The State of Social Impact Podcasts, with MIC media's Vic Elizabeth Turnbull 🇬🇧🎗️

Eurowaves #43 Interview

Vic Elizabeth Turnbull is the podcast-obsessed founder of MIC media, an award-winning agency helping mission-driven organisations use podcasting to amplify voices and create impact. Having produced over 60 podcasts and trained nearly 3,000 people with podcasting skills, she’s a recognised industry voice and awards judge with a huge passion for purpose-led storytelling. She also founded MIC’s Podcast Club, a global community for indie podcasters.

You can connect with Vic on LinkedIn here.

What’s your podcast origin story?

I’ve been obsessed with audio since forever. I was a little kid with a Fisher-Price tape recorder making ‘radio shows’ with my teddies. Then as a teenager, recording the Top 40 every Sunday. It fascinated me so much that people got paid to bring joy into lives just by talking and playing tunes.

My career took a squiggly path. I studied media production, then worked a decade in the charity sector and co-hosted an indie radio show on the side. I couldn’t shake the audio itch! When I was made redundant, it probably was the best thing that could’ve happened. I (eventually) realised I didn’t have to choose between the things I loved. I could make great audio, support organisations trying to change the world, and help people discover that podcasting wasn’t scary.

To cut a very long story short, that’s when MIC media was born in 2019. Our first client project was nominated for a British Podcast Award, which wasn’t too bad a start! We’ve since produced 60+ projects, trained 3,000+ people, and worked with everyone from charities to Andy Burnham (who might be the next UK Prime Minister by the time you read this!).

The career I’ve built didn’t exist when I left school. Back then, I thought I wanted to be the next BBC Radio 1 Breakfast presenter, but maybe I was just looking for a way to spend my life making lovely things for people’s ears. If you’d told that young lass recording the chart show that she’d make a career out of making audio, she’d have thought you were having a right laugh.

What motivated you to specialize in podcasts in the social impact sector?

I saw a massive gap. You have these brilliant organisations out there trying to make people’s lives better, they’ve got world-class expertise and incredible stories. I just thought, podcasting could be an amazing vehicle to share all of this. But for many of them, podcasting just wasn’t on the radar. Either they weren’t aware of the medium or it was often written off because they didn’t have the internal skills or resources to pull it off.

We’re a social enterprise, it’s a profit-for-purpose model here in the UK. It was a no-brainer to set MIC up this way. It’s a pretty unique way to run a production business, but everything we make goes right back into mission-driven podcasting.

We work with ‘good eggs’ like charities, universities, and value-led businesses. Podcasting isn’t just a marketing funnel for them. It is the work. It builds trust, shifts perspectives, and amplifies voices that usually get ignored.

We’re always looking for industry partners who share that mission. If you’re reading this and want to help us develop initiatives to amplify more under-heard voices, get in touch. Let’s make something meaningful together.

How do you find the state of social impact podcasts in the UK? How was it impacted by recent local and global funding changes?

It’s definitely a tougher climate than when I kicked off MIC in 2019, but it’s brilliant to see how many mission-driven organisations are using podcasting now.

That said, I’ve spent the last few months researching hundreds of podcasts made by charities, universities, councils and other mission-driven organisations across the UK, and one thing really stood out. Lots of organisations have paused or shelved their podcasts after a few series. Don’t mistake that for the medium being ‘dead’, though. I don’t think it’s a lack of belief in podcasting at all. It’s a lack of capacity.

Relentless funding cycles, shrinking budgets and stretched teams mean that when organisations are forced to make difficult decisions, comms often takes a back seat. It’s a survival tactic, not a failure of vision.

The opportunity, though, is still huge. There are incredible stories, expertise and lived experiences waiting to be shared. Podcasts give organisations the space to explain complex issues, build trust and connect with people in a way very few other channels can.

I’ve never accepted the idea that purpose-led podcasting has to sound ‘worthy’. Some of the most creative, ambitious and beautifully crafted podcasts I’ve heard have come from mission-driven organisations. That’s why I started MIC. I want the organisations making a real difference in people’s lives to have podcasts that sound every bit as good (and better) as the biggest commercial productions. Because doing good deserves to be brilliantly told.

Share more about your journey with MIC’s Podcast Club. How has it grown into an international community?

MIC’s Podcast Club actually started before MIC media even existed! In November 2018, I booked a room above a Manchester boozer for a meetup for indie podcasters - because I was tired of Facebook groups full of “gurus” and aggressive advice. I wanted something kinder, a space where indie podcasters could ask “daft” questions without being made to feel small. I named it MIC, and I loved the name so much I nicked it for the business a few months later.

We met in person every month until 2020 forced us online and it was the best thing that could’ve happened. It opened our doors to podcasters from all over the world, transforming a local meetup into a global community. I co-host it with podcast producer Charles Commins. I jokingly say I kidnapped him at one of our first meetups, because he’s never managed to escape.

Today, it’s a free monthly live Q&A where indie podcasters just help indie podcasters. Whether it’s imposter syndrome or equipment troubles, we tackle it all. It’s exactly what I envisioned, a warm community of indie podcasters in a corner of the industry that’s dickhead free.

You’re always welcome, come and join us on the second Wednesday of every month. Join the community here.

What perspectives has MIC’s Podcast Club brought you on cross-border and international collaboration?

One of the biggest lessons MIC’s Podcast Club has taught me is that generosity beats geography. Before we went international, we were North West England-centric. Now it’s the most unlikely bunch of people you’d ever find in a room. There might be someone making a series about beekeeping, another tackling Cold War history, another about a local football club. But the magic is in the cross-pollination. They’re all connected by one common thread…a love of speaking into a microphone about our passions. Those people would probably never have crossed paths otherwise. But here they all are, helping each other make brilliant podcasts.

We’ve got members from Liverpool to Utah, South Asia to the Netherlands, but my proudest achievement isn’t the international reach; it’s the kindness. I’ve watched members share workflows, get paid work, and start collaborations. The community is so beautiful in that respect. It’s ace.

MIC’s Podcast Club doesn’t just help you troubleshoot a buzzing XLR cable; it’s about sharpening your storytelling and getting better at the craft. It reminds you that whether you’re in Manchester or Melbourne, the place may change, but finding your voice, building trust, and trying to make something that lasts are all universal. Strip away the accents and time zones, and we’re all just trying to make brilliant podcasts.

Shoutout 2-3 social impact podcasts that you think deserve more love!

Choosing my favourites is like picking the best pie filling... absolutely impossible! But these three are proper gems.

• Quite Unsuitable for Females (National Football Museum): I’m biased as anything because MIC trained the team and we produced the final series, but it’s a total masterclass. We co-created this with four young producers who were huge fans of the women’s game; we taught them everything they needed to create their own episodes, and they absolutely smashed it. It unearths the hidden history of women’s football, stories that were ignored for decades. With World Cup fever still fresh in our minds, this is the perfect reminder that the game belongs to everyone. The podcast is a brilliant piece of audio storytelling.

• QueerAF (Queer AF): I’ve got proper podcast producer envy with these guys. Their episode on the Transgender Pilot who survived the Nazis blew me away. It’s narrative-led storytelling at its absolute best. But what I really admire is that they don’t just platform queer stories; they’re deeply committed to funding and mentoring emerging LGBTQ+ audio creatives, paying them to tell their own history. It’s ambitious documentary audio that is technically brilliant, gripping, and deeply rooted in the community they champion.

• Armchair Adventures (Made by Mortals): This one is proper special. It’s a joyful, join-in show for curious kids, but what makes it extra special is that it’s co-created with older folk. It’s part audio drama, musical, movement session, basically a cartoon for the ears. It gets kids singing, dancing, and using their imaginations. What I love most is the intergenerational angle; by shaping episodes around the real lived experiences of older folk, it creates a lovely, shared space for families to learn together.

  These three shows aren’t just “good for mission-driven work”, they’re brilliant, full stop. They prove that the most compelling podcasts aren’t just about the biggest production budgets, it’s about having a story that matters and people behind the mic who actually care about what they’re saying and sharing.

Thank you, Vic!