Discover the surprising truth behind podcasting's origins - from Dave Winer's RSS breakthrough to Adam Curry's iPodder app. Explore how a handful of tech pioneers accidentally created a billion-dollar revolution that democratized media forever.

The most important step is simply beginning. Record something—anything—then improve through iteration. Real learning happens through doing, not planning.
The history and creator of podcasting - who invented it, how it started, and how it evolved into what we know today


"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

Nia: Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode from BeFreed-I'm Nia, and I'm absolutely thrilled to dive into today's topic with you all!
Eli: And I'm Eli! Nia, I have to say, when I saw what we were exploring today, I got genuinely excited. We're talking about something that literally changed how we consume media forever-the history of podcasting itself. I mean, here we are, creating a podcast about podcasting!
Nia: Right? It's so meta! But honestly, I think most of our listeners probably don't realize just how recent this whole medium actually is. Like, when I tell people that podcasting as we know it didn't even exist twenty years ago, they're shocked.
Eli: Exactly! And what's fascinating is that we're living through this incredible revolution where literally anyone can start a podcast-yet so few people actually know the origin story. So today, we're going to unpack who actually invented podcasting, how it all began, and how it evolved into this billion-dollar industry that's completely transformed media.