► Tell us about you and your podcast
I'm Suzy May, a certified financial educator and mom who splits life between Denver, Colorado, and Sevilla, Spain! I host the podcast to share the intersection of financial strategy, intentional family design, and long-term, location-independent living.
The Wander Worldschool podcast explores the mechanics of diverse education options and slow family travel, offering practical logistics to help parents confidently build a travel lifestyle. Episodes tackle real-world strategies like point-redemption travel hacking, funding travel through real estate, navigating digital nomad visas, and choosing global community hubs.
Our listeners are intentional parents, remote workers, and finance-focused travelers who are either actively worldschooling or planning a family sabbatical. They seek actionable advice on managing family cash flow, preventing travel burnout, and raising adaptable, culturally immersed children through place-based and immersive learning.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
I launched the podcast because I realized that while many families dream of location independence, they get stuck on the complex financial and educational logistics of making it a reality. As an avid podcast listener myself, I knew audio storytelling was the most intimate and accessible way to share these deep dives. I'm always listening on the go!
My initial motivation was to create the resource I wished I had when planning my own family's slow travels: a tactical, fluff-free guide balancing financial strategy with place-based education.
I bought a microphone years ago, even moved it to Spain and back but didn't officially begin planning the show until the spring of 2025 after attending an inspiring conference in Santiago, Spain. From that point, I quickly drafted scripts and set up my remote audio workflow before releasing our very first episode in May 2025.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
I release new episodes consistently every week! It is a lot but so rewarding! Because I manage the show alongside money coaching and being a mom, I treat production like a client project: I batch-record interviews when I can and dedicate specific time blocks during the week to script writing and audio assembly. On average, a single episode takes about 4 to 6 hours to fully produce, from initial guest research to finalized show notes. I am enjoying the process but I really want a well done product so it takes a while!
The podcast is entirely self-funded both because I enjoy the conversations and as a strategic marketing asset for my coaching business and plans to host worldschooling opportunities. I keep overhead lean and highly efficient, spending roughly $50 to $80 per month. This budget primarily covers remote recording platforms and audio hosting, allowing me to maintain a professional product without a massive investment.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
I do not have any sponsors though I do use dynamic ads to promote my upcoming world school pop up hubs and my e-book that helps people rent out their home while they travel. I have made about $50 on sales and PodMatch interviews.
At just over 1,600 downloads in a month, I do not believe I am ready for traditional sponsorships. Instead, the show serves as the primary organic marketing engine for my business. Still, I am content using the show to build trust and direct listeners to my digital products and my family financial coaching services at this time.
Beyond the small but hopefully growing direct business revenue, the true return of podcasting has been the incredible network of friends, remote founders, and worldschooling organizers I have met through interviewing guests. I have spoken with people that I would not have otherwise had access to and thus, it serves as an incredible personal learning platform that keeps me connected to traveling families.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
For my podcasting process, I use quite a few tools and services. To record, I use a standard, reliable remote setup: a Samson Q2U microphone paired with a laptop. For software, I use Riverside.fm to record audio and edit, Auphonic to improve sound and Buzzsprout for audio hosting. I also utilize AI tools to assist with transcription and drafting show notes and Canva for images.
I source most of my interview guests organically from within the active worldschooling, digital nomad, and location-independent communities. I have started to have more people reach out to me too! And PodMatch was a great option at first too.
Before hitting record, I research my guests' travel styles, professional backgrounds, or business models. I draft a structured Outline that ensures we target actionable strategies in addition to their inspiring story. I ask them to jot some notes on the Outline so I can ensure I ask questions they are comfortable answering.
Because my guests are scattered across the globe, nearly 100% of my interviews are conducted remotely via video recording platforms (primarily Riverside.fm now but also have used Zoom).
► How do you market your show?
Marketing is a time-consuming part of podcasting! The majority of our listeners discover the show directly through major podcast directories, with Apple Podcasts accounting for roughly 65% of our traffic, followed by Spotify at 20%, and the remaining 15% arriving via web search, YouTube, and direct link shares within travel communities.
Our most effective marketing channel is a mix of social media, email marketing and niche community collaboration. Whenever an episode drops, I share actionable takeaways to social media and my Substack newsletter. I post references to episodes when appropriate in Facebook groups as well. I coordinate with our guests so they can easily cross-promote the episode to their own networks.
I want to spend more time on podcast guesting, reaching out to similar podcasts to swap on, etc. I do not have the funds for massive advertising campaigns at this time.
Organic Search & Forums: Because our content focuses on highly specific logistics (like the Destination Thailand Visa, home rental strategies, or worldschooling hubs), SEO-optimized show notes and active word-of-mouth recommendations inside dedicated worldschooling and digital nomad forums drive our most engaged, high-retention listeners.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
The biggest surprise was how much time happens outside the actual recording. Scripting, researching guests, and writing SEO-friendly show notes take double or triple the time of the interview itself. Also, I get nervous interviewing people too sometimes! Which makes more work for me editing. So I am working to improve my ability to host and guide the conversation as well.
I have been lucky enough to attend some amazing conferences like CampFI, FinCon, Podfest and soon the Podcast Show in London. Each time, I learn so much and I am so inspired to keep going! I also love listening to podcasts about podcasting! Podcast Morning Show and Buzzcast are excellent!
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
Whether you're an experienced traveling family or just starting out, or an expert worldschooling creator or aspirational hub planner, please reach out!
Email: pod@suzymay.com
All the links: https://beacons.ai/suzymaywander
Podcast: https://www.wanderworldschool.com/
Website: www.suzymaywander.com
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzymay.wander/
Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wander.worldschool/
https://www.facebook.com/suzymay.wander/
https://substack.com/@suzymay.wander
https://www.youtube.com/@suzymay.wander