Matt: Raquel, welcome to the WP minute.
Raquel: Thank you.
Good to be back.
Matt: We'll see if it's a thank you by the end of this is
basically what you're saying.
Oh, yeah.
Uh, busy week.
I'm just getting back.
Busy week and a half for me anyway.
Just getting back from a non busy week.
I don't know.
What happens when you get pneumonia and you can't move and then today's
the first day after a week and a half you can actually do something.
Busy or not, I don't know.
But I just laid on my couch dying.
I'm back.
Uh, you've had a busy week.
PressConf has been announced.
We're going to talk about that today, of course.
But, you know, you've been hanging out in the WP Slack, WP Minute
Slack, for quite some time.
You're a wrangler there, that's what we label you, wrangling all things
people, community content, etc.
But, what else have you been up to these days, besides WP
Minute, and now besides PressConf?
Raquel: I mean, I'm still a community manager at Elegant Themes, but the
big news is that I launched my own business called Elegant Themes.
It's just this last August, uh, and that's kind of a sweet little story.
Uh, there's been a life, a lot of life happening for me
the last five ish, six years.
And decidedly my kids came first and I've sat on this idea for quite a while.
And it was around, I don't know, maybe a couple of years ago, people started to
ask, like, are you just making excuses?
Cause I'd been telling so many people that I want to start my own biz again, but.
I legit have this crazy confidence that, you know, maybe I am making an excuse,
but no matter what, it's a choice I'm making and my choices, my kids come first.
And when my baby graduates, I'm then going to focus on me.
And when my baby graduated, which was last May, I kind of took the summer to
regroup and then come August, I hit the ground running and launched my biz and my
businesses, uh, events and group travel.
And it's, uh, I put myself through a little branding process,
which is a whole other story.
It came up with the name Wonderland Curious, and there's a lot of
why and reason behind that.
But my very first sort of project, or not sort of, but legit project was to
resurrect an, a new name, our beloved old Pressnomics, and to resurrect this
new iteration of it called Pressconf.
And that's where I've been the last, like, few months.
Just really working on that.
Matt: I've been calling it a revival, uh, to some folks who
have been messaging me, uh, today.
Uh, but before we get to that, but you said you regrouped.
I've been watching your Instagram.
You've been traveling all over the world.
That is not a regroup.
A regroup to me is sit home, uh, and not try to work.
You traveled everywhere as your regroup.
What did you, what did you get out of it?
Raquel: Well, Matt, you and I are friends.
So you should know how I am.
I, I truly am an extrovert and I, I don't, I say that like a curse.
Like I am.
I, I almost Saturdays.
I don't like it.
I like legit feel like, why am I this way?
But I sort of need it.
Like, I need it to process, I need it to therapize me, side note, I am in
therapy, but, uh, and a lot of this travel was booked before life happened.
And when my daughter graduated, I legit, I felt burnout for
the first time in my life.
And I think it was, I was just so go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go,
go, that when that sort of ended, I felt like a giant boulder.
That I've been carrying for the last 20 years, I had sat down and I felt
the weight of what I had just done.
And so while I was sort of going through burnout and trying to take a chill pill, I
had already these travel plans organized.
And so I just had to do it.
And some of it felt like, you know, like, like, yeah, this is a lot
and I don't know how I can do this, but so much of it felt like it.
It's exactly what I needed.
There's just so much thought that comes with it.
And I don't travel like a tourist.
I travel like a local.
So when I do travel, I'm chill.
Matt: Yeah.
You have one Jan sport backpack and I'm like, how does she do it?
I got, I need a whole roll.
I three roll on suitcases to do across the country.
Raquel: No, no, no, no, no.
Yeah.
So, I mean, yes, I get it.
I look like I've been doing a lot and I mean, I have been doing a lot just.
Just the way I work, my personality, my psyche, everything
about me, it's what I need.
Um, and granted, when I'm home, I've been home, I've been chillin
on the couch, I've been watching TV.
I never watch TV.
This is like all new for me.
TV, do we call it TV anymore?
I think you and I are like the exact same age, but like, I've been watching shows.
On the couch.
It's been lovely.
So, I mean, so I have been having some downtime for the first time.
Matt: Uh, so you, you take that boulder, you place it down and then you take up,
pick up another boulder, strap it right back on your back called PressConf.
Um, Pressnomics is one of those things that is a, a real legacy
in the WordPress business space.
Um, I want to break down a whole bunch of things here.
Uh, but let's just talk about.
Carrying or reviving pressnomics now pressconf talk about that.
Wait for a second Impostor syndrome.
Can I do this?
Should I do this?
What went through your head and why specifically?
revive pressnomics
Raquel: 100 yes, all of that.
Um It got to the point where I had to uh, where there was no choice and it
probably started a year and a half ago when the idea, the seed of reviving
prosomics came into my head and it really became out of a need from the community.
I just, you know, post pandemic there, you know, there was steps, there was word
camps took a while to come back in person.
Once they did, you know, there was kind of some like stumbling, uh, to get
to, you know, a good, in person event.
And by the time I would say we're Camp Europe 2023 in Athens, I started to hear
the community say, like, we really need a business of WordPress conference again.
And I've long been friends with Josh and Sally.
And so my kind of thoughts were, let's push them a little
bit to like, bring it back.
But we all know GoDaddy now owns that trademark.
So And let's face it, we don't
Matt: need Strebl back.
We don't need Strebl back in the mix, right?
Just let him troll on Twitter and he's doing good.
Raquel: It's funny.
I get it.
I still call him Josh too and everyone says Strebl.
But yes, I get it.
Um, but yeah, so I then just a series of just, Events WordCamp US in DC, uh, really
hearing it kind of like having this idea talking with even Corey Miller about maybe
doing something and then really kind of the catalyst was just, just this past,
um, spring, late winter, uh, in Taipei for WordCamp Asia, a few things happened.
I remember hearing Robert Windisch, uh, say CloudFest was the new
Pressnomics and I was like, fuck that.
That's not, no, and then I went on this like mastermind community call
for WordPress and bunch of big names in community when it comes to WordPress.
And again, they were sharing the sentiment that we really
need a business of WordPress.
Press word camp.
And I got off that phone.
I'm like, Nope, I'm bringing this back.
And I reached out to Josh and Sally.
I was like, guys, what do we need to do?
I'm like, let's do this together.
If you don't want to, can I have your blessing?
And I know you don't necessarily need that.
There's been people who have like said, like, you know, like,
who, like, why do you need that?
And I'm like, for me, I'm a good faith person.
You know, this was very much Sally's baby.
And I want to respect that so much.
And so for me, it was like, like I had been a part of every single
Pressonomics iteration in the past.
I helped in the past, and this is what we want to revive.
And I don't want to do it without, uh, being above, I don't want to say
above board, but just above good faith.
Like I want to make sure that, that I'm going to like honor what was started.
And so, yeah, I got the blessing.
Matt: Yeah, it's about, yeah, it's like being a good citizen in the space, uh,
you know, respecting your colleagues.
I like to say I worked for Sally Shrebel, not Josh, uh,
when I worked at, uh, Pagely.
But I will tell you that she did pour her heart and soul into
the, into the, uh, the show.
Uh, the conference.
I mean, everyone did.
Uh, I, I, we didn't have to work yet or when I was there,
I didn't have to work it.
Um, but you know, the previous ones, I know a lot of the team did.
Uh, everyone put a lot of effort into that and you know, it's, it's great to see.
And this is why, you know, I'm not answering for you, but this is why it
makes sense to pick something like this because Pressnomics was always the, the,
Event you went to in the WordPress space.
Yeah, you always went to WordCamps.
We all went to WordCamps.
And when I say back, you know, back then with air quotes, but
Pressnomics was like, ah, you know, you just don't want to miss it.
And hyper focused on the business side, uh, of WordPress, which Today, even,
you know, pandemic aside, which I know is a big variable, but we're headed
into 2025 and there's still no, you know, de facto, like that's the, the
marquee business event for WordPress.
And the fact that business isn't really something that is, uh, again,
another marquee sort of track at regular WordCamps is baffling.
Uh, to me and, uh, you know, we're not going to talk about like all the stuff
happening in WordPress these days in terms of the automatic versus WP engine, but
my God, how are they going to continue WordCamps without revitalizing, you know,
the approach and there's a lot of bridges that have been burned, uh, up until this
day with everything that's been happening.
So, you know, good on you for picking, uh, Uh, Pressnomics to revive now
PressConf and then of course talking to Josh and Sally, uh, to get their
blessing is absolutely what we want to do.
Um, before we get too far, it's PressConf.
events is the website.
You can go and at least sign up to stay notified, but you can get your early
bird tickets by clicking on get tickets.
We're going to get to that in a moment.
Um, when you started to, uh, look at, uh, At revitalizing this, the other
mainstay, and listen, I'm not a guy.
We just talked about this.
I'm not a guy who likes to travel and it certainly don't like going west for
long stretches of time in an air plane.
Um, but mission palms resort is also like one of those places that
just makes sense for this event.
I was talking to somebody else before we hit record.
They're like, Hey, should I go?
What do you think?
Are you going to go?
And I'm just like, look, and like, what makes us good is somebody
who's never been before, Um, or even knows about, uh, press nomics.
And I was like, two things, the core focus on business is amazing at press
nomics, and I'm sure it will be on at press conf and second, the venue's
perfect because it's small enough, big enough to relax a little bit, but also
to be around everyone at the same time.
So that's a lot of me talking there, but you, you picked it and
replicating it at the same space, I think makes total sense as well.
Raquel: Yeah, that was the idea.
The idea was this first iteration and not saying that the following
iterations won't follow, but this first iteration was going to look and
feel exactly like what we remember.
We remember, like, the idea is that this is the revival.
This is the reiteration of it.
And Tempe Mission Poems is wonderful.
Love it so much.
And exactly like you just said, it's you don't have to leave, you know, and even
when you do leave for lunch, you just walk onto the strip right there, Milav, and
every single option of eating is there.
So it's just everything is just communal at this place.
And it's happens to be also, you know, I live in Phoenix.
So, and that's just pure coincidence.
Uh, actually Josh and Sally, we used to live in the same suburb of Phoenix.
That's when we very first met each other.
Um, and now all of that is coincidence and I guess convenience, but really
mostly coincidence because even if I didn't live here in the valley,
I would have chosen the same exact spot because it just works out.
And it's a pretty easy flight, you know, to get to, I get it.
You come from Boston, you come from like the furthest to northeast point of the U.
S.
But still, you know, it's not too difficult to get to.
Matt: No, it's not.
Phoenix is where you would fly into and then it's like, what?
I don't, I don't remember it's like 20 minutes to drive to
Raquel: barely like 10, 10 minutes.
In fact, you can even like take the light rail straight to it.
You don't even have to drive.
It's very accessible.
Matt: Yeah.
Um, so you, you have the idea, you're energized to revitalize this, you've
got the name Press Conf, you talk to Josh and Sally, you know, sort of get
their blessing or let them know that you're, that you're working on it.
What came next for you?
I mean, granted, you've done a ton of events in the, in the past, but
like, what was your, what was your playbook to say, okay, I got it,
got the name ready to rock and roll.
What did you do next?
Raquel: Yeah, I, uh, I started reaching out to my favorite people to build
the team, to really fill the gaps.
You know, um, yeah, I'm not new to running events, um, but almost exclusively
I've ran WordCamps, you know, and they, they work a little bit different.
And one thing, almost my entire time organizing for WordCamp Phoenix,
including the times I organized for WordCamp US, uh, just the team was.
Just immaculate, you know, and especially WordCamp Phoenix.
I mean, these are like friends.
These are like people that we like we do life together.
We don't just do WordPress together and and that meant a lot to me, you
know, so I wanted to recreate that like there's a lot I can do on my own.
But there's a lot that I can't and I'm no, not too proud to beg.
And so those first steps were reaching out to a short list of the people I
love and respect and to just build the team, uh, a little team lean.
I remember learning that even with Sally, I think the first time I
helped her was in 2013 and just the way we, you know, run lean.
And that was very big for me.
It doesn't take much, especially when people are good at what they do.
You know, and one of the biggest things that I was super
happy about was compensation.
You know, as being able to compensate organizers and that
we're not just volunteering, we're actually getting our value met of
the value spent, you know, met.
Matt: If you're, if you're watching this, I have, or if you're just
listening to this, make sure you check out the YouTube video.
But if you're watching this, I have the team page up.
It's of course you, Brian Richards.
Somehow this guy, Matt Madera showed up, uh, Carol, Dave, Ryan, uh,
Nathan Atkinson, and the Nathan B Weller, uh, on the, on the team.
Um, I've.
I've been to just a handful of meetings so far, uh, granted I've been super
busy and, and uh, bogged down with life and getting sick and kids, et cetera.
Uh, but what's the infrastructure like behind the scenes?
Somebody saying, Hey, look, I want to build out a team.
What did you spin up?
Like on the, on the geeky technical stuff, Slack team, like what did you
use for, for software to start wrangling and organizing all of these ideas and
people who are contributing to this?
Raquel: Yeah, well, one thing about me is I'm all like, I just do it.
I, uh, I, people want to hate on Myers Briggs, whatevs, uh, but for, when it
comes to Myers Briggs, I'm an ENFP.
And one of my favorite parts about that is I don't even know what
Matt: that means, Raquel, so you're far, far more ahead than I am.
Raquel: Just some personality, quibs, kind of like, you know,
Enneagram, all that shit.
Anyway, the, the, uh.
Um, what was it?
It was, yeah, I'm an ENFP.
I'm a campaigner, but the P at the end is, it stands for prospector
and this idea that you just do it.
You don't think you just do it.
And so that's, that is very much Raquel.
Like I just do it.
I'm like, we're going to figure this out as we go, but we're just going to do it.
But, you know, me and my teams in the past, we have our systems.
It's like, you already know.
Once you already know how to do it, the tool you use isn't the biggest of deals,
you know, so yeah, Slack, you know, like, it's just a small team, even if
we decide to pay, I haven't paid yet, but like, it wouldn't be much because
there's just a few of us, but we got Slack, uh, I mean, I'm still a Slack girl.
Matt: Notion, right?
I think we're using Notion for some of this stuff.
Raquel: Notion, yeah, uh, my, my girl Carol is an absolute beast
when it comes to tools and she just went to town on Notion and
just built out this thing already.
The whole thing's built out.
I'm like, okay, this is exactly why I have Carol on the team.
Uh, but yeah, we've got Notion going and, um, I mean, other, other than
like the usual, like, you know, we're processing like cards and things.
So we got Stripe and PayPal and all that.
But otherwise the main thing is like, yeah, Notion and Slack and of course,
Google little docs here and there, but
Matt: yeah, easy, easy enough to, to wrangle stuff like this, right?
That's what you say now, of course.
Raquel: I mean, the tools kind of really, they're, that's not
where the problems come in, right?
The problems come in with all the work that it takes and the,
the blood, sweat, and tears.
I mean, that's my favorite part.
I'm not going to lie.
That's my favorite part of organizing events.
Matt: So we, we need to get sponsors, right?
Or at least in your head, you're like, okay, team's there,
name, they've sanctioned it.
I've got a team, I've got the tools ready to get this thing going.
Now I need to make sure that there's people invested literally
in this so that I can run it.
Who did you knock on?
Which door did you knock on first?
And how is that going for sponsors?
Raquel: Well, um, TBH, we are really focusing on speakers first.
So right now, the way that we're working is invite first.
So we are specifically inviting certain key players in the industry,
definitely targeting most known names.
Um, and the, one of my favorite parts about Prestonomics and what we're
keeping with this new iteration is we're not recording, we're not streaming.
I mean, these are raw.
unfiltered talks that you got to be in the room where it happens.
That's been my own personal tagline for this entire event is be in the room
where it happens, because if you're not in the room where it happens,
you're not going to see the talks.
They will not be released afterward.
Matt: Right.
Raquel: Uh, so that to me, um, speakers are huge and the people
who buy the tickets, you know, That's kind of makes the pudding.
So sponsors, my biggest thing was just getting the sponsor
package, like polished.
And that took quite a bit of time, more time than I expected because I'm used
to WordCamps and I'm used to a local WordCamp as opposed to a flagship event.
And so that did take me some time to like, be like, bro, uh, taking off the
WordCamp hat and I got to put on the professional WordPress event hat and
figure out these packages, but got that.
And.
I've already been having a lot of talks with a lot of big companies and
me and this comes with the territory of being someone who does get around
the community and has been known for putting on WordPress events.
And so I do have a lot of conversations already going with your usual
suspects when it comes to WordCamp, uh, sponsors, like the big hosting
companies and names like that.
So we could say that so far, big hosting companies.
Matt: I think one of the things about WordCamps is, I mean, fantastic that,
uh, there's a bunch of tracks, and especially if you're a developer, um,
maybe slightly on the marketing side, there's some content for you that's out
there, but when you go to a WordCamp, you're really either super, like, when
you go to a track, I should say, at a WordCamp, you're probably, like, super
beginner and you really want to learn something, or you're developer, more
developer minded, and somebody's showing off some kind of practice that, you're
like, hey, I want to check this out.
One of the sort of namestays of Of this conference is the tracks
or the presentations were just one room and, uh, they weren't recorded.
So even if, like, if you went to a WordCamp, you, you, you know, in
the back of your mind, you're like, Oh, I could go to that talk and
you're like, yeah, you know what?
It's actually going to be recorded.
So I'm going to skip it.
Uh, and then maybe I'll watch it later.
Then you never watch it later.
Uh, and then you just like miss it.
The difference here is you want this content, you have to show up in the room.
It's because after that, it's like, like most social media content these
days, it just disappears, right?
It's like the tick tock, uh, or the snapchat of presentations.
If you don't catch it, then it's gone too bad.
You'll never hear it or see it again.
Uh, so it does actually kind of make you very simplistically make you say, okay,
I'm gonna be in the room for this talk.
And I'm going to skip the hallway track, but then, you know, vice
versa on these other conversations.
If there's something there I don't really care for, then I'll do the hallway track.
So I think it's super important that you kept that, uh, same momentum.
Anything else that you're, uh, maybe sprinkling in that's slightly different
than what we've been used to in the past?
In terms of that, uh, set up.
Raquel: Um, yeah.
Uh, to your point, uh, there is no hallway track at PressConf, you know,
this event is for the hallway trackers.
That's who this is for.
So you're going to want to go to the sessions.
You're not going to want to, like, miss them.
And there is only one track, you know, so you've got to be
in the room where it happens.
But to your point, one thing different that we're going to add to this is
sort of, we're figuring this out.
We don't have it exactly planned out yet, but, uh, structured
time to mingle with others.
But just basically structured, so there will be time aside from
lunch, which has always been like choose your own adventure.
Uh, there will be time in the afternoons.
Maybe even in the mornings where we have structured, um, play dates,
I know you would, you would understand that, um, but we, uh, this is the
beginning stages, but my idea and the desire was that because this, there's
no hallway track at a press conf, the, cause this is for hallway trackers.
We still want to allow for time aside from the mornings, aside from the evenings
when you're staying up having these like.
brain trust sessions, you know, until 1 a.
m.
And aside from lunch, we want time, structured time, somewhere throughout the
day where you're given the opportunity to maybe do what you're used to doing.
Because I know at a WordCamp, so many people are used to being like,
I run to this Ramada and we're scheduling meetings all day long.
Nope.
You will not be scheduling meetings at this event.
Matt: I've never been to a Ramada, Raquel.
I don't care what the paper trail says.
Pressconf.
events It's April 23rd through the 26th.
Uh, 23, 24, 25, 26 4 days if I have, uh, if I count on my fingers.
Is it going to be 3 days of speaking?
2 days of speaking?
All 4?
Like, what's the setup?
Raquel: No, the first day is just the welcome party in the afternoon.
And then, Thursday, Friday are speaking days.
The Saturday is the fun day.
If you guys remember, uh, Pressnomics in the past, there was always a day
for golf for the mats of WordPress.
That is a loaded statement right there.
But, and then a not golf option for those of us who do not
golf, which that would be me.
So Matt, I'm actually going to be consulting with you even
more on that because nobody on the team golfs except for you.
So,
Matt: uh, Well, I've got some opinions.
Um, yeah.
So looking at, again, looking at the website, press conf dot
events, at the tickets page.
You can get a VIP all access pass.
Uh, right now, early bird access is 680.
Or you can get general admission, uh, for 580.
That'll get you access to, obviously, the event.
Does that get you access to the retreat days?
What's the difference between the two?
I don't know.
Raquel: Yeah, they're basically the same ticket.
It's just that the general mission is no retreat day, but essentially
the same, it gets you to the welcome party and the after party,
and there is the add on option.
So if you're traveling with a significant other, then we do have
a plus one option as well, that they could come to the parties.
Matt: Fantastic.
Is the party going to be.
At the venue or is it going to be somewhere else?
Or is it secret, undisclosed right now?
Can't talk about it.
Raquel: No, no, no.
The welcome party and the after party will be at the venue itself.
Very similar to how it used to be, our, the old pressomics iterations.
Matt: I'm trying to remember, the courtyard area was it two levels?
Raquel: I think what you're remembering is there was a few times we were at the pool.
Uh, but yeah, but both of our parties will be in the courtyard.
It's so close to everything.
I mean, in the entire hotel, for those of you who remember, and
for those of you who don't, it's, it's circles around a courtyard.
And so all your rooms, You know, we'll be all around that courtyard and to
Matt's point earlier, it's just so accessible and so intimate and such
a time to connect with the who's who and the up and coming and WordPress.
Matt: All right, Raquel.
So what's the biggest lesson so far?
I mean, I know you're still early ish days, but you've
been working on it for a while.
What's the biggest takeaway so far?
What, what's got you, what's got you a little stuck, but what's
also got you a little proud so far?
Raquel: Really more so me.
Um, I'm honestly been crying on and off the past couple days and I don't,
I don't shy for my tears anymore.
But, uh, I, um, This is my first baby, not actual children.
I've had three and I'm very proud of those, but like in the past,
my old business was not my baby.
Um, you know, and even now where I work, which proud to work at ET,
it's not my baby and this is my baby.
And a lot of the lessons and just applications I've had to learn and even
in still learning is how much all of this is, how much I believe in myself.
You know, and, and how affirmations really sort of do work the past few
years, and I've just been like, I'm pushing it off until my babies graduate.
And I just kept saying insane, even when the naysayers didn't.
And then here I come and I don't even know why.
Feeling burnout and I just do it and then and here I am and it did not arise
by any means and there's so much more that I need to do and and I'm excited
to do it but I I'm blown away that I did it like because it's actually mine.
Matt: There's uh, Listen, there's, there's a certain level of
craziness, uh, somebody needs to do something like this to this level.
And I'm, you know, I am, I am thankful it's you, not me, uh, number one.
Uh, but number two, like you're the person to do it.
And, uh, I think when it comes to getting, you know, I mean, event,
I can't even plan a birthday party.
So there's that, but to do something like this, where you're bringing
people literally from all around the world, it's, uh, sort of one
of these traditions that we've had in the, in the WordPress community.
So you're, you're reviving that.
Um, and you're bringing together.
People on a subject that we're all sort of really hungry for, right?
Work based business.
Um, there's a lot of things at play.
And, uh, you know, I'm proud to have, uh, helped just in a tiny,
tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny way so far.
Uh, but I also think that, you know, you're the woman for the
job for this kind of thing.
And, uh, you know, proud of you.
And, uh, really rooting for you and, and the entire team to
get this thing off the ground.
So, press conf.
dot events, press conf dot events.
It'll be linked up wherever you're listening or watching to
this April 23rd through the 26th.
You can get early bird tickets.
Now sign up Raquel, anything anywhere else you want people to go.
Any, are you on blue sky?
Like what's happening these days?
Like where do you want people to go other than.
Pressconf.
events.
Raquel: Yes.
I mean, obviously Zitter, uh, Twitter X, uh, still have a presence.
Um, there is a, an IG cause I'm an IG girl anyway.
And yeah, I was just thinking, I was like, uh, ever since this past week, I feel like
everyone's like, we're moving to blue sky.
So I was like, ah, shit, I should go squat on a, on a, a handle there too.
But you know, the usual spots and, um, obviously people
could reach out to me as well.
Matt: The Twitter handle for PressConf is AtPress.
Underscore two times conf, underscore two times conf, uh,
or, you know, I'll link it up.
Double underscore, double underscore.
That's how you say that.
Jesus.
Is that what the kids say?
I don't know.
Raquel.
Uh, everybody, thanks for listening.
Thanks for hanging out.
Again, check out press conf dot events.
Uh, it's an event you're not going to want to miss, especially if you're in
the WordPress business space or want to be around people who are, you know,
really hungry for this kind of content.
And I think it's going to be an amazing event.
Time.
Thanks for listening to today's episode.
Check out all the links in the show notes and we'll see you in the next episode.