Elsie's worst interview ever.

7:37 - How do you decide between bailing on an interview and pushing forward? When is it worth it?

9:19 - This entire episode was recorded on RINGR. Tim in his studio. Elsie on her phone!

10:05 - As a little girl, Elsie and her family came to the United States from El Salvador. Learn how that changed her as a person and as a podcaster.

13:51 - Elsie loves her some Twitter. Check her out @yogeek, @shepodcasts, and her employer @libsyn.

Hip openers, and focused work to make you feel better :)

Please come check out www.elsiesyogakula.com to see all the corresponding pics and links!

 

In this yoga podcast:

Pixelodeon (do check out he vids and you'll see how cool it all was!!!) 

Ars Technica Article: consumers mistake familiarity with superiority

Insight of the Day 

Elsie's Yoga Class LIVE on uStream

YoGeek Practice on uStream 

follow me on Twitter 

Newest YoGeek Workout Episode 

please visit www.yogeekworkout.com