Jonathan Denwood & Kurt von Ahnen
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WP-Tonic is a podcast for WordPress professionals, Bootstrap SaaS startup entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to build a business online. We cover a large number of areas with our main show. We interview creative WordPress and startup entrepreneurs, plus online experts who share insights to help you build your online business. Jonathan Denwood and Kurt von Ahnen host and produce the WP-Tonic podcast, which is one of the longest-running WordPress podcasts. Each episode brings you valuable insights with one goal: to help you generate more income and impact through online businesses.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
WP-Tonic connects WordPress and technology shifts to the practical decisions facing agencies, freelancers, plugin makers, and SaaS operators.
WP-Tonic turns changes around WordPress into candid conversations about running an online business. Jonathan Denwood and Kurt von Ahnen move between guest interviews and monthly roundtables, keeping technical shifts connected to agency work, product strategy, marketing, and the…
WordPress's AI panic has a freelancer's invoice attached.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A grounded look at AI, agency work, and the security risks that come with fast code.
WP Tonic looks at how AI is changing WordPress freelancing and agency work over the next 18 months. Jonathan Denwood and Kurt Von Ahnen keep the focus on day-to-day agency reality: code generation, plugin risk, and marketing, then widen out into the technology itself.
Founder energy can power the start, but scale reveals where it stops fitting.
The discussion lands on a familiar but useful tension: founder energy can drive a company early, then become harder to manage once scale enters the picture.
A blunt, useful conversation about SEO, brand, and what still survives the churn.
WP Tonic treats SEO in 2025 as a moving target, with Jono Anderson bringing the kind of lived-in context that comes from Yoast and the wider SEO scene.
A direct WordPress-business conversation about freemium, open source, and the way low prices can shrink the market.
This episode stays on WordPress business models, with the guest and hosts circling freemium, open source, distribution, and the logic of charging for plugins and themes.
A blunt WordPress AI discussion that stays grounded in how the work gets done.
WP Tonic starts from a familiar question about whether AI will displace WordPress professionals, then stays most convincing when it looks at how WordPress work is actually packaged and sold.
A practical look at how WordPress service work is split, priced, and defended.
Episode 961 looks at the changing WordPress business model through Kimberley Laperini and Velvet.io, where migration work gives way to maintenance, support, development, and consulting for both small and larger clients.
A practical Gutenberg discussion for WordPress professionals, led by a longtime builder and community lead.
WP Tonic spends this episode on Gutenberg's strengths and weaknesses for WordPress professionals. Brian Gardner, head of community at WP Engine and a longtime WordPress builder, is a natural fit for that conversation.
A blunt reminder that demand comes before marketing.
Mike Scott and the WP Tonic crew use this episode to ask a plain question: if AI is already answering more of what people used to search for, what is left for online marketing to do?
Stephen Dubner tests bourbon economics, Alzheimer's research, and money advice against hard data.
Daily business news with Kai Ryssdal, tracking Fed policy, oil shocks, and private credit.
Galloway rotates Office Hours Q&A, Raging Moderates politics, and China Decode geopolitics weekly.
Joel and Matt answer listener money questions weekly in the show's Ask HTM segments.
Brené Brown's long-form conversations linking grief, caregiving, politics, and nonviolence to her vulnerability research.
Mike Scott, a WordPress entrepreneur and former actuary, discusses whether online marketing is dead in the AI age, sharing insights from building plugins like Social Gallery and Zero BS CRM.
The WP-Tonic roundtable discusses WordPress core development struggles, including Gutenberg and leadership issues, then shifts to Meta's corporate culture as revealed in a whistleblower book, and concludes with debates on community ownership and economic trends like buy now pay later services.
In episode 954 of WP-Tonic, hosts Jonathan Denwood and Kurt von Ahnen interview Brian Gardner, head of community at WP Engine, to discuss Gutenberg's evolution, UX design challenges, and adoption issues in early 2025.
In this episode, hosts Jonathan Denwood and Kurt von Ahnen interview John Overall, founder of WP Plugins A to Z, to discuss how AI will affect the WordPress plugin ecosystem in 2025.
Jono Anderson, former Yoast employee and SEO expert, discusses the dramatic changes in SEO and content marketing for 2025, arguing that traditional tactics are dead due to AI and Google's evolution.
In episode 961 of WP-Tonic, hosts Jonathan Denwood and Kurt von Ahnen interview Kimberley Laperini, CEO of Velvet.io, about the evolving role of WordPress agencies, client support boundaries, and the impact of AI tools.
Spencer Foreman discusses whether AI will destroy freelancers and WordPress agencies, arguing it will instead create opportunities for those who act as human concierges to AI.
Rob Walling discusses the future of SaaS and WordPress in an AI-driven world, covering topics like freemium pricing pitfalls, vertical vs horizontal SaaS strategies, and practical AI tools for entrepreneurs.
The panel discusses AI site builders' impact on freelancers, critiques AI hype and marketing, debates WordPress's future amidst AI advancements, and covers topics like the WP Engine lawsuit and cost efficiency.
Hosts Jonathan Denwood and Kurt von Ahnen interview Brad Inlet, an expert on business culture, discussing how culture impacts startups and established companies.
In episode 966 of WP-Tonic, hosts Jonathan Denwood and Kurt von Ahnen interview Marcus Burnett about the state of the WordPress community.
In this episode, hosts Jonathan Denwood and Kurt von Ahnen interview Lias Lofgreen, chief growth officer at Stainless, about evolving SEO and online marketing tactics for 2025.
Episode 959 starts loose.
Jonathan Denwood and Kurt von Ahnen discuss how AI is impacting WordPress freelancers and agencies, covering tools, security risks, and historical context.
This episode features an interview with TJ Robinson discussing SEO changes, WordPress, and M-Dash, aimed at WordPress professionals and SaaS entrepreneurs.
Interview with Ryan Logan about his journey from IT to WordPress agency owner and his current WordPress businesses.
A roundtable discussion on the latest WordPress and tech news, including WordPress 7.0 delay and legal cases involving Meta and YouTube.
An interview with Robert Wingash, CIO of Europe's biggest WordPress agency, discussing multisite and the state of WordPress in 2025.
A roundtable discussion about WordPress community news, including a ban from WordCamp Asia and other tech stories.
The hosts discuss a video post about echo chambers in the WordPress professional community at the start of 2025.
Interview with Ingram from Web Squadron discussing WordPress, web design, and the state of WordPress in 2024.
Interview with Salton from WP Funnels about their WordPress sales funnel builder and email marketing automation tool.
A roundtable discussion on WordPress and SaaS news, including an interview with Matt Malweg and topics like Adobe's abandoned Frigma purchase.
Interview with Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, discussing his background and the open source community.