There was a point where I was ready to walk away from The Buzz podcast completely. Not take a break. Not pivot.
End it.
And for the longest time, I never really told that story.
I never addressed this until I was a guest on Daytime Today with James Lott Jr. Even then, I didn’t fully get into what caused me to step away from the podcast.
I gave no warning.
I just stopped posting.
I stopped emailing.
I stopped communicating with industry insiders.
I was completely burned out.
I didn’t think I had anything left to give to the medium. I felt like I had seen everyone, interviewed everyone, and still wasn’t making any real headway in other areas of the television landscape. So I made a decision on my own—quietly—to hang up the mic.
My job also played a major role. As my responsibilities increased, I couldn’t find the time—or the energy—to devote to the podcast anymore. By that point, I was 13 years in, and it felt like a great run.
But as time passed, I realized something was missing.
I had poured so much of myself into my job that I left nothing for me. And yes—work comes first. That’s how the bills get paid. But what I had to learn, the hard way, is this: don’t sacrifice yourself for a job that can replace you in a nanosecond.
I had to learn how to say no.
I had to re-evaluate what actually mattered.
And that didn’t fully happen until I was laid off from a job I held for nearly two years.
In hindsight, that moment was a blessing in disguise.
That layoff pushed me back toward something I once called home—a medium I had been part of since 2006.
But coming back wasn’t easy.
Publicists I once worked with weren’t responding anymore.
Fans didn’t immediately return when I started posting again.
And at the same time, The Buzz was changing.
As I stepped back in, I began interviewing more actors in the primetime space. But much of my original audience came from the daytime soap world—and it became clear that this shift wasn’t what they had signed up for.
Breaking into that space wasn’t easy either. There are more outlets now. More access. More competition.
So I had to ask myself:
What makes my brand stand out?
What I found was this—while some of the loyalty I once had may have faded, I gained something just as valuable.
I’ve met incredible people through this journey.
I’m still meeting people who genuinely want to see you succeed.
I’ve been part of opportunities I never imagined for myself.
And I’m still growing. Still evolving.
Interview podcasting isn’t easy—especially now. You have celebrity-driven shows dominating the space, with built-in audiences and mainstream visibility. Independent podcasters like myself? We have to work twice—sometimes three times—as hard just to be seen.
But that doesn’t discourage me.
If anything, it pushes me harder—to grow the platform, build the resume, and continue putting out an award-winning product.
Humble brag? Maybe.
But after nearly 20 years of doing this with little recognition… you’ve earned that moment.
The truth is, I didn’t come back to the same show.
I built something new on top of what was already there.
And I’m still figuring out what that means.
So no—this isn’t an announcement that I’m ending the show today.
But it is the story of the time I almost did.
