Best Saron Podcasts (2025)

1
Vegas Vows, MIL Meltdown, and Uninvited Guests with Saron Olkaba 35:16

24d ago35:16

35:16

Send the podcast some love! What happens when a mother-in-law hijacks your wedding and makes it all about her? Absolute mayhem. This week on Here Comes the Drama, we dive into one of the most outrageous MIL meltdowns ever. From insisting on a 500-guest wedding to uninviting the bride from a wedding dinner, this story is a rollercoaster of entitleme…

1
Wedding Chaos & Bridesmaid Demands with Bethy Abdissa 1:00:01

23h ago1:00:01

1:00:01

Send the podcast some love! Weddings are supposed to be joyous, but what happens when family traditions take over? Bethy Abdissa, a wedding planner with experience across cultural traditions, joins Christa to dive deep into the unexpected pressures couples face. From toxic bridesmaids to demanding in-laws, she’s seen it all. Bethy shares jaw-droppi…

1
Hijacked Wedding: Our Best Man’s Proposal Stole the Spotlight 32:35

9d ago32:35

32:35

Send the podcast some love! Imagine standing at your wedding, basking in love—only for your best man to steal the spotlight with his proposal! That’s exactly what happened to today’s anonymous guest. In this jaw-dropping episode, Christa dives into the shocking moment that turned a dream wedding into an unexpected showdown. From the best man’s ill-…

1
Bridesmaid Demotions, SIL Drama & Tough Boundaries with my MOH! 52:37

17d ago52:37

52:37

Send the podcast some love! What happens when your vision for the perfect wedding collides with reality? In this episode, I sit down with my best friend and matron of honor, Ivette, for a candid and hilarious conversation about the highs and lows of wedding planning. From juggling family expectations to incorporating meaningful cultural traditions,…

1
Family Meetings, Social Media Disasters & a Great Grandma Twist – with Cassie Horrell 36:38

1M ago36:38

36:38

Send the podcast some love! What happens when a wedding planner is asked to walk Great Grandma down the aisle… only to be handed a Tupperware container?! In this episode, Christa sits down with wedding expert Cassie Horrell to unpack the wildest wedding stories, biggest etiquette debates, and the jaw-dropping family drama that comes with saying “I …

1
Drunk Groomsmen, Wedding Nightmares & the Crazy Faux Pas with Krysta Hofmeyer 39:44

1M ago39:44

39:44

Send the podcast some love! What happens when a groomsman shows up wasted before the ceremony, a maid of honor hijacks a wedding speech with politics, and a mother-in-law makes everything about herself? Absolute chaos. In this episode, Christa and Krysta dive into jaw-dropping wedding drama, viral moments, and astrology’s role in wedding personalit…

1
The Good The Bad and The Unbelievable with Dominic and Serena 44:31

1M ago44:31

44:31

Send the podcast some love! When the bride says no country music, but the groom’s father demands it… what could go wrong? Wedding chaos is inevitable, but when parents think the day is about them, things can spiral fast. Dominic and Serena, the husband-and-wife team behind The Wedding Duo, share their wildest stories from behind the scenes of weddi…

1
Mother-in-Law Drama: Wedding Secrets, Demands, and Hot Takes with Suzanne Lambert 1:00:06

2M ago1:00:06

1:00:06

Send the podcast some love! When your future mother-in-law demands to crash your bachelorette party, you know the drama is just getting started. That’s just one of the bold wedding hot takes Christa Innis and Suzanne Lambert—a DC-based comedian, writer, and content creator whose sharp wit and strong opinions have earned her a dedicated following—ta…

1
Wedding Demands, Ultimatums, and a Disney Honeymoon with Liz Fleming 42:04

2M ago42:04

42:04

Send the podcast some love! Think weddings are all love and laughter? In this episode, Christa spills the tea with Liz Fleming, life coach and founder of The Small Town Social, on setting boundaries and surviving wedding drama. From hosting epic events to managing moments that make you go "Did that really just happen?" Liz brings her A-game with hi…

1
The Wedding Dress Scandal That Broke the Internet with Raylee Rukavina 37:44

2M ago37:44

37:44

Send the podcast some love! What would you do if your wedding dress arrived looking nothing like what you ordered—just days before the big day? In this episode, Raylee Rukavina shares the jaw-dropping story of how her custom wedding dress turned into a disaster and sparked unexpected TikTok drama. From communication breakdowns with the designer to …

1
Wedding Rules, Pick-Me Girls, and Cake Catastrophes with Lex Harper 29:54

2M ago29:54

29:54

Send the podcast some love! Ever thought a wedding could rival a reality TV show? In this fun episode, Christa sits down with TikTok storyteller Lex Harper to talk about her journey from ER skits to viral MIL drama stories. Lex shares how her storytelling took a wild turn thanks to jaw-dropping submissions from her followers—and why she loves turni…

1
Makeup Mishaps to Wedding Dress Boundaries with Kendra Matthies 45:21

3M ago45:21

45:21

Send the podcast some love! Should parents get a say in wedding decisions if they’re footing the bill? This week on Here Comes the Drama, Christa sits down with bridal makeup artist and TikTok sensation Kendra Matthies to unpack the high-stakes dynamics of wedding planning. With nearly a decade in the bridal industry and over a million TikTok follo…

1
Vows, Chaos, and Mother-in-Law Mayhem with Lucette Brown 39:11

3M ago39:11

39:11

Send the podcast some love! What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever witnessed at a wedding? From mother-in-law meltdowns to guests causing a scene on the dance floor, weddings are full of unforgettable moments—and sometimes, outright chaos! In this episode, Christa sits down with TikTok creator and former event planner Lucette Brown, the creative for…

1
Can You Handle These Momzilla Wedding Day Meltdowns? 18:45

3M ago18:45

18:45

Send the podcast some love! What’s the most jaw-dropping moment you’ve ever witnessed at a wedding? Welcome to my very first episode of Here Comes the Drama where I’m sharing a bit about myself, the story behind my viral skits loved by almost 700,000 followers, and why I’m so excited to bring you even more drama, laughter, and lessons. This week, I…

1
Here Comes the Drama | A Podcast from Party Planning By Christa 1:18

4M ago1:18

1:18

Send the podcast some love! Get ready for the wildest ride down the aisle and beyond! Here Comes the Drama dives into the chaos, hilarity, and heartwarming moments of weddings and events. Hosted by Christa Innis, the creator behind Party Planning by Christa, this podcast brings to life the jaw-dropping real-life wedding horror stories sent in by he…

1
S27:E8 - Learning AI (Matt Eland) 50:34

11M ago50:34

50:34

Meet Matt Eland, AI Specialist at Leading EDJE. Matt shares what sparked his passion for AI years ago, why he’s made the decision to go back to school for his master's degree and how he aims to continue spreading his expertise with the community. Show Links Partner with Dev & CodeNewbie! (sponsor) Matt on Data Science Central Ohio .NET Developer Gr…

1
S27:E7 - Tech and Art (Chris Immel) 36:03

12M ago36:03

36:03

Meet Chris Immel, AI Engineer and Digital Artist at Luminifera Projects. Chris shares how he works to create a symbiosis between software development and art and why he remains optimistic when it comes to the AI revolution. Show Links Partner with Dev & CodeNewbie! (sponsor) Chris' Instagram Chris' Website Chris' GitHub Chris' LinkedIn Chris Immel …

1
S27:E6 - The Crossover of Health, Technology and Art (Daniel Bourke) 49:11

12M ago49:11

49:11

Meet Daniel Bourke, Founder of mrdbourke Studios and Founder of Nutrify. Daniel shares his experiences trying to learn to code four different times before it finally stuck, how he’s combining his passions for health, technology and art and the time he built his own machine learning roadmap. Show Links Partner with Dev & CodeNewbie! (sponsor) Daniel…

1
S27:E5 - Navigating the AI Evolution (Chelsea Kaufman) 48:16

12M ago48:16

48:16

Meet Chelsea Kaufman, Founder and CEO of LEARN Academy Chelsea shares why her background in theater set her up perfectly to found LEARN Academy, an AI native coding bootcamp, how she’s seen the bootcamp landscape evolve over the years and what role she believes AI will play in the future of software development. Show Links Partner with Dev & CodeNe…

1
S27:E4 - Living the Dream with AI (Rob Frelow) 47:47

1y ago47:47

47:47

Meet Rob Frelow, Co-founder & Chief AI Officer at The Storygraph. Rob shares how a trip in his friend’s Tesla led him to enroll in his first AI course, how he broke into AI later in his career and his experience truly living the dream waking up each morning excited to dive into AI and his work at Storygraph. Show Links Partner with Dev & CodeNewbie…

1
S27:E3 - Helping You Build Machine Learning Products (Pau Labarta Bajo) 46:08

1y ago46:08

46:08

Meet Pau Bajo, Machine Learning Engineer and Educator at Real-World Machine Learning. Pau talks to Saron about transitioning from working daily in Excel to Python, why data is everything, and what skills early developers need to foster if they want a career in machine learning. Show Links Partner with Dev & CodeNewbie! (sponsor) Machine Learning Py…

1
S27:E2 - The Journey from Sound Engineer to Software Engineer (Alejandro Aspinwall) 44:51

1y ago44:51

44:51

In this week’s episode, we explore the journey of Alejandro Aspinwall, a Frontend Engineer at Amazon. You’ll hear how Alejandro began his career deeply immersed in the world of music and what led him to transition to the world of tech. He emphasizes the importance of adaptability in his career shift and provides insights into how coding bootcamps p…

1
S27:E1 - Nurturing Relationships for AI Excellence (Shawn Charles) 55:39

1y ago55:39

55:39

Meet Shawn Charles, Developer Advocate & Community Manager at The Hunt. Shawn shares with Saron how he got into tech solely by building and maintaining websites for local businesses, what inspired him to level up by enrolling in a bootcamp, and his advice on those who might feel overwhelmed in identifying their career path in this new world revolvi…

1
S26:E8 - Being Open to the Unexpected (Katherine Evans) 50:54

1+ y ago50:54

50:54

Meet Katherine Evans, Lead Engineering Instructor at Actualize Coding Bootcamp and Senior Software Engineer at Neon One. Katherine walks us through her journey from bootcamp student to bootcamp teacher, sharing tips for recent grads looking to land their first role. Saron and Katherine also talk about whether Katherine thinks it’s still worth learn…

1
S26:E7 - Thoughts on Degrees and Bootcamps (Johnny Proano) 39:35

1+ y ago39:35

39:35

Saron speaks with Johnny Proano, Associate Software Engineer at Hilton Grand Vacations. Initially drawn to code while building his personal DJ website, Johnny took the full leap with the support of his family. Johnny discusses his initial belief that a degree was necessary to become a software engineer and his decision to attend a coding bootcamp i…

1
S26:E6 - Embracing Rest for Productivity (Ronesha Dennis) 56:22

1+ y ago56:22

56:22

Saron chats with Ronesha Dennis, Founder and Lead Engineer at Bergeron-Woodley. Ronesha talks about growing up and how tech played a role in her childhood (her first website was a fan site for Lil Bow Wow). She talks about how she ended up in another career for 5 years until she sat down and thought about things she liked doing as a child without b…

1
S26:E5 - Exploring the Path from Medicine to a Tech Career (Shona Chan) 43:26

1+ y ago43:26

43:26

Saron speaks with Shona Chan this week about her experience navigating the world of software following a successful career as a doctor in the field of Anaesthesia. Shona shares her experience working in the medical field for 10 years until she decided she wanted to pivot into tech. Shona talks about how she made the decision to go to a bootcamp to …

1
S26:E4 - The Ins and Outs of LinkedIn (Laura Thorson) 47:02

1+ y ago47:02

47:02

Saron chats with Laura Thorson, Program Manager at GitHub. Laura talks about how she was always interested in singing, dancing and music growing up which led her to UCLA on a scholarship to play the oboe. She tells us about her experience at UCLA and her decision to go to a coding bootcamp after graduation as opposed to searching for a job with her…

1
S26:E3 - Learning to Code with a Full-Time Job (Beau Carnes) 41:03

1+ y ago41:03

41:03

In this week’s episode, Saron chats with Beau Carnes, Director of Technology Education at freeCodeCamp. Beau shares insights into his career trajectory, which began in television and digital media production. After gaining initial experience in this industry, he transitioned to work in education as a teacher. Beau speaks on his experiences within b…

1
S26:E2 - Freelancing While Homeschooling (Sarah Greer) 44:05

1+ y ago44:05

44:05

In this episode, Saron chats with Lead Web Developer, Sarah Greer. Sarah talks about her coding journey and how she juggled her passion for coding through freelancing while homeschooling her children. Sarah talks about why it was so important to her to learn to code and to have a career outside of having the title of “mom”. She also shares her expe…

1
S26:E1 - Make Your Accomplishments Visible (Camille Eddy) 49:54

1+ y ago49:54

49:54

This week, Saron talks with Camille Eddy, Technical Product Manager. Camille talks about her life growing up as a Pastor’s child, how she started and grew her business, and when she first found her passion for tech. Camille also shares her experience overcoming a fear of public speaking, and why it enabled her not only to travel the world but also …

1
S25:E8 - Empowering Developers of All Abilities (Judith Lung) 34:44

1+ y ago34:44

34:44

Saron chats with Judith Lung, Software Engineer at LinkedIn. Judith shares how she found herself in tech after initially getting her masters in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling. Judith talks about her experience learning to code as someone who is blind and the changes she aims to make in the tech space to aid in the progression …

1
S25:E7 - Overcoming Fears and Pursuing Passions (Stefi Rosca) 45:06

1+ y ago45:06

45:06

Saron chats with Stefi Rosca, Frontend Engineer at Typeform. Stefi talks about their path to breaking into tech in their later twenties after having a fulfilling career in marketing. They also talk about the communities they joined to help motivate and encourage them along the way and how they leveled up in the tech space. Show Links Partner with D…

1
S25:E6 - Big Tech: What They Say vs. What They Mean (Rachel Lee Nabors) 47:55

1+ y ago47:55

47:55

Saron sits down with Rachel Nabors again. They talk about what Rachel has been up to since they were last on the show in 2017, the inside scoop of Big Tech, and Rachel’s experience working for organizations such as Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft. You’ll also hear why Rachel has decided their next chapter will be at a startup and what they are hoping f…

1
S25:E5 - Mastering Leadership (Brian Jenney) 43:39

1+ y ago43:39

43:39

In this episode, Saron sits down with Brian Jenney, Senior Software Engineering Manager at Clorox. Saron talks to Brian about his struggles with addiction, how he changed his life and turned a new leaf with coding and sobriety, and how his go-getter personality has served him well and continues to play a role in his current success. They also talk …

1
S25:E4 - Diversity Dialogues in Tech (Ale Thomas) 44:20

1+ y ago44:20

44:20

Saron talks to Ale Thomas, Developer Advocate and Web Developer at Kubeshop | Mixed Change. Ale talks about growing up in Mexico and learning to code on her own. She walks us through her career history and how she paved her way into tech without a CS degree. She highlights how mentors played a critical role in her coding journey and how important f…

1
S25:E3 - Self-Taught Coding Stories of a Former Lab Scientist (Vanessa Vun) 39:23

1+ y ago39:23

39:23

Join us as we sit down with Vanessa Vun, Frontend Engineer at SciShield. Vanessa talks about how she first built a computer when she was in middle school but ended up taking a different path for her studies and found herself back in tech after working as a Clinical Lab Scientist for 10 years. Vanessa shares how she gained her technical experience t…

1
S25:E2 - The Journey from a Bootcamp to a FAANG (Alex Lee) 44:22

1+ y ago44:22

44:22

Meet Alex Lee, Frontend Engineer at Amazon. In this episode, we learn why Alex pivoted away from Mechanical Engineering and we follow his journey of transformation, opting to learn to code through a bootcamp over multiple law school offers. Alex also talks about his passion as a dedicated career coach and we learn more about Alex who not only excel…

1
S25:E1 - Pivoting to Tech from Biomedical Science (Marley Anthony) 37:48

1+ y ago37:48

37:48

In the kickoff episode to Season 25, Saron talks to Marley Anthony, Software Engineer at Bench Accounting. Marley talks about his career pivot from studying biomedical sciences to getting into tech. He unravels his strategies and tactics to secure his first internship, the pivotal steps he took to transition into his current role, and the significa…

1
S24:E8 - A Model's Journey to Software Development (Madison Kanna) 45:00

2y ago45:00

45:00

Saron talks to Madison Kanna, Senior Software Engineer, Health and Wellness at Walmart. Saron talks to Madison about finding the inspiration to transition from being a model to becoming a skilled developer. Madison talks about the experiences, challenges, and moments that sparked her interest in development. Listeners will gain insights into the to…

1
S24:E7 - Navigating Layoffs with Intention (Natalie Davis) 52:12

2y ago52:12

52:12

Today, Saron sits down with Natalie Davis, who shares her experience pursuing software engineering after climbing the ladder in the retail industry for 15 years. In their conversation, Natalie talks about what she has learned navigating the tech industry, how she's navigated layoffs, and why she has grown to be more selective and intentional with p…

1
S24:E6 - Surviving Cancer, Building Code, Thriving in Tech (Stacey Graham) 35:56

2y ago35:56

35:56

Saron sits down with Stacey Graham, Software Engineer at a fintech company. Stacey grew up curious about computers since being introduced to them in the 7th grade. Although she didn't take the full plunge into code immediately, she constantly provided technical support in her previous roles. Hear Stacey talk more about her experience navigating her…

1
S24:E5 - Balancing Parenthood and Programming (Phoebe Voong-Fadel) 27:43

2y ago27:43

27:43

Today, Saron talks with Phoebe Voong-Fadel, a self-taught Frontend Developer at the National Foundation for Educational Research. After having transitioned from a successful 14-year career in Higher Education in 2017, Phoebe made the courageous decision to pursue coding full-time while balancing the responsibilities of being a mother to her two chi…

1
S24:E4 - From Occupational Therapy to Code (Africa Mincey) 35:34

2y ago35:34

35:34

Saron talks with Africa, a former Occupational Therapist specializing in virtual therapy and assistive technology. Saron and Africa talk about transitioning from Occupational Therapy to working as an Accessibility Engineer testing government software and teaching developers how to build more inclusive web applications. Africa also talks about her j…

1
S24:E3 - Building Products for Everyone (Daniel Devesa Derksen-Staats) 39:38

2y ago39:38

39:38

Saron talks to Senior Accessibility iOS Engineer at Spotify, Daniel Devesa Derksen-Staats. Daniel talks all about accessibility and specifically delves in on how he got interested in the field, examples of how to make code more accessible, and how others listening can add accessibility to their tool kit of coding skills. Author of the “Developing A…

1
S24:E2 - Understanding and Supporting Neurodivergence in Tech (Frankie Nicoletti) 46:32

2y ago46:32

46:32

Saron sits down again with Frankie Nicoletti who we heard from in Season 23. This time Saron and Frankie talk about neurodivergence. They talk about what neurodivergence is, how listening to people's needs and making accommodations to allow people to do their best work is and will always be good for everyone, not just those who are neurodivergent, …

1
S24:E1 - From Customer Service to Code (Tae'lur Alexis) 36:16

2y ago36:16

36:16

Tae’lur Alexis is a self taught software developer, application security enthusiast and content creator. Her mission is to help people with non traditional backgrounds break into tech. Tae'lur sits down with Saron to talk about her coding journey going from fast food to tech and the habits and tips she has learned to get to where she is today. Show…

1
S23:E8 - Empowering the Next Generation of Black Tech Talent (Pariss Chandler) 32:17

2y ago32:17

32:17

For our Season 23 Finale, Saron talks to Pariss Chandler, Software Engineer turned Founder & CEO of Black Tech Pipeline. You may have heard of her before, as she was the mobilizer behind the hashtag, movement, and community #BlackTechTwitter. Pariss talks about getting into tech, being in tech at ad agencies and a beauty company, and how life chang…

1
S23:E7 - How a Single Mom in a Shelter Became a Successful Software Developer (Brittney Ball) 41:29

2y ago41:29

41:29

Saron sits down with Brittney Ball, Documentation Engineer at Meta. Brittney shares her experience going from being a homeless single mom living in a shelter to a Software Engineer. She talks about her journey to get to where she is today, the role a viral tweet played in kick-starting her coding journey, tips for those who are self-taught to stand…

1
S23:E6 - From Site Reliability Engineer to Principal Software Engineer (Alice Goldfuss) 42:25

2y ago42:25

42:25

Today, Saron talks with Alice Goldfuss, Principal Software Engineer and Systems Programmer specializing in building resilient distributed systems at scale. Alice delivered industry-impacting talks on container platforms, infrastructure operations, and organizational best practices, as well as written on the SRE field, kernel crashes, and personal s…

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Saron Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen