Water Podcast Redux

Just returned from WEFTEC in New Orleans and seeing Travis Loop conducting his interviews on the show floor reminded me of his position as one of the great podcasters in our industry.

And a big thanks to Antoine Walter for including Adam Tank and me and our podcast Water We Talking About? in his personal playlist of water podcasts.

And appreciate R. Trace Blackmore CWT, LEED AP, Master Facilitator, Keynote Speaker for scheduling Adam and me as guests on his Scaling Up! podcast at the end of this month.

So with all these reminders of water podcasts, I thought I would rerun the post of my favorites…

When I pitched my idea of a water podcast to Adam Tank—marketer, storyteller and millennial—he was skeptical because there were so many other water podcasts out there. I believed the world needed a podcast about telling the story of water, so I tackled the challenge just like I would take on any professional opportunity. I surveyed the landscape and created a mind map to get a sense of who else was in the space, and made it my business to learn from the best.

There are some great water podcasts out there, which has given me a chance to tune into different voices in the industry, hear many different points of view and approaches to sharing them, emulate aspects of podcasts I admire, and differentiate my voice from the others. Together, as an industry, we offer a wide range of angles on water.

Recognizing that Adam, co-host of?Water We Talking About , is my absolute favorite water podcast "pod-ner", of course, here's my list:

Stephanie Corso and Arianne Shipley,?Water in Real Life

Stephanie and Arianne, who call themselves the H2duO, bring their unique combination of effervescence and top-shelf smarts to their entertaining and insightful podcast. Stephanie and Arianne demonstrate with every episode the grace and power of two sharp professionals working together. This dynamic duo was among the first guests Adam and I interviewed for our podcast, and they set a high bar. When Stephanie said, "communications isn't a project, it's a relationship," I set my course to building a relationship with listeners. And when Arianne said, "demand more," I did.

Antoine Walter,?(don't) Waste Water

OK, I'll give you a minute to get past the skillful interviewing style, the playful and careful structure of his dialogues, and even the brilliant cartoons that accompany Antoine Walter's podcast. I'll give you another moment to get past the awesome French accent that makes everything sound even better than normal.

What struck me the most about this outstanding and dedicated young water professional is not just that he is pretty much every kind of artistic all at once, but that he's got laser-sharp insight that captures each guest's character and brings it to his listeners with wit and skill. (And this also goes to show that having me and Adam on your show is a great way to move up the list!) Antoine was also our guest for our July 15, 2021 episode, and he knocked it out of the park.

Trace Blackmore,?Scaling Up!

Trace Blackmore is a salesman's salesman—a committed professional who is way beyond just pushing a product. With his radio announcer pipes and his encyclopedic knowledge of the water industry, Trace is interesting because he is interested. He's passionate about water and it's contagious. I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Trace both on my own, then again later in tandem with Adam, and both times I received a great lesson in how to come into an interview knowing your guest's business and leading an intelligent, informed conversation.

Amanda Holloway,?Solving Water

I'm a long-time fan of Amanda's. She talks about two subjects I find endlessly fascinating: water and communications, and she does it with wisdom, enthusiasm and a great speaking voice. I haven't been a guest on the podcast (just saying), but find myself picking up interviewing tips and style pointers just by listening to Amanda work.

Amanda hosted Travis Loop (more on him later), tapping into the perspective of one of the first in the industry to take to the medium. Another of my favorite episodes was the conversation Amanda had on-air with Xylem CEO Patrick Decker, which zeroed in on key industry issues. If an issue has the ear of Amanda and her boss, it's worth your attention.

Dave McGimpsey,?Water Values

Water lawyer Dave McGimpsey brings his own perspective and that of his colleagues' to the airwaves in this excellent podcast. After a rockin' intro, Dave brings some of the industry's heaviest hitters in for insightful conversations on water issues, running the gamut from legislative topics to cooling water for server farms. Many episodes kick off with outstanding, pithy analyses from Bluefield Research CEO Reese Tisdale, which are guaranteed to get you thinking. There's a lot of value in?Water Values.

Travis Loop,?Words on Water

One of the OGs of H2O podcasting, Travis Loop has taken the experience he's gained as EPA communications director for water and as communications director for the Water Environment Federation and put it to work for?Words on Water?listeners in more than 100 countries. Travis has an eye—and an ear—not only for the technology of water, but also for the stories at the water's edge. He brings voices from around the world to his microphone, delving into topics as far-ranging as cybersecurity and data management, novel approaches to the workplace, and an ongoing exploration of equity in the water industry. When it comes to looking at the bigger picture, Travis is a big deal.

Will Sarni and Tom Freyberg,?The Stream

As a member of a podcasting team, I have a special appreciation for the cooperation it takes to co-host a podcast. In many ways, co-hosts have to be close enough to read each other's brainwaves (even over Zoom) and finish each other's sentences, and yet bring something unique to the partnership so the two halves add up to more than a whole.?The Stream?lives up to its name as Will, the water pundit, and Tom, the water journalist, let their stream of consciousness flow like water and wash over the audience with uniquely broad thinking.

Paul O'Callaghan,?Talk Water

Paul O'Callaghan is a brilliant researcher and thinker in the global water industry, and with the release of his?Brave Blue World?feature film last year, stepped up to join the likes of Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese as one of my favorite filmmakers. Paul describes his company, BlueTech Research, as "an actionable water technology market intelligence provider," and?Talk Water?has been an exciting vehicle for delivering all that: technology, intelligence and actionable insight, along with some of the best storytelling in the water business. When Adam asked Paul what he would put on an airplane banner to fly over fellow water professionals, O'Callaghan said, "We're all in it together and we can make a difference." That pretty much sums up his actionable attitude...and his optimism.

Talk Water has been pretty quiet lately—I'm not sure if Paul's on some kind of hiatus. I certainly hope we'll hear from him again soon.

Richard Restuccia,?Jain Irrigation Management Training Series

Richard Restuccia is talented writer and exceptional marketer, as well as being a gracious and astute interviewer. He also focuses on agricultural water and rural water issues, which are often lost in the flood of urban water/wastewater topics. The Irrigation Management Training video series he developed for Jain Irrigation is more about teaching than patter. But the series functions much as a podcast does, and Richard's meticulous curation allows visitors to zero in on the subjects and presenters they find most compelling, from the economic benefits of various irrigation practices to the value that the Irrigation Association delivers to its members.

That said, here's a warning: Jain's?Irrigation Management Training?videos are habit-forming, and you will probably find yourself going down many of the paths Richard has laid out.

American Public Media staff,?In Deep

This?All Things Considered-style program from American Public Media was one of the first podcasts on water that I studied, and its eight-episode set was a masters class in broadcasting. Tight episodes deliver sharp reporting in a 30 minutes or less, polished to a high sheen. Taut writing keeps each episode targeted and fascinating, starting with titles like "Godzilla's Bathtub," "Poison Pipes," and "Make Me Care" that are guaranteed to hook even casual browsers into compelling stories on water and wastewater treatment. My first goal in launching into podcasting was to find good role models, and here they are. This is how the pros do it.

Inge Bisconer,?The Water Zone

Inge is one of the handful of water podcasters, along with Richard Restuccia, who covers agricultural water issues. And what a person to do it—a true subject matter expert whose career with Toro and extensive volunteer leadership in the irrigation industry put her at the front lines of irrigation technology and efficiency. Inge has taught irrigation and soil science at the college level, and her command of the topic is rivaled only by her commitment to getting people to think about the issues. Inge interviewed me when she was guest-hosting the podcast, and did a great job of walking me through a well-thought-out interview. She's recently retired from Toro, but I expect we'll hear from Inge in her new role as managing member of Surf 'N Earth Enterprises—and I'm already looking forward to it.

Ty Whitman,?The Water Sifu

OK, I had to look it up, too: in Cantonese, a sifu is a master or teacher. So it is a natural—and masterful—development that martial arts practitioner, water treatment plant operator, and teacher of water distribution systems Ty Whitman brings his mastery of the art and science of water treatment to the podcast world in a series that is popular among fellow operators who tap into his deep pool of knowledge to study for their operators' and distributors' licenses. Whitman's technical savvy and approachable teaching style makes his podcast more than just an online study resource—it's also a font of great information for many of us in other parts of the industry whose work ties us to the vital work of treatment operators.

Matt Klein,?Water Foresight

From Whitman's nuts and bolts of safeguarding the health and survival of our society, South Carolina-based Aqualaurus CEO Matt Klein brings his audience on a very different kind of ride in?Water Foresight. The podcast's description describes a framework of strategic foresight, but Klein and his guests go even bigger, into an immersion into the big picture and big questions around water. He's not afraid to dive into cultural implications of water technology, ethics, and even the differences between Eurocentric and indigenous views of the sacredness of water. Open your mind and put on your thinking cap for this one.

Charles Fishman and the Water Council,?Where Water Works

I was all in the moment I heard that Charles Fishman—the talented and articulate author of?The Big Thirst—was hosting a podcast for The Water Council. The podcast was the Council's pivot to COVID reality, a rejig of its successful of Water Leader Summits' curated conversations with leading thinkers in the water industry. Fishman's gigs as guest host, particularly his interview with master water storyteller and turnaround artist George Hawkins, was a wonderful kickoff to a series that has brought a wide range of perspectives from top water industry sources. Water leaders indeed.

Water & Wastes Digest,?Talking Under Water

Finally, the talented editors of?Water and Wastes Digest,?Water Quality Products?and?Storm Water Solutions?has added new media to its quiver with a monthly podcast that brings the industry up to speed on news, technology and trends across the wastewater spectrum. Tune in and catch up on the latest in the industry.

So there's a tip of the hat to a talented and dedicated group of podcasters, each a leader in the industry and in the new medium. I've developed my own style and process that suits me—from the way Adam and I study our guests as preparation for our interviews to the kinds of questions we ask—but I learned what works for me by listening to these leaders and, in many cases, participating in some of their episodes. What a treat, and what an adventure.