by Olivia Ding
Jessica Partnow records an episode of Leading the Way with Associate Director Gretchen Ludwig and Assistant Director for Academic Services Heather Werckle
In a world where attention spans are shrinking and schedules are packed tighter than ever, how can your message break through? The answer might be simpler than you think: meet audiences where they already are – in their air pods.
That’s why Comm Lead is debuting a new podcast this month called Leading the Way: to open the kind of in-depth, intimate, and accessible community conversation that audio storytelling does best.
Introducing Leading the Way
Leading the Way is meant as a guide to making the most of your graduate school experience. Listeners will hear how students are navigating everything from career drama, to mental health, to visa regulations, to find their own unique path to success.
In a sea of marketing for advanced degrees, this is an honest look at graduate school life, tackling the stuff that matters – the real experiences, the messy parts, the victories that don’t make it into your LinkedIn updates.
The podcast is hosted by Jazz Espiritu, head of program affairs at Comm Lead, and produced by Jessica Partnow, who teaches Audio Storytelling in our program.
The first episode dives into mental health in graduate school – a conversation many of us have been putting off. “I look at my parents who I love and I adore, and sometimes and I’m like, you didn’t know,” Jazz said. “I’m Filipino American. And I think historically in Asian communities, we don’t talk about mental health.”
Subsequent episodes will tackle equally important topics: using grad school to change careers (featuring Dane Garfield and Gautam Malyala) and the first-generation college experience (with Margarita Aguado and Michelle Rojas).
“I think this podcast will be interesting for anyone in grad school, or thinking about a master’s Degree,” says Jessica. “It talks about challenges and experiences that many students face. And I think it’s a chance to see yourself as part of a community, to know that there are other folks out there who are facing the same things that you are.”
Why Audio? Because Life Doesn’t Pause for Learning
Think about it: when was the last time you had 30 uninterrupted minutes to sit down and read something? Audio storytelling has a unique advantage – it’s the only format that fits into the cracks of your day. Whether you’re stuck in Seattle traffic, folding laundry, or power-walking to your next class, podcasts come along for the ride. In a world where multitasking is essential, audio content doesn’t compete with your schedule – it complements it.
As producer, Jessica brings deep expertise as an award-winning international public radio journalist who has created stories for NPR, KUOW, and many others. She was also the founding executive director of The Seattle Globalist, building community through storytelling from the ground up.
“Podcasts offer such an amazing opportunity for anyone to share their unique perspective and insights,” she explains. “We connect with audio stories at such a deep and powerful level. For brands, creating a podcast can be at the center of a marketing strategy – collecting material to be used on multiple platforms. And it’s not about ‘hey buy our product,’ it’s about telling the story of the impact of your work.”
Her students’ recent work shows the power of this approach. This spring, projects ranged from “What Does a Voice Look Like” by Josiah Scott to “From Screams to Life Dreams” by Eve Luo about super dedicated K-Pop fans. These aren’t just class assignments – they’re stories that have found audiences beyond the classroom. That hands-on experience is exactly what she brings to students who want to master this increasingly essential skill.
Want to Make Stories That Actually Matter?
If you’re wondering how to get into this world yourself, Jessica’s Audio Storytelling course might be your answer. She’s been teaching it since winter 2018, watching the podcasting industry explode and become a crucial part of how organizations connect with people.
The course is hands-on and intensive – students produce weekly audio assignments that build toward a final 4-8 minute nonfiction audio story.
“I absolutely love teaching Foundations of Audio Storytelling because of the creativity and energy that the students bring to it,” Jessica says. “The foundations of good storytelling apply to almost anything you’ll do as a professional, from writing an email to producing a large-scale marketing campaign.”
Students agree the experience is transformative.
“This course truly helped me understand storytelling from the ground up, especially the charm and compelling power of audio narrative,” says Shira Yin, MCDM cohort 24. “It has benefited me tremendously in writing, interviewing, expression, and thinking approaches – like opening the door to a whole new world.”
Jacquline Dacres from cohort 24’s MCCN program echoes this sentiment: “I didn’t expect a storytelling class to change how I heard the world, but Jessica’s course gave me the tools to shape a story so its emotional heartbeat can be felt.”
Whether you’re interested in podcasting for personal branding, marketing, or storytelling, this course provides the foundation you need. And with Leading the Way as a real-world example of audio storytelling in action, there’s never been a better time to dive in.
Ready to Hit Play?
You can find Leading the Way on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. More episodes will drop throughout the 2025-26 school year.
Subscribe now and join the conversation about what it really takes to lead the way in graduate school, and beyond.
University of Washington
Department of Communication