Interview #15 Kendall Breitman- From Newsroom to Podcast Studio: Her Journey

Transcript, May 15, 2025

Rick Barron (00:00.646)

Okay. Hi everyone. I'm Rick Barron, your host and welcome to my podcast. That's life. swear. My guest today is Kendall Breitman, a master storyteller who's navigated both the newsroom and now the podcast studio. Kendall Breitman is the community manager at Riverside where she supports a large network of creators and podcasters.

Now before she got into this area, she built a very impressive journalism career covering politics and presidential elections. Now she's worked for various groups such as NBC News, Bloomberg, Politico, and USA Today. It's pretty impressive company.

Now we're going to talk about how being that ace reporter shaped her career journey and how her journalistic eye helps podcasters grow, engage, and tell stories that truly resonate. Now you're going to want to stick around because towards the end of this conversation, she's going to share a podcast tip for you podcasters. And let me give you a hint. It involves a green apple.

So please join me as I have my conversation with Kendall Breitman.

Kendall Breitman, welcome to the show.

Kendall Breitman (01:14.971)

Thank you so much. I'm like, I'm just going to have you come into rooms before I enter them with that introduction, because like I've never felt better. Thank you.

Rick Barron (01:23.15)

No, no, I've been I've been wanting to have this conversation with you because I've and the share with the audience Kendall Breitman provides a lot of information regarding podcasting on YouTube and I've been following her YouTube Videos excuse me, for some time now.

Rick Barron (01:52.216)

But it's been so informative. I've got to tell you, if you're starting off to be a podcaster, I encourage you, and I underline encourage you, to tune into her YouTube channel because Kendall Breitman is just a wealth of information. You've got to listen to her and what you hear isn't just fluff, it's information that you can really take to the bank and utilize it. So please bear that in mind.

So, Kim, the biggest reason I wanted to talk with you is to get to know you and for the audience to get to know you. Now, I've seen you, as I said, on the various YouTube channels. You have been on webinars and you share all this information about how to be a good podcaster. But I wanted to know that girl behind the microphone. How did she get into where she is today?

Now, I've done my research, so I kind of want to start at the beginning. Now, I think you started your life in Pennsylvania.

Kendall Breitman (02:50.683)

Alright.

Kendall Breitman (02:54.339)

I did. Yeah, Havertown. It's about as fun as it sounds. Havertown, Pennsylvania. I always joke that it sounds like some like, you know, in a store, like an insert suburban name here, you know? But yeah.

Rick Barron (02:58.2)

Hahaha

Rick Barron (03:07.918)

Is it a small town? mean, how long did you live there?

Kendall Breitman (03:12.943)

Yeah, I grew up there. I lived there for 18 years before I went to college. Same house, my parents are still there. It's right outside of Philadelphia. So, like you could see the Philadelphia skyline from like half the town. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, it's very close, close enough that we would go in, like go there when we were in high school. And it was very easy. But yeah, it was like a very Irish Catholic, like very quintessential Philadelphia suburb.

Rick Barron (03:25.548)

Yeah, it's about eight miles away, I think.

Rick Barron (03:46.956)

Gosh, do you come from a big family any siblings or?

Kendall Breitman (03:47.685)

Yeah. I have two brothers, so like not a huge family. They're both older than I am. And so, I do think that I give very like youngest sister type of energy, if you really know me. And yeah, so both of them still live in Pennsylvania, so do my parents. But I was very much wanted to get out of there. Like, and it's nothing against Havertown. We love, I wouldn't go so far as say love, but we liked Havertown.

It just, I always wanted to like go and do something different and pave a different path and try something new. And Havertown's very much a town where like you grew up there, you start a family there, like generations of people would live there or around. both of my parents are from families that very much aren't like that. Like their siblings were all over the country. And so, I kind of just wanted to, I kind of took after them. I've just had the idea of moving away, starting your own life, doing something cool that you're excited about and driven by.

Rick Barron (04:55.576)

Wow, that's pretty amazing. Now, starting from when you went to high school, what was high school like there? Was that a private school? Because I was looking at it on the website. I thought it was.

Kendall Breitman (05:06.937)

No. No, so there's the private boys' school, the Haverford boys' school, and that's like this very swanky boys' school, it's private. No, I actually went to Haverford High School, which is, so it's very funny, there's Havertown, and then next door to it is Haverford, and Haverford is much posher and nicer, and Havertown is just very, yeah, and so it's very funny, because then.

Rick Barron (05:30.1)

Excuse me.

Kendall Breitman (05:33.487)

Haverford High School is in Havertown; it was very confusing. And like, to give you an idea of just like how it almost feels like it's like one of those towns out of a movie, like our mascot at school were the Haverford Fords. So, like our mascot was a car. It was like the Model T Ford. It's very like, we weren't even like the tigers or the lions or something. Like we were literally a car. high school was a little bit weird for me, to be completely honest.

It was, I didn't really feel like I fit in with the town. And I was constantly kind of felt this awkward thing where I also agreed that I didn't fit in, but then was desperately trying to fit in with the town. And so, I mean, even in like terms of like all of my class pictures, I'm not even that tall. I'm like five eights.

So, it's not like I'm that short, but like all of my school pictures, I'm like a head or two above everyone. It's just, I stuck out like physically, but also mentally. was just, like I wasn't, I was ready to get out for sure when I was leaving Havertown. So just a different vibe than I ever was.

Rick Barron (06:40.93)

See? You said something about, didn't quite feel like I'd fit in. Can you elaborate on that?

Kendall Breitman (06:47.738)

Mm-hmm. I don't know. think that there was... My parents both came from out of town. There is a whole culture there of everyone living around the corner from their cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents. We were also the only Jewish people in town. That didn't play a huge role in my life, but it definitely made me different. I was always the Jewish kid that you would invite over to decorate the Christmas tree.

And then after a few Christmases, I'm like, this isn't that fun. Like, putting half my body into like a very spiky tree to put lights in it is not that fun. Hot take.

But so, I don't know. I also think that I was a little bit awkward maybe. I think that I always just like wanted more and at the same time, like desperately was trying to fit in. And you know those people that like when you're desperately trying to fit in, it like makes you stand out more, it makes you like, it makes it more apparent that you're not fitting in? I think that that's like really who I was in my teen years.

Rick Barron (07:55.886)

It's kind of the same way for anyone. I was in high school. We had You the various cliques. You have those kids who were from the very wealthy families and those who were kind of You know your regular John Doe families, is which I was one of them and for me, you know that the rich kids didn't really Infatuate me. I felt like okay good for you, but and I have I'm a twin by the way

Kendall Breitman (08:22.683)

Nice.

Rick Barron (08:22.97)

And my twin brother loved it. He wanted to associate with them. I didn't put him down for it, but I feel like, okay, if that's what you want, that's cool. But I think high school is where, yeah, you really start to establish your roots of who you are, what you want to be. And I think you kind of called it out about, yeah, I need to get out of this town, but because I've just got this urge to explore is what I'm sensing.

Kendall Breitman (08:48.955)

Yeah, I mean, I think that the interesting thing with my experience is that it was like I was in this like popular clique, but I was the person that popular clique that was like maybe the one that got a little bit more like flak from the rest of the group.

Maybe it was a little bit more picked on by those people, but because I so desperately wanted to be in that group, I just was like always continuing to associate myself with those groups, you know? So, like looking back on high school, I wish I had like much more confidence, because I think I got that when I went to college. But now I look back and I'm like, why were you so hung up on getting these people to accept you when like, is that who you wanted to be accepted by?

I don't know. Like when I look back on my high school experience, I really wish that I was more confident in myself, which is interesting because now I feel pretty confident. I don't know. I wish that I had that sooner. And I wish I could go back to my high school self and be like, girl, stop trying to fit in with these people that clearly don't really love you.

Rick Barron (09:58.786)

Well, no, I mean, that's interesting. mean, full transparency, I've gone to some of my high school reunions and the people you saw in high school who you thought were going to be extremely successful were just the opposite. And the ones you thought were never going to make it, Lord, they're the ones that were being successful, very happy. So, yeah, what you see in high school is sort of a glimpse of what you think you're going to be. you know, sometimes you don't know what life is going to throw at you, but...

Kendall Breitman (10:13.615)

Exactly. Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I mean, my mom used to tell me this all the time when I was in high school, but like, try telling that to a high schooler. They're like, no, this is life. That's life, I swear. Kidding. No, but it's like, they, like, you, like, try, try telling that to a teenager and they're like, no, no, no, this is how it is. These are, this is how it's always going to go, you know? So, yeah, I, I, if my mom's listening to this, I wish I listened to you.

Rick Barron (10:56.664)

What kind of a student were you? Were you very studious?

Kendall Breitman (10:58.819)

I was a good student, partially because I was scared of my parents. I'm kidding. But I was talking the other day to my mom, we were talking about how she would be so upset with me if I brought home a bee. That'd be like cowering in fear. But it was fine. it was, yeah, I was a pretty good student. I liked school. I actually recently had to apply for a passport for my new daughter.

And so, part of that is proving that you lived in the United States for for a certain period of time, for an elongated period of time. So, I had to ask for something that proved that, which could be a middle school and high school transcript. And from that, it was really like a walk down memory lane that you see all the classes you took and all the grades you got in those classes, and you forget that you had certain classes. One of them was parental development or something, child development.

And I remember that we had to actually, in school, 17 years old, carry around this like fake baby doll and when it would start crying and you kind of take it home like so it could start crying at like 3 a.m. and you're 17 living with your parents and it would start crying and you had to rock it and like put a key in its back to like get it to calm down and I think that's how they taught people like not to have kids at 17 but it was a real like doll that you actually could feed with like this magnetic spoon it was weird but totally blacked it out of my mind until I had my own child and had to get my high school transcripts. And I'm like, and now it's 3 a.m. and I'm like, to my wife, I'm like, pass me the key. Where is it? It's not there. Spoiler alert, there is no key.

Rick Barron (12:27.822)

Where's the key?

Rick Barron (12:38.935)

Gosh. Okay, so high school, then you transition to college. Well, high American University.

Kendall Breitman (12:47.131)

This is another point where my mom is always right. I fought against going to American University. I'm like, what's that? Because I didn't know it. My mom was like; I think that you'd really like it. I wanted something that had campus. I wanted something that felt like this green quad. But I also wanted to be in a city. I did not want to be in the middle of nowhere. We were looking at Bucknell, think, at one point, too. But I didn't like that it was such a small town. Or Colgate was this really beautiful college that we visited.

I liked that American had a campus and that it was in the city, that is in a city and really easily accessible to get to the city. So that's really why I went. I didn't even want to get into politics. It wasn't a thought on my mind, I mean. And then when you get there, it's kind of hard not to. You're like surrounded by it and people are passionate about it. So yeah. Yeah.

Rick Barron (13:35.518)

It's kind of hard to avoid. And so, I think you went into journalism and law?

Kendall Breitman (13:43.449)

Yes, yes. Yeah, because at American what their thing is is that like, if you take a communications major or minor, you have to have another major or minor because you need to know what to communicate about. You can't just be a communications major. You need to communicate about something, which would be your second major or minor. I went into college thinking that I wanted to be a lawyer.

Rick Barron (13:45.528)

That's a good combo.

Kendall Breitman (14:09.243)

I ended up loving journalism. So, I kept my major in law, but journalism, so it became kind of like what I came into school for, law, and then what I transitioned into, which was journalism, but it covered both bases.

Rick Barron (14:26.114)

What did you think about it as you were diving into it? Journalism. Well, let's take one first. Journalism.

Kendall Breitman (14:29.349)

Journalism or law? Journalism.

Kendall Breitman (14:34.831)

Journalism, I loved immediately. Like I think that it's, I'm just a story person at heart. So, to hear people's stories, my favorite thing is to hear a bunch of stories and then kind of make the story about it. So, I love to do that. Originally, I started doing music and media journalism for my school paper. And that was very fun. I would get to go to concerts as a college student for free and then just write about it, which was great.

And then I ended up getting my first internship at USA Today. And the funny part is that my former editor actually went through all of the applicants by alphabetical order. And when he called me, because my last name is Brightman, so I was pretty high on that list, he called me and he liked our interview and just hired me. So, I mean, my whole life could have been different if my last name was like started with a Z, I guess.

Rick Barron (15:29.398)

Well, what were the odds? Now what about law?

Kendall Breitman (15:34.043)

American has a really cool law program. It's called Law and Society. So, it's not just about law, it's about sociological aspects of how laws shape societies. I loved that part. As far as the codified laws, wasn't as into it. So, I think that that also pointed to that I liked journalism better. I liked looking at different societies, anthropology, all of that kind of...

Rick Barron (16:02.2)

Did you find you were kind of a natural when it came to writing?

Kendall Breitman (16:06.779)

Yes. mean, I have my thing when I was really little was that I used to, before I could write, I used to tell my mom stories that she would write. So, she would take out like, she would write a document and have like two sentences per page and leave a bunch of room for a picture for me to draw. And I would tell her stories. And so, we'd make our own storybooks.

So, I would say like there once was a spider named that, you know, and she would write it on a piece of paper and write a whole book and I would go through and make all the drawings and everything, but I would make my own books. And so, I really loved that always. So, it all, mean, looking back, I guess it always just came, came kind of naturally to me. It'd be nice to still have my mom type the stuff, but here we are. I've since learned how to write. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Rick Barron (16:47.735)

Wow.

Rick Barron (16:53.326)

No, no, that's interesting. I love that. That's a great story. Now you shared with me because I know we spoke a little earlier that when you went to American University, you got to meet someone famous and you said she was the Pepsi girl.

Kendall Breitman (17:09.269)

Mm. Random. No, I just like it was, I mean, if she ever hears it's going to be like, this is so random. No, there were like, there were different people on campus. One of them was Jesse Isenberg's sister, who was actually in the Pepsi commercials. Because we were talking about, I even forget how this came up. I think they were talking about like the social network or the like the yeah, the movie that he was in.

Rick Barron (17:10.914)

Can you tell us about that?

Rick Barron (17:35.256)

Correct.

Kendall Breitman (17:38.171)

I was like, I went to school with a sister. And so, she was known not just as a sister, but she was in the old Pepsi commercials, like the girl with the curly hair that would kind of make the, like, I forget, I think she was, went like, you know, like tried the Pepsi and did that. But it was a co-sponsored campus, so it must have been quite the identity crisis.

Rick Barron (17:58.712)

Did you know her personally or just knew that she was there?

Kendall Breitman (18:00.749)

Not really. No, I see she was there. I mean, I have a friend who are friends with her, but not really.

Rick Barron (18:06.284)

Okay, sounds great. Now you've gone from completing your degree at American University and now you entered the world of taking what you've learned and diving into these companies such as USA Today, Politico. Can you walk us through the first one and kind of wave the story of how you did with the others, the other companies you worked for?

Kendall Breitman (18:29.433)

Yeah, so I did my internship with USA Today and loved it. And I worked with the guy named Paul Singer. He's an incredible editor and still love him to this day.

Shout out to Singer. And so, everyone calls him Singer. So, he connected me. He was like, I really, really want to get you a job out of college. I really want to help you. So, he actually had me email friends of his in the industry. And the subject line would always say Singer sent me. And it was like his way of connecting me with like really incredible journalists.

And even if they weren't hiring, I went and I spoke with them and just it's I mean, at the end, the cool part about journalists some interviews are that you're kind of showing off that you're good at what you do, you know? So, like I would ask questions to them. I was interviewing them and by doing that, showing them that I was a good journalist. So, I would speak to one person, then another, and ended up speaking to somebody at Politico. And he passed me on to somebody else at Politico. They were looking for a breaking news reporter.

So, I ended up getting the job there. And what breaking news reporters do as part of it, this was back when I was working there, is we'd have different shifts. And so, if you worked on the morning shift like I did, there were three other writers who would work the morning shifts and we were all assigned a morning show. So. I was assigned like Fox and Friends. And so. I would have to sit there and listen, because all of like the bigger names from politics would go on Fox and Friends. And I didn't have like TiVo or whatever at that time. So. I couldn't pause.

And so I would just sit there and watch Fox and Friends with my phone under the TV recording the whole time. And if like, let's say Marco Rubio came on, I would have to type super fast every single thing that he said and pick out the story. And if there was a story and publish it within like 10 minutes, and then we'd all, and like another one would be watching Morning Joe. Another one would be watching CNN This Morning, I think it was.

Kendall Breitman (20:34.233)

And then we'd all scatter our times where we go into the office. So, I would stay at home while the CNN person would go to the office. And then I was in charge of Fox and CNN and flipping back between the two of them. And if like a quote happened, I'd have to take my phone and rewind the audio. It was crazy. like we would get we were so fast that we'd get, for example, Obama had a speech and he said, Republicans stop hating all the time. And I remember I got an email from my editor, all caps, stop hating all the time. Five minutes.

And it meant in five minutes; I needed a story up on Politico that was about Obama saying that. So it was very, very quick and a lot of fun and really cool. Yes, I loved it. I loved that. also just loved it like something about like quick journalism. I mean, you can go back, you go back and like put more to the story rather than just like stop painting all the time, five minutes. But once it's out, it's out.

Rick Barron (21:13.39)

Did you love that adrenaline of the speed?

Kendall Breitman (21:32.495)

Like that's something that I sometimes miss when it comes to marketing writing. It's like you can spend two months on a landing page. For journalism, it's like the story's now, put it out. And the story could be a week, the story could be a month, you know? But the story's now, and then it's out. So, yeah.

Rick Barron (21:48.344)

So, you didn't encounter any difficulties at first like, gosh, this is too much of a rush for me, it's too fast. You know, having to type a bazillion words in a minute, did it ever overwhelm you or?

Kendall Breitman (22:01.327)

That would come later. That would come later. That's like at this time I was like, it was fresh, it was exciting. I loved it. So, I was like really driven and I just got a job at Politico right out of college. Like I was so driven on that no, didn't, don't, maybe hindsight's 2020 maybe like I'm looking back at it with rose colored glasses, but I liked the rash of that for sure.

Rick Barron (22:26.264)

So, what was the next one after Politico? Where did you go from there?

Kendall Breitman (22:30.583)

So then from there, I got a job at Bloomberg. So, a colleague of mine left Politico and went to Bloomberg. Politico was in DC. Bloomberg was in New York, obviously. So, my colleague, Jen, went to Bloomberg. they were two big-name journalists, John Heilman and Mark Halperin. And they had written this book called Game Change.

There was a movie made out of it for Sarah...Julianne Moore played Sarah Palin and it won her Golden Globe. So, they wrote this book and it was a very famous book and they became these very famous reporters. And they were looking for a young, hungry journalist to be with them on the campaign trail. And so, she recommended me. I still remember going to Bloomberg and interviewing with them.

And I came with a little journalism notebook with my questions about the job which they were very excited about. But they asked me a bunch of questions about politics at that time. Like, who would you most want an endorsement for if you wanted to win the Iowa caucus? Like that kind of stuff. And then I ended up working there and it was the coolest, it was by far the coolest experience that I've had as far as work.

Basically, they were covering for they were making a show where they were traveling around the world around the country covering the presidential campaign. But they also just started a showtime series, a docu-series called the Circus. And that was behind the scenes of the campaigns. So, I would get to be on the campaign trail, like living out of a suitcase for all of 2016 election. And then beyond that, like we'd leave campaign events and get to go on Bernie Sanders' bus.

So was like really behind the scenes, like very cool experience. And I was 24 at that time. So it was like, or think it was 24, whatever. It was such a crazy cool experience, like once in a lifetime type of thing to just get to like go back stage to Trump rallies, going back stage to Clinton rallies, like all of them and just seeing history play out in this very insane way was just very cool.

Rick Barron (24:47.79)

So, you mentioned about getting on the bus and seeing Sanders, Trump rallies, Clinton rallies, Obama, excuse me. As you were walking around in those environments, what struck you the most about the world of politics? What hit you right away?

Kendall Breitman (25:09.315)

I think how much of a, wrong word to use, it's almost like a sport. The way that we were covering it almost felt like sport. The way that people, it's all psychological. For example, when you go to these rallies, watch the person say the same speech over and over again, but lines will change. The thing that they're wearing will change.

Scott Walker would be wearing a suit one day and then he'd be in Iowa and he'd be like in a field and he's wearing like no tie, kind of unbuttoned shirt and like rolled up sleeves. There's like so many psychological things that come with it. So much like I say sport because it's like will this next play help them with this, like to win this caucus or this midterm? It's so strategic in this really, really interesting way. How will voters receive this one word that they said? How are they going to pick themselves up from this flop that they just had? I thought that that was the most interesting and it kind of hooked me like it was a story that I was following, you know?

Rick Barron (26:25.142)

I have to imagine to what we see on TV is as these candidates are giving their polished speeches that you are behind the curtain, so to speak. And you say, well, that's what you see. But what I've observed as I'm watching these people work the crowds, if you will, you see something, you see someone different than what they are as they present themselves. Can you give an example of that?

Kendall Breitman (26:50.957)

Exactly. And you see them in real time. Yeah, you see them in real time, like, be, like, once the camera goes on, like, how they act, you know? Like, I mean, we used to, like, I used to, as I was reporting on debates, when you're in the room watching a debate, completely different than when you watched on TV. So, I would never write a report about a debate until I watched it again on TV. Because what you're seeing, what the rest of the world is seeing, is not what I'm seeing in the room. For example, when you're in high definition, are one of the candidates sweating? That's a huge thing that people can see when they're watching, and it makes them look nervous. But if I'm in the audience and I don't see that, I could say that the guy looks cool, and collected.

One really interesting moment I remember was Ted Cruz wasn't going to give Donald Trump the endorsement. And it was at the Republican National Convention. And we know that because we get the speeches ahead of time so that we can write faster. And so, everyone's looking through the pages trying to find an endorsement. We realize there's not going to be one.

And so we're like watching Ted Cruz gets on the stage, he's talking. And then towards the very end of his speech, when it's becoming apparent to everyone else that he's not going to endorse, Donald Trump walked out into the crowd to get to his seat. And so, the optics of that that people don't realize when they're watching on TV is that every single person in the audience turned around, turned their backs to Ted Cruz to look at Trump. And he's waving and saying hello mid-speech.

So Ted Cruz thought he was going to have this big like gotcha moment where like he doesn't endorse and he ended up instead having this moment where he like actually like everyone turned their back to him and there was really like it wasn't this glorious moment that he kind of thought it would be and it was set up by the fact that he like that Trump stole that moment knowing that he had the speech too.

Kendall Breitman (28:49.839)

Like it's those kinds of power plays that are just like super, super interesting.

Rick Barron (28:54.286)

And that's so interesting to be a part of history like that.

Kendall Breitman (29:01.435)

So, yeah, in the end, it was this crazy moment where you don't see that when you're watching TV, but when you're there and in that moment, it's crazy to see that and crazy to see, as I said, the sport thing, how this person thought they're going to hit a home run. Another person kind of blocked that defense.

Kendall Breitman (29:47.137)

It's very, it's really cool in a way. I mean, it's not cool in the fact that politics is such a huge thing in our lives. In the end, they're being treated like sport. But when you're covering it, it gives you this rush. You're like, my gosh, what is this person going to do next?

Rick Barron (30:06.242)

I can't imagine the various scenes you observed during the time you were a journalist in the political arena. Now, maybe you said this and maybe I missed it. Did you get into the political area just by chance or is that what you wanted?

Kendall Breitman (30:23.909)

So, when I said earlier that Singer, my previous boss, went through for an internship in USA Today, just went through alphabetically, he was hiring for political job. So, I originally wanted to do features. I wanted to do the features of different famous people and a long profile of them. And then I was asked about this internship at the USA Today for politics. So, I said yes to it, because of course I'm going to say yes to that.

And kind of started with nothing knew enough about politics. I was a 20-something living in DC and had a lot of time on my hands. So, I was very in the political scene as far as my own beliefs and my own advocacy. But yeah, that's kind of as far as I knew. So, I learned a lot on the job.

Rick Barron (31:11.148)

I can only imagine. So, when you were, I think you did this like for six years, I think in total, but as you were putting your journalism skills to work during those six years, what did you learn there that you didn't learn in the classroom about being a good journalist?

Kendall Breitman (31:33.403)

I think that there's no way in the classroom to learn about like sourcing and creating relationship with sources and how to do that, how to like hone those relationships. I think that that's only something that you learn while you're out and actually in it. Exactly.

Rick Barron (31:52.962)

Yeah, that's where you get your hands dirty, so to speak. Wow. So, you took a pivot in life and he went to go work for a company called Wix, and that's in Israel. That's a big jump.

Kendall Breitman (32:04.667)

Yes. Yes. Yeah.

Rick Barron (32:09.858)

Can you share how that came about?

Kendall Breitman (32:12.185)

Yeah, so between that, between Bloomberg and Wix, I was at NBC News. I was a producer there. And actually, like, it was funny because I was a producer for Casey Hunt's show and Stephanie Ruhls. But Casey ended up asking me to be a producer on her show. And we originally met from My Singer Sent Me emails. She was also an intern for the same guy a while before. So like, it's just all these things come back around.

So, I was working at NBC. I loved it. I was in New York and then I moved to DC again for KC Show. And then I ended up taking a birthright trip that my friend convinced me to go to. I was like, no. And she's like, you should totally go. It's a free trip. And I'm like, OK. So, I went and I kept making fun of her. I was like, my gosh, you're going to find the love of your life there. It's like such a cliche.

And then I ended up meeting my wife there. So that's kind of a fun turn of events. Yeah, so I kept making fun of her being like, wow, you're about to find love. And then like fast forward a year and I was moving to Israel. So, I met my wife. She, they usually have like soldiers on the trips because they're, but we were on an older trip. So instead of being like 18 to 27, like we were 24, 25, yes. And so.

Rick Barron (33:12.92)

What the?

Kendall Breitman (33:43.801)

Yes, so she was a medical student. So instead of having soldiers, they had students that would be RH. And so, she was a student and she is a medical student at the time. And the first day of the trip, I got a bug bite on my face while I was sleeping.

And I woke up with a with my eye like the size of a golf ball. It was gigantic! So, they said, we're going to send you to the doctor with a medical student who's on the trip. And that was my wife. Well, not at the time. That'd be weird. But that ended up being my wife. So, I have this very funny video of me with like a golf ball size eye being like, is this how I find the one for me? I look so good. Like everyone send me all your single friends as like a joke.

Kendall Breitman (34:32.109)

And we ended up playing that video at our wedding. Because it was just pretty funny because the next video was like, yeah, the next video was like, hey, this is Donna. She's my new friend on this trip. And like, that's how we met. Yeah. Yeah.

Rick Barron (34:36.277)

Are you serious?

Rick Barron (34:47.054)

Do you keep a journal of these occurrences? I mean, this could be a book, Kendall.

Kendall Breitman (34:52.286)

Yeah, thank you. should have, I should tell my mom, she'll type it out and then I'll draw the pictures. So no, I like, I did like a video vlog of that trip and it was like mostly a joke. Like I did the whole thing as like this cliche joke about like, we're going to find our wives. And cause it's like the cliche of birthright, I guess. And so, I did this whole thing and it's actually how I ended up meeting my wife. So, it's just ironic.

And I have like multiple videos being like, feel great, I look great, I'm on my way to find my mate. Like it was just like, it's just this weird theme that I kept with this vlog of me with this giant eye. And then yeah, the videos were all played at the wedding. Yeah. Yeah.

Rick Barron (35:34.83)

Ha ha ha!

So, before we jump a little bit further, do you miss the time period when you were a journalist in the political field? mean, it has to be a rush. I mean, what you experienced there, what you probably, you know, in so many ways have taken what you've learned there and pulled it into where you are today.

Kendall Breitman (35:47.803)

Yeah.

Kendall Breitman (36:00.975)

Yeah, definitely. So, first of all, like, so I met my wife, I was still at NBC, but like, I don't know if it was that I was like getting burnout from journalism because this is a really demanding job.

Or if I was just like, my heart was somewhere else at that point, like that I just would come visit Tel Aviv, she'd come to DC, we met in like London and Rome, like we were just like meeting whenever we could. And so, I think it was the perfect storm of both of those things. I was starting to get a little bit like disenfranchised with my job, but also starting to be like, what if I did just like try this crazy thing, you know?

So, I think that I miss it a lot. I think that it was such a cool time in my life. But I think that towards the end, I sometimes look back at it a little bit rosier than it was. Because I think towards the end, it's a really demanding job. You have two cell phones you are constantly on. It's like you are expected. News can drop at any time. And when it does, you're expected. That's your life.

That's your job and or more than your job would become. So, I think that long term, I realized when I was looking at other people in the industry and who I aspire to be, I was also by meeting more of them and seeing their lives, realizing that maybe that's not the life that I wanted. Like I didn't know if that was, if that all day, all the time 24 seven kind of slog of it was where my head was at.

So yeah, but there are tons of things that I took over to it for community management. think that also I loved what I was doing because everyone thought I was so successful, if that makes sense.

Rick Barron (37:36.398)

You know.

Kendall Breitman (37:48.909)

I was a journalist during this incredibly pivotal political time. So, everyone would say, like, how incredible? That's amazing. And I started to see my own value and my own worth by being a journalist and doing the Lord's work in that way. And I think that sometimes I loved it because other people loved it for me. And maybe I didn't actually love the day to day of it. And when I moved, I was like, how am I going to quit this job at NBC to go chase a girl, chase a relationship?

And I, yeah, exactly. so like, I, oh yeah, with a big I, yes. So, I was like, yeah, exactly. But so, I was like, how am going to do this? And then I...

Rick Barron (38:18.956)

With a big eye.

Kendall Breitman (38:32.856)

Like I kind of had to redefine success. Like is success always career or can success be moving to another country, learning a new language, having this incredible life experience of like completely changing where you're living and the culture around you. And so that was like a big pivot for me.

Rick Barron (38:51.554)

Yeah, I mean that's a big jump. I'll share with you a quick story. I my wife, she was Canadian and we had a long-distance relationship, long story short, we eventually decided to get married. And she was getting ready to move out of her condominium. So, she called me around nine o'clock in the morning California time saying, okay, the movers are here, packing up, so don't forget to pick me up at the airport. And I thought she was just being kind of funny. I said, I'll be there.

Kendall Breitman (38:53.594)

Yeah.

Rick Barron (39:20.546)

Around noon time, she calls me back and says, well, everything's packed up, everything's gone, I'm going to spend time with my girlfriend and then from there we're going to leave for the airport tomorrow. So don't forget to pick me up. Okay. She calls me that evening one more time and saying, okay, I'm getting ready to go to bed, I'm going to get on the airplane, so be sure you're there. Okay, I'll be there.

Anyway, she lands and I ask her, why were you asking me so many times to be at the airport? And he goes, well, think about it. I said, I love you dearly, but I'm leaving my country. I'm saying goodbye to my friends. And I thought, okay, good point. No, it's a big transition, you know?

Kendall Breitman (40:02.477)

Exactly. It's a huge transition. Yeah. mean, like my thought is also just like, it's there are so many things that you're like, my gosh, there's so many things that are out of my control. They're like, all right, this one thing is in my control. Pick me up. I actually, when I flew in, when I landed, it was like, there was like a for some reason, I don't even know why, but they were like a bunch of like school-aged, like very like young girls that were at the arrivals gate. I don't know if like their teacher was landing like something very cute.

And Donna, my now wife had them chant my name when I came through the doors. Like so when I walked through the doors, she went, yes, it's her. And they went, Kendall Breitman. And I was like, what in the world? It was so and she thought it was going to be hilarious. But for me, I was just so overwhelmed. I like hadn't slept. I was like, what's happening? was very. Yeah, this is exactly.

So, it was it was quite the entrance.

Rick Barron (40:58.56)

Yes, this is how they greet you when you arrive in Israel.

Rick Barron (41:06.83)

So, your resume just screams powerhouse journalists and you then made a move to go to Riverside. What told you, yep, this is going to be my next chapter?

Kendall Breitman (41:18.329)

Mm-hmm.

Kendall Breitman (41:24.389)

So, I was doing writing at Wix. I was like, I'm a journalist. So well, there was a step between that. I was a journalist. I came to Israel. And then I was like, there are so many changes happening that I should just take a very easy job.

So, I took a job that was like, it was those articles that were, they paid me to write these articles that were like, you'll never believe what this man found behind his wall. You know those articles? And they're usually, by the way, at the bottom of news articles. Like you'll see like, you'll see in this model, you can't believe what she looks like now.

I didn't write those ones because I was against those ones. like, and they're at the bottom of news articles. So, I'd see like my friends' articles and like real news organizations, then mine at the bottom being like, this man renovated his home. You won't believe what he found. So, I did that. And it was like, very easy. loved it.

I actually made a lot of like my best friends there because they were also working there. And then if you can believe it, that place closed. And it was good because I was ready to go because I had been like for a while.

Rick Barron (42:25.262)

So, was the transition going from trying to meet the deadline, getting the story out in the next five minutes, was that transition different from where you were to where you are now today in Riverside, or is it somewhat comparable?

Kendall Breitman (42:45.207)

Like getting something out in five minutes. no, I mean, like it's we have more time now. But yeah, no, I started like I was I then became a writer at Wix. I realized that what I loved about journalism wasn't writing. What I loved about journalism was hearing stories of people and like understanding who people are and what drove them and hearing their stories. And so, then Riverside reached out to me. I don't even know how they found me, but.

They reached out asking if I wanted to be a community manager and my first reaction was like, what is that? And when they told me more about the position, I realized that it was just like a really perfect fit for me.

Rick Barron (43:27.534)

Have a good journey. So now you've gone into the world of podcasting. As you're growing into this role, what did you like about it so much that, because it seems like you're just an absolute natural in this position. That what you, I'm being very serious. You, I had to think too, again, I think we touched on this, your background in journalism has probably been extremely helpful to what people do in podcasts, because to tell a good story, to get to the point, so to speak, yada, yada, yada.

Kendall Breitman (43:44.101)

Thank you.

Rick Barron (43:57.004)

So what are some of the journalistic skills that you've kind of brought to the table when you talk to clients or talk to people on your YouTube channel? What are some of the things that come to mind?

Kendall Breitman (44:19.757)

Listening is definitely one big one. I think that way too many people in this world are waiting for somebody to finish talking so that they can say they're inspired next sentence.

Like I don't think that there's enough listening to each other. So, listening and gleaning the story out of it. Listening to a bunch of different people and figuring out what the thing that connects with them, like the thing that they're all talking about and how you can kind of look at that and realize what they care about.

I think that like, I just think that being able to relate to people and understand that there are different stories. I don't know. think that journalism for me really humanizes people. And I think that community management does too. In a world that we're like social media and that we're AI, it's, I think that I love human connection. And that is a common thread in both.

And I think that on a very practical level, when I'm making videos and things for a community, I am very good at making unapologetic cuts to a video. If we're putting up a reel, I'm like, take out those two words. There are no extra words. So even just brevity and knowing what the lead is, knowing what's the most important thing for a person.

Rick Barron (45:42.894)

Yeah, I know. I've taken a couple of courses at Stanford in podcasting. And one was on storytelling. So, each of us had to do a 15-minute episode, craft a story. And then the instructor said, okay, I want you to take that story and I want you to shrink it down, still the same messaging, very compelling. And I want you to do it. in three minutes and I thought, what?

But she walked us through the process and I realized it can be done because it talks about how you need to get to the point, have a beginning, a middle, and an end. And how to incorporate various sound effects and then to incorporate background music which I never would have thought of.

Kendall Breitman (46:18.093)

I love that challenge.

Rick Barron (46:40.746)

And as I walk, as I walk through that process, it taught me a lot. I've been starting to incorporate that now in my podcast episodes, but, getting back to your point on how to be a good journalist, how to cut to the story. I would imagine too, as a journalist, you really have to learn how to craft your questions in such a manner that it's like, just get to the point. Here's the answer and just.

Kendall Breitman (47:01.103)

Yes.

Rick Barron (47:07.106)

I mean, did you learn that along the way or did it come natural to craft questions?

Kendall Breitman (47:11.459)

No, you learn it along the way. mean, sometimes it's like some of it comes naturally, but some of it you learn along the way. One thing that I always recommend to people is to take a piece of paper, write on the left side of it a question that you have, and write on the right side of it, like pushing it a bit further.

So, for example, like what you did earlier, instead of just saying like, where are you from, the question could be, how do you think that your hometown shaped who you are? Or like what was it like to grow up in this place? Know, like taking the question, putting it a step further.

But I think that the structure of questions, what to ask at different times, that's something that I learned a lot from journalism, like getting a guest comfortable. then, I mean, like podcasting's a bit different, but like, but also not in a way. Like you begin with like comfortable questions, and then it can start to get different kind of questions along the way.

For politics, it's more pressing questions. Why did you say this in 2014? You know? I remember there was like an interview that we did with Trump at the time. Was 2016. And he was talking about that he was like that he loves the Bible. And I remember that one of the hosts on my show was like said, I want to ask him like what Bible verse like connects with him the most. Because everyone was asking these questions over and over again about his policies and this and that. But let's try to get to the question. And his answer was, I love them all. Which also said a lot, about, because then people, it became a big story, because people were like, he couldn't name one or whatever, say what you will about that answer. But it was like, it taught me to take a question and come at it from a different way. know, like, what's your fate, like asking people who are in the line for a political rally, what's your favorite policy that this person has rather than like, what do you think about this one policy?

What's something that connects with you? You know, like it's, there are different ways to craft different questions to get different kinds of answers and that the audience can then have their own takeaways from is what I mean.

Rick Barron (49:33.582)

You mentioned something about how to craft a good question. So, I'm going to throw one at you that you just mentioned. How has this job changed you from where you were in journalism?

Kendall Breitman (49:49.741)

I think that I feel very empowered in this job, I would say off the top of my mind. I think when I was in journalism, I was always working with a team and working for other journalists too. I was a producer on Casey Hunt's show. I was producing and being a reporter with these two bigger named journalists.

I think for me, this is like, feel really proud of the fact that like, I mean, I use my own Facebook, my own LinkedIn, all of that to like, to do community. So, I'm representing Riverside, but I feel really proud of the fact that like, I am representing Riverside, you know, that I feel like I get to put myself forward, I get to be on podcasts, you know, like, so I think that I'm stepping into my own confidence that like, I don't have to be doing the research and things for another reporter. could like, I can be that person.

Rick Barron (50:51.378)

I also think too that what you just said, that is well said, is that you're also the brand of Riverside. You're representing who they are.

Kendall Breitman (51:00.15)

I'll let the CEO know. Yeah, yeah. Clip that. Clip that and send it on over. Yeah, yeah.

Rick Barron (51:07.512)

So, in the time that you were in that small town in Pennsylvania, to where you are today. What have you learned about yourself? What are some of the attributes that you learned along the way that you didn't think you were going to learn?

Kendall Breitman (51:28.923)

Wow, that's a good question. I think I'm a lot more confident, for sure. I think I am definitely a lot more confident. I'm definitely gay, I'm kidding, but that's also true, because I was very closeted when I was in high school. No, think that I'm a lot more confident in who I am, and it doesn't mean that I'm the most confident person in world, but I'm definitely more confident than I was in high school, I'd hope.

Rick Barron (51:45.934)

Okay.

Kendall Breitman (51:57.723)

I think that moving to another country makes you see yourself and the way that you grew up very differently. I think that having a kid also makes you do that too. But I just think that that's the biggest change that I would say is that I'm much more confident in myself. I feel much more like I've experienced more of the world and like see where I fit into that. yeah, looking back at it, I'm like very proud of myself. So, this is a nice little exercise. Love it.

Rick Barron (52:38.402)

Well, you've accomplished... Well, no, you've really... When you think about it, in the time that you left college, you've accomplished so much. And kind of in quick order, when you think about it. Because here you are, you're jumping into the political arena, which is not for the faint of heart, you know. And you got to be quick on your feet. So let me ask... Go ahead.

Kendall Breitman (52:59.931)

Yeah, think, I was going to say, I think that sometimes, and it's nice to hear like in this context, I think that sometimes, I mean, I'm 33 years old, so, like whenever when we talk about my journalism and like it like it being amazing and then I'm doing community management and I love community management but I'm like wow are my like cool times behind me and I'm only 33 you know so sometimes I get a little bit like in my head about that like now I'm kind of working this more like nine to Fiveash corporate job but it doesn't feel like that because I'm doing community management and like it's very fun and I'm working with a lot of incredible creators

Rick Barron (53:38.562)

Yeah.

Kendall Breitman (53:38.909)

But yeah, it's kind of cool to reflect that what I'm doing is still fun and impactful and I really love it.

Rick Barron (53:45.368)

That's great. Well, you know, I shared with you I'm 75, Kendall Breitman. You're 33. You've got a lot of years ahead of you.

Kendall Breitman (53:51.991)

I know, but then I sometimes I'm like nervous. I'm like sitting there being like, my God, I did so many cool things in my 20s. And now I'm like, I mean, I did move to another country, but then I just sit there and I'm like, am I like all of the, when I talk about like this crazy career type of thing, it's always very focused on my political journalism. And I'm like, my gosh, that stuff, like all of those like funny little stories are all things that like I don't do anymore. You know? You know what mean? Not that I'm like bragging on what I'm doing right now. Like I love community management and I really love working at Riverside. It's just like, it's interesting to like look back at things when you're 33 and be like, what? You know I mean? Like, like, like it feels weird to like look back sometimes and

Rick Barron (54:22.872)

Sure.

Kendall Breitman (54:45.086)

Like, I don't know where I'm going with this, but like, I feel like you know what I mean, that like I'm, I sometimes have an identity crisis of am I still doing the cool things? You know what I mean? Especially once you become a parent and stuff, you're like, am I, have I, are my cool days behind me? You know I mean?

Rick Barron (55:05.582)

I don't know you get... I mean, some people can look at it that way, but I think you don't want to do that because you know that where you are now in your life, being married, a parent, I mean, there's a big journey right there that you don't know what life is going to throw at you. mean, it could be tomorrow, it could be next year, that something's going to turn your way like, okay, maybe it's time to move off from Riverside.

You don't know. But I think you don't want to have to look back and say, I wish I had taken that step. You don't want to have any grits.

Kendall Breitman (55:42.647)

Exactly. And that's why I also moved, like, because that was going to be a thing. Is this like I could have moved to another part of the world and been like, my gosh, this failed miserably and like went back to Havertown, Pennsylvania, tail tucked between my legs. But like I was like, but or I could spend the rest of my life regretting the idea that I didn't try this because I was too scared. And the other day I was thinking about I was like I was thinking about my like when I lived in Brooklyn right after college.

And I was like, oh my God, I was talking to a friend. I'm like, oh my gosh, we did so many fun things. Remember this and that. And I was like, wow, didn't take the time to really be in that. When you're in it, you're in it. But I think that I didn't appreciate that time enough while I was doing it.

And I was thinking back on that. wish that I journaled more. I wish that I remembered more, that kind of thing. And then I was realizing that I'm also in that time right now. I'm going to look back when my kid is older and be like, do you remember when you just used to walk around for an hour in circles in this baby carrier? And that's the only way that she could sleep? And then you just listen to podcasts on your phone? I'm still in those moments. So, I need to remember that maybe now is when I start journaling.

But it's not like days are behind me. I'm still like those fun days is what I mean. All right, like I'm still living those like for example right now as I'm like having like as I'm in that moment like With my baby carrier walking for an hour and a half like shushing making sure that she's still napping. You know what mean? Yeah Exactly, look where I'm still looking for the key

Rick Barron (57:04.365)

Yeah.

Rick Barron (57:19.746)

Where's that key? No, but I would say, and trust me when I tell you this, you your age and my age, when I was your age and where I am today, trust me, Kendall Breitman, it goes in the blink of an eye. It really does. You will remember that thought because one day it's going to hit you.

Kendall Breitman (57:39.461)

Yeah. Yeah.

Kendall Breitman (57:44.635)

Yeah, yeah, Facebook memories are cruel. The other day it was like, oh, you studied abroad in Copenhagen this time like 11 years ago. And I'm like, or like, no, I think it's 12 or 13. I'm like, I did what? 13 years ago, what? I'm only 13. What do you mean?

Rick Barron (58:00.546)

So, I have a question for you. It's kind of a, I guess kind of a funny one. You have this podcast that you like to watch. It's called the 90 Day Fiancé. What is so funny about that one? Yeah.

Kendall Breitman (58:11.131)

Yes, no, it's another show the show is called 90 day fiancé the podcast is called Reality Gaze It's my Guilt. It's my it's my guilty pleasure podcast, but I'm not guilty like I fully stand in this I kind of want to start my own like a reality show kind of kind of podcast. I think it could be fun but yeah, yes, what would you like to know about reality gaze?

Rick Barron (58:19.726)

Okay.

Rick Barron (58:38.286)

I don't know. I think you'd be good for this. Seriously, that some of the anecdotes you've been sharing, seriously, you know, keep a journal, but maybe turn it into a book, if you will. Mean, keep that thought in mind. You never know. That could make a very good book that people want to pick up at the airport. I'm serious. Now, one more thing before we go. Yeah.

Kendall Breitman (58:43.557)

Thank you.

Kendall Breitman (58:59.589)

Thank you. Thanks. Yeah. They'll carry it in their hands while a bunch of little girls at the arrival’s gates hear their name.

Rick Barron (59:07.317)

All right, I told everybody at the beginning of this podcast, you were going to tell us a secret about this green apple, about how it comes into play when you do podcasting.

Kendall Breitman (59:21.275)

I should have; well, the spoiler is I should have done it before I podcasted today. But apparently actors do this, but if you eat a green apple before you record, it helps with mouth noises. So apparently if you eat a green apple before you record, keeps your mouth from not being dry, but also helps with saliva and helps with mouth noises. So, eat a green apple, did you eat a green apple?

Rick Barron (59:49.912)

Well, I have it here, but I touch it yet. It's a prop.

Kendall Breitman (59:52.333)

It's just there for a prop. You're supposed to do it before. Yeah, but if you eat a green apple during editing, you're just not as hungry as you were from before that green apple. So that's also a tip, Mm-hmm, yeah. Mm-hmm, exactly.

Rick Barron (01:00:02.304)

Okay. boy. Tips galore with you. So, Kendall, it's been, gosh, it's been a joy talking to you. I really wanted to have this conversation separate from the world of podcasting. I really wanted to get to know you and I think the audience will enjoy listening to this podcast and understand who Kendall is and all the funny parts about you, so many of them.

Kendall Breitman (01:00:29.659)

Yeah, no, I've really, I've really enjoyed this conversation. So, thank you for having me on. And this has been a really fun, I'm used to talking a lot about podcasting. So, this has been a lot of fun to just talk about life. Yeah.

Rick Barron (01:00:34.04)

Thank you.

Rick Barron (01:00:42.444)

So, before you leave, so before you leave, what pearls of wisdom would you like to pass on to people? It could be about anything.

Kendall Breitman (01:00:52.987)

Oh, I don't know. So, if you could be, could it be about podcasting or could it just be like about anything? Pearls of wisdom.

Rick Barron (01:01:01.41)

Well, say what you've learned in your life, so to speak. Maybe something along the way of what you've picked up.

Kendall Breitman (01:01:07.001)

Success does not have to be about your job, I would say. I think that a lot of people look at how successful you are by what you're doing career-wise. And you could be successful career-wise, don't get me wrong.

But I think that we need to, as people, see success as like I have learned to prioritize myself. I do things that I really enjoy. I've learned something new. I have new experiences. Success can come in so many different forms. And I think it was really important for me to learn that. And it helped with my life. It helped enhance my life once I learned that.

Rick Barron (01:01:42.914)

Well, I think it shows. All right, everyone, I thank you so much for joining this conversation with Kendall Breitman. And we'll talk to you soon, so take care.

Kendall Breitman (01:01:44.645)

Thank you.