With the flip of a switch, Nationwide Marketing Group has released its first-ever podcast series for the independent retail channel. The Independent Thinking Podcast, available now on all major podcasting platforms — including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify — is a weekly program that will feature interviews with Nationwide member companies, vendor partners, retail industry experts and more.

“There are so many incredible stories out there that aren’t being told, and not just told for the sake of being told, but for others to hear what our members are doing to make themselves successful,” Nationwide Chief Member Advocate Tom Hickman says during an interview for the first episode of the podcast. “We’re opening stores left and right, our dealers are thriving right now, there’s a bunch of great stuff going on inside our network. And so, we need to talk about those kinds of things.”

In that vein, the Independent Thinking Podcast launched with four fresh episodes, three of which feature one-on-one interviews with Nationwide members: Grant Webb of Webb’s Home Store in Emmett, Idaho; Debbie Schaeffer of Mrs. G Appliances in Lawrence Township, New Jersey; and Johnnie Kennel of Royal Flooring in Urbandale, Iowa. In addition to member interviews, listeners can expect to hear interviews with Nationwide vendor partners, news and analysis from retail industry experts, on-site interviews at industry trade shows and updates from Nationwide team members.

“Launching this podcast is just another line in the evolving narrative that is our communications strategy,” says Amy Croom, director of PR and communications for Nationwide. “From the Nationwide website redesign, to the new look and feel of our Independent Thinking member magazine, and now with the launch of this podcast — our goal is to find new and engaging ways to share the incredible things our members are doing.”

The podcast will be hosted by Rob Stott, Nationwide’s corporate communications manager. A seasoned podcaster, Stott launched the Dealerscope Podcast in 2017 and recorded nearly 80 episodes. The podcast was recently selected as one of the top 25 retail podcasts by Feedspot.

“Of all the ways that I’ve been able to share stories over the past several years, podcasting has far and away been my favorite style of storytelling,” Stott says. “The format is meant to be laidback and informal, but at the same time, I’ve had some incredible conversations and have learned so much from the individuals and companies that I’ve been lucky enough to interview. I’m thrilled that I get to continue in that style here at Nationwide, and I expect we’ll have a tremendous amount of fun with this podcast for years to come.”

The Independent Thinking Podcast is available to stream on the Nationwide Marketing Group website. Listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the show on their podcasting platform of choice so they can be alerted the moment new episodes are released.