Opening Doors for Academic Voices

How can podcasting bring diverse voices and forms of academic work to a larger audience?Neil and Jen sit down with Will Brehm, creator of FreshEd, to talk about how a decade of academic podcasting has evolved from a simple interview show into a broader platform for research, storytelling, and new voices. Will shares how FreshEd grew into a multi-show network, why moving beyond English-language content matters, and what he’s learned experimenting with formats like narrative series and audio journals.The conversation digs into bigger questions, too: what it would take for podcasting to be recognized as legitimate scholarly output, how institutions can start to value non-traditional research, and why building an audience is just as important as creating the work itself. It’s a thoughtful look at where academic podcasting is today and where it needs to go.Episode Links:Connect with Will | Bio |LinkedInFreshEdConnect with UsShare Feedback & Ask Questions: [email protected] More: Continuing Studies PodcastFollow: Continuing Studies LinkedIn PageJoin LinkedIn Group: University Podcasters NetworkConnect w/ Jen: LinkedIn or  [email protected] Connect w/ Neil:  LinkedIn or [email protected]:  @namcphedran / @podiumpodcastcoYoutubeHigherEdPodsHigher Ed Pod ConChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (03:21) - Fresh Ed’s Mission and Making Research Accessible (07:05) - Will & Fresh Ed’s Journey (13:32) - Flux and Putting Students at the Center (13:46) - The Thinking Ear and the Idea of an Audio Journal (18:03) - Funding, Open Access, and Staying Ad-Free (21:12) - Advice for Recognizing Podcasting as Research Output (24:34) - Lessons Learned After 10 Years of Podcasting (26:41) - What Needs to Change for Podcasting in Academia (31:35) - Conclusion Join us at Higher Ed Pod Con in Cleveland, OH, July 16 - 17 2026Sign up by May 29 for Early Bird Pricing