What does it take to find your voice and hold onto it?

In this episode, we sit down with writer, filmmaker, and former executive director of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, Erica Vanstone. From growing up in rural Massachusetts to helping shape the modern era of roller derby, Erica’s journey is anything but conventional.

She shares how curiosity led her from announcing bouts to skating, refereeing, and ultimately leading a global organization through one of its most challenging moments. Along the way, she reflects on the explosive growth of the sport, the realities of building something community-driven at scale, and the tension between staying authentic and gaining mainstream visibility.

We also dive into her new book, Don’t Let Them Eat the Baby, a deeply personal and wide-ranging look at roller derby, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive and grow. Through vivid storytelling and hard-earned insight, Erica explores what it means to carve out space for yourself in a world that doesn’t always make it easy.

This conversation blends humor, honesty, and sharp perspective, touching on derby culture, unforgettable moments on the track, and the deeper truth at the center of Erica’s work: the cost of being yourself is high, but the cost of not being yourself is even higher.

Learn more at: ericavanstone.com

Joy Clark writes songs that feel lived in, guided by emotion, faith, and instinct. The Louisiana-born singer-songwriter and guitarist joins Podcetera for a personal conversation about music, identity, and learning to fully inhabit your own life. Raised in Harvey, Louisiana, the youngest of five in a deeply religious family, Joy shares how being homeschooled and immersed in church shaped both her sound and her sense of self. She reflects on finding freedom through songwriting and why her song “Guest” feels closest to her personal story. Joy opens up about her debut album Tell It to the Wind, produced by her longtime musical hero Margaret Becker, and how staying “available” to emotion guides her creative process. She also talks about performing on massive stages like the Grammys and why connection matters more than scale. The conversation touches on Joy’s roots, her grandmother’s influence, and her journey to signing with Righteous Babe Records. She also offers insights for emerging artists and imagines dream music experiences that blend community, creativity, food, and song. Joy Clark is charting her own path, grounded in honesty, lineage, and self-acceptance. This episode closes with Joy’s original song “Christmas Gumbo”, a festive, soulful celebration of family, tradition, and holiday gathering, rooted in her Louisiana upbringing and her grandmother’s Christmas gumbo traditions. Guest Links:

• Official Site
• Bandcamp – Tell it to the Wind — Debut album
• Bandcamp – “Gumbo Christmas” — Joy’s holiday original.
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Artist Page – Righteous Babe Records

Sug Daniels is a Delaware-born, Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter, ukulele player, and producer whose music blends folk, rock, and soul into heartfelt stories about love, identity, and connection. In this episode, she reflects on her journey from singing in church and forming bands in Delaware to finding her voice, and her purpose, in the thriving Philadelphia music scene.

Sug opens up about the challenges and triumphs of being a full-time independent artist, the influence of her upbringing and identity on her songwriting, and how meditation and introspection ground her creative process. She also shares the inspiration behind her debut studio album, I Believe in You, and what it means to build community through her ever-evolving “Chosen Family Band.”

Sug shares stories from the road touring with The Black Opry, and what she’s learned from sharing stages with artists like The Indigo Girls, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, and Molly Tuttle. Plus, she shares a live performance of her uplifting song “Brand New Day.”

Sug’s music is as vibrant, heartfelt, and magnetic as she is, leaving an imprint long after the song ends.

Guest Links:

• Website
• Bandcamp
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Linkedin
• YouTube