Conversations with industry leaders representing a 360-degree view of retail inspiring students and emerging leaders.

I’m Rich Honiball — a C-suite retail executive (EVP & Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer at NEXCOM), adjunct instructor at George Mason, and the co-host, co-creator, and producer of Retail Relates. I’m joined by several rotating co-hosts who represent different corners of commerce — operators, technologists, brand builders, and service leaders — so every conversation brings a different lens.

Retail Relates is conversation-driven and human at the core. We sit down with industry leaders across the 360-degree landscape of retail — merchandising, stores, supply chain, brand and media, hospitality, and more. We focus on how they think: the choices, trade-offs, setbacks, and wins that shaped their careers. It’s not a tactical playbook. It's an evergreen perspective — understanding opportunities in retail today and the diverse paths people take to lead and make an impact.

Our listeners are students and emerging leaders who want clear context and real stories, plus early- to mid-career professionals, founders, and educators across retail, e-commerce, hospitality, and CPG. If you’re building a career and want honest insight into how leaders got there — their mindset, values, and decision process — this is your show. But it also is, we think, interesting enough that anyone can get something out of it - a greater understanding of retail and commerce, to leadership insights and advice.
 

We chose podcasting because it’s accessible, widely available, and human. I do listen to podcasts, but the real draw is that audio lets leaders share their stories in their own voice. The barrier to entry is low; the bar for value is high — the content has to be the hero.

Retail Relates began as a teaching tool. Before I ever stepped into the classroom, I partnered with Professor Gautham Vadakkepatt — then Director of George Mason’s Center for Retail Transformation — to connect industry and academia in real time. Dated case studies and textbooks weren’t cutting it, so we co-created a show that replaces them with direct, human conversations with leaders we admire. We brought in Paula Gean, a digital marketing and community-building leader, to help shape the concept and production, and we worked on it for several months before launch.

Our first episode aired in August 2024 with Margaret Molloy, former CMO of Siegel+Gale. Since then, we’ve added rotating co-hosts from multiple facets of retail and commerce. The motivation hasn’t changed: spotlight the opportunity in retail, broaden the bench, and inspire the next generation. We focus on the human connection — understanding how leaders think, the paths they’ve taken, their successes and challenges — so students and emerging leaders can see where they might fit. The content is intentionally evergreen.
 

It’s self-funded — very much a labor of love. I do it because of the connections it creates: students discovering paths they didn’t know existed, leaders paying it forward, internships and mentoring relationships that start with a single conversation. That impact is the fuel.

We release every one to two weeks in the fall and spring to line up with the academic calendar — usually 12 to 14 episodes a term, so roughly 24 to 28 a year. End to end, each episode takes about 10–12 hours: finding the right guest, prep calls, recording, editing/QC, show notes, and release.

How do I find the time? I have a day job as a C-suite retail executive and a nights-and-weekends role as an adjunct. The podcast is the add-on — purpose-driven work that replaces a few rounds of bad golf. (Trust me, that’s a net gain for everyone. I can lose 20 balls in a single round.) I still make time to write, travel, and be with my wife and daughter; the show fits around that.

Costs are straightforward — hosting, software, transcripts, light design and promo — about $3k to $5k a year, and yes, I cover it. I’m not measuring ROI in ad dollars. The return is opportunity: careers sparked, perspectives broadened, and a stronger bench for the industry.
 

What I gain is simple: relationships, perspective, and a stronger bench for retail. The show has reconnected me with former peers and introduced me to leaders I might never have met. Every conversation teaches me something. Editing the episodes forces me to listen again and catch the nuance I missed in the moment. Several guests have even come back to co-host, which tells me the experience matters to them, too.

We don’t take sponsorships or run ads, by design. We’re not chasing revenue or ratings; we’re trying to reach students, professors, and industry leaders with evergreen stories that make retail feel accessible and exciting. For context, we’re now ranked in the top ten percent of podcasts produced and continuing to grow. If we ever monetize, I’d want those dollars to fund internships and scholarships, not my bottom line.

Do we share download numbers? We track them, but we measure success by impact: classes that assign episodes, internships sparked from an introduction, and mentors who step up after an interview. That’s the return that matters. We are excited that we are now in the top ten percent of podcasts produced and want to continue to grow - but that just means that we have the potential of reaching more students, emerging leaders, professors, and industry leaders.
 

Process-wise, we keep it simple and human. Guests usually come through our industry network, classroom connections, and referrals from prior guests. We match each guest with co-hosts who bring the right lens, then schedule through TidyCal. We record on Podcastle.ai — primarily audio — but we capture video so we can cut social clips later with OpusClip. Distribution runs through Buzzsprout.

Prep is light by design. We connect by email or a quick call, share a preview of themes and a few anchor questions, and set expectations: it’s a real conversation, not a script. We want leaders thinking out loud — how they see the industry, what shaped them, and what they’d tell the next generation.

On the technical side, we use remote-friendly mics, headphones, and pop filters, and we record in quiet rooms. Post-recording, we do a clean edit and QC, write concise show notes, and package a few clips and graphics for the guest. A signature touch: every guest gets a custom caricature — a small thing that becomes a keepsake and reinforces the community we’re building.

Interviews are done remotely via Podcastle. It keeps scheduling flexible across time zones and makes it easy to bring in rotating co-hosts without losing momentum.
 

Most listeners find us through the big two: roughly 50% via Apple Podcasts and about 25% on Spotify. The remaining quarter is spread across Google, Amazon, Overcast, and a handful of other apps.

Discovery is driven by our network and our hub. LinkedIn is the primary engine — guest tags, short clips, and reflections tied to current industry conversations. Our Substack hub carries the deeper context — episode write-ups, historical notes, and Echoes of Commerce pieces — and the newsletter reliably brings listeners back to full episodes. We also post to YouTube and Instagram; we’re getting more consistent with short video cuts for reach.

What works best: LinkedIn for qualified audience growth (students, professors, operators), Substack email for retention and repeat listening, and guest amplification (when leaders share the episode with their teams and communities). Classroom adoption is a quiet multiplier — when professors assign an episode, new cohorts discover the show and stick around.

We’ve focused first on getting the content right and tapping the channels we already have. Now we’re leaning into consistency with clips, better cross-posting with guests, and clearer paths from Substack and LinkedIn straight to Apple and Spotify.
 

Start. Don’t wait for perfect gear or the perfect format — hit record, publish, learn, repeat. Commit to a cadence you can actually keep.

Yes, refine your story, your pitch, and your niche — but do it in parallel with making episodes. Start the conversations early and get used to the mic. Do a few pilots, listen back, tighten your intros, and sharpen the promise of the show in one clear sentence your target listener would care about.

Big lesson that wasn’t obvious on day one: your guest is your customer. The final cut matters to them. I’ll spend extra time editing to protect their ideas, remove distractions, and make sure they’re proud to share it. Send a simple share kit — links, a few clips, and a graphic — and you’ll earn advocates, not just guests.

Keep the workflow light and repeatable. A scheduler (TidyCal/Calendly), a remote recorder with local tracks (we use Podcastle), clean audio habits (quiet room, headphones, pop filter), a distribution platform (Buzzsprout, etc.), and a short checklist for prep, recording, edit/QC, show notes, and release. Batch when you can. Back up everything.

Measure what matters. Don’t chase vanity downloads. Look for completion rates, classroom adoption, replies, and referrals. Build a hub (newsletter/Substack) so listeners find the fuller story and you own the relationship.

Helpful resources? Other podcasters and your guests. Ask how they prepare, what makes a great interview, and what most shows get wrong. Steal good workflows shamelessly, credit generously, and keep iterating.

Bottom line: just do it — consistently, with purpose — and let the content be the hero.
 

Our hub is Substack: retailrelates.substack.com

Subscribe free — all episodes plus extra context on the industry (past, present, future). We also post clips and updates on LinkedIn, with episodes available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify (search “Retail Relates”). No paywall; the best way to support us is to listen, comment, and share — and send feedback. Someday we may charge, but by then you’ll be hooked.