An Inspired Chat with Kathy Barron of San Francisco Bay Area

We recently had the chance to connect with Kathy Barron and have shared our conversation below.

Kathy, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’ve always wandered down a path. 🙂 Enjoying the walk down the path and also open to wandering off the beaten path to see what’s in the dense forest. For most of my life, I’ve taken risks like moving to another city without visiting first and not having a job. My parents (my mom especially) were always supportive and taught me to trust myself in making the best decision for myself. Although, some of those “best” decisions weren’t the best, they were good lessons. So I normally walk down a path, keeping an open mind to what I find along the way.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women Who Podcast magazine. Women Who Podcast is a quarterly, digital magazine that celebrates women independent podcasters from all over the world who are committed to their podcasts for the long term. It’s a place where their efforts are seen, their stories are heard, and their hard work is acknowledged. We will be celebrating our 5th anniversary issue in April 2026. We are the only magazine that features independent women podcasters in the United States (and I’m pretty sure the world). We had our first-ever Women Who Podcast Awards in June 2025 and it was a huge success! The proceeds from the podcaster award entry submissions will go towards the sponsorship & mentorship program that is currently being created. In 2026, we hope to offer the program to women who want to start a podcast but don’t have the financial means to do so.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of myself that has served its purpose and needs to be released is the people pleaser. I grew up as the youngest of six kids (the oldest is 12 years older than me) and was the caretaker, peacemaker, and people pleaser. Over the last few years, I’ve made the conscious decision to shed away those “roles” that were placed on me as a kid and to focus on myself and what I want for my life.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self that you are a unique, creative, smart, witty human being and everything works out with my best interests in mind. It may not seem like it at the time but every person you meet, every event that occurs, and every decision that is made is a step on your journey (as much as the path may zig zag). Trust yourself and listen to that voice of intuition closely. You are making a difference in people’s lives.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Live and let live. Everyone has their own journey in life and we are here to support each other on that path. It’s not easy at times because we want to protect someone that we care about from making the same mistake as us. Unless it will harm them or someone else, we need to let them make decisions that they feel is best for themselves and support them no matter the outcome.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m doing a little bit of both. I have a full-time (and soul sucking) day job with a county agency. It pays the bills and supports my creative outlets like Women Who Podcast magazine. So, in one way I’m doing what I was told to do by having a full-time job (which represents security) and doing what I was born to do which is to be creative (whether it’s the magazine, my podcast, or writing). As I get older, I’m leaning closer to doing more of the creative projects and less of what I was told to do in order to be responsible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.womenwhopodcastmag.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhopodcastmagazine/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-barron-7b2640294/