SPOTLIGHT: BIPOC WOMEN IN PODCASTING – MICHELLE KHOURI, FRQNCY MEDIA
Michelle Khouri is the CEO and Founder of FRQNCY Media. She’s a proud first-generation Colombian American audio entrepreneur with extensive experience in marketing and storytelling. Her deep passion for sound led her to podcasting as an independent podcaster and later as an executive producer for branded podcasts. Under her leadership, FRQNCY’s sustained success has proven that a post-capitalist enterprise that focuses on the health and joy of its people and an unflinching alignment to its purpose can, in fact, drive profitability, growth, and innovation.
Shreya Sharma (SS): Do you think the talk of diversity in podcasting is performative or even moving in that direction?
Michelle Khouri (MK): It’s getting there, but we can shift its course. Any industry can easily fall into a habit of performing allyship because the real work of dismantling white supremacist and patriarchal systems is hard, daily, intentional work. It’s easy to start seeing that work as a talking point rather than an active, iterative practice. To lead effectively in any industry requires knowledge acquired with time, dedication, and hard work.
Equity means that the work that I do earns me the same seat at the table as it would anyone else. Diversity does not, in my humble opinion, mean that we forego that crucial piece of the puzzle simply to say someone underrepresented has a seat at the table. That’s when diversifying leads to tokenizing.
SS: What are the measures and actions the podcasting industry needs to undertake to walk the talk of diversity, equity, and inclusion?
MK: Alignment, intention, and diversity are three of FRQNY’s most important values. Our core values aren’t just lip service; they’re ongoing topics of conversation. They’re what truly guide us, both as individuals and as a company. After almost four years of living those values every day, they’ve become muscle memory for us—- and yet, we keep having proactive conversations about inclusion and what that actually looks like.
SS: When you were a budding entrepreneur, what was the dream you held when starting this business?
MK: My dream has always been to democratize access to high-quality audio production equipment and resources so everyone has access to a recording studio, sound engineer, and the guidance to create high-quality audio. That is a big dream for an OG indie podcaster to undertake, and it has been quite a journey, but I have assembled a FRQ-ing talented team to finally make it happen.
SS: What message would you like to share with young BIPOC women in the podcasting space?
MK: Be brave enough to be as big as you are. Take up space. Use the full power of your voice. The magic of audio is that it strips away all of the visual distractions, which has an especially powerful effect on women, whose bodies are scrutinized from the time we pop into this world. Podcasts allow us to take up space with our thoughts, our energy, and our perspectives, sight unseen.
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