Trailblazer FM: WordPress without the drama

AI is amazing. I use it daily as a sounding board, a bug finder or fixer, to summarise meetings, create action lists and more. As someone with (self-diagnosed) ADHD, being able to have AI create notes and actions for me is a “game changer”, as the cool kids say. However, I am disappointed that some folks I’ve really respected are now touting the “Agentic Agency”. Full show notes: https://trailblazer.fm/dont-be-an-agentic-ai-agency/

Dan and Nathan jump on the show this week to share with me their pride and joy, PodcasterPlus Blocks. A WordPress plugin that lets podcasters build customisable, automated podcast websites using modular blocks that pull content directly from RSS feeds, enabling design freedom without having to rely on third-party player embeds. Some of the best products are born out of a problem the creators had. Not market research. Not competitor analysis. Just someone annoyed enough to fix what is bugging them! Exactly what Nathan and Dan have done! I loved hearing how they have developed this WordPress plugin together, especially the dynamics of their working relationship. It's always so much fun to get a behind the scenes glance at the development of a product. Full show notes: https://trailblazer.fm/build-what-you-know/

Accessibility is often an after thought to a web build, even considered optional. We assume that most people are able to access our content and at best slap on a third party accessibility widget to tick a box. Gen Herres, my guest today, challenged several of my limiting beliefs... more people have hidden disabilities than we realiseeven if it were only a few, why exclude themand automation alone isn't enough, we need manual testing too She also smashes the perception that Accessibility is only something that folks with big budgets can do. She shares practical advice for supporting ALL users of your site without breaking the bank, breaking a sweat, or losing your sanity! Full show notes: https://trailblazer.fm/the-forgotten-many/

What do you normally sacrifice when delivering for a client whilst trying to stay within the budget AND meet deadlines!? Look, we're all small businesses here, how on EARTH do we deliver quality without overwhelm? I am sure we'd love nothing better than to tinker till we hit perfection but that aint gonna pay the bills right!? What if there was a way to do it all tho!? Sam Sayer is here to share how! He's a bloody legend, and so was his Grandad (literally)... no spoilers, you HAVE to listen to this episode. Enjoy! Full show notes: https://trailblazer.fm/form-and-function/

I can't doomscroll for 5 seconds without some "marketing guru" telling me what I should be doing to market my business. It's bloody exhausting! You might remember I burned out trying to do everything back in 2023 and I nearly closed down this very podcast as a result! Rob Cairns is a long time friend of mine, who's championed both my mental health and the work I do with the podcast. I asked him to come on to sanity check the advice we receive as small business owners, and to help us market without the burnout. Full show notes: https://trailblazer.fm/marketing-till-you-drop/