Todd Cochrane was a friend and my CEO at Blubrry Podcasting. He passed away unexpectedly on September 8, 2025.

So many people have much better stories about how they met Todd, but the through line for every single one of us is that he had quite the impact on us and he was a kind man who was passionate about podcasting. My story pales in comparison to those who knew him longer because they got to know him better. I’m just grateful that I had the chance to because I’ve learned a lot from him as a leader since joining the Blubrry team in 2018.

I went to my first podcasting event ever, PodFest, in January of this year and it was thanks to him. I’m humbled to have earned his trust and favor to the point that he invited me to go to London just a couple of months later for The Podcast Show. It was at these two events that I saw the way Todd interacted with everyone.

His competitors weren’t enemies; they were friends at the end of the day. New podcasters got him excited, even if they weren’t customers, though he tried like hell to bring them over (and even succeeded several times).

I’m honored to have his ear in those moments and my biggest take away was during a walk back from post-show bar meet-ups in London looking for sushi, I asked Todd, “Did you ever expect to be here, doing this [running Blubrry]?” He guffawed and said, “No way. But I’m glad I did because it’s been life-changing.” I asked him if he ever stopped thinking about podcasting and he succinctly said, “It’s hard not to; it moves so fast now. But I am trying to slow down.”

I can’t tell you how much I’ve gleaned from him over the last 7+ years. Maybe he was rough around the edges at times, giving his raw opinion whether you asked for it or not, but he cared so deeply.

He was firm, but knew when to soften his words.

He was the proponent of keeping podcasting open, without gatekeepers.

He lifted people up even when they thought they weren’t worth being lifted.

He made it clear that Blubrry didn’t exist without customers and made it a point many times to tell me jokingly, “We’d be out of business if I had to provide support.”

He carried the industry with him.

I’m grateful to be part of his ohana, even if it’s the tiniest part.

Thanks, Todd. You have no idea how much you’re missed already.